Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry

Will it happen again?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2015-06-11

Synopsis: John Weaver examines Ezekiel 9 to ask whether God's severe judgment on Judah and Jerusalem could be repeated on a nation that has similarly apostatized. He traces the abominations in Ezekiel 8—open idolatry, secret idolatry among leaders, weeping for Tammuz, and sun worship by priests—and argues that modern America mirrors these sins through environmentalism, abortion, covetousness, and self-worship. Weaver warns that God's immutability means His judgments do not change, and that judgment begins at the house of God. He urges hearers to seek the Lord while He may be found and to prepare their hearts for inevitable judgment.

[John Weaver] Will it happen again? You'll understand. Ezekiel 9 verse 1. He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Calls them have the charge of the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. Behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which laughed toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand. And one man among them was clothed with linen, with a rider's inkhorn by his side.

[John Weaver] And they went in and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man with the linen, which had the rider's inkhorn by his side. And the Lord said unto him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in my hearing, go you after him through the city and smite, let not your eyes spare, neither have you pity.

[John Weaver] Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children and women, but come not near any man upon whom is the mark, and begin at my sanctuary. Then they begin it with ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house and fill all the courts with the slain. Go you forth. And they went forth and stood in the city. And it came to pass while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face and cried and said, Oh, Lord God, will thou destroy all the residue of Israel and by pouring out of my fury upon Jerusalem? Then said he unto me, the iniquity of the house of Israel and of Judah is exceeding great. And the land is full of blood and the city full of perverseness. For they say, the Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord saith not.

[John Weaver] And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. And behold, a man clothed with the linen, which hath the inkworn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me. It has been repeatedly said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place. Of course, that's not true. lightning will strike wherever and whenever the sovereign God sends it. If he decides it's to strike a hundred times in a certain place, then it's going to strike a hundred times in a certain place. It is the same with every weather-related judgment.

[John Weaver] There are states like Kansas, Alabama, and a number of others, I'm sure, that have certain sections in those states that are known as Tornado Alley, because tornadoes always go in that direction. It's the same thing with hurricanes and the same thing also with earthquakes. Interestingly, if someone survives a very horrible hurricane or earthquake or tornado, the question automatically arises in their mind is, will it happen again? Well, we could actually ask that question in relationship to all of God's judgments? Well, they happen again. Well, if we grasp the truth of God's immutability, that is, His unchangeableness, we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same infinite, eternal, immutable, holy, and righteous God that He always has been, and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change. Circumstances surrounding the judgments may change, but the outcome and the results of the judgments are the same.

[John Weaver] Now in Ezekiel chapter nine, God reveals to Ezekiel that he intends to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. And he also intends to destroy all the wicked that proliferate those areas. Look in verse one. He also cried in mine ears with a loud voice saying, caused him to have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hands." Now he said, he cried with a loud voice or with a great voice.

[John Weaver] That is very significant because it demonstrates the greatness of his indignation and the vehemence of his wrath, which had stirred him up against the sins of the people. Thus what God is doing is calling together his messengers of death. He also says, calls them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hands. Now there are some scholars that will say those who have charge over the city are the Chaldeans. Well, obviously he had given the city into the hands of the Chaldeans.

[John Weaver] But before I get to that, I want you to note something. This command he issues from the temple court. In fact, the Bible says in verse 2, the latter part, and they went in and stood beside the brazen altar.

[John Weaver] Now, the temple was where God revealed himself to his people, either in mercy or in judgment. And interestingly, they stood beside the brazen altar.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to think with me. Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves. There is a biblical principle, and that principle is taught throughout scripture. You either have to have a substitutional sacrifice for your sins or you pay the penalty for your sins yourself. And so this was all by the altar. Since the wicked in Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice, they now must be sacrificed to his holiness and to his righteousness and to his justice. And please understand this.

[John Weaver] I'm going to point it out before I close today. When God sends his judgment, it is too late to beg for mercy. Joab is an excellent example of this. Joab, of course, was a murderer. He was also the captain of David's host. He was a fierce warrior and a great fighter. But he also murdered two men in cold blood. And so when Solomon ascends to the throne, He seeks to have Joab killed because of his murder. And what does Joab do?

[John Weaver] He runs into the temple, well, to the tabernacle at that time. He runs into the tabernacle and he grabs ahold of the horns of the brazen altar. Let me just read it. You don't have to turn there. But in 1 Kings 2, verses 28 through 31, here's what the Bible says. Then tidings came to Joab, for Joab had turned after Adonijah, although he had not turned after Absalom. And Joab fled into the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold of the horns of the altar. And it was told King Solomon that Joab was fled into the tabernacle of the LORD, and behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon said Benaiah the son of Joab, saying, Go fall upon him. And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth.

[John Weaver] And he said, Nay, but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him, that thou mayest take away the innocent blood which Joab shed from me, and from the house of my father. So Joab said, I want to die holding on to the horns of the altar. Solomon said, fine, that's exactly how you're going to die.

[John Weaver] In other words, it's too late for mercy when judgment is fallen. Now, when you look at verse 2, When he calls for those who have charge over the city to draw near with their destroying weapons in their hand, the Bible says, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lied toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand. And one man among them was clothed with a linen and a rider's acorn by his side.

[John Weaver] And they went in and stood beside the brazen altar. So you have to ask this question. Who were these six men that appeared with their destroying weapons in their hands.

[John Weaver] Now, there are two different views. Scholars are divided on this. That's fine. It's no big deal. I'm going to tell you exactly what those two views are. There are men like Adam Clark who would say that these six men were representatives of the Babylonian army because, of course, God had given the Babylonians charge to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. Here's what he said, and let me quote. He says, by those six men with destroying weapons, the Chaldeans are represented, who have received commission to destroy the city.

[John Weaver] And when the North is mentioned in such cases, Chaldean, the Chaldean armies, are generally intended. There appears to have been six men with a sort of slaughter bills and one man with an ink horn. These may represent the seven counselors of the Eastern monarchs. who always saw the king's face and knew all the secrets of government. One of them was that minister who had the office of reporting concerning criminals, who carried the book of death and the book of life, where the names were entered of the criminals who were destined to suffer and of those who were either considered as innocent or recommended to mercy, those in the former in the book of death, those in the latter in the book of life. The person with the ink horn might be termed, in our phrase, the recorder. So Adam Clarke says these six representatives were Babylonian or Chaldean soldiers.

[John Weaver] An interesting verse is found in Jeremiah 39 in verse 3. It just so happens that there are six princes of Nebuchadnezzar that are mentioned in the Bible. Let me just read it. Here it is. And all the princes of the King of Babylon came in and sat in the middle gate. Even Nergal Sharizer, Shem Garnebo, Sarcheshin, Rapsarus, Nergal Sharizer, and Rabbag, with all the residue of the princes of the King of Babylon. So, here's six princes that are specified in Scripture. Now, were these six men, six Babylonians?

[John Weaver] Like I told you, scholars are divided. I frankly go with Matthew, Henry and some of the others who say that these six indeed were angels and not men in the strictest sense of the word. Every angel that ever appeared in the Bible appeared as a man. There are never any women angels and there's certainly not any baby angels. Every angel in the Bible took on the form of a man.

[John Weaver] Now, when you consider that one angel in one night with one stroke of the sword killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, six angels ought not to have too much problem with Judah and Jerusalem. But listen to what Matthew Henry says, and I think this is very correct. He says, there are those that have charge over the city to destroy it, not the Chaldean armies that are They are indeed employed to that work, but they're not the visitors. They're only the servants, or rather the tools. God's angels have received a charge now to lay that city waste, which they had long had a charge to protect and watch over. They are at hand as destroying angels, as ministers of wrath, for every man has his destroying weapon in his hand, as the angel that kept away the tree of life with a flaming sword. Now he goes on, listen carefully.

[John Weaver] They went in and stood by the brazen altar on which sacrifices were wont to be offered and atonement made. When they acted as destroyers, they acted as sacrificers, not from any personal revenge or ill will, but with a pure and sincere regard to the glory of God. For his justice, all they slew were offered up as victims. They stood by the altar as it were to protect and vindicate that, and plead its righteous cause, and avenge the hard profanation of it. At the altar they were to receive their commission to destroy, to intimate that the iniquity of Jerusalem, like that of Eli's house, was not to be purged by sacrifice."

[John Weaver] And certainly I think Matthew Henry is correct there. But now, remember this, you will either offer a sacrifice acceptable to God, or you will become the sacrifice of His righteous justice and judgment. In Psalm 118 in verse 27, the scripture says, God is the Lord, which has showed us life by the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar.

[John Weaver] Now we know that God destroyed Judah and Jerusalem, and it was a very devastating destruction. So you have to ask this question. Why did God deal so horrendously with Judah and Jerusalem? Well, in Lamentations chapter 4 and verse 6, Jeremiah wrote this. He said, for the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Solomon that was overthrown as in a moment and no hand stayed on her. So Jeremiah said the punishment of Judah and Jerusalem was greater than the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah.

[John Weaver] Now, I've got a whole message on that. I'm not going to preach it here, but we have to ask this question. Why was that so? And the answer is the greatness of their sins lay in the greatness of their responsibilities and their opportunities. Therefore, the greater the opportunity and the greater the responsibility, the greater the culpability and thus the greater the punishment.

[John Weaver] Now, when you get to chapter 9, God is intent on destroying Judah and Jerusalem. So we have to ask this question. What led up to that? What led up to that? And the answer to that question, I want us to look at and examine Ezekiel chapter 8 And we want to see that which provoked the Lord so horribly before I answer the questions in Ezekiel chapter 9. When we see what provoked the Lord so horribly in Ezekiel chapter 8, we certainly do not want to mimic those provocations. However, I am sincerely and genuinely afraid that most professing Christians or engaging in the same exact provocations. If we are engaging in those same exact provocations and are continuing to do so, the question must be asked, will it happen again? And if you don't know what the it is, I just would ask that you hold on and let's look at the scripture and then we can find out What the question really means, will it happen again? So let's read the first five verses of Ezekiel chapter eight.

[John Weaver] Now watch carefully. And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house and the elders of Judah sat before me in the hand of the Lord, God fell there upon me, that I beheld and know a likeness as the appearance of fire from the appearance of his loins, even downward fire. and from his loins even upward as the appearance of brightness as the color of amber. And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by the lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and heaven, and brought me to the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north.

[John Weaver] Now watch carefully, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoked the And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw on the plain. Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold, northward at the gate of the altar of this image of jealousy at the entry." Now, interestingly enough, the very first thing you find here is an altar at the gate. What you have in the first five verses is open, unabashed, and blatant idolatry contrary to God, His Word, and His worship. God states very clearly there was the seat of the idol.

[John Weaver] Now, Ezekiel says this idol was certainly an abomination. He calls it the idol of jealousy. And then he adds the participle, provoking God to jealousy. Well, what idol was it? Well, I don't know. The scripture does not say. It could have been an idol of Baal, which of course Manasseh had, even at one time, in the temple. It could also have been an idol of Adonis, or Mars, or Tammuz, which we're going to find is related in the scripture just a little bit later.

[John Weaver] But the whole point that I'm trying to make is this. If this idol is sitting there openly at the gate where everyone can see it, then obviously the entire country is given over to idolatry. And the entire country basically had apostatized from the word of God. So the idol was located at the door of the inner gate for all to see. They were absolutely unashamed. in their idolatry and in their apostasy.

[John Weaver] It just did not matter to them. It was just something that they did. Now, that's bad enough. But it gets even worse. So, I want us to look at Ezekiel chapter 8, beginning there in verse 7. Watch carefully. And he brought me to the door of the court. And when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. In fact, let's go back to verse 6. He said, Furthermore to me, son of man, seest thou what they do?

[John Weaver] that is with this altar, even the great abominations that the house of Israel committed here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary, but turn thee yet again, and I will show thee greater abominations. So as bad as that idol was, there's something even worse. Verse seven. And he brought me to the door of the court, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. And he said unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall. And when I digged in the wall, behold, a door. And he said to me, go in and behold the wicked abominations which they do here. So I went in and saw and behold every form of creeping things, an abominable beast, and all the items of the house of Israel portrayed upon the wall round about. And there stood before them 70 men of the ancients of the house of Israel. And in the midst of them stood Jezaniah, the son of Shaphan, with every man and censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up.

[John Weaver] Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark? Every man in the chambers of his imagery. For they say, the Lord seeth us not. The Lord hath forsaken the earth. So God now is describing a greater abomination than this idol that was sitting in the gate.

