God is Still On His Throne
2 Kings 24:8-16 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his captains and his officials. So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. He carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, just as the LORD had said. Then he led away into exile all Jerusalem and all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. So he led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother and the king’s wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. All the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all strong and fit for war, and these the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.
The sin of Jehoiachin and the people of Judah had severe consequences. Judah was conquered and all but the poorest and infirm were taken captive to Babylon the temple was stripped of its holy vessels and ultimately the city of Jerusalem burned with fire it was a time of great sorrow, Psalm 137:1-6. Everyone is questioning whether or not they will be in exile a long time, or if they are still the people of God.
Ezekiel 1:1-1:28 The theme of the whole book of Ezekiel is the glory of God. The last verse of Ezekiel talks about a city whose name is "The Lord is there." That to me is the theme of the Feast of Tabernacles; it is the Lord manifests Himself there. He is the glory of God. The theme of the Book of Ezekiel being the glory of God actually reveals to us that the theme of the Book of Ezekiel is the revelation of Christ. Ezekiel is the Old Testament book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation we know, the last book in the Bible, is the book of the revealing of the Son in the New Testament. The Book of Ezekiel is the revealing of the Son in the Old Testament. Isn't it amazing that it ends by saying, "The Lord is there."
Some facts about Ezekiel:
Age 30. "In the thirtieth year . . . the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God" (1:1) - Occupations. "Ezekiel the priest" (1:3) - Birthday. "Take the sum of the sons of Kohath . . . from thirty years old and upwards" (Num. 4:2,3) -
Captive. "I was among the captives" (1:1) - Taken from home at age 27. "Which was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity" (1:2). Taken in 597 B.C. he was called in 593-92 B.C. Five years later the Temple was destroyed 587 B.C. -
"I was . . . by the river Chebar (at Tel Abib) and the hand of the Lord was there upon him" (1:3). Called the Grand Canal for transportation between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers -
Received letter from Jeremiah. (Jer. 29) That destroyed their dreams.
(1) Settle down. "Build ye houses . . . plant gardens . . . take ye wives" (Jer. 29:5,6).
(2) Don’t rebel. "Seek the peace of the city" (Jer. 29:7).
(3) 70 years. "After seventy years . . . I will visit you . . . to return you to this place (Jerusalem)" (Jer. 29:10).
EZEKIEL ENCOUNTERS GOD
An encounter occurs when: God intentionally meets with you - in a time of great personal need - through unexpected circumstances - telling you something about Himself - you learn something about yourself - preparing you for a specific task - even though you don’t fully understand all the mysterious elements of the encounter.
God called Ezekiel, on the day he should have been consecrated as a priest. In time of need because dreams were destroyed. God told them they would not return home to Jerusalem (Jer. 29). Unexpected circumstances.
Then A Vision.
Remember Ezekiel was at the River. This is a type of The Holy Spirit. To encounter God we must be In The Spirit, by The River.......
Ezekiel saw a whirlwind, a fiery cloud, four angles, a wheel within a wheel, loud noises, God sitting on a throne. Learning about yourself. "And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice" (1:28). Learning about God. "I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about . . . this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord" (1:27,28). Prepared for a specific task. A prophet not a priest. "Thou shalt speak my words unto them" (2:7). Mysterious. There was much mystery in the call to Ezekiel.
1. God reveals himself in a windstorm v.4 - whirlwind - in the Hebrew, a spirit wind, a wind of spirit. This is a spiritual vision. We find here that there is a Great Spirit wind that came out of the north. with lightning and brilliant light. He reveals himself with power and authority. God wants Ezekiel to know that God has the power to do what He says He is going to do. God often appears in a cloud in the Old Testament, called the Shechinah glory of God. He appears in a cloud and pillar of fire at night to the Jews in the wilderness. He appears in a cloud when Solomon dedicates his temple. 1 Kings 8:10-13. God revealed himself on a throne v.26. Ezekiel would forever remember that though things seemed out of control, God was still on his throne. God is Sovereign. God’s Sovereignty means that “God created the world and all that is in it. He sustains the entire created order in existence. He guides the affairs of human beings and nations. He providentially interacts with all that takes place. He works for the good of the world and finally will bring all things to a satisfactory conclusion. Because he is God, he has the absolute right to work his will.” This doesn’t mean you have a free will. God gives us all the ability to accept his leadership and Sovereignty or to rebel against him. Isaiah 6:1-6 Isaiah also saw God on a throne. Rev 4:2-8 - God is pictured on a throne. The Bible says that Zion is in the north in Psalm 48.
2. God revealed himself with fire. v.27 Heb 12:29 says our God is a consuming fire. This symbolizes the judgment of God. The judgment of God is a product of God’s holiness. He cannot condone sin. God expects us to repent of our sins and to ask for forgiveness.
3. God reveals himself in a rainbow v.28. The rainbow is a reminder of God’s covenant of grace. It symbolizes the mercy of God. Even in judgment, God remembers mercy.
