EZEK 8:1-12 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. 7: And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. 8: Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. 9: And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. 10: So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.
11: And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12: Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
The Prophet Ezekiel was captive along with the Jews in Babylon when he had a vision.
- A hand had stretched out of the fire and yanked him up to see a vision! –
The Spirit transported him to the Court of the Temple at Jerusalem where he seen the Image of Jealousy ---- it was a heathen idol that angered Jehovah!
Now this was bad enough but Ezekiel then saw a hole in the wall.
The angel told him to dig it out; to make the hole bigger...
Then he opened it up so he could walk thru it...
THEN HE CAME TO A 2ND WALL
There was a door at this wall... which he entered.
It brought him into a large inner chamber.
The walls of this inner chamber of imagery were lined with heathen idols.
In the midst of these filthy pictures of heathen worship were 70 Elders of Israel swinging censors and chanting incantations and worship to false Gods!
EZEK 8:12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
Ezekiel was shocked at the Secret Idolatry!
But there was more....
He walked out of the chamber into the court by the gate and saw ..
VERSE 13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. 14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
Tammuz was the oriental equivalent to Adonis a lover of Venus!!
To this day you can visit the Temple of Venus.
Very sensual licentious worship was taking place there and the Bible says the women were crying for it!
YET MORE?---
25 men standing by the Temple Door (with their backs toward the Temple).
They were facing the East and Worshipping the Sun!
VERSE 17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.
THEN SOMETHING INTERESTING...
EZEK 9: 2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
EVEN IN GOD’S WRATH HIS WAS WILLING TO SAVE!
Here me church...
The world will not be to far gone UNTIL the man with the inkhorn can no longer find anybody weeping for Truth!
CAN OUR CHURCHES TAKE THIS PLACE IN OUR CITIES!
CRY OUT TO GOD!
We see this principle all through the Bible!-----Were there even 10 Righteous in Sodom?
Genisis 18 Abraham asked God
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.
30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
2 Thes 2: 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN HERE...?
**SIN IS PROGRESSIVE! - (certain things lead to others)
An infection left in the body will MULTIPLY and destroy the body cell by cell.
Is there a hole in your life? --- some breach in your armor? Some little hole that leads down to the inner court of corruption?
Holes occur because if Neglect of Consecration or Evasion of small Truths!
You don’t fall when you sin...
you fall when you stopped praying!
WE MUST ENDEAVOR TO FILL THESE SMALL HOLES IN!
Like a tree surgeon does for old trees...
he fills the hole with concrete or tar.
Infection & blight must be stopped!
WE NEED TO WORSHIP WITH A KNIFE!
Solomon said the "little foxes spoil the vines" - it is the little insidious, besetting sins that will drain your gas tank!
Another Lesson.... is the sadness of hypocrisy
Israel had 2 kinds of worship going on...
One type was public in the Temple Courts
The other was private idolatry down below!
The Worship ABOVE was just sham worship.... fake, for show
Mark 7: 5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
Jesus articulated it well...
John 4: 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
====== YOU SEE - THE REAL WORSHIP WAS GOING ON DOWN STAIRS! in the chambers of the imagery
** NOW LISTEN: Anybody who reaches high in life will no doubt have a degree of failure & or inconsistency...
Our Reach should always be higher then our GRASP!
Every man will fall a bit short of his highest aspirations.
BUT THAT IS NOT HYPOCRISY! ---- THAT IS HUMAN SHORTCOMING...
Hypocrisy is the DELIBERATE living of a lie!
Worshipping outwardly like normal while inwardly we worship idols!
Saying that we think, or feel, or do, one thing, and behind closed doors, or in secret, we are all the time, living, doing, thinking, or acting, differently, / HYPOCRISY IS MISERABLE MY FRIEND
THIS "DOWNSTAIRS" IS OUR THOUGHT LIFE...this is where our Character is cultivated!
WE ALL HAVE TWO WORLDS
1. The OUTER world that all see --- and we show everyone
2. Then the inner chambers --- our thoughts & imaginations
This is where reality is!
The real temple is the HEART! In our minds is the sincere sanctum.
Motives are raw here...
Evil is done just for evil’s sake as well as goodness.
There is no shaming, no fooling ...
In this realm ALL pretense and disguise is cast off! – we are what we are.
Here we learn the truth.
We are responsible for what we continue to think on!
Satan can throw thoughts in but we manage them and organize them.
He may make us think evil thoughts briefly but we can’t allow ourselves to continue to think those thoughts continually remember Garbage in Garbage out
Prov 23: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
The LAW condemned the murderer but Jesus condemned the Heart that hated enough to do the murder!
The LAW condemns those caught in adultery but Jesus said even the thinkers of such an action are guilty!
IS IT ANY WONDER THAT THE BIBLE TALKS SO MUCH ABOUT THE INNER HEART & THOUGHT LIFE?
ALL THINGS BOTH GOOD & BAD start in the "factory of the heart" Our Life of thought & desires is our real life.
Mat 15: 10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Mark 7: 15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. 16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
POINT: THERE IS NOTHING EXTERNAL THAT CAN DEFILE YOU! because the battle is within.
VERSE 18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; 19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? 20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
Most of the battle is avoiding temptation!!!
Good books, good music, turn the TV off!
Get the cable out of your house!
Develop a determination to keep the temple clean.
CONSTANTLY leaning on GOD! ----
CONFESSING OUR THOUGHTS TO HIM!
2 Cor 10: 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
1 Chron 28: 9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
WE MUST SEEK GOD’S HELP IN THIS INNER AREA OF OUR LIFE...!
King David made his mistakes but one thing he did that was right was that he SOUGHT GOD OFTEN!
PSA 51: 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
LET’S CAST DOWN SOME IMAGINATIONS TOGETHER!
Let us gather around these alters and pray, lets get our hearts right before a thrice Holy God. Lets, with Gods help get our thinking right, get our actions right.
Let us make our worship pleasing to Him in public and not have hidden hypocritical worship, let us cast down our idols,
Let’s face it most of us are guilty of putting something before God, and it’s usually ourselves.
Come Church, let us pray let us cry out to the Lord for strength and mercy to live in submission to Him and his will for our lives.