[John Weaver] Now it's interesting what Adam Clarke says concerning all of these things that were portrayed upon the wall. If you look at verse 10, So I went in and saw, and behold, every form of creeping things, an abominable beast, and all the idols of the house of Israel portrayed upon the wall round about.

[John Weaver] Now, when I read this short paragraph, I want you to think about the tombs of the pharaohs which you have seen not only in pictures, but on documentaries as well. Here's what Adam Clarke said. It is very likely that these images portrayed on the wall were the objects of Egyptian adoration. The ox, the ape, the dog, the crocodile, the ibis, the cerebus or beetle, and various other things. Now listen carefully.

[John Weaver] It appears that these were privately worshipped by the Sanhedrin or the great Jewish council, consisting of 70 or 72 persons, six chosen out of every tribe as representatives of the people. The images were portrayed upon the wall, as we find those ancient idols are on the walls of the tombs of the kings and nobles of Egypt. So here are these men then, worshiping all of the idols of Egypt.

[John Weaver] But notice if you would, verse 12, this is the clincher. Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark? Now watch. Every man in the chambers of his imagery. For they say, the Lord seeth us not, and the Lord hath forsaken the earth. Now here's what happened. A hole was dug into the wall, and then a door was discovered. And that door then led to the chambers of a man's imagery. When you hear about the chambers of your imagery, you need to think of your mind. Okay?

[John Weaver] The word image is from imagination. You have the image or the imagination in your mind. Interestingly enough, These leaders were not willing to say and do publicly what they said and did privately. Let me just put it to you like this. They were gross and all out hypocrites. Their profession did not match their lives. They professed to be the people of God and the leaders of God's people, And yet here they are turning their backs upon God and the people of God as well. So they actually profess one thing and then totally and completely live differently and privately in private lives than they did in their public lives. By that I think we can see the absolute hypocrisy of most politicians and governmental leaders. Just stop and think with me.

[John Weaver] With the exception of the Muslims and the Jews, practically every politician claims to be a Christian, profess to be a Christian. But yet they pass laws that are contrary to God and His word, and they do so eagerly and willingly, and then they have the audacity to defend their actions based on humanistic rationale. We have to come to this conclusion. that what a man says, how a man lives, how a man conducts himself, is in reality what he really is. Proverbs 23 verse 7, As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. And our Lord said it very well in Matthew 7 verse 20, Wherefore by your fruits you shall know them. So he says it's bad to have this idol in the gate where everybody can see it. But it's even worse when people or secretly idolatrous, and yet they are still professing to be the people of God, when in reality they are not. Now, we think that's bad, but it gets worse. So skip down to verse 13. He said unto me also, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they did.

[John Weaver] So here's something even worse than that. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house, which was toward the north, And behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz." What? Women weeping for Tammuz? By the way, the women were sitting in the gate that was reserved for the king and the princes. They had no business being there anyhow.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you two quotes, and I want you to listen. Because although you think this has absolutely nothing to do with us today, it has very, very great impact on us today. The first quote is from Matthew Poole. The second quote is from Albert Barnes. And they're talking about the worship of Temus. You say, I've never even heard of that. Well, it's all through the Bible. It's all through history.

[John Weaver] I'm not going to get into it in detail, but here it is. Matthew Poole. There sat women, contrary to the law, where they come thither, led by their blindest, because the vilest and most impudent superstition, and waiting, experienced by sitting, expressed by sitting, ready to commit the most lewd wickedness as part of their obscene and beastly rites. Weeping, this is the only part which is specified of their irreligious religion, commemorating with tears an infamously lustful and unclean war monger, or votary, of Venus snatched from her by an unhappy moon by a boar. Say some, this weeping implied all the beastly rights of that idol. So, Adonis was supposedly been killed by a wild boar. He was the lover of Venus.

[John Weaver] And of course you have to understand that all of this had sexual implications, prostitution, everything. But let me go a little bit further. Albert Barnes says this. This ties everything together. He says, this was a revival of nature worship under another form. The death of Adonis symbolized the suspension of the productive powers of nature, which were in due time revived. Accordingly, the time of this festival was the summer solstice, when in the east nature seems to wither and die under the scorching heat of the sun. to burst forth again into life in the due season. At the same time, there was a connection between this and sun worship in that the decline of the sun and the decline of nature might be alike represented by the death of Adonis. The excitement attended upon these extravagances of alternate wailing and exaltation were in complete accordance with the character of nature worship.

[John Weaver] which for this reason was so popular in the East, especially with women, and led by inevitable consequences to unbridled license and excess. Such was in Ezekiel's day one of the most detestable forms of idolatry. So, the worship of Temus involved not just weeping and wailing, but of course the reappearance of life, which gave way to sexual perversity, bestiality to any and everything as well.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note that instead of these women sitting in the gate, which they should not have been there anyhow, but if they were sitting in the gate doing that which Ezra and Daniel did, weeping for the national sins of the people, it might have been different. But no, they're weeping over an idol or that which the idol represented. We have exactly the same thing today in environmentalism. Do you realize if you want to really get in trouble with the environmentalists or with our federal government, you go harm or touch a baby eagle. But now you may murder your own baby through aborticide and there's no problem.

[John Weaver] You talk about a perversion of turning things upside down. Look at the trees, Mother Earth, nature. All of these things are afforded a higher praise and recognition than the God who created everything. I've actually seen a bumper sticker that said, and I'm quoting, Trees have feelings too. Really. I saw one bumper sticker that I did like. It said it's all right to hug a tree as long as you're climbing it to get to your deer stand. I understand that. But you have to understand today women and even men will weep and wail over a stranded baby whale that dies.

[John Weaver] And 90 million aborted babies mean nothing. I mean, something is wrong somewhere. That's exactly what we're facing in Ezekiel chapter 8 and Ezekiel chapter 9. Some of you probably just read this recently as well. It's been within the last couple of months where one well-known feminist, and I did not write her name down, but it was on the net, but one well-known feminist who was pregnant with a baby boy had her baby aborted, had her baby boy murdered, and here was her rationale.

[John Weaver] She said, and I'm quoting, I was not going to bring another monster into the world. If it was a man, it was a monster. In other words, it's all right to kill a baby just because you don't like its sex, but don't touch a baby eagle, and don't harm a baby whale, things like that. Paganism always exalts nature and not nature's God. It's a strange thing indeed, as well as abominable, that there are many who choose to serve an idol with tears and refuse to serve the one true and living God with joy and gladness of heart.

[John Weaver] So all these are abominations. Now watch this. God brings us to the final abomination in verse 16. Watch carefully. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house and behold, At the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Now, I want you to note, and he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house. Only the priests were allowed in the inner court. And notice he said there were about 25 men there. Well, do you remember that David divided the courses, the priests into courses? You remember that? Do you remember how many courses he divided the priests into? 24.

[John Weaver] And each course had a priest over it. And then there was the high priest who's overall 24 plus 1 It's 25. Here are 25 priests in the inner court with their faces toward the sun and their backs toward the west. Did you know God's altar was in the west? So what they were doing were turning their backs upon God and they were worshiping the sun. Sun worship or nature worship has been one of the most flagrant idolatries condemned over and over in scripture.

[John Weaver] Let me just show you two passages. I want you to hold Ezekiel chapter 8, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17. Where, by the way, God demands the death penalty for anyone who does this. But look in Deuteronomy 17, beginning there with verse 2. Deuteronomy 17, verse 2. And then we'll go to Job 31, secondly. So notice if you would, please. Deuteronomy 17, verse 2, God says that there be found among you within any of thy gates, which the Lord by God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord by God in transgressing his covenant, and hath gone and served other gods and worshipped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, And if he told thee that thou hast heard of it, and inquired diligently, and behold it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel, then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman which have committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and thou shalt stone them with stones till they die.

[John Weaver] So God demands the death penalty. Look now in Job 31.

[John Weaver] Job 31, beginning there with verse 26. Of course, Job is defending himself. He believes that he is righteous. And he has not done anything to merit God's judgment upon him. But he says this, Job 31, beginning there with verse 26. If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness, and my heart had been secretly enticed, or my mouth had kissed my hand, This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge, for I should deny the God that is above." So what is Job saying? Job is saying, if I then, if I then worship the sun or the moon or anything like that, then basically what I've done is denied the God that is above.

[John Weaver] And when you get to Ezekiel chapter 8 and what are they doing? They're turning their backs upon God and they're worshiping the sun. They're facing east instead of west. Now, I want you to turn to Ezekiel 22, and I want to try to tie this together for you just to show you. I don't know if you've been thinking with me as I went through Ezekiel chapter 8, but if that altar was at the gate, the people were involved in idolatry. The elders or the princes were involved in idolatry. The priests were involved in idolatry. What God is trying to tell us in Ezekiel chapter 8 is the same thing He tells us in Ezekiel 22. That idolatry and apostasy had pervaded every aspect of society. So look at Ezekiel 22 verse 25. Ezekiel 22 verse 25.

[John Weaver] There is a conspiracy of our prophets In the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening at prey, they have devoured souls, they have taken the treasure and precious things. They have made her many widows in the midst thereof. So there's the prophets. Watch verse 26. Her priests have violated my law and purveyed my holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and profane. Neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I have profaned among them. Now watch verse 27. Her prince is in the midst thereof, or like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood and destroy souls, and to get dishonest gain. Now it gets the prophets again.

[John Weaver] And her prophets have dobbed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and dividing lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken. Now verse 29, The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy. Yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. So it doesn't matter if you're talking about the prophets, the priests, the princes, or the people.

[John Weaver] All have fallen prey to idolatry. Now, go back to Ezekiel chapter 8 and look at verses 17 and 18. Here's the conclusion that God comes to. Ezekiel 8 verse 17. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger.

[John Weaver] And though they put the branch to their nose, therefore will I also deal in fury. Mine eyes shall not spare, neither will I have pity. Now watch, and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them. So that brings you to chapter 9 where God then calls for these six men with the destroying weapons. What does that mean? Here's what it means. Listen carefully. Judgment has come. Full judgment has come.

[John Weaver] There's not going to be any mercy. There's not going to be any forgiveness. There's not going to be any repentance or any change of mind. It's here and that's it.

[John Weaver] Now, here's what God graciously and kindly does. He calls for this recorder to come in with his acorn and mark the foreheads of the men and women who genuinely and sincerely mourn for the corruption and the apostasy of the people. Notice, if you would, in Ezekiel 9, verse 3, the Bible says, And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub whereupon he was to the threshold of the house, and he called a man clothed with linen, which had the rider's inkworn by his side. And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. So God says, Mark these few that sigh and cry for all this filthiness and all this wickedness.

[John Weaver] Mark Now, after they are marked, you have something very awesome, very terrible, very horrifying. It begins with verse 5. Look at it, Ezekiel 9 verse 5. And to the others, he said in my hearing, that is those six men with the slaughter weapons, go you after him through the city and smite. Let not your eyes spare, neither have pity, slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children and women, but come not near any man upon whom is the mark, and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient man which were before the house." Now, look at verse 7. And he said unto them, defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain, go you forth. And they went forth and slew in the city. Note, if you would, what he said in verse. Verse five, he says, go in the city, that's fine. Verse six, he says this. The ancient men which were before the house, that is, these elders who were in front of the temple, and then he said in verse seven, defile the house that is the temple or the temple and fill the courts in or out or with a sling.

[John Weaver] Go ye forth, and they went forth and slew the city. Now, one thing that is very clearly taught here, and that is this, God specifically tells us where His judgment began. He said in verse 6, watch carefully, Slay utterly old and young, both maids and little children and women, but come not near any man upon whom is the mark, and begin Where? At my sanctuary. So they took care of the elders, the princes, the prophets, and the priests, and then they went throughout the city. Now, does that phrase, and begin at my sanctuary, ring a bell in your mind? Well, it should.

[John Weaver] So if you will turn to 1 Peter chapter 4, 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. And I want you to look please at verses 17 and 18. 1 Peter 4 verses 17 and 18. Watch carefully. 1 Peter 4 verse 17. God says, For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it be in first with us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? Now watch.

[John Weaver] And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Now let's go back to verse 17. Watch carefully. For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. Exactly the way it did in Ezekiel 9. And if it first began at us, What shall the end of them be that obey not the gospel? Wow. And then he clarifies that in verse 18. Now watch. And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Now, I want you to hold verse Peter, but go back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 9, if you would please. Ezekiel chapter 9. I want you to look and think about this. He said, if it first began with us, what is going to be the end of the ungodly? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, what's verse eight? Ezekiel nine, verse eight, and he came to pass while they were slaying them. And I was left.

