Warning and the Heart of God – Part Two
God says: “… hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”-Ezekiel 3:17
By Micah Winefeld
There are two fundamental questions that true followers of Christ must answer: Do you believe that we are living in the last of the last days? Do you believe that the coming of the Lord for His church is very near? If your answer to these important questions is “yes,” then you must also believe that we are living at a very dangerous time in human history. As you go about your daily routine, has it ever occurred to you that the people you know and love may soon face the horrors of the Tribulation Period? Worse yet, can you envision these people suffering in the fires of eternal damnation? Does the fact that you are living in a world that is filled with violence, and a blatant departure from God’s moral standards, ever make you think that His judgment is imminent? This brings us to the most important question: If you think about these things, what are you doing? If your heart is knit to the heart of God, you will be moved to sound out His merciful warning to everyone around you.
In Part 1 of this article last month, we examined the life and call of the prophet Ezekiel as an example of God’s ministry of warning. Drawing upon the cultural analogy of the watchman in the ancient watchtower, God called this special servant to warn Judah that the judgment of the Lord was about to fall upon them. He also called his Jewish brethren to salvation, offering them the only way to escape eternal damnation.
Last month, we looked at two of four Biblical realities about the ministry of godly warning. First, we noted that warning is a complementary part of God’s nature. Biblical warnings concerning the eternal consequences of sin and judgment flow out of the heart of God. Next, we considered that warning is a crucial part of God’s revelation. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with divine warnings. This is at the heart of God’s revelation to mankind. Now, let us turn to the last two Biblical realities concerning warning and the heart of God.
Warning is a Critical Part of the Ministry of God’s Servants.
The Lord told Ezekiel: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 3:17) The Lord reminded this priest and prophet that he was made by Him for a divine appointment. The Lord shapes the lives of His servants for the task that He has for each of them. In other words, when God commands, God enables. We see another example of this when the Lord reminded Jeremiah that He shaped him for His divine calling while he was in his mother’s womb. (Jeremiah 1:5) Ezekiel was very much aware that “the hand of the LORD was … upon him.” (Ezekiel 1:3; see 3:14, 22; 8:1; 33:22; 37:1; 40:1)
Ezekiel had been raised up by the Lord at a very critical time in the history of the Jewish people. The people were out of touch with the Lord and His divine plan. They were spiritually blind and numb to the imminent judgment of God, even though it was evident all around them. [Does that sound familiar?] To awaken them by sounding the alarm, the Lord called Ezekiel to a ministry of warning.
As previously mentioned, there is a pattern in God’s word that must not be ignored. The Lord causes His servants, when they are in tune with Him and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to sound out divine warning in times of apostasy and judgment. While speaking about Ezekiel’s role as a watchman unto the house of Israel, the late Dr. Charles Lee Feinberg, a Jewish American Biblical scholar and professor of Semitics and Old Testament, comments: “His function as a watchman over the city was preeminently to warn of impending disaster; the prophet as a watchman was to call to repentance and faith. … It is comparable, perhaps, to the Christian pastoral office which is responsible for the care and cure of souls.” (Feinberg, The Prophecy of Ezekiel, p. 29)
As I listen to the voices of Christian leadership across America, it seems to me that very few are sounding out any warning. Their silence comes as the hand of God’s judgment is about to fall upon America and the horrific judgments of the Tribulation Period are rapidly approaching. Even more shocking is that Christian leaders in America remain silent despite the fact that eternal damnation awaits all who reject the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus. In light of this, please join me in examining seven observations from Ezekiel 2-3 about what it means to be a watchman for God.
1. They know who they are. (2:1)
In this book, the Lord called Ezekiel “son of man” 90 times. The watchman of the Lord will always know that his life, talents, and time are not his own. He realizes he is a mere man while the Lord is God! This sounds very simplistic and elementary. However, our sin nature tends to cause us to forget this. It appears to me that most Christians are acting like the Lord Jesus is their servant. They follow Him to get what they can. They have a bad case of spiritual entitlement mentality. They think God owes them. They believe they deserve God’s richest blessings.
