See related posts: Gathering Israel Home, Fulness of the Gentiles: Restoration of Israel, Remnant: Can’t Hear the Gospel, Wilderness: God’s Unseen Place, Faith in Apocalyptic Times
Israel is and has always been the beloved of God. Her citizenry is all the children of God who are of the faith of Abraham. The entire Word discusses her earthly and heavenly experience. His promises to her are true, sure, and irrevocable. She suffers hatred and affliction. She is both scattered across the
Mt 18:12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
globe and in Israel. But her final destination is New Jerusalem. He trusts her salvation to none other than Himself. And those who offend her will receive just recompense.
Ezekiel 34:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. 7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; 8 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; 9 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; 10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. 11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and
will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. 17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. 18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. 21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; 22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. 23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. 25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. 28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. 29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. 30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
I came home, read your blog mail and did a quick research to catch me up to who said what and when in Ezekiel 34. This was one of the first five links I looked at and it looks like this link has good answers. I don’t know this link and can’t promise it is all correct but give it an investigation. You are welcome to completely delete this post if you see fit. —> secondhttp://www.theseason.org/ezekiel/ezekiel34.htm
Greetings, Bobby. Thanks for the link. Read it and the post writer is correctly interpreting the message of Ezekiel 34 which is clearly an indictment against false shepherds. Too, as Christ indicts the false shepherds, He is clarifying that He is the true Shepherd of the sheep of Israel (Church). But while the false shepherd/teacher is accountable for spreading untruth, so, too, is the individual accountable for not seeking Truth. We are told ‘Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. Too, I agree whole-heartedly with the link’s author concerning Jacob’s Trouble and about the identity of the ten lost tribles of Israel. We are they!!! and will, therefore, be present for Jacob’s Trouble. The billions of Abraham’s seed are the multitudes of immigrants who came to America from Ireland, Scotland, and Europe as they migrated from the Assyrian captivity. I have always believed in my heart that Thomas Payne was right about ‘manifest destiny (ordained by God to come to America).’ The blessings promised to the seed of Abraham is, of course, blessing of eternal consequence. But, too, the physical blessing of opportunity to enjoy the goodness and grace of God has not been greater than what has been poured on Europe and America. But we have managed to turn the blessing into a curse through desiring the gift more than the Giver.
Majority of Christians are insisting the time of Jacob’s Trouble is for the Jews only…no knowing nor considering our unknown heritage. America’s love for Israel is nothing less than bonding of hearts between kinsman. And if not true genetic kinsman, then surely spiritual kinsman between all who are of the faith of Abraham.
God began teaching prophecy to me in the first grade through visions from Him. They came throughout my life and they were revealed though the Word. If the Word does not reveal or affirm what is seen, it is only a dream. God’s Word does not change…ever. So if a dream is not backed up with Truth, it is not of God. Thus, Ezekiel 34 spoke to my heart about the apostasy so visible today. And the worst of the worst offender is ….me. I am what is wrong with the weak and apostate church. It is filled with folks like me who have followed tradition rather than Christ. We are weak, powerless, having a form of godliness but denying the power. As the Ephesians, we have left the First Love out of the church called by His name. And we are told to repent or be damned. Serious stuff!!
Again, thanks for the link. He was generally right on with his interpretation of Ezekiel 34. Didn’t agree with everything but he and I are two individuals. God gives each person, individually, the wisdom and knowledge needed to perform his personal walk with God.
WE are in perilous times. God is leading our hearts, speaking to the Sheep, saying ‘Follow Me.’ America and the globe is slap-dab in the middle of the spiritual warfare which is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places. Only the Lord has power over the highest power of evil..Satan. It is clearly time for the true believers to take on the whole armour of God.
Ro 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Amen internet elias. It appears to me that if you are not an active preacher right now, you are at least an active Internet minister. — I like researching things in the Bible too. My first (but not investigated) thought about Ezekiel 34 was how it seemed to be a “replay” of the story from Jacob (Israel) to slavery to crossing the Dead (Red) Sea to the Promised Land to etc. I think sometimes that the actions and happenings of Israel in the “Bible Days” could be our connection to knowing more about future happenings to Israel now. — But that’s Just my thought.
20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. —- That reminds me of when Joseph interpreted Pharoh’s dreams and how the fat cow and the lean cow represented years of blessings or the hard times like the drought for 7 years. Therefore, this also seems to have relations to Israel and his 12 children’s lifes and their children. The Old Testament might have more answers in it than we can see (because God is keeping man from seeing it until the time is right, I guess)
Bobby, I am not a preacher. And I do believe God is using internet as one small tool for allowing fellow believers to support and strengthen one another in these crazy times. And I am grateful. I often read posts of other Christians….and my heart says, ‘Thank you, god. I needed that.’ I do feel the things God has taught my heart through divine revelation are pearls. I am careful where and how I share them. I don’t get involved in prophetic webstites that speak fear rather than faith and overcoming. To know God is to know the battle is already won…is to know like Paul that whether I live or die…I am the Lord’s.