[John Weaver] I fell upon my face. I got news for you folks. If God is slaying everybody around and I'm the only one left, I'm going to fall on my face and do some worshipping and thank God as well. Of course, Ezekiel was going to intercede for everybody else as well. Can you imagine? Here's what he's saying. If it first began in us, if God would deal that way with His own professing people, what will He do to those who have absolutely no profession of him whatsoever.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the whole thought that prompted this message. I want you to think. I want you to pause. I want you to consider. I want you to contemplate upon this. We have been a professing Christian people, historically. Our nation is a professing Christian nation. The truth is, however, that we have apostatized from that profession. We've turned our backs upon God, upon his law, and upon his word.

[John Weaver] We look for what you and I would call an easy religion and a superficial salvation. The truth of the matter is if you look around at modern day Christendom, we want to be saved from the penalty of our sins while we revel in and enjoy and glory in our sins. We want to be entertained. We want to be coddled. We want to be comforted. We want to be pampered.

[John Weaver] We as a people have no desire to be holy, to be obedient, to be godly, or to be righteous. The truth is as a nation we have become unjust, unrighteous, and unholy in every sphere of life and in every area of government. We have forsaken God. We've forsaken His Word in every area, socially, economically, ecclesiastically, governmentally, individually. The truth is, folks, as a nation, we're in idolatry and rebellion and sin under our eyeballs. We're committing exactly the same sins that Judah and Jerusalem committed.

[John Weaver] So my question is, will it happen again? You say, now wait a minute, Brother Weaver. I'm not worshiping the sun. I'm not falling down before some idol of Tammuz or Adonis or Mars or Baal. I am not an idolater. Oh? Turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. And allow me to tell you something. Do you realize You cannot violate any of the Ten Commandments until you have violated the first commandment, Thou shalt have no other God before me. Wow! Do you realize you cannot commit adultery without being an adulterer? You cannot commit theft without being an adulterer. You cannot blaspheme God without being an adulterer. You cannot dishonor your father and your mother without being an adulterer. Why? Because whatever you do that places yourself above God is idolatry. Watch Colossians 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 5. Colossians 3 verse 5. Watch carefully.

[John Weaver] Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. For which thing's sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience? Did you hear what I just read? Covetousness, which is idolatry. When we place our desires, our lusts, and our loves upon things instead of the Lord, it is idolatry. When we place material possessions ahead of the worship and obedience to the Lord, it is idolatry. When we refuse to order our thoughts according to His Word, it is idolatry. When we place ourselves, our wants, and our desires ahead of Him, it is idolatry.

[John Weaver] You say, I will not bow down to an idol. No. But you bow down to the idol of self. You want your will, you want your lust, you want your flesh gratified and satisfied and pleased and pampered. Yes. Self. is an idol. Because we have become a people that want what we want and we don't care what it takes or how we get it, just so we get it. That is idolatry. Such is the idolatry that brings the judgment and the wrath of God upon a people. That's why he says, for which thing's sake The wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.

[John Weaver] So the question is, will it happen again? Will God send his destroyers among us? Will God destroy our society, our nation, our people? God is immutable. God does not change and neither do his judgments. We have to learn the truth of Hebrews 10 in verse 31. where the scripture said it's a fearful thing to fall in the hands of a living God. And I've got news for you, it's even more fearful if that living God is angry with you. I don't want Him to be angry with me. So you have to ask yourself this question in light of Ezekiel 9, in light of 1 Peter chapter 4, since it began in the sanctuary of the Old Testament, and He said it's to begin in His house in the New Testament, will it happen again? Will it happen again?

[John Weaver] Now let me make some applications. The first one is this. God has ministers of wrath to call at his disposal. They are always at his beck and his call. They're his angels. And they also have invisible powers by whom and through whom he accomplishes his purposes. And it should be noted that those who make God their enemy also make his avenging angels their enemies as well. And if one angel can take out 185,000 one night, one stroke of the sword, I don't want any angels mad at me either. I don't have a Glock that can shoot that fast. I'm sorry.

[John Weaver] And if it could, it wouldn't do any good to a spirit anyhow. They're spirit beings. So the truth of the matter is this. It's absolutely insane to fight against God. You've got to be stark raving crazy when you understand all He has to do is to call and they're at hand. The second application, and I want you to think about this, we have committed exactly the same sin that Israel of old has committed.

[John Weaver] What I mean by this We're trusting in our founding fathers. The founding father of Israel was Abraham. When you stop and think about our founding fathers, most of them were Christians. The few who were not Christians were deeply influenced by Christianity. Benjamin Franklin is usually listed as a deist. I would encourage you to read some of his writings. And notice all the use of scripture that he gives.

[John Weaver] Now, he may not have been a converted man, but the point I'm trying to make is this. Even at the Constitutional Convention, it was Benjamin Franklin who called for prayer. He said, if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without your Heavenly Father, is it possible that a nation should rise without Him? And he implored that Every session of their meeting be open to prayer. By the way, that's why Congress is open to prayer to this day. That's where it started. That was Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was a personal friend of George Whitefield. He always went to hear Whitefield preach. It was Benjamin Franklin who calculated that there could be, that George Whitefield could be heard without any type of application in preaching to 25,000 people. So, the point I had in trying to make is this.

[John Weaver] Yes, our founding fathers basically were Christian. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 33. I want you to see this. Look in Ezekiel 33. Ezekiel 33. And let's begin reading there in verse 24. Because remember Abraham was the only godly man. Abraham was the friend of God. And Israel depended upon this. But look what God says. Ezekiel chapter 33, verse 24. He says, Son of man, they that inhabit these wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land. But we are many. The land is given to us for inheritance. Yeah, Abraham was a friend of God. God gave him the land. Ah, but now we got it from Abraham. He was saying, well, there are lots of us. Watch verse 25. God says, wherefore say unto them, thus saith the Lord God, you eat with the blood, which was condemned in scripture, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, which is condemned in scripture, and shed blood, which is condemned in scripture, and shall you possess the land?

[John Weaver] I don't think so, says God. Watch. You stand upon your sword, you work abomination, and you defile everyone his neighbor's wife. Shall you possess the land? Say thou thus unto them. Thus saith the Lord God, as I live, surely they that are in the waste shall fall by the sword. And him that is in the open field, will I give to the beast to be devoured, that they may be as the forts and in the caves, and shall die of the pestilence. God says, no, you're not going to possess the land. I don't care who your father was. I don't care who your founder was. You violated everything. And you're going to be dispossessed. It's just that simple. Now, one more.

[John Weaver] I want you to go back to Ezekiel chapter 8. I've already said this, but I want to show it to you one more time from Scripture. It's absolutely astounding. Do you understand there comes a time when God will not hear the cries for mercy. It's a frightening truth that's revealed in scripture. I can give you scripture after scripture. Proverbs chapter one is one of them, but we need to go no further than Ezekiel chapter eight and verses 18 and verse 18. Look what he said. Ezekiel eight verse 18. God says, therefore will I also deal in fury.

[John Weaver] That is because of the sins of the people. mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them.

[John Weaver] Now what is God saying? God says there's coming a time that I will not hear. Look in Ezekiel 9 and verse 10. Again he says it like this, and as for me also mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their own head. I will give them exactly what they deserve. So here's the truth. If one does not call upon God in a time of grace and mercy when God is near, it's too late to call upon Him in the time of judgment and justice.

[John Weaver] He said in Isaiah 55 verses 6 and 7, Seek ye the Lord while it may be found. Call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. But notice he said, Seek ye the Lord when? While he may be found. Call ye upon him while he's near. That is near in grace and near in mercy. It's too late to call upon him when he's near in judgment and justice.

[John Weaver] So the question you have to ask is will it happen again? If you think and if you believe that we're in a mess in this country you better make sure that your heart is right with the Lord and you better do whatever is necessary to prepare your life because I at least want to be like Ezekiel If there's anybody left, I sure want to be among those that are left. And I want to fall on my face and say, thank you, Lord, for your mercy and your grace.

[John Weaver] And you know, the interesting thing is, when Ezra and Daniel were confessing their national sins, they said, Lord, to you belongs righteousness and judgment and justice, but to us belongs confusion of faces For we rebelled and sinned against thee." In other words, what they were saying was this, we're getting exactly what we deserve. And you're right. And you're holy. And whatever God does is right, and holy, and righteous. So, God said, I'm beginning my sanctuary. And Peter said, judgment shall begin the house of God.

[John Weaver] So we need to prepare our hearts for what inevitably lies ahead. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Father, for Your grace and mercy to be given to us. Help us, Lord, to prepare our hearts. We do pray for our nation, for the people. Lord, that You would speak and show Yourself to them. Lord, how desperately we need Thee. how wickedly we turn our backs upon thee in thy word and thy law. O God, give us direction, give us wisdom, give us turning grace and repenting grace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[John Weaver] ♪

Will it happen again?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	fZvQyiKUEqw
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2015-06-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 039: Church Order and Worship - Volume 1 — Chapter 21
Source Timed Segments	85

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Question of Repeated Judgment

Weaver introduces the question 'Will it happen again?' in light of God's judgments, emphasizing that God's immutability means His judgments against sin do not change.

Will it happen again? You'll understand. Ezekiel 9, verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 9:3-4

"He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge of the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. Behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side." "And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity."

"Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not."

"And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me." It has been repeatedly said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place. Of course, that's not true. Lightning will strike wherever and whenever the sovereign God sends it. If He decides it's to strike a hundred times in a certain place, then it's going to strike a hundred times in a certain place. It is the same with every weather-related judgment.

There are states like Kansas, Alabama, and a number of others, I'm sure, that have certain sections in those states that are known as Tornado Alley, because tornadoes always go in that direction. It's the same thing with hurricanes and the same thing also with earthquakes. Interestingly, if someone survives a very horrible hurricane or earthquake or tornado, the question automatically arises in their mind: will it happen again? Well, we could actually ask that question in relationship to all of God's judgments. Will they happen again? Well, if we grasp the truth of God's immutability, that is, His unchangeableness, we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same infinite, eternal, immutable, holy, and righteous God that He always has been, and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change. Circumstances surrounding the judgments may change, but the outcome and the results of the judgments are the same.

The Call of the Destroyers (Ezekiel 9:1-2)

God calls six men with destroying weapons to execute judgment on Jerusalem, standing by the brazen altar, signifying that those who reject substitutionary sacrifice become the sacrifice themselves.

Now in Ezekiel chapter 9, God reveals to Ezekiel that He intends to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. And He also intends to destroy all the wicked that proliferate those areas. Look in verse 1: "He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." Now he said, He cried with a loud voice or with a great voice. That is very significant because it demonstrates the greatness of His indignation and the vehemence of His wrath, which had stirred Him up against the sins of the people. Thus what God is doing is calling together His messengers of death. He also says, "Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." Now there are some scholars that will say those who have charge over the city are the Chaldeans. Well, obviously He had given the city into the hands of the Chaldeans.

But before I get to that, I want you to note something. This command He issues from the temple court. In fact, the Bible says in verse 2, the latter part, "And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar." Now, the temple was where God revealed Himself to His people, either in mercy or in judgment. And interestingly, they stood beside the brazen altar.

Now, I want you to think with me. Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves. There is a biblical principle, and that principle is taught throughout Scripture. You either have to have a substitutional sacrifice for your sins or you pay the penalty for your sins yourself. And so this was all by the altar. Since the wicked in Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice, they now must be sacrificed to His holiness and to His righteousness and to His justice. And please understand this.

I'm going to point it out before I close today. When God sends His judgment, it is too late to beg for mercy. Joab is an excellent example of this. Joab, of course, was a murderer. He was also the captain of David's host. He was a fierce warrior and a great fighter. But he also murdered two men in cold blood. And so when Solomon ascends to the throne, he seeks to have Joab killed because of his murder. And what does Joab do?

No Mercy When Judgment Falls

Using the example of Joab, Weaver illustrates that once God's judgment arrives, it is too late to beg for mercy.

He runs into the temple—well, to the tabernacle at that time. He runs into the tabernacle and he grabs ahold of the horns of the brazen altar. Let me just read it. You don't have to turn there. But in 1 Kings 2, verses 28 through 31, here's what the Bible says:

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:28-31

"Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth."

"And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father." So Joab said, I want to die holding on to the horns of the altar. Solomon said, fine, that's exactly how you're going to die. In other words, it's too late for mercy when judgment is fallen. Now, when you look at verse 2, when He calls for those who have charge over the city to draw near with their destroying weapons in their hand, the Bible says, "Behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side."

Identity of the Six Men: Angels or Babylonians?

Weaver discusses scholarly views on whether the six men represent Chaldean soldiers or angels, leaning toward the angelic interpretation.