My friend, the true servant of God realizes that he has not been called to a life of comfort and riches. He realizes God owes him nothing and that his salvation and life are a testimony to the grace of God. He also knows that all believers have been called to a position of servitude and sacrifice for the One who gave His all for us. (Luke 14:2627; Galatians 2:20) The cross life is not an easy life. There is a high cost to following Jesus Christ!
2. They know that God called them. (2:1-3a)
It is evident from the divine revelation that Ezekiel recorded that he knew he had been called by the Lord to be a watchman. He was aware that the Lord had His hand upon him and spoke to him. Ezekiel was obedient. He stood up for the Lord and God sent him to the children of Israel.
Each believer should know they have been “fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14) It is very humbling and gratifying to know that the Lord has saved us. His hand has been upon us from the moment we were conceived in our mother’s womb. He has fashioned us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. He has equipped each believer with unique gifts to serve Him. (1 Corinthians 12) He has saved and called each one of us to serve Him. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
We have all been called to proclaim the gospel to the entire world. (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20) At the heart of each gospel presentation should be the message of warning to those who refuse to heed God’s counsel concerning the consequences of sin and the judgment to come.
It is evident that the Lord calls certain servants to unique ministries. He calls some to a special ministry of warning. Such were Noah, Elijah, Ezekiel, John the Baptist and all of the prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. They do not allow people to distract them. (2:3b7)
The Lord warned Ezekiel to not allow the rebellious spirit of his own people to distract him from being a watchman. He told His servant that they would not listen to him. However, he was to be faithful to deliver God’s message so people would “know that there hath been a prophet among them.” (2:5)
In the American church, most of the leaders have been conditioned to use only the methods and message that seem to bring the results they want. Leaders listen to the church growth experts, who have large congregations. These experts are very careful to market the church. In essence, they attempt to give people what they want, instead of what God wants and the people need. If you listen carefully, you will discover that these so-called church growth experts fail to preach about sin and the judgment to come. They don’t want to offend people or confront them with their sin and make them feel uncomfortable. They also avoid the subject of Bible prophecy.
In my opinion, most of the leadership in the American church is out of touch with reality. They are like the religious leadership of Israel that Jesus confronted. Jesus rebuked those leaders because they were more interested in the weather and their own agendas, rather than the plan of God. (Matthew 16:1-3) They are so busy building their own religious kingdom, or attempting to identify with the godless culture, that they are unaware of the imminent dangers that are facing our nation and world. Their messages and ministry prove they are really out of touch with the true spiritual condition of our world. They want God to join them in their plans. However, they fail to notice that we need to surrender our plans for His plan. We need to join Him, not ask Him to join us!
The proof of all of this is the lack of interest in Biblical prophecy. Biblical prophecy is the eternal plan of God! It is what He has purposed, and it will come to pass. (Isaiah 14:24, 26-27) Notice that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, that He taught them to make the plan and will of God the heart of their prayer requests. The first item to pray for is: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Real prayer is not the effort of the human heart. It is the work of the Holy Spirit through the heart of the believer. Jesus said:
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7) When the believer is walking in the Spirit, he will pray in the Spirit. Thus, he prays as the Holy Spirit directs him. A Spirit-filled believer will be saturated with the Word of God. Consequently, he will pray for God’s will and Word to come to pass. In the last chapter of the Bible, the church is directed by the Spirit to pray: “Even, so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20) Spirit-filled believers will be focused upon the imminent return of Jesus Christ and the results of living in a world that is marching toward Armageddon. They will refuse to let people or their culture distract them from the big picture of Biblical reality. It will shape and color their worldview.
