Audio Download

Ezekiel 16:22-42 The Lord’s Useless and Faithless Bride, Pt 2

[Study Aired May 6, 2024]

Introduction

Today’s study is about the Lord showing us our abominations. According to Strong’s Dictionary, abomination refers to something disgusting morally; especially idolatry or having an idol. 

Deu 29:17  And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them)

Deu 32:16  They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.

We do not have to physically worship an idol before we are guilty of abomination. In Ezekiel chapter 14, we are made aware that when we cherish man’s wisdom and tradition more than the truth of the word of the Lord, then we have idols of the heart which is the stumbling block of our iniquity before the Lord.  During our time in Babylon, we were given an evil experience from the Lord as we were given over to these idols of the heart through what we imbibe from the pulpit of the churches that we thought were the true bride. Most of the apostles in their writings warned us of this situation. 

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

This evil experience is part of the Lord’s agenda as we can see from the Book of Revelation and that of Joel where locusts are released from the bottomless pit (from our own selves) to harass the Lord’s people and the people of the world. However, to the Lord’s elect, even though these locusts shall cause much pain in our lives, we are kept by the Lord from destroying us completely. These locusts represent false apostles and teachers who come as angels of light. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 
Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 
Rev 9:4  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Joe 1:2  Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? 
Joe 1:3  Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. 
Joe 1:4  That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.
Joe 1:5  Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

The new wine in Joel 1:5 refers to the truth of the word of the Lord which was cut off from our mouth as we became entrenched in our idols of our hearts by what these men of God (locusts) teaches. In Joel chapter 2, we can see how the Lord has empowered them with resources as they enter into homes and wreak havoc to many. 

Joe 2:2  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 
Joe 2:3  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 
Joe 2:4  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 
Joe 2:5  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
Joe 2:6  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 
Joe 2:7  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 
Joe 2:8  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
Joe 2:9  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief (enter through televisions, social media, etc.).

Falling upon the sword and not being wounded in Joel 2:8 means the word of the Lord is not effective in the lives of these men of God (locusts) and by implication, our brothers and sisters in Babylon. However, to the Lord’s elect, the word of the Lord is like a double-edged sword which is able to pierce through us to divide asunder our soul and spirit and help us to discern our thoughts and intents of our hearts.

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

In today’s study, even though the Lord has given us over to these false apostles at a certain stage of our walk with Him in Babylon, the end result of this evil experience for us, the Lord’s elect, is that we cease from playing the harlot and become obedient children. Ezekiel Chapter 16 therefore focuses on showing us our abominations and the resulting judgment of our old man, which causes us to learn righteousness and therefore cease from harlotry.   

The Lord’s People Described as a Harlot

Eze 16:22  And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood. 
Eze 16:23  And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;) 
Eze 16:24  That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. 
Eze 16:25  Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms. 
Eze 16:26  Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

The days of our youth in verse 22 refers to our time in Babylon when we were naked and polluted by our own blood. These verses are showing us our abominations or wickedness which is the result of our whoredom. In verses 24 to 26, we are given to know what it means to be a whore in spite of the great favor the Lord has shown to us. Being a whore means we are enchanted by other men (another Jesus) even though we are married to Christ. This was our lives in Babylon or the physical churches of this world during the days of our youth:

Pro 7:9  In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 
Pro 7:10  And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. 
Pro 7:11  (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 
Pro 7:12  Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.) 
Pro 7:13  So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 
Pro 7:14  I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 
Pro 7:15  Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 
Pro 7:16  I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 
Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 
Pro 7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.
Pro 7:19  For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:

It is only when Christ comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and with His brightness that we come to see we have played the harlot during our time in Babylon. 

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

One of our sins as a whore was that we built eminent places for ourselves and made ourselves high places in every street. The eminent place here refers to a brothel-house. Internally, our hearts and minds (the temple of the Lord) became a brothel house where we revered all kinds of idols of our hearts (false doctrines) more than the truth of the word of the Lord. Externally, Babylon or the physical churches of this world, have become brothel houses where all kinds of false doctrines are revered more than the word of the Lord. No wonder at every turn of a street, we have these high places (churches).

Secondly, we made our beauty an abomination by becoming fond of idols such that we offered ourselves to all kinds of idols of the heart and therefore multiplied our whoring. In our time in Babylon, we gathered for ourselves all kinds of teachers who brought heresies, thus polluting the truth of the word of the Lord which beautifies us.  

2Ti 4:3  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
2Ti 4:4  and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 
2Ti 4:5  As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 

Thirdly, we committed fornication with the Egyptians who are our neighbors and used our prostitution to make the Lord angry. As we are aware, Egypt represents the world, and therefore the Egyptians symbolize the people of the world who walk according to the dictates of their flesh. Committing fornication with the Egyptians therefore means that we walked according to the standards of this world, which is idolatry. It is when we are dominated by the flesh that we walk according to the standards of this world. 

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 
Col 3:6  For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 
Col 3:8  But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Eze 16:27  Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way. 
Eze 16:28  Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. 
Eze 16:29  Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. 
Eze 16:30  How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; 

In view of our whorish behavior, the Lord is ready to judge us. In verse 27, the Lord stretching out His hand over us to diminish our food and to deliver us into the hands of the enemy is the Lord coming to judge our old man. Diminishing our food is famine which is one of the four sore judgments of the Lord. It signifies the absence of the truth of the word of the Lord which makes us worse off as we wander from sea to sea. It is through famine of the word of the Lord that facilitated our exit from Babylon and caused us to come to treasure the truth of the word of the Lord.