"And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar." So you have to ask this question: Who were these six men that appeared with their destroying weapons in their hands? Now, there are two different views. Scholars are divided on this. That's fine. It's no big deal. I'm going to tell you exactly what those two views are. There are men like Adam Clarke who would say that these six men were representatives of the Babylonian army because, of course, God had given the Babylonians charge to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. Here's what he said, and let me quote. He says, "By those six men with destroying weapons, the Chaldeans are represented, who have received commission to destroy the city."

"And when the north is mentioned in such cases, the Chaldean armies are generally intended. There appears to have been six men with a sort of slaughter bills and one man with an inkhorn. These may represent the seven counselors of the Eastern monarchs, who always saw the king's face and knew all the secrets of government. One of them was that minister who had the office of reporting concerning criminals, who carried the book of death and the book of life, where the names were entered of the criminals who were destined to suffer and of those who were either considered as innocent or recommended to mercy—those in the former in the book of death, those in the latter in the book of life. The person with the inkhorn might be termed, in our phrase, the recorder." So Adam Clarke says these six representatives were Babylonian or Chaldean soldiers.

An interesting verse is found in Jeremiah 39, verse 3. It just so happens that there are six princes of Nebuchadnezzar that are mentioned in the Bible. Let me just read it. Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 39:3

"And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon."

So, here's six princes that are specified in Scripture. Now, were these six men six Babylonians? Like I told you, scholars are divided. I frankly go with Matthew Henry and some of the others who say that these six indeed were angels and not men in the strictest sense of the word. Every angel that ever appeared in the Bible appeared as a man. There are never any women angels and there's certainly not any baby angels. Every angel in the Bible took on the form of a man.

Now, when you consider that one angel in one night with one stroke of the sword killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, six angels ought not to have too much problem with Judah and Jerusalem. But listen to what Matthew Henry says, and I think this is very correct. He says, "There are those that have charge over the city to destroy it, not the Chaldean armies that are employed to that work, but they're not the visitors. They're only the servants, or rather the tools. God's angels have received a charge now to lay that city waste, which they had long had a charge to protect and watch over. They are at hand as destroying angels, as ministers of wrath, for every man has his destroying weapon in his hand, as the angel that kept the way of the tree of life with a flaming sword." Now he goes on, listen carefully.

"They went in and stood by the brazen altar on which sacrifices were wont to be offered and atonement made. When they acted as destroyers, they acted as sacrificers, not from any personal revenge or ill will, but with a pure and sincere regard to the glory of God. For His justice, all they slew were offered up as victims. They stood by the altar as it were to protect and vindicate that, and plead its righteous cause, and avenge the hard profanation of it. At the altar they were to receive their commission to destroy, to intimate that the iniquity of Jerusalem, like that of Eli's house, was not to be purged by sacrifice." And certainly I think Matthew Henry is correct there. But now, remember this, you will either offer a sacrifice acceptable to God, or you will become the sacrifice of His righteous justice and judgment. In Psalm 118, verse 27, the Scripture says, "God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar."

The Abominations That Provoked Judgment (Ezekiel 8)

Weaver examines four escalating abominations: open idolatry at the gate, secret idolatry among elders, women weeping for Tammuz, and priests worshiping the sun.

Now, when you get to chapter 9, God is intent on destroying Judah and Jerusalem. So we have to ask this question: What led up to that? What led up to that? And the answer to that question, I want us to look at and examine Ezekiel chapter 8. And we want to see that which provoked the Lord so horribly before I answer the questions in Ezekiel chapter 9. When we see what provoked the Lord so horribly in Ezekiel chapter 8, we certainly do not want to mimic those provocations. However, I am sincerely and genuinely afraid that most professing Christians are engaging in the same exact provocations. If we are engaging in those same exact provocations and are continuing to do so, the question must be asked, will it happen again? And if you don't know what the "it" is, I just would ask that you hold on and let's look at the Scripture and then we can find out what the question really means, "Will it happen again?" So let's read the first five verses of Ezekiel chapter 8.

Now watch carefully. "And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north."

Now watch carefully, "where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry." Now, interestingly enough, the very first thing you find here is an altar at the gate. What you have in the first five verses is open, unabashed, and blatant idolatry contrary to God, His Word, and His worship. God states very clearly there was the seat of the idol.

Now, Ezekiel says this idol was certainly an abomination. He calls it the idol of jealousy. And then he adds the participle, provoking God to jealousy. Well, what idol was it? Well, I don't know. The Scripture does not say. It could have been an idol of Baal, which of course Manasseh had, even at one time, in the temple. It could also have been an idol of Adonis, or Mars, or Tammuz, which we're going to find is related in the Scripture just a little bit later.

But the whole point that I'm trying to make is this. If this idol is sitting there openly at the gate where everyone can see it, then obviously the entire country is given over to idolatry. And the entire country basically had apostatized from the Word of God. So the idol was located at the door of the inner gate for all to see. They were absolutely unashamed in their idolatry and in their apostasy. It just did not matter to them. It was just something that they did. Now, that's bad enough. But it gets even worse. So, I want us to look at Ezekiel chapter 8, beginning there in verse 7. Watch carefully. "And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall." In fact, let's go back to verse 6. He said, "Furthermore he said unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do?"

"even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations." So as bad as that idol was, there's something even worse. Verse 7: "And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up."

"Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth." So God now is describing a greater abomination than this idol that was sitting in the gate. Now it's interesting what Adam Clarke says concerning all of these things that were portrayed upon the wall. If you look at verse 10, "So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about." Now, when I read this short paragraph, I want you to think about the tombs of the pharaohs which you have seen not only in pictures, but on documentaries as well. Here's what Adam Clarke said: "It is very likely that these images portrayed on the wall were the objects of Egyptian adoration: the ox, the ape, the dog, the crocodile, the ibis, the scarab or beetle, and various other things." Now listen carefully.

"It appears that these were privately worshipped by the Sanhedrin or the great Jewish council, consisting of seventy or seventy-two persons, six chosen out of every tribe as representatives of the people. The images were portrayed upon the wall, as we find those ancient idols are on the walls of the tombs of the kings and nobles of Egypt." So here are these men then, worshiping all of the idols of Egypt. But notice if you would, verse 12, this is the clincher. "Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark?" Now watch. "Every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth." Now here's what happened. A hole was dug into the wall, and then a door was discovered. And that door then led to the chambers of a man's imagery. When you hear about the chambers of your imagery, you need to think of your mind. Okay?

The word image is from imagination. You have the image or the imagination in your mind. Interestingly enough, these leaders were not willing to say and do publicly what they said and did privately. Let me just put it to you like this: They were gross and all-out hypocrites. Their profession did not match their lives. They professed to be the people of God and the leaders of God's people, and yet here they are turning their backs upon God and the people of God as well. So they actually profess one thing and then totally and completely live differently and privately in private lives than they did in their public lives. By that I think we can see the absolute hypocrisy of most politicians and governmental leaders. Just stop and think with me.

With the exception of the Muslims and the Jews, practically every politician claims to be a Christian, professes to be a Christian. But yet they pass laws that are contrary to God and His Word, and they do so eagerly and willingly, and then they have the audacity to defend their actions based on humanistic rationale. We have to come to this conclusion: that what a man says, how a man lives, how a man conducts himself, is in reality what he really is. Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." And our Lord said it very well in Matthew 7:20, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." So he says it's bad to have this idol in the gate where everybody can see it. But it's even worse when people are secretly idolatrous, and yet they are still professing to be the people of God, when in reality they are not. Now, we think that's bad, but it gets worse. So skip down to verse 13. "He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do."

So here's something even worse than that. "Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz." What? Women weeping for Tammuz? By the way, the women were sitting in the gate that was reserved for the king and the princes. They had no business being there anyhow.

Now, I want to give you two quotes, and I want you to listen. Because although you think this has absolutely nothing to do with us today, it has very, very great impact on us today. The first quote is from Matthew Poole. The second quote is from Albert Barnes. And they're talking about the worship of Tammuz. You say, I've never even heard of that. Well, it's all through the Bible. It's all through history.

I'm not going to get into it in detail, but here it is. Matthew Poole: "There sat women, contrary to the law, who came thither, led by their blindest, because the vilest and most impudent superstition, and waiting, expressed by sitting, ready to commit the most lewd wickedness as part of their obscene and beastly rites. Weeping, this is the only part which is specified of their irreligious religion, commemorating with tears an infamously lustful and unclean war monger, or votary, of Venus snatched from her by an unhappy moon by a boar. Say some, this weeping implied all the beastly rites of that idol." So, Adonis was supposedly killed by a wild boar. He was the lover of Venus. And of course you have to understand that all of this had sexual implications, prostitution, everything. But let me go a little bit further. Albert Barnes says this. This ties everything together. He says, "This was a revival of nature worship under another form. The death of Adonis symbolized the suspension of the productive powers of nature, which were in due time revived. Accordingly, the time of this festival was the summer solstice, when in the east nature seems to wither and die under the scorching heat of the sun, to burst forth again into life in the due season. At the same time, there was a connection between this and sun worship in that the decline of the sun and the decline of nature might be alike represented by the death of Adonis. The excitement attended upon these extravagances of alternate wailing and exaltation were in complete accordance with the character of nature worship."

"which for this reason was so popular in the East, especially with women, and led by inevitable consequences to unbridled license and excess. Such was in Ezekiel's day one of the most detestable forms of idolatry." So, the worship of Tammuz involved not just weeping and wailing, but of course the reappearance of life, which gave way to sexual perversity, bestiality to any and everything as well. Now I want you to note that instead of these women sitting in the gate, which they should not have been there anyhow, but if they were sitting in the gate doing that which Ezra and Daniel did, weeping for the national sins of the people, it might have been different. But no, they're weeping over an idol or that which the idol represented. We have exactly the same thing today in environmentalism. Do you realize if you want to really get in trouble with the environmentalists or with our federal government, you go harm or touch a baby eagle. But now you may murder your own baby through aborticide and there's no problem.

You talk about a perversion of turning things upside down. Look at the trees, Mother Earth, nature. All of these things are afforded a higher praise and recognition than the God who created everything. I've actually seen a bumper sticker that said, and I'm quoting, "Trees have feelings too." Really. I saw one bumper sticker that I did like. It said, "It's all right to hug a tree as long as you're climbing it to get to your deer stand." I understand that. But you have to understand today women and even men will weep and wail over a stranded baby whale that dies.

And 90 million aborted babies mean nothing. I mean, something is wrong somewhere. That's exactly what we're facing in Ezekiel chapter 8 and Ezekiel chapter 9. Some of you probably just read this recently as well. It's been within the last couple of months where one well-known feminist, and I did not write her name down, but it was on the net, but one well-known feminist who was pregnant with a baby boy had her baby aborted, had her baby boy murdered, and here was her rationale. She said, and I'm quoting, "I was not going to bring another monster into the world. If it was a man, it was a monster." In other words, it's all right to kill a baby just because you don't like its sex, but don't touch a baby eagle, and don't harm a baby whale, things like that. Paganism always exalts nature and not nature's God. It's a strange thing indeed, as well as abominable, that there are many who choose to serve an idol with tears and refuse to serve the one true and living God with joy and gladness of heart.

So all these are abominations. Now watch this. God brings us to the final abomination in verse 16. Watch carefully. "And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east." Now, I want you to note, "And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house." Only the priests were allowed in the inner court. And notice he said there were about 25 men there. Well, do you remember that David divided the priests into courses? You remember that? Do you remember how many courses he divided the priests into? 24.

And each course had a priest over it. And then there was the high priest who's over all. 24 plus 1 is 25. Here are 25 priests in the inner court with their faces toward the sun and their backs toward the west. Did you know God's altar was in the west? So what they were doing was turning their backs upon God and they were worshiping the sun. Sun worship or nature worship has been one of the most flagrant idolatries condemned over and over in Scripture.

Let me just show you two passages. I want you to hold Ezekiel chapter 8, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17. Where, by the way, God demands the death penalty for anyone who does this. But look in Deuteronomy 17, beginning there with verse 2. Deuteronomy 17, verse 2. And then we'll go to Job 31, secondly. So notice if you would, please. Deuteronomy 17, verse 2, God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:2-5

"If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die."

So God demands the death penalty. Look now in Job 31.

Job 31, beginning there with verse 26. Of course, Job is defending himself. He believes that he is righteous. And he has not done anything to merit God's judgment upon him. But he says this, Job 31, beginning there with verse 26:

Scripture Reading — Job 31:26-28

"If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above."