4. They feast upon God’s Word. (2:8-3:3)
In these verses, the Lord instructed Ezekiel to digest the Word of God, allowing it to become part of him. At the heart of Ezekiel’s commission were these words: “hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.” (Ezekiel 3:17) A person who has been used of the Lord knows that he must saturate his life with the Word of God. It must be a daily part of his regimen. The Word of God feeds and satisfies his soul. It convicts and leads a person to confession and correction, bringing about a lifestyle of daily repentance. The Word of God gives hope and provides a person with wisdom and authority to instruct others in the way of life. Read Psalm 19:7-11. Note verse
11: “Moreover by them [the Word of God] is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”
A true servant of God must sound out the Lord’s warning when it becomes rooted in his heart. This is a powerful testimony that he believes God and loves those around him. All of this was also displayed in the life of Noah. God spoke directly to Noah about the approaching divine judgment in the form of a global flood. Noah believed God and loved those around him. He sounded the alarm and built an ark – a colossal project that took him 120 years to complete. Noah did “according to all that God commanded him.” (Genesis 6:22; 7:5) As our world faces another divine global judgment, where are the godly voices of warning like Noah?
5. They have God’s strength.
It is incredible to learn that names in the Bible reflect the character or divine call of a person. In light of this, it is worth noting that the Hebrew name “Ezekiel” means “God strengthens.” It is apparent that Ezekiel was totally dependent upon the power of God to complete his mission. This is a good example for us all. We desperately need to be reminded of our total dependence upon God. When we think we can do it without Him, we are doomed to fail. Jesus said: “Without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Any divine mission requires divine strength. When we do God’s work we are confronting the principalities of hell. (Ephesians 6:12) In and of ourselves, we are no match for demonic forces and those who are living in open rebellion against the Lord. When we fight the good fight, we overcome evil “because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
6. They know their duty as God’s watchman.
(3:17)
In ancient Israel it was the duty of the watchman to scan the horizon from his lofty position in the watchtower. He must not be distracted from his assignment. It required his full attention and focus. A watchman’s duty was twofold. He must scan the horizon for danger and sound the warning. Ezekiel saw the desperate spiritual plight of his people and the gravity of the impending judgment of God. The Lord showed him his present situation and allowed him to look into the prophetic events of the last days.
Today, the messenger of warning must see the imminent dangers and those that are coming in eternity. From his lofty position through the telescope of the prophetic Scriptures, he must faithfully and truthfully warn his people of things which are coming upon this earth. In our day, these judgments may not be as far off as some have assumed.
7. They live with the consequences of their failure.
(3:18-21)
True servants of the Lord are acutely aware they not infallible. They realize and admit they are prone to failure on a daily basis. We all sin every day! (1 John 1:8-10) There are painful consequences to our sins and failures as an ambassador of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Lives are at stake. What we do has eternal consequences!
This sobering reality is quite evident in the book of Ezekiel. The Lord told Ezekiel that he held him accountable to sound out the warning from Him to his fellow countrymen. The Lord informed His prophet that he was not responsible for the reception or rejection of his warning. However, if he failed to warn the wicked, he would bear some level of responsibility for their lost condition. (Ezekiel 3:18-21) “The responsibility of a believer in Christ today to share the word of life, salvation, and forgiveness is no less awesome. Once the message of salvation is entrusted to us, we are responsible and accountable to share with those who are lost.” (Cooper, L. E., Vol. 17: Ezekiel, The New American Commentary, p. 86)
Warning is a Central Part of God’s Eternal Plan
The Bible is divine revelation about the glorious attributes of the triune God and His eternal purposes. It is evident from the volume of prophetic Scriptures, which account for about 30 percent of the Bible, that the Lord wants His people to have a grasp of Who He is, how He is at work and what He will do in the future. The Bible is a book of God’s progressive revelation to man. The fact that the book of Revelation is the final book in this progressive revelation should indicate the value and importance of Bible prophecy in general. Furthermore, the book of Revelation further illustrates the importance and the application of God’s ministry of warning. God’s revelation of the ultimate and final rebellion of man against Him is intended to be a tool of warning and evangelism. The study of the prophetic Scriptures displays the sovereignty and the holiness of God. The message is loud and clear – the Lord will not always tolerate the rebellion of man and will ultimately bring it all to a divine conclusion that will glorify Him. Furthermore, He will honor and bless those who submit to His Lordship and worship Him as their Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Judge and coming King. The final generations of mankind that rebel against the Lord are destined to come under the judgment of His holy vengeance on this earth. All who reject the Son of God will spend eternity in total separation from the Lord and His heaven.
