Sermon Central
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Not Fearing Going Up
Contributed by Joe Rowland on Sep 1, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Just as Ezekiel was commanded to dig into the wall, maybe we need to dig into our walls that we might be able to see the door which is Jesus. If we want to go up in the things of God, we can not worry or fear what the enemy might try to intimidate us wit
Not Fearing Going Up
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
In the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month Ezekiel and the Elders of Judah sat before him.
The Hand of the Lord now falls upon Ezekiel.
This is Ezekiel’s second vision of a series of visions in the sixth year of captivity.
This was approximately about five years before the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 8:2 says:
2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
The fiery appearance that Ezekiel saw had the likeness of a man.
He was the God of Israel and was accompanied by the Glory; He was the one who spoke to the Prophet in this vision.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
All of this was in a vision, but you have to understand that to Ezekiel he was feeling exactly what he was describing.
I kind of understand what it means to be caught in the Spirit and have the Spirit of God take you somewhere in a vision.
You hear, you can feel, you have all of your senses.
In verse three, it says that the hand of God took him by the lock of his hair and took him and was showing him something.
The phrase “the image of jealousy “was probably the asherah which was set up to the Brazen Alter, this was an idol.
This idol was upon a pedestal wounding with jealousy the love that shone forth in the Glory of God.
4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.
The Holy Spirit is careful to emphasize that it is the Glory of the God of Israel which they had forsaken for this stone idol.
God wanted to point out the things in the people that were coming before Him in their lives.
5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
Some of the religious leaders had placed this idol at “the gate of the Alter”.
This was the Brazen Alter where the Temple sacrifices were supposed to be offered for the sins of the people typifying Calvary.
How many Idols have we added to the Cross?
These idols were doing a lot of damage to God’s Sanctuary; they were letting things in a place that was to be Holy, separated for the things of God.
The phrase in verse six, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