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Amo 8:12  And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. 
Amo 8:13  In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

Delivering us into the hands of them that hate us is the Lord’s judgment of pestilence. The Lord uses pestilence when we have gotten far away from Him. For example, when the children of Israel were in Egypt, the Lord used pestilence to get their attention. The Lord’s use of pestilence means that the people of Israel were given over to the devil, which in this case was represented by Pharaoh who caused the people of Israel to be under great affliction.

Lev 26:25  And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

The daughters of the Philistines, which the Lord delivered us into their hands, represent the physical churches of this world or Babylon, where we are oppressed.    

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. 
Isa 3:13  The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. 
Isa 3:14  The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 

Playing the harlot with the Assyrians and multiplying our fornication with the trading land of Chaldea are the result of being given over by the Lord to the devil, the enemy. As a result, we become worse off.

Rom 1:21  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:22  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24  Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 
Rom 1:25  because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 

Here in verse 30, we are told that our hearts are really sick as we do the deeds of a brazen harlot. What we need to know is that the harlot in the Book of Revelation is not different from the harlot here in the Book of Ezekiel or other parts of the Bible. Here in Ezekiel, we are talking about the Lord’s people who are described as harlot. That means you and I have played the harlot at a certain stage of our walk with Christ.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Eze 16:31  In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; 
Eze 16:32  But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband! 
Eze 16:33  They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. 
Eze 16:34  And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

As we indicated earlier, the building of an eminent place in every square and street refers to the turning of our place of worship of the Lord into places of prostitution where we prefer man’s wisdom and tradition to the truth of the word of the Lord. We do not need to travel to be at such eminent places or brothels because there is always one next door!! 

In verse 31, we are also told that we were not like a typical prostitute because we scorned payment. This conversation continues in verse 33 and 34 where we are told that we were different from other women who are into prostitution who are paid by the men who require their service. In our case, we would rather give gifts to our lovers!! Let’s take a look at what’s happening in the churches of this world. There are many who are laboring in the churches thinking they are working for the Lord who will reward them in the fullness of time. Apart from the pastors who are being paid, all others (choristers, ushers, deacons, etc.) are not paid for their service, thinking they are doing it for the Lord. We have all served in these churches and would have ended up empty-handed when the Lord comes. On the other hand, we were paying our tithes and offering to our leaders who enrich themselves at our prostitution with another Jesus. We were truly blind in every way!! However, in the Lord’s mercy, He delivered us out of Babylon!! This was what our state was when we were serving in Babylon:

2Co 3:14  But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 
2Co 3:15  Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 
2Co 3:16  But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 
2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Eze 16:35  Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD: 
Eze 16:36  Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
Eze 16:37  Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them roundabout against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. 
Eze 16:38  And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. 
Eze 16:39  And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. 
Eze 16:40  They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.

In view of our indiscretion in idolizing man’s wisdom and tradition instead of seeking the truth of the word of the Lord, the Lord is making us aware that we shall face His judgment. Here in verse 37, as part of the Lord’s judgment, we are to be given over to those who hate us. As we indicated earlier, being given over to those who hate us means the Lord is using one of His tools of judgment, that is, pestilence, to come to know our sins. It is insightful to note that in verse 39 we are given to know the result of the Lord’s judgment of handing us over to our enemy, that is, the devil. It is through this judgment that our hearts and minds are cleansed as our eminent place and high places within us are destroyed. We are also stripped of our self-righteous clothing and even the little truth of the word of the Lord that we know (fair jewels) is taken away. This is all done to help us see our nakedness before the Lord (verse 39). Our situation is not different from the prodigal son. It was when the prodigal son found himself naked that he came to his senses to go back to the Lord, his father.

Luk 15:13  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 
Luk 15:14  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
Luk 15:15  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 
Luk 15:16  And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 
Luk 15:17  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 
Luk 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 
Luk 15:19  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Being stoned with stones in verse 40 is the same as being judged for our adulterous life as the wife of Christ where we have given ourselves over to another Jesus. Remember that the woman caught in adultery was going to be stoned when Jesus intervened.

Joh 8:3  And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 
Joh 8:4  They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Joh 8:5  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

Our enemies thrusting through us with their swords in verse 40 refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary.

2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Psa 64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: 
Psa 64:3  Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: 

These negative words spoken are one of the tools the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect. 

Eze 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

The End Result of the Lord’ Judgment

Eze 16:41  And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more. 
Eze 16:42  So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

These verses are to assure us that the evil experience the Lord is taking us through is not in vain. If we are called and chosen, then through the Lord’s judgment, we shall cease from playing the harlot as shown in verse 41.

Psa 119:67  Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. 

1Pe 4:1  Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
1Pe 4:2  so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

The Lord’s fury toward us will also come to an end such that the Lord will no longer be angry with us as shown in verse 42.

Isa 54:7  For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you.
Isa 54:8  In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Ceasing from playing the harlot means that the Lord will deliver us from Babylon, and we shall come to hear the truth of the Lord’s word as we enter into the assembly of the elect. 

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

To stop playing the harlot also means that we shall be able to test the spirits to see if they are from the Lord. That is the same as being given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Being given the keys means being given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 16:17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 
Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 

Isa 22:20  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim (a type of the elect) the son of Hilkiah: 
Isa 22:21  And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 
Isa 22:22  And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 
1Jn 4:2  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 
1Jn 4:3  and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

May the Lord grant us the grace to know Him more through His words as our idols of the heart continue to be destroyed by the Lord’s brightness. Amen!!