The book of Revelation, and all other prophetic Scriptures, has a practical goal of warning all men they have a personal choice to make. In this book, man is confronted with a holy God, His hatred of sin, and His ultimate judgment against all sin, sinners and effects of sin. As a warning and invitation, this is brought to a final practical application in the closing verses of the Bible. “Let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:17)
In light of this, it is no wonder that the godly prophets of Israel were consumed with the coming of the Messiah. Remember that the early church was 100 percent Jewish. All of the apostles were Jewish. The passion for the coming of the Messiah and His eternal plans continued in the early church as a vital focus in their personal lives. It served as a motive for all of their worship, edification and evangelistic effort! Furthermore, their understanding of the context of the last days gave them practical wisdom for living. Even so, today godly people can find practical wisdom for living as they develop a proper worldview in the light of God’s eternal plan. Like the children of Issachar, “which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32), we can share with our world God’s message of warning about the dangerous times in which we live.
Our Lord has called us to serve Him in these last days. In light of the times, we must conclude that He has called all of us to a ministry of warning. As God’s servants, we must be faithful to Him. The world will call us a failure, but God will call us faithful! God has called us to be faithful and obedient, not successful and disobedient. (1 Corinthians 4:2-5)
In recent days, I have been personally moved by the Scriptures as the Holy Spirit has reminded me that our Lord is determined that His eternal plans will come to pass. Consider Isaiah 9:7-“The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Look at Isaiah 62:1, 6-7-“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. … I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
I must confess that I have a fire that burns in my bones all the day long. I believe God! I believe His Word! I believe that the judgment of God upon America and our world is imminent. I do not know if we have hours, days, months or a few years before that judgment comes. But I do believe that those who love Him and are in tune with Him will not be afraid to lovingly and mercifully warn those around them. Oh that we could be consumed with a zeal to be faithful to Him as we long for His coming!
Be ready for the shout that will take us out!
Moving toward a New World Order
As one examines the Scriptures, it is evident that the earth’s final seven years of this age will be in the grip of a ruthless and evil global government. (Read Daniel 2:4144; 7:7-8, 23-25; Revelation 13:1-9; 17:9-13.) I have noted that a growing number of Christian leaders agree that the coming New World Order will apparently be some type of political wedding of communism and Islam. On the basis of Scripture and the current function and strategies of the United Nations, I have come to adopt this as a real possibility. In the past few years, I have written about the Biblical view that the Antichrist and his empire will be Islamic. There are a multitude of Scriptures that support this view. For example, in Isaiah 14:4, the Antichrist is called “the king of Babylon.” Babylon is located in present-day Iraq.
If this is true, then the current movement in the United States toward socialism [the first step toward Communism] and the growing acceptance of Islam is not only frightening, but reveals that we are witnessing the final stages of the collapse of the old world order’s last superpower. I personally believe that when the United States collapses as a world superpower, the world will be quickly forced into an international political system that will be socialistic and sympathetic to sharia law – the law of the Koran. I believe this will be the system that will ultimately surrender its authority to the Antichrist. Isn’t it interesting that American citizens have re-elected a man to lead this nation that advocates socialism and Islam? This is not an accident! (Read Daniel 2:21.)