The first mention of cherubim’s is in connection with keeping the way of the tree of life, in Genesis 3, they are also in connection with, or in union with, the mercy seat, which speaks of Christ the name cherub means "blessing." "Their appearance was like burning coals of fire." Where do you get burning coals of fire in the Tabernacle of Moses and in the Temple of Solomon? You get it from the brazen altar, which speaks of the cross. This is a finished work. "They also were like the appearance of lamps." Golden candlestick, church, the lamps got their fire from where? All the fire in the Tabernacle of Moses came from the brazen altar. That is where you get your fire.
It says there was a great cloud; a glory cloud. "And a fire infolding itself." Jeremiah 23:29 says "My Word is as a fire." Jesus was the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. When we grow up, when we manifest Him, we will be the Word made flesh and dwelling among them.
Verse 4 - a fire enfolding itself He said, "I saw this: I saw a whirlwind, and I saw a glory cloud, and I saw the Word of God enfolding itself." Amber is actually a combination of gold and silver. Divine nature and redemption. That is what is seen in that. What is the Word of God? It is a revelation of God's divine nature by method of redemption.
The four faces: a humanity. Jesus walked in His humanity. Then there is the face of a lion, which is kingly, or ruling and reigning. There is also the ox nature, which is the servant nature. Then you have the eagle, the heavenly creature.
Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Notice that it says "the feet of him." The "him" in Isaiah 52 is the Lord Jesus who brought good tidings and published peace. The feet sparkled like the color of burnished brass. It is amazing how many times - Daniel chapter ten, Revelation chapter one, you will find that the feet of the Lord Jesus are burnt brass, burnished brass, polished brass. He is represented by having feet that are brass.
Ezekiel 1:15,16 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
The beryl is the stone on the breastplate of the high priest that represents Dan, which means judgment. I believe the wheels represent a work. I believe there is a wheel within a wheel. This is a work in a work; it is a work that was done by one that represented the other wheel. This is not a little wheel …people have preached that this is a little wheel in a big wheel. It is not a little wheel in a big wheel; it is two wheels inside of each other. The wheel represents a work, and there is a work that He did, and there is a work that was done to him, and a work that was done to me. It is a wheel inside a wheel. Two identical wheels, two cycles of truth as it were. Two redemptive revelations of a work that is (end of side one) you are right in the middle of that work. His spirit and your spirit. How can you tell the difference? There is no difference. The spirit of life is in Him; the spirit of life is in you. It is a wheel within a wheel.
Let's look back at verse 26. Sapphire is the stone for Simeon, which means "hearing." Lots of hearing on the throne. The throne is a place of great hearing. God gives us ears to hear and eyes to see what the Spirit is saying. Those that sit on the throne can hear. What did we just say was the throne of God? Jeremiah three says that spiritual Jerusalem will be the throne of God. Who is sitting upon the throne? The likeness as the appearance of a man who is resting on the throne. Ezekiel 1:27 And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. Remember what amber is? A combination of gold and silver.
Ezekiel 1:28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
Noah's ark, a great outpouring of rain. In the Old Testament it killed people; in the New Testament it brings them life. Hosea chapter six says that He shall come unto us as the rain. Water gets so high that it does what it did in Noah's day; it kills the flesh. It's like the prophet Ezekiel was given the end of the matter at the start; then he says, "Now I am going to show you how to get there." The glory of God. I just think that we are close to the glory of God coming to the church. What do we mean by that? I mean we are close to having the understanding necessary and the spiritual comprehension necessary to allow Jesus to appear. That's what I believe.
TEN LESSONS FROM ENCOUNTERING GOD
1. After your dreams fail and you don’t know what to do, an encounter with God can come. "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance" (Psalm 43:5).
2. An encounter with God gives new vision for the direction after your life. "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Pro. 29:18 KJV).
3. An encounter with God may result in a new task in life. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9 NKJV).
4. God may give you a special message when you encounter Him. "And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ’Thus says the Lord God’" (Ezekiel 3:10,11 NKJV).
5. God can prepare us for an encounter with Him. "Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive-to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon" Jeremiah 29:1
6. God can use political and cultural conditions to prepare us for an encounter with Him. Culture shock is a complete disequilibrium. "When all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, . . . then ye shall call them to mind . . . and shall return to the Lord thy God . . . that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity and have compassion on thee" (Deut. 30:1-3 KJV).
7. We don’t understand all we see and experience in an encounter with God. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those that love Him" (I Cor. 2:9 KJV).
8. An encounter with God is private. "When You said, ’Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ’Your face, Lord, I will seek’" (Psalm 27:8 NKJV).
9. When it seems our birth families and our birthplaces have predetermined our lot in life, an encounter with God can change everything. "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (I Thess. 5:24).
10. Just because you cannot understand everything about an encounter with God, doesn’t mean there is no interpretation to the events. "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow" (I Peter 1:10,11 NKJV).
* I can find God after my dreams have failed.
* I can get fresh dreams by encountering God.
* I get a new task from fresh dreams that come through an encounter.
* I may get a personal ministry from God when encountering Him.
* I will be prepared to serve God by an encounter.
* I may understand political and cultural crisis after encountering God.
* I may not understand all my experiences when encountering God.
* I usually encounter God privately.
* I can overcome the conditions of my birth by encountering God.
* I don’t need to understand everything that is happening in an encounter with God.
