This lesson is on the end is come. In Ezek 7:1-15 Ezekiel prophesies against the whole land of Israel, Ezek 7:2. Ezek said, “The end is come.” We know that the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is in the Tribulation, right before the second coming of Jesus. In Matt 24, Jesus discussed the end and particular signs that will be apparent before the end. By the time Ezekiel prophesies, Judah and Israel have already been taken captive by the Chaldeans and the Assyrians. They have had a taste of what’s yet to come.
When the end comes, according to this prophecy:
The Lord’s wrath will be poured out upon Israel
“I will send mine anger,” v.3, 8; “mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity” v.4, 9; “now will I shortly pour out my fury,” v.8; “wrath is upon all the multitude thereof,” v.12, 14. See Deut 29:22-28, for example. 1 Thes 2:15-16, in the New Testament, shows us that God is the same God of wrath in both Testaments. Thankfully, he is also the God of mercy who sent his Son Jesus to save us from the wrath to come, Rom 5:9.
The Lord will judge Israel
“I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations,” v.3, 4, 8, 9. Their ways were contrary to God and their sins were abominations.
The Lord judges Israel during the Tribulation, he judges the church at the judgment seat of Christ, 2 Cor 5:10, he judges the nations when Jesus returns, Matt 25:31-46, and he judges the world and the angels at the white throne judgment, Rev 20:11-15, 1 Cor 6:2-3, after Jesus’ millennial reign.
When the end is come it will be only evil
“An evil, an only evil,” v.5; “the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded,” v.10; “violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness,” v.11. Prov 16:4. “It watcheth for thee,” v.6. They are under close observation. We say, “I’m watching you,” or “I’ve got my eye on you.” The Devil is just waiting for his opportunity to attack Israel as the Antichrist.
The rod blossomed, pride hath budded, and the rod of wickedness are a reference to the Assyrian in Is 10:5-6. He will bring violence far worse than the violence you have seen under men like Stalin, Castro, Idi Amin, and the Khmer Rouge.
The morning, the day of trouble will come
“The morning is come,” v.7; “the day of trouble is near,” v.7; “behold the day, behold, it is come,” v.10; “the morning is gone forth,” v.10; “the time is come, the day draweth near,” v.12.
The morning which is the day of trouble is the 2nd advent of Jesus. See Mal 4:1; Zeph 1:14-15 for references to the day and the morning. See Jer 30:7 for Jacob’s “trouble.”
It’s so near that the Lord says, it’s “not the sounding again of the mountains,” v.7. Sounding is making a sound. Sounding again is echoing. The sound of Is 13:4-5 is not an echo of a multitude far away but the sound of the multitude that is very near. The day of trouble is near. They’re so close you’re hearing them, not the sounding again of the mountains.
When the end is come the entire nation will be affected
“None of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs,” v11; “let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof,” v.12; “the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof,” v.13; “none goeth to battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof,” v.14. They all run; nobody is around to fight.
The buyer and the seller are affected. See Lk 17:28; Is 24:2-3. No one will be returning to the land. The trumpet is blown and none goeth to battle.
The sword, famine, and pestilence will devour them
The sword, famine, and pestilence will devour them as you see in v.15. See Ezek 5:12; 6:12, which we have studied in lessons on those passages.
When the end is come Israel will know, “I am the Lord”
“Ye shall know that I am the Lord,” v.4, 9. This is a constant theme in the preaching of Ezekiel.
Conclusion
You should know now that God is the Lord, there is none else. And thankfully, he has made a way for us in Jesus Christ to escape all of this trouble to come. We’ll be out of here when this devastation begins.