The Lord has raised up many voices to warn this nation of the course we have taken in the last several years. The current leadership, both internationally and in the U.S., are promising us that better days are ahead. As they chart this course for the future, they are calling for us to reject the past, reject the God of the Bible and its moral laws. (See Psalm 2:1-3) They are promising a man-made golden era. In his recent book, The Coming Revolution, Dr. Richard Lee (the founding pastor of First Redeemer Church in Atlanta and author of several volumes) gives the following warning to America: “The idea of a man-made utopia has been the promise of every totalitarian society since the collapse of the Roman republic. But it is a false vision, a mirage, a wisp of smoke, and we would be foolish indeed to abandon the achievements of the greatest republic in the history of mankind for a system that has been the source of some of the greatest miseries ever known. The progressive promise is in reality a hallucination.” (Dr. Richard Lee, The Coming Revolution, p. 29)
In an excellent article entitled, “The First Muslim President,” in the current edition of Whistleblower (a publication of World Net Daily), David Kupelian (an American journalist best known for his bestselling books The Marketing of Evil and How Evil Works) warns America about the course it has taken. He writes: “Having lived through a tumultuous era in which the biggest geopolitical challenges to America’s very existence as a free nation have been Marxism and Shariah Islam, it’s a testimony to modern America’s blindness that we have chosen – twice – a president who champions both.
“But there’s perfect logic to the ‘grand jihad’ uniting these two ungodly forces against the rare and exotic bloom of individual liberty. Both movements are based on the rejection of the God of the Bible and of Christianity and Judaism, which comprise the moral foundation of Western Civilization. Both are fixated on an ecstatic vision of a utopia that cannot exist in reality because it defies all the laws of God and man and human nature and common sense.
“And, although superficially incompatible with each other, both are on the same side of the great war between good and evil, both intent on enslaving as many free people as possible in the process of imposing a deluded paradise that never was and never can be.” (David Kupelian, “The First Muslim President,” Whistleblower, January 2013, p. 8)
It appears that these two political systems will be the iron and clay that are mentioned in Daniel 2:40-42. Certainly, these two totalitarian systems that ruthlessly rule over men have mingled “themselves with the seed of men.” (Daniel 2:43) These two political schemes currently control and manipulate the policies and decisions of the United Nations. The Communist ideology holds power over 22 percent of the world’s population, while Islam controls 29 percent. Therefore, these two tyrannical ideologies control over half of the world’s inhabitants.
As one examines the pages of history it is very evident that those who radically adhere to the dogmas of Islam and Communism have the legacy of creating a bloodbath in the wake of taking control of nations that are forced into the slavery of their beliefs. In Islam’s 1,400 year history, it is estimated that 270 million innocent people have been brutally murdered in the name of Allah. The Communists, Marxists and Nazis are responsible for the deaths of 120 million in the 20th century alone.
In light of all of this, it is chilling to note that the revelation given to Daniel indicates that the final evil kingdom “shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” (Daniel 7:23) This vision troubled Daniel, and caused him much sadness. (Daniel 7:28) Therefore, it should not be too surprising that these considerations also greatly trouble us as well.
For the believer, these prophecies can be both sweet and bitter. (See Revelation 10:8-10) They are bitter because we know that much evil lies ahead for our world. However, on the sweet side, there is hope. The King of Kings will crush this evil New World Order. Jesus Christ will return at the end of the Tribulation Period and destroy the evil empire of the Antichrist. (Revelation 19:11-21) Long ago the prophet Daniel wrote of this event: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44)
During the Tribulation, we will join with the great number of the saints in heaven as we proclaim: “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15) Oh that we would long for this kingdom now! We should! We have been admonished to pray: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)
Iranian Nuclear Facility Destroyed
Israeli intelligence has confirmed that one of Iran’s important nuclear facilities has been partially destroyed. Iran is blaming the explosion on sabotage. This explosion took place at the Fordo nuclear plant near the city of Qom during the last week of January. Israel has been focusing upon this facility because it is located in a massive bunker-style system under a mountain, “making it nearly immune to aerial assault, and therefore a perfect location for a significant portion of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities.” (www.israel today.co.il, January 27, 2013) There has been no assessment as to how much this will delay Iran’s progress toward the development of a nuclear weapon