So what is Job saying? Job is saying, if I then worship the sun or the moon or anything like that, then basically what I've done is denied the God that is above. And when you get to Ezekiel chapter 8, what are they doing? They're turning their backs upon God and they're worshiping the sun. They're facing east instead of west. Now, I want you to turn to Ezekiel 22, and I want to try to tie this together for you just to show you. I don't know if you've been thinking with me as I went through Ezekiel chapter 8, but if that altar was at the gate, the people were involved in idolatry. The elders or the princes were involved in idolatry. The priests were involved in idolatry. What God is trying to tell us in Ezekiel chapter 8 is the same thing He tells us in Ezekiel 22. That idolatry and apostasy had pervaded every aspect of society. So look at Ezekiel 22, verse 25. Ezekiel 22, verse 25.

"There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof." So there's the prophets. Watch verse 26: "Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." Now watch verse 27: "Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain." Now it gets the prophets again. "And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken." Now verse 29: "The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully." So it doesn't matter if you're talking about the prophets, the priests, the princes, or the people.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:25-29

All have fallen prey to idolatry. Now, go back to Ezekiel chapter 8 and look at verses 17 and 18. Here's the conclusion that God comes to. Ezekiel 8, verse 17: "Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger."

The Marking of the Faithful and the Slaughter (Ezekiel 9:3-7)

God commands a man with an inkhorn to mark those who sigh and cry over the abominations, then orders the destroyers to slay everyone else, beginning at the sanctuary.

Now, here's what God graciously and kindly does. He calls for this recorder to come in with his inkhorn and mark the foreheads of the men and women who genuinely and sincerely mourn for the corruption and the apostasy of the people. Notice, if you would, in Ezekiel 9, verse 3, the Bible says, "And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof." So God says, "Mark these few that sigh and cry for all this filthiness and all this wickedness."

Mark them. Now, after they are marked, you have something very awesome, very terrible, very horrifying. It begins with verse 5. Look at it, Ezekiel 9, verse 5: "And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house." Now, look at verse 7: "And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city." Note, if you would, what he said in verse 5: "Go ye after him through the city." Verse 6: "Slay utterly old and young... and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house," that is, these elders who were in front of the temple, and then he said in verse 7, "Defile the house," that is the temple, "and fill the courts with the slain."

"Go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city." Now, one thing that is very clearly taught here, and that is this, God specifically tells us where His judgment began. He said in verse 6, watch carefully, "Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary." So they took care of the elders, the princes, the prophets, and the priests, and then they went throughout the city. Now, does that phrase, "and begin at my sanctuary," ring a bell in your mind? Well, it should.

Judgment Begins at the House of God (1 Peter 4:17-18)

Weaver connects Ezekiel 9 to 1 Peter 4, showing that New Testament judgment also begins with God's people, and warns of the fate of the ungodly.

So if you will turn to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. And I want you to look please at verses 17 and 18. 1 Peter 4, verses 17 and 18. Watch carefully. 1 Peter 4, verse 17:

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

Now watch.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

Now let's go back to verse 17. Watch carefully.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God."

Exactly the way it did in Ezekiel 9.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?"

Wow. And then he clarifies that in verse 18. Now watch.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

Now, I want you to hold 1 Peter, but go back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 9, if you would please. Ezekiel chapter 9. I want you to look and think about this. He said, if it first begin with us, what is going to be the end of the ungodly? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, what's verse 8? Ezekiel 9, verse 8: "And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left."

"I fell upon my face." I got news for you folks. If God is slaying everybody around and I'm the only one left, I'm going to fall on my face and do some worshipping and thank God as well. Of course, Ezekiel was going to intercede for everybody else as well. Can you imagine? Here's what he's saying. If it first begin in us, if God would deal that way with His own professing people, what will He do to those who have absolutely no profession of Him whatsoever?

Now, here's the whole thought that prompted this message. I want you to think. I want you to pause. I want you to consider. I want you to contemplate upon this. We have been a professing Christian people, historically. Our nation is a professing Christian nation. The truth is, however, that we have apostatized from that profession. We've turned our backs upon God, upon His law, and upon His Word.

Modern America's Parallel Sins

Weaver argues that America has apostatized like Judah, engaging in idolatry, covetousness, and self-worship, and asks whether judgment will happen again.

We look for what you and I would call an easy religion and a superficial salvation. The truth of the matter is if you look around at modern day Christendom, we want to be saved from the penalty of our sins while we revel in and enjoy and glory in our sins. We want to be entertained. We want to be coddled. We want to be comforted. We want to be pampered. We as a people have no desire to be holy, to be obedient, to be godly, or to be righteous. The truth is as a nation we have become unjust, unrighteous, and unholy in every sphere of life and in every area of government. We have forsaken God. We've forsaken His Word in every area, socially, economically, ecclesiastically, governmentally, individually. The truth is, folks, as a nation, we're in idolatry and rebellion and sin up to our eyeballs. We're committing exactly the same sins that Judah and Jerusalem committed.

So my question is, will it happen again? You say, now wait a minute, Brother Weaver. I'm not worshiping the sun. I'm not falling down before some idol of Tammuz or Adonis or Mars or Baal. I am not an idolater. Oh? Turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. And allow me to tell you something. Do you realize you cannot violate any of the Ten Commandments until you have violated the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"? Wow! Do you realize you cannot commit adultery without being an idolater? You cannot commit theft without being an idolater. You cannot blaspheme God without being an idolater. You cannot dishonor your father and your mother without being an idolater. Why? Because whatever you do that places yourself above God is idolatry. Watch Colossians 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 5. Colossians 3, verse 5. Watch carefully.

"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience." Did you hear what I just read? Covetousness, which is idolatry. When we place our desires, our lusts, and our loves upon things instead of the Lord, it is idolatry. When we place material possessions ahead of the worship and obedience to the Lord, it is idolatry. When we refuse to order our thoughts according to His Word, it is idolatry. When we place ourselves, our wants, and our desires ahead of Him, it is idolatry. You say, I will not bow down to an idol. No. But you bow down to the idol of self. You want your will, you want your lust, you want your flesh gratified and satisfied and pleased and pampered. Yes. Self is an idol. Because we have become a people that want what we want and we don't care what it takes or how we get it, just so we get it. That is idolatry. Such is the idolatry that brings the judgment and the wrath of God upon a people. That's why he says, "for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience."

So the question is, will it happen again? Will God send His destroyers among us? Will God destroy our society, our nation, our people? God is immutable. God does not change and neither do His judgments. We have to learn the truth of Hebrews 10, verse 31, where the Scripture said, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." And I've got news for you, it's even more fearful if that living God is angry with you. I don't want Him to be angry with me. So you have to ask yourself this question in light of Ezekiel 9, in light of 1 Peter chapter 4, since it began in the sanctuary of the Old Testament, and He said it's to begin in His house in the New Testament, will it happen again? Will it happen again?

Applications and Warnings

Weaver applies the message by noting God's ready ministers of wrath, the futility of trusting in founding fathers, and the danger of ignoring God's call to repentance before judgment falls.

Now let me make some applications. The first one is this. God has ministers of wrath to call at His disposal. They are always at His beck and His call. They're His angels. And they also have invisible powers by whom and through whom He accomplishes His purposes. And it should be noted that those who make God their enemy also make His avenging angels their enemies as well. And if one angel can take out 185,000 in one night, one stroke of the sword, I don't want any angels mad at me either. I don't have a Glock that can shoot that fast. I'm sorry.

And if it could, it wouldn't do any good to a spirit anyhow. They're spirit beings. So the truth of the matter is this. It's absolutely insane to fight against God. You've got to be stark raving crazy when you understand all He has to do is to call and they're at hand. The second application, and I want you to think about this, we have committed exactly the same sin that Israel of old has committed. What I mean by this: We're trusting in our founding fathers. The founding father of Israel was Abraham. When you stop and think about our founding fathers, most of them were Christians. The few who were not Christians were deeply influenced by Christianity. Benjamin Franklin is usually listed as a deist. I would encourage you to read some of his writings. And notice all the use of Scripture that he gives.

Now, he may not have been a converted man, but the point I'm trying to make is this. Even at the Constitutional Convention, it was Benjamin Franklin who called for prayer. He said, "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without your Heavenly Father, is it possible that a nation should rise without Him?" And he implored that every session of their meeting be open to prayer. By the way, that's why Congress is open to prayer to this day. That's where it started. That was Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was a personal friend of George Whitefield. He always went to hear Whitefield preach. It was Benjamin Franklin who calculated that George Whitefield could be heard without any type of amplification in preaching to 25,000 people. So, the point I had in trying to make is this.

Yes, our founding fathers basically were Christian. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 33. I want you to see this. Look in Ezekiel 33. Ezekiel 33. And let's begin reading there in verse 24. Because remember Abraham was the only godly man. Abraham was the friend of God. And Israel depended upon this. But look what God says. Ezekiel chapter 33, verse 24:

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:24-27

"Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance."

Yeah, Abraham was a friend of God. God gave him the land. Ah, but now we got it from Abraham. He was saying, well, there are lots of us. Watch verse 25. God says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:24-27

"Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood,"

which was condemned in Scripture,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:24-27

"and lift up your eyes toward your idols,"

which is condemned in Scripture, "and shed blood," which is condemned in Scripture, "and shall ye possess the land?"

I don't think so, says God. Watch. "Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence." God says, no, you're not going to possess the land. I don't care who your father was. I don't care who your founder was. You violated everything. And you're going to be dispossessed. It's just that simple. Now, one more.

I want you to go back to Ezekiel chapter 8. I've already said this, but I want to show it to you one more time from Scripture. It's absolutely astounding. Do you understand there comes a time when God will not hear the cries for mercy? It's a frightening truth that's revealed in Scripture. I can give you Scripture after Scripture. Proverbs chapter 1 is one of them, but we need to go no further than Ezekiel chapter 8 and verse 18. Look what he said. Ezekiel 8, verse 18. God says, "Therefore will I also deal in fury."

That is because of the sins of the people. "Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them." Now what is God saying? God says there's coming a time that I will not hear. Look in Ezekiel 9 and verse 10. Again he says it like this, "And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head." I will give them exactly what they deserve. So here's the truth. If one does not call upon God in a time of grace and mercy when God is near, it's too late to call upon Him in the time of judgment and justice.

He said in Isaiah 55, verses 6 and 7, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." But notice he said, "Seek ye the LORD" when? While he may be found. "Call ye upon him while he is near." That is near in grace and near in mercy. It's too late to call upon him when he's near in judgment and justice.

Conclusion: Prepare Your Heart

Weaver concludes by urging personal preparation and repentance, desiring to be like Ezekiel who survived and worshiped God.

So the question you have to ask is, will it happen again? If you think and if you believe that we're in a mess in this country, you better make sure that your heart is right with the Lord and you better do whatever is necessary to prepare your life because I at least want to be like Ezekiel. If there's anybody left, I sure want to be among those that are left. And I want to fall on my face and say, thank you, Lord, for your mercy and your grace. And you know, the interesting thing is, when Ezra and Daniel were confessing their national sins, they said, "Lord, to thee belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of faces, for we have rebelled and sinned against thee." In other words, what they were saying was this, we're getting exactly what we deserve. And you're right. And you're holy. And whatever God does is right, and holy, and righteous. So, God said, "I'm beginning at my sanctuary." And Peter said, "Judgment shall begin at the house of God."

So we need to prepare our hearts for what inevitably lies ahead. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Father, for Your grace and mercy to be given to us. Help us, Lord, to prepare our hearts. We do pray for our nation, for the people. Lord, that You would speak and show Yourself to them. Lord, how desperately we need Thee. How wickedly we turn our backs upon Thee and Thy Word and Thy law. O God, give us direction, give us wisdom, give us turning grace and repenting grace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

God's Immutability in Judgment

Summary: Because God is unchanging, His judgments against sin and rebellion remain consistent; circumstances may change but the outcome of judgment does not.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'if we grasp the truth of God's immutability... we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same infinite, eternal, immutable, holy, and righteous God that He always has been, and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change.'

Substitutionary Sacrifice vs. Personal Judgment

Summary: Those who reject God's provision of a substitutionary sacrifice for sin must themselves become the sacrifice to God's justice.

Evidence: Weaver explains: 'Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves.'

The Finality of Judgment

Summary: When God's judgment arrives, it is too late for mercy; the time for repentance is before judgment falls.

Evidence: Weaver uses Joab's death at the altar to illustrate: 'it's too late for mercy when judgment is fallen.'

Escalating Abominations and National Apostasy

Summary: Ezekiel 8 reveals a progression of idolatry from open to secret to nature worship to priestly sun worship, showing total societal corruption.

