Let s look at the glory departing from Jerusalem in Ezekiel Chapter 10 Ezekiel 10:18 22 (NKJV)

Transcription

1 INTRODUCTION: This week at our midweek study we will be looking at Ezekiel As we ve been studying Ezekiel on Thursday night, it s interesting how something written 1000 s of years ago is relevant for today In many ways, Ezekiel parallels the times that we live in Ezekiel is prophesying to Judah in the last days I believe we are in the last days before Christ returns Ezekiel warns the people of false prophets This last week we spoke in depth about the false prophets of today and I believe that false prophets will increase in the last days Ezekiel describes the glory of God departing from Jerusalem through the East Gate We know that the glory of God will return through the East Gate when Jesus, the glory of God, returns to Jerusalem So the Book of Ezekiel is a Book that is relevant for today If you want to join us for this exciting study read ahead and come ready to learn from God s Word This morning we are going to look at the Rapture of the Church Let s look at the glory departing from Jerusalem in Ezekiel Chapter 10 Ezekiel 10:18 22 (NKJV) 18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 20 This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. 22 And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. They each went straight forward. In this passage of scripture, we see a vivid picture of the glory of God, the Presence of God, departing from the Temple, through the East gate to the Mount of Olives, outside the city limits of Jerusalem It s a tremendous experience for Ezekiel He sees four Cherubim each Cherubim has four faces

2 The face of a man, an ox, an eagle, a lion It has been said that the four faces represent the four gospels o In Matthew, Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah o In Mark, Jesus is the Ox, the servant of all o In Luke, Jesus is the Son of Man o In John, Jesus is the Eagle, the Son of God With the departure of the Presence of God, we see the departure of the Presence of the gospel from Jerusalem But what is significant is the sequence of events For 40 years Jeremiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be destroyed because of their idolatry In Ezekiel 9, we see a glimpse of the angelic realm where Ezekiel describes 7 angels sent by God to destroy Jerusalem 6 angels with battle axes in hand and 1 angel, dressed like an Old Testament Scribe God sends the scribe to mark the foreheads of the ones who will be spared from destruction The ones who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done in Jerusalem the ones with a heart for the things of God Something to keep in mind God looks at the heart Man looks at the outward appearance As parents we can teach our children how to live according to the law and look good on the outside But God is interested on what s in the inside ON A SIDE NOTE: Jewish tradition tells us that the young mother s when nursing their babies would recite the Shema over them It was in 3 parts The first part was Deuteronomy 6:4-9 which begins o Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And the 2 nd part was Deuteronomy 11:13-21 which begins o And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil. And the 3 rd part was Numbers 15:37-41 which ends with

3 o I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God. Everyday the babies would hear these words spoken over them These words would become part of their soul and help develop in them a heart that is tender towards the things of God What a great tradition to start for young mothers speaking the Word of God over their babies while they are nursing The people whose hearts were tender towards God were marked In vs. 11, the Angelic scribe reports back to the Lord and says I ve done what You commanded me. That s chapter 9 then chapter 10 happens where the glory of God departs from the Temple After the glory of God departs, then God tells Ezekiel Ezekiel 11:1 4 (NKJV) 11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the LORD s house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. 2 And He said to me: Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city, 3 who say, The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat. 4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man! The 25 men that are mentioned here are the 25 men we spoke about last time who worshipped the sun between the porch and the altar We find out here that these 25 men were the city leaders To bring judgment against them is to bring judgment against the city But I want you to notice God gives an emphatic command to bring judgment against the city only after the glory, the Presence of God has departed I believe this is an Old Testament type of the Rapture of the Church What is the Rapture of the Church? The Rapture of the Church is an event that will happen in the near future where believers in Jesus Christ will be caught up to meet Him in the air when He descends from heaven.

4 The Christians who are alive will be instantaneously changed from their mortal bodies to immortal bodies A split second before that happens, the believers who have died in Christ will be raised from the dead into their new bodies Together we will be joined in the air when we meet Jesus Christ Now, it s important to understand that the Bible speaks of two events when it speaks of the coming of the Lord The Rapture and the Second Coming The Rapture is when Jesus comes for His church The Second Coming is when Jesus comes to the earth with His church for the purpose of defeating the forces of the antichrist and false prophet and setting up His literal kingdom on earth Now if you re like me, you ve read the Bible and discovered that the word Rapture is not in the Bible That was a barrier for me personally in believing in the Rapture of the Church However, word Rapture comes from the Latin Vulgate translation of the New Testament In the Greek the word is Harpodzo in the Latin it s Rapturos where we get the word Rapture from so it is in the Bible But what is most pertinent for our study today is to understand the sequence of events When is the Rapture going to occur and we get an indication of this from Ezekiel s description of the glory of God departing from Jerusalem NOTICE: Judgment doesn t come to Jerusalem until the glory of God has departed why is that? Because God cannot bring judgment upon Himself He is Holy and Righteous In the same way, God cannot bring judgment to the earth as long as the Church is present because the Church is Holy and Righteous Paul in writing to the Thessalonians said 1 Thessalonians 5:1 10 (NKJV) 5 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains

5 upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Paul tells us that God did not appoint us to wrath This word wrath refers to the Great Tribulation that is going to come upon the earth It s referred to as the time of Jacob s trouble Jeremiah 30:7 (NKJV) 7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. The purpose of this time as stated by Jeremiah is to save Israel That is something that we need to understand The Church is not present during the Great Tribulation Period Another indicator of this is found in Revelation 4:1 Revelation 4:1 (NKJV) 4 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. If you notice it says after these things after what things? The things of Chapter 1-3 which specifically address the Church So after the Church age is completed there is a trumpet and the command to Come up here the Rapture Paul also wrote 1 Thessalonians 4:16 18 (NKJV)

6 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. But the strongest case for the Rapture happening before the Great Tribulation is found in 1 Corinthians 12 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NKJV) 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. Those who have been Born of the Spirit are now the Body of Christ God cannot bring judgment upon Himself So before judgment can come upon the Earth, God s glory, His Presence must first depart and in order for that to happen, the Church must be raptured The Bible says that we are to comfort one another with these words So all the sermons you ve heard about how the Church is dirty, unholy and how we need to live holy lives to present a spotless Bride to Jesus throw them out Jesus says that you are a new creation, holy, spotless, blameless because of the finished work of the cross There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus You are forgiven, cleansed So if you ve been Born Again, Born of the Spirit of God, you can rest in the assurance that the Angelic Scribe has written your name in the Lamb s Book of Life You ve been marked for mercy not for judgment And when the trumpet sounds, you will be caught up with all the saints of all the ages to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. So rejoice be at rest relax let the Love of God just flow We re not appointed for wrath we are the object of His love Do you feel judged? Condemned? You re being ripped off Do you feel that you re not enough? Mom s do you feel overwhelmed by the demands put upon you? Surrender those demands to Jesus.