Evidence: Weaver traces the four abominations: the image of jealousy, elders' secret idolatry, women weeping for Tammuz, and priests worshiping the sun.

Judgment Begins at the House of God

Summary: Both in Ezekiel and 1 Peter, God's judgment starts with His own people, implying greater severity for those who profess faith yet live in sin.

Evidence: Weaver cites Ezekiel 9:6 and 1 Peter 4:17: 'For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.'

Modern Idolatry as Covetousness and Self-Worship

Summary: Idolatry today is not bowing to statues but placing desires, possessions, and self above God, which brings His wrath.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Colossians 3:5 and explains: 'Covetousness, which is idolatry... When we place ourselves, our wants, and our desires ahead of Him, it is idolatry.'

The Urgency of Seeking God While He May Be Found

Summary: There is a limited time of grace; once judgment comes, God will not hear cries for mercy.

Evidence: Weaver cites Isaiah 55:6-7 and Ezekiel 8:18: 'though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.'

Key Arguments

God's judgments are consistent because He is immutable.

Summary: Since God does not change, His response to sin remains the same; therefore, past judgments serve as warnings for the present.

Evidence: Weaver argues: 'if we grasp the truth of God's immutability... we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same... and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change.'

Rejecting Christ's sacrifice leaves one exposed to God's wrath.

Summary: The brazen altar scene shows that without a substitute, sinners become the sacrifice; this principle applies to all who reject Christ.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves.'

The sins of Ezekiel 8 mirror modern American sins.

Summary: Open idolatry, secret hypocrisy, nature worship, and corrupt leadership are paralleled in today's environmentalism, abortion advocacy, and self-centered religion.

Evidence: Weaver compares weeping for Tammuz to modern environmental grief over animals while ignoring abortion, and sun worship to exalting nature over God.

Covetousness and self-will are the essence of idolatry.

Summary: Idolatry is not limited to bowing to images; it is any elevation of self, desire, or possessions above God, as Colossians 3:5 teaches.

Evidence: Weaver explains: 'When we place our desires, our lusts, and our loves upon things instead of the Lord, it is idolatry.'

Judgment begins with God's people, making their accountability greater.

Summary: 1 Peter 4:17 echoes Ezekiel 9:6, indicating that those who profess faith face stricter judgment, and if the righteous are scarcely saved, the ungodly have no hope.

Evidence: Weaver connects the two passages: 'For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God... And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?'

Trusting in a godly heritage cannot shield from judgment.

Summary: Just as Israel could not rely on Abraham while living in sin, America cannot rely on its Christian founding fathers while practicing idolatry and rebellion.

Evidence: Weaver cites Ezekiel 33:24-27: 'Abraham was one... but we are many... Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols... and shall ye possess the land?'

There is a point when God will no longer hear cries for mercy.

Summary: Ezekiel 8:18 and 9:10 show that persistent sin leads to a time when God's fury is unleashed without pity, making immediate repentance urgent.

Evidence: Weaver quotes: 'though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them' and 'mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 9:1-2

Context: God calls six men with destroying weapons to execute judgment on Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 9:3-4

Context: God commands a man with an inkhorn to mark those who sigh and cry over abominations.

Ezekiel 9:5-7

Context: The destroyers are ordered to slay everyone without the mark, beginning at the sanctuary.

Ezekiel 9:8-11

Context: Ezekiel intercedes, but God declares He will not spare; the man with the inkhorn reports completion.

1 Kings 2:28-31

Context: Joab flees to the altar but is killed there, illustrating that mercy is unavailable when judgment falls.

Jeremiah 39:3

Context: Six princes of Babylon are named, possibly corresponding to the six men in Ezekiel 9.

Psalm 118:27

Context: God is the Lord who gives light; bind the sacrifice to the altar, contrasting with those who become the sacrifice.

Lamentations 4:6

Context: The punishment of Jerusalem is greater than Sodom's because of greater responsibility.

Ezekiel 8:1-6

Context: Ezekiel is shown the image of jealousy at the north gate, provoking God to jealousy.

Ezekiel 8:7-12

Context: Elders worship idols in secret chambers, saying the Lord does not see.

Ezekiel 8:13-14

Context: Women sit weeping for Tammuz at the north gate of the temple.

Ezekiel 8:16

Context: Twenty-five men with backs to the temple worship the sun toward the east.

Deuteronomy 17:2-5

Context: Death penalty prescribed for worshiping the sun, moon, or heavenly hosts.

Job 31:26-28

Context: Job denies secretly worshiping the sun or moon, which would be iniquity deserving judgment.

Ezekiel 22:25-29

Context: Prophets, priests, princes, and people are all corrupt, showing total societal apostasy.

Ezekiel 8:17-18

Context: God declares He will deal in fury and not hear their cries because of their abominations.

1 Peter 4:17-18

Context: Judgment begins at the house of God; if the righteous are scarcely saved, what of the ungodly?

Colossians 3:5-6

Context: Covetousness is idolatry, and the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.

Ezekiel 33:24-27

Context: Israel cannot claim the land based on Abraham while practicing idolatry and bloodshed.

Isaiah 55:6-7

Context: Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.

Historical References

Adam Clarke's commentary on the six men as Chaldean representatives

Context: Weaver quotes Clarke's view that the six men symbolize the Babylonian army and the man with the inkhorn represents a recorder.

Matthew Henry's commentary on the six men as angels

Context: Weaver cites Henry's argument that the six are destroying angels, not human armies, acting as ministers of wrath.

Egyptian idolatry and tomb paintings

Context: Weaver references Adam Clarke's note that the wall portrayals in Ezekiel 8 resemble Egyptian tomb art depicting animals and idols.

Worship of Tammuz/Adonis in ancient Near East

Context: Weaver explains the nature worship and sexual rites associated with Tammuz, citing Matthew Poole and Albert Barnes.

Benjamin Franklin's role at the Constitutional Convention

Context: Weaver notes Franklin's call for prayer and his calculation of George Whitefield's preaching range to illustrate Christian influence on founders.

George Whitefield's preaching and Franklin's calculation

Context: Weaver mentions that Franklin calculated Whitefield could be heard by 25,000 people without amplification.

Important Quotes

if we grasp the truth of God's immutability, that is, His unchangeableness, we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same infinite, eternal, immutable, holy, and righteous God that He always has been, and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change.

Significance: Establishes the foundational premise that God's character ensures consistent judgment, making the question 'Will it happen again?' answerable by Scripture.

Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves.

Significance: Summarizes the gospel principle that rejecting Christ's substitutionary atonement leaves one to bear their own punishment.

it's too late for mercy when judgment is fallen.

Significance: Highlights the urgency of repentance before God's judgment arrives, using Joab as a sobering example.

the greater the opportunity and the greater the responsibility, the greater the culpability and thus the greater the punishment.

Significance: Explains why Jerusalem's punishment exceeded Sodom's, applying the principle of increased accountability for those with greater light.

Covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.

Significance: Redefines idolatry for a modern audience, showing that material desire and self-will are as damning as ancient image worship.

though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

Significance: Warns that persistent sin can lead to a point where God refuses to listen to cries for mercy, emphasizing the need for timely repentance.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Significance: Offers the gospel hope that God is merciful to those who repent while grace is available, contrasting with the finality of judgment.

Discussion Questions

How does God's immutability affect our understanding of His judgments in history and today?

Context: Weaver argues that because God does not change, His response to sin remains consistent.

In what ways do people today reject God's substitutionary sacrifice and risk becoming the sacrifice themselves?

Context: Weaver explains that those who forsake Christ's atonement must pay for their own sins.

What are the parallels between the abominations in Ezekiel 8 and modern cultural sins?

Context: Weaver compares open idolatry, secret hypocrisy, nature worship, and corrupt leadership to contemporary issues.

Why does judgment begin at the house of God, and what does that mean for professing Christians today?

Context: Weaver connects Ezekiel 9:6 with 1 Peter 4:17 to show that God holds His people to a higher standard.

How is covetousness a form of idolatry, and how does it manifest in our lives?

Context: Weaver cites Colossians 3:5 to redefine idolatry as placing desires and self above God.

Can a nation rely on its Christian heritage to avert judgment while practicing sin?

Context: Weaver uses Ezekiel 33 to show that Israel could not claim Abraham's righteousness while living in rebellion.

What does it mean to seek the Lord while He may be found, and how can we do that practically?

Context: Weaver urges immediate repentance based on Isaiah 55:6-7 before the window of grace closes.

Applications

Examine your heart for modern idolatry.

Summary: Identify areas where self-will, material desires, or comfort have taken precedence over obedience to God, and repent of covetousness as idolatry.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'When we place our desires, our lusts, and our loves upon things instead of the Lord, it is idolatry.'

Do not presume upon a godly heritage.

Summary: Avoid trusting in the faith of founding fathers or family background; personal repentance and obedience are required to escape judgment.

Evidence: Weaver warns from Ezekiel 33: 'I don't care who your father was. I don't care who your founder was. You violated everything. And you're going to be dispossessed.'

Seek God urgently while grace is available.

Summary: Do not delay repentance, for there comes a time when God will no longer hear cries for mercy; call upon Him now.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Isaiah 55:6-7 and Ezekiel 8:18: 'though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.'

Prepare your heart for inevitable judgment.

Summary: Like Ezekiel, cultivate a heart that sighs and cries over national sin, and ensure your own life is right with God so that you may be spared.

Evidence: Weaver concludes: 'you better make sure that your heart is right with the Lord and you better do whatever is necessary to prepare your life.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:22:09Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:55:25Z

Clean Transcript

Will it happen again?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Will it happen again? You'll understand. Ezekiel 9, verse 1: "He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge of the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. Behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side."
#1 | 0:14 to 0:41 | cleaned
"And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity."
#2 | 0:41 to 1:16 | cleaned
"Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not."
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"And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me." It has been repeatedly said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place. Of course, that's not true. Lightning will strike wherever and whenever the sovereign God sends it. If He decides it's to strike a hundred times in a certain place, then it's going to strike a hundred times in a certain place. It is the same with every weather-related judgment.
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There are states like Kansas, Alabama, and a number of others, I'm sure, that have certain sections in those states that are known as Tornado Alley, because tornadoes always go in that direction. It's the same thing with hurricanes and the same thing also with earthquakes. Interestingly, if someone survives a very horrible hurricane or earthquake or tornado, the question automatically arises in their mind: will it happen again? Well, we could actually ask that question in relationship to all of God's judgments. Will they happen again? Well, if we grasp the truth of God's immutability, that is, His unchangeableness, we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same infinite, eternal, immutable, holy, and righteous God that He always has been, and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change. Circumstances surrounding the judgments may change, but the outcome and the results of the judgments are the same.
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Now in Ezekiel chapter 9, God reveals to Ezekiel that He intends to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. And He also intends to destroy all the wicked that proliferate those areas. Look in verse 1: "He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." Now he said, He cried with a loud voice or with a great voice.
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That is very significant because it demonstrates the greatness of His indignation and the vehemence of His wrath, which had stirred Him up against the sins of the people. Thus what God is doing is calling together His messengers of death. He also says, "Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand." Now there are some scholars that will say those who have charge over the city are the Chaldeans. Well, obviously He had given the city into the hands of the Chaldeans.
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But before I get to that, I want you to note something. This command He issues from the temple court. In fact, the Bible says in verse 2, the latter part, "And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar."
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Now, the temple was where God revealed Himself to His people, either in mercy or in judgment. And interestingly, they stood beside the brazen altar.
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Now, I want you to think with me. Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves. There is a biblical principle, and that principle is taught throughout Scripture. You either have to have a substitutional sacrifice for your sins or you pay the penalty for your sins yourself. And so this was all by the altar. Since the wicked in Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice, they now must be sacrificed to His holiness and to His righteousness and to His justice. And please understand this.
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I'm going to point it out before I close today. When God sends His judgment, it is too late to beg for mercy. Joab is an excellent example of this. Joab, of course, was a murderer. He was also the captain of David's host. He was a fierce warrior and a great fighter. But he also murdered two men in cold blood. And so when Solomon ascends to the throne, he seeks to have Joab killed because of his murder. And what does Joab do?
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He runs into the temple—well, to the tabernacle at that time. He runs into the tabernacle and he grabs ahold of the horns of the brazen altar. Let me just read it. You don't have to turn there. But in 1 Kings 2, verses 28 through 31, here's what the Bible says: "Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth."
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"And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father." So Joab said, I want to die holding on to the horns of the altar. Solomon said, fine, that's exactly how you're going to die.
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In other words, it's too late for mercy when judgment is fallen. Now, when you look at verse 2, when He calls for those who have charge over the city to draw near with their destroying weapons in their hand, the Bible says, "Behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side."
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"And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar." So you have to ask this question: Who were these six men that appeared with their destroying weapons in their hands?
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Now, there are two different views. Scholars are divided on this. That's fine. It's no big deal. I'm going to tell you exactly what those two views are. There are men like Adam Clarke who would say that these six men were representatives of the Babylonian army because, of course, God had given the Babylonians charge to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. Here's what he said, and let me quote. He says, "By those six men with destroying weapons, the Chaldeans are represented, who have received commission to destroy the city."
#16 | 9:22 to 9:57 | cleaned
"And when the north is mentioned in such cases, the Chaldean armies are generally intended. There appears to have been six men with a sort of slaughter bills and one man with an inkhorn. These may represent the seven counselors of the Eastern monarchs, who always saw the king's face and knew all the secrets of government. One of them was that minister who had the office of reporting concerning criminals, who carried the book of death and the book of life, where the names were entered of the criminals who were destined to suffer and of those who were either considered as innocent or recommended to mercy—those in the former in the book of death, those in the latter in the book of life. The person with the inkhorn might be termed, in our phrase, the recorder." So Adam Clarke says these six representatives were Babylonian or Chaldean soldiers.
#17 | 9:58 to 10:58 | cleaned
An interesting verse is found in Jeremiah 39, verse 3. It just so happens that there are six princes of Nebuchadnezzar that are mentioned in the Bible. Let me just read it. Here it is: "And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon." So, here's six princes that are specified in Scripture. Now, were these six men six Babylonians?
#18 | 10:59 to 11:42 | cleaned
Like I told you, scholars are divided. I frankly go with Matthew Henry and some of the others who say that these six indeed were angels and not men in the strictest sense of the word. Every angel that ever appeared in the Bible appeared as a man. There are never any women angels and there's certainly not any baby angels. Every angel in the Bible took on the form of a man.
#19 | 11:43 to 12:10 | cleaned
Now, when you consider that one angel in one night with one stroke of the sword killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, six angels ought not to have too much problem with Judah and Jerusalem. But listen to what Matthew Henry says, and I think this is very correct. He says, "There are those that have charge over the city to destroy it, not the Chaldean armies that are employed to that work, but they're not the visitors. They're only the servants, or rather the tools. God's angels have received a charge now to lay that city waste, which they had long had a charge to protect and watch over. They are at hand as destroying angels, as ministers of wrath, for every man has his destroying weapon in his hand, as the angel that kept the way of the tree of life with a flaming sword." Now he goes on, listen carefully.
#20 | 12:11 to 13:12 | cleaned
"They went in and stood by the brazen altar on which sacrifices were wont to be offered and atonement made. When they acted as destroyers, they acted as sacrificers, not from any personal revenge or ill will, but with a pure and sincere regard to the glory of God. For His justice, all they slew were offered up as victims. They stood by the altar as it were to protect and vindicate that, and plead its righteous cause, and avenge the hard profanation of it. At the altar they were to receive their commission to destroy, to intimate that the iniquity of Jerusalem, like that of Eli's house, was not to be purged by sacrifice."
#21 | 13:13 to 14:00 | cleaned
And certainly I think Matthew Henry is correct there. But now, remember this, you will either offer a sacrifice acceptable to God, or you will become the sacrifice of His righteous justice and judgment. In Psalm 118, verse 27, the Scripture says, "God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar."
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Now we know that God destroyed Judah and Jerusalem, and it was a very devastating destruction. So you have to ask this question: Why did God deal so horrendously with Judah and Jerusalem? Well, in Lamentations chapter 4, verse 6, Jeremiah wrote this. He said, "For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her." So Jeremiah said the punishment of Judah and Jerusalem was greater than the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah.
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Now, I've got a whole message on that. I'm not going to preach it here, but we have to ask this question: Why was that so? And the answer is the greatness of their sins lay in the greatness of their responsibilities and their opportunities. Therefore, the greater the opportunity and the greater the responsibility, the greater the culpability and thus the greater the punishment.
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Now, when you get to chapter 9, God is intent on destroying Judah and Jerusalem. So we have to ask this question: What led up to that? What led up to that? And the answer to that question, I want us to look at and examine Ezekiel chapter 8. And we want to see that which provoked the Lord so horribly before I answer the questions in Ezekiel chapter 9. When we see what provoked the Lord so horribly in Ezekiel chapter 8, we certainly do not want to mimic those provocations. However, I am sincerely and genuinely afraid that most professing Christians are engaging in the same exact provocations. If we are engaging in those same exact provocations and are continuing to do so, the question must be asked, will it happen again? And if you don't know what the "it" is, I just would ask that you hold on and let's look at the Scripture and then we can find out what the question really means, "Will it happen again?" So let's read the first five verses of Ezekiel chapter 8.
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Now watch carefully. "And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north."
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Now watch carefully, "where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy. And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain. Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry." Now, interestingly enough, the very first thing you find here is an altar at the gate. What you have in the first five verses is open, unabashed, and blatant idolatry contrary to God, His Word, and His worship. God states very clearly there was the seat of the idol.
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Now, Ezekiel says this idol was certainly an abomination. He calls it the idol of jealousy. And then he adds the participle, provoking God to jealousy. Well, what idol was it? Well, I don't know. The Scripture does not say. It could have been an idol of Baal, which of course Manasseh had, even at one time, in the temple. It could also have been an idol of Adonis, or Mars, or Tammuz, which we're going to find is related in the Scripture just a little bit later.
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But the whole point that I'm trying to make is this. If this idol is sitting there openly at the gate where everyone can see it, then obviously the entire country is given over to idolatry. And the entire country basically had apostatized from the Word of God. So the idol was located at the door of the inner gate for all to see. They were absolutely unashamed in their idolatry and in their apostasy.
#29 | 19:27 to 19:57 | cleaned
It just did not matter to them. It was just something that they did. Now, that's bad enough. But it gets even worse. So, I want us to look at Ezekiel chapter 8, beginning there in verse 7. Watch carefully. "And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall." In fact, let's go back to verse 6. He said, "Furthermore he said unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do?"
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"even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations." So as bad as that idol was, there's something even worse. Verse 7: "And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up."
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"Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth." So God now is describing a greater abomination than this idol that was sitting in the gate.
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Now it's interesting what Adam Clarke says concerning all of these things that were portrayed upon the wall. If you look at verse 10, "So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about."
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Now, when I read this short paragraph, I want you to think about the tombs of the pharaohs which you have seen not only in pictures, but on documentaries as well. Here's what Adam Clarke said: "It is very likely that these images portrayed on the wall were the objects of Egyptian adoration: the ox, the ape, the dog, the crocodile, the ibis, the scarab or beetle, and various other things." Now listen carefully.
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"It appears that these were privately worshipped by the Sanhedrin or the great Jewish council, consisting of seventy or seventy-two persons, six chosen out of every tribe as representatives of the people. The images were portrayed upon the wall, as we find those ancient idols are on the walls of the tombs of the kings and nobles of Egypt." So here are these men then, worshiping all of the idols of Egypt.
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But notice if you would, verse 12, this is the clincher. "Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark?" Now watch. "Every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth." Now here's what happened. A hole was dug into the wall, and then a door was discovered. And that door then led to the chambers of a man's imagery. When you hear about the chambers of your imagery, you need to think of your mind. Okay?
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The word image is from imagination. You have the image or the imagination in your mind. Interestingly enough, these leaders were not willing to say and do publicly what they said and did privately. Let me just put it to you like this: They were gross and all-out hypocrites. Their profession did not match their lives. They professed to be the people of God and the leaders of God's people, and yet here they are turning their backs upon God and the people of God as well. So they actually profess one thing and then totally and completely live differently and privately in private lives than they did in their public lives. By that I think we can see the absolute hypocrisy of most politicians and governmental leaders. Just stop and think with me.
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With the exception of the Muslims and the Jews, practically every politician claims to be a Christian, professes to be a Christian. But yet they pass laws that are contrary to God and His Word, and they do so eagerly and willingly, and then they have the audacity to defend their actions based on humanistic rationale. We have to come to this conclusion: that what a man says, how a man lives, how a man conducts himself, is in reality what he really is. Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." And our Lord said it very well in Matthew 7:20, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." So he says it's bad to have this idol in the gate where everybody can see it. But it's even worse when people are secretly idolatrous, and yet they are still professing to be the people of God, when in reality they are not. Now, we think that's bad, but it gets worse. So skip down to verse 13. "He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do."
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So here's something even worse than that. "Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz." What? Women weeping for Tammuz? By the way, the women were sitting in the gate that was reserved for the king and the princes. They had no business being there anyhow.
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Now, I want to give you two quotes, and I want you to listen. Because although you think this has absolutely nothing to do with us today, it has very, very great impact on us today. The first quote is from Matthew Poole. The second quote is from Albert Barnes. And they're talking about the worship of Tammuz. You say, I've never even heard of that. Well, it's all through the Bible. It's all through history.
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I'm not going to get into it in detail, but here it is. Matthew Poole: "There sat women, contrary to the law, who came thither, led by their blindest, because the vilest and most impudent superstition, and waiting, expressed by sitting, ready to commit the most lewd wickedness as part of their obscene and beastly rites. Weeping, this is the only part which is specified of their irreligious religion, commemorating with tears an infamously lustful and unclean war monger, or votary, of Venus snatched from her by an unhappy moon by a boar. Say some, this weeping implied all the beastly rites of that idol." So, Adonis was supposedly killed by a wild boar. He was the lover of Venus.
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And of course you have to understand that all of this had sexual implications, prostitution, everything. But let me go a little bit further. Albert Barnes says this. This ties everything together. He says, "This was a revival of nature worship under another form. The death of Adonis symbolized the suspension of the productive powers of nature, which were in due time revived. Accordingly, the time of this festival was the summer solstice, when in the east nature seems to wither and die under the scorching heat of the sun, to burst forth again into life in the due season. At the same time, there was a connection between this and sun worship in that the decline of the sun and the decline of nature might be alike represented by the death of Adonis. The excitement attended upon these extravagances of alternate wailing and exaltation were in complete accordance with the character of nature worship."
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"which for this reason was so popular in the East, especially with women, and led by inevitable consequences to unbridled license and excess. Such was in Ezekiel's day one of the most detestable forms of idolatry." So, the worship of Tammuz involved not just weeping and wailing, but of course the reappearance of life, which gave way to sexual perversity, bestiality to any and everything as well.
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Now I want you to note that instead of these women sitting in the gate, which they should not have been there anyhow, but if they were sitting in the gate doing that which Ezra and Daniel did, weeping for the national sins of the people, it might have been different. But no, they're weeping over an idol or that which the idol represented. We have exactly the same thing today in environmentalism. Do you realize if you want to really get in trouble with the environmentalists or with our federal government, you go harm or touch a baby eagle. But now you may murder your own baby through aborticide and there's no problem.
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You talk about a perversion of turning things upside down. Look at the trees, Mother Earth, nature. All of these things are afforded a higher praise and recognition than the God who created everything. I've actually seen a bumper sticker that said, and I'm quoting, "Trees have feelings too." Really. I saw one bumper sticker that I did like. It said, "It's all right to hug a tree as long as you're climbing it to get to your deer stand." I understand that. But you have to understand today women and even men will weep and wail over a stranded baby whale that dies.
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And 90 million aborted babies mean nothing. I mean, something is wrong somewhere. That's exactly what we're facing in Ezekiel chapter 8 and Ezekiel chapter 9. Some of you probably just read this recently as well. It's been within the last couple of months where one well-known feminist, and I did not write her name down, but it was on the net, but one well-known feminist who was pregnant with a baby boy had her baby aborted, had her baby boy murdered, and here was her rationale.
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She said, and I'm quoting, "I was not going to bring another monster into the world. If it was a man, it was a monster." In other words, it's all right to kill a baby just because you don't like its sex, but don't touch a baby eagle, and don't harm a baby whale, things like that. Paganism always exalts nature and not nature's God. It's a strange thing indeed, as well as abominable, that there are many who choose to serve an idol with tears and refuse to serve the one true and living God with joy and gladness of heart.
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So all these are abominations. Now watch this. God brings us to the final abomination in verse 16. Watch carefully. "And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east." Now, I want you to note, "And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house." Only the priests were allowed in the inner court. And notice he said there were about 25 men there. Well, do you remember that David divided the priests into courses? You remember that? Do you remember how many courses he divided the priests into? 24.
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And each course had a priest over it. And then there was the high priest who's over all. 24 plus 1 is 25. Here are 25 priests in the inner court with their faces toward the sun and their backs toward the west. Did you know God's altar was in the west? So what they were doing was turning their backs upon God and they were worshiping the sun. Sun worship or nature worship has been one of the most flagrant idolatries condemned over and over in Scripture.
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Let me just show you two passages. I want you to hold Ezekiel chapter 8, but look in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17. Where, by the way, God demands the death penalty for anyone who does this. But look in Deuteronomy 17, beginning there with verse 2. Deuteronomy 17, verse 2. And then we'll go to Job 31, secondly. So notice if you would, please. Deuteronomy 17, verse 2, God says, "If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die."
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So God demands the death penalty. Look now in Job 31.
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Job 31, beginning there with verse 26. Of course, Job is defending himself. He believes that he is righteous. And he has not done anything to merit God's judgment upon him. But he says this, Job 31, beginning there with verse 26: "If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above." So what is Job saying? Job is saying, if I then worship the sun or the moon or anything like that, then basically what I've done is denied the God that is above.
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And when you get to Ezekiel chapter 8, what are they doing? They're turning their backs upon God and they're worshiping the sun. They're facing east instead of west. Now, I want you to turn to Ezekiel 22, and I want to try to tie this together for you just to show you. I don't know if you've been thinking with me as I went through Ezekiel chapter 8, but if that altar was at the gate, the people were involved in idolatry. The elders or the princes were involved in idolatry. The priests were involved in idolatry. What God is trying to tell us in Ezekiel chapter 8 is the same thing He tells us in Ezekiel 22. That idolatry and apostasy had pervaded every aspect of society. So look at Ezekiel 22, verse 25. Ezekiel 22, verse 25.
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"There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof." So there's the prophets. Watch verse 26: "Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them." Now watch verse 27: "Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain." Now it gets the prophets again.
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"And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken." Now verse 29: "The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully." So it doesn't matter if you're talking about the prophets, the priests, the princes, or the people.
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All have fallen prey to idolatry. Now, go back to Ezekiel chapter 8 and look at verses 17 and 18. Here's the conclusion that God comes to. Ezekiel 8, verse 17: "Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger."
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"and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them." So that brings you to chapter 9 where God then calls for these six men with the destroying weapons. What does that mean? Here's what it means. Listen carefully. Judgment has come. Full judgment has come.
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There's not going to be any mercy. There's not going to be any forgiveness. There's not going to be any repentance or any change of mind. It's here and that's it.
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Now, here's what God graciously and kindly does. He calls for this recorder to come in with his inkhorn and mark the foreheads of the men and women who genuinely and sincerely mourn for the corruption and the apostasy of the people. Notice, if you would, in Ezekiel 9, verse 3, the Bible says, "And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof." So God says, "Mark these few that sigh and cry for all this filthiness and all this wickedness."
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Mark them. Now, after they are marked, you have something very awesome, very terrible, very horrifying. It begins with verse 5. Look at it, Ezekiel 9, verse 5: "And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house." Now, look at verse 7: "And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city." Note, if you would, what he said in verse 5: "Go ye after him through the city." Verse 6: "Slay utterly old and young... and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house," that is, these elders who were in front of the temple, and then he said in verse 7, "Defile the house," that is the temple, "and fill the courts with the slain."
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"Go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city." Now, one thing that is very clearly taught here, and that is this, God specifically tells us where His judgment began. He said in verse 6, watch carefully, "Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary." So they took care of the elders, the princes, the prophets, and the priests, and then they went throughout the city. Now, does that phrase, "and begin at my sanctuary," ring a bell in your mind? Well, it should.
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So if you will turn to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. And I want you to look please at verses 17 and 18. 1 Peter 4, verses 17 and 18. Watch carefully. 1 Peter 4, verse 17: "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" Now watch.
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"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Now let's go back to verse 17. Watch carefully. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God." Exactly the way it did in Ezekiel 9. "And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?" Wow. And then he clarifies that in verse 18. Now watch. "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Now, I want you to hold 1 Peter, but go back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 9, if you would please. Ezekiel chapter 9. I want you to look and think about this. He said, if it first begin with us, what is going to be the end of the ungodly? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, what's verse 8? Ezekiel 9, verse 8: "And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left."
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"I fell upon my face." I got news for you folks. If God is slaying everybody around and I'm the only one left, I'm going to fall on my face and do some worshipping and thank God as well. Of course, Ezekiel was going to intercede for everybody else as well. Can you imagine? Here's what he's saying. If it first begin in us, if God would deal that way with His own professing people, what will He do to those who have absolutely no profession of Him whatsoever?
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Now, here's the whole thought that prompted this message. I want you to think. I want you to pause. I want you to consider. I want you to contemplate upon this. We have been a professing Christian people, historically. Our nation is a professing Christian nation. The truth is, however, that we have apostatized from that profession. We've turned our backs upon God, upon His law, and upon His Word.
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We look for what you and I would call an easy religion and a superficial salvation. The truth of the matter is if you look around at modern day Christendom, we want to be saved from the penalty of our sins while we revel in and enjoy and glory in our sins. We want to be entertained. We want to be coddled. We want to be comforted. We want to be pampered.
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We as a people have no desire to be holy, to be obedient, to be godly, or to be righteous. The truth is as a nation we have become unjust, unrighteous, and unholy in every sphere of life and in every area of government. We have forsaken God. We've forsaken His Word in every area, socially, economically, ecclesiastically, governmentally, individually. The truth is, folks, as a nation, we're in idolatry and rebellion and sin up to our eyeballs. We're committing exactly the same sins that Judah and Jerusalem committed.
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So my question is, will it happen again? You say, now wait a minute, Brother Weaver. I'm not worshiping the sun. I'm not falling down before some idol of Tammuz or Adonis or Mars or Baal. I am not an idolater. Oh? Turn in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. And allow me to tell you something. Do you realize you cannot violate any of the Ten Commandments until you have violated the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"? Wow! Do you realize you cannot commit adultery without being an idolater? You cannot commit theft without being an idolater. You cannot blaspheme God without being an idolater. You cannot dishonor your father and your mother without being an idolater. Why? Because whatever you do that places yourself above God is idolatry. Watch Colossians 3 and let's begin reading there with verse 5. Colossians 3, verse 5. Watch carefully.
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"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience." Did you hear what I just read? Covetousness, which is idolatry. When we place our desires, our lusts, and our loves upon things instead of the Lord, it is idolatry. When we place material possessions ahead of the worship and obedience to the Lord, it is idolatry. When we refuse to order our thoughts according to His Word, it is idolatry. When we place ourselves, our wants, and our desires ahead of Him, it is idolatry.
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You say, I will not bow down to an idol. No. But you bow down to the idol of self. You want your will, you want your lust, you want your flesh gratified and satisfied and pleased and pampered. Yes. Self is an idol. Because we have become a people that want what we want and we don't care what it takes or how we get it, just so we get it. That is idolatry. Such is the idolatry that brings the judgment and the wrath of God upon a people. That's why he says, "for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience."
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So the question is, will it happen again? Will God send His destroyers among us? Will God destroy our society, our nation, our people? God is immutable. God does not change and neither do His judgments. We have to learn the truth of Hebrews 10, verse 31, where the Scripture said, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." And I've got news for you, it's even more fearful if that living God is angry with you. I don't want Him to be angry with me. So you have to ask yourself this question in light of Ezekiel 9, in light of 1 Peter chapter 4, since it began in the sanctuary of the Old Testament, and He said it's to begin in His house in the New Testament, will it happen again? Will it happen again?
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Now let me make some applications. The first one is this. God has ministers of wrath to call at His disposal. They are always at His beck and His call. They're His angels. And they also have invisible powers by whom and through whom He accomplishes His purposes. And it should be noted that those who make God their enemy also make His avenging angels their enemies as well. And if one angel can take out 185,000 in one night, one stroke of the sword, I don't want any angels mad at me either. I don't have a Glock that can shoot that fast. I'm sorry.
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And if it could, it wouldn't do any good to a spirit anyhow. They're spirit beings. So the truth of the matter is this. It's absolutely insane to fight against God. You've got to be stark raving crazy when you understand all He has to do is to call and they're at hand. The second application, and I want you to think about this, we have committed exactly the same sin that Israel of old has committed.
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What I mean by this: We're trusting in our founding fathers. The founding father of Israel was Abraham. When you stop and think about our founding fathers, most of them were Christians. The few who were not Christians were deeply influenced by Christianity. Benjamin Franklin is usually listed as a deist. I would encourage you to read some of his writings. And notice all the use of Scripture that he gives.
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Now, he may not have been a converted man, but the point I'm trying to make is this. Even at the Constitutional Convention, it was Benjamin Franklin who called for prayer. He said, "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without your Heavenly Father, is it possible that a nation should rise without Him?" And he implored that every session of their meeting be open to prayer. By the way, that's why Congress is open to prayer to this day. That's where it started. That was Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was a personal friend of George Whitefield. He always went to hear Whitefield preach. It was Benjamin Franklin who calculated that George Whitefield could be heard without any type of amplification in preaching to 25,000 people. So, the point I had in trying to make is this.
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Yes, our founding fathers basically were Christian. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 33. I want you to see this. Look in Ezekiel 33. Ezekiel 33. And let's begin reading there in verse 24. Because remember Abraham was the only godly man. Abraham was the friend of God. And Israel depended upon this. But look what God says. Ezekiel chapter 33, verse 24: "Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance." Yeah, Abraham was a friend of God. God gave him the land. Ah, but now we got it from Abraham. He was saying, well, there are lots of us. Watch verse 25. God says, "Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood," which was condemned in Scripture, "and lift up your eyes toward your idols," which is condemned in Scripture, "and shed blood," which is condemned in Scripture, "and shall ye possess the land?"
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I don't think so, says God. Watch. "Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence." God says, no, you're not going to possess the land. I don't care who your father was. I don't care who your founder was. You violated everything. And you're going to be dispossessed. It's just that simple. Now, one more.
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I want you to go back to Ezekiel chapter 8. I've already said this, but I want to show it to you one more time from Scripture. It's absolutely astounding. Do you understand there comes a time when God will not hear the cries for mercy? It's a frightening truth that's revealed in Scripture. I can give you Scripture after Scripture. Proverbs chapter 1 is one of them, but we need to go no further than Ezekiel chapter 8 and verse 18. Look what he said. Ezekiel 8, verse 18. God says, "Therefore will I also deal in fury."
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That is because of the sins of the people. "Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them."
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Now what is God saying? God says there's coming a time that I will not hear. Look in Ezekiel 9 and verse 10. Again he says it like this, "And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head." I will give them exactly what they deserve. So here's the truth. If one does not call upon God in a time of grace and mercy when God is near, it's too late to call upon Him in the time of judgment and justice.
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He said in Isaiah 55, verses 6 and 7, "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." But notice he said, "Seek ye the LORD" when? While he may be found. "Call ye upon him while he is near." That is near in grace and near in mercy. It's too late to call upon him when he's near in judgment and justice.
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So the question you have to ask is, will it happen again? If you think and if you believe that we're in a mess in this country, you better make sure that your heart is right with the Lord and you better do whatever is necessary to prepare your life because I at least want to be like Ezekiel. If there's anybody left, I sure want to be among those that are left. And I want to fall on my face and say, thank you, Lord, for your mercy and your grace.
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And you know, the interesting thing is, when Ezra and Daniel were confessing their national sins, they said, "Lord, to thee belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of faces, for we have rebelled and sinned against thee." In other words, what they were saying was this, we're getting exactly what we deserve. And you're right. And you're holy. And whatever God does is right, and holy, and righteous. So, God said, "I'm beginning at my sanctuary." And Peter said, "Judgment shall begin at the house of God."
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So we need to prepare our hearts for what inevitably lies ahead. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. We ask, Father, for Your grace and mercy to be given to us. Help us, Lord, to prepare our hearts. We do pray for our nation, for the people. Lord, that You would speak and show Yourself to them. Lord, how desperately we need Thee. How wickedly we turn our backs upon Thee and Thy Word and Thy law. O God, give us direction, give us wisdom, give us turning grace and repenting grace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:22:09Z

Will it happen again?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines Ezekiel 9 to ask whether God's severe judgment on Judah and Jerusalem could be repeated on a nation that has similarly apostatized. He traces the abominations in Ezekiel 8—open idolatry, secret idolatry among leaders, weeping for Tammuz, and sun worship by priests—and argues that modern America mirrors these sins through environmentalism, abortion, covetousness, and self-worship. Weaver warns that God's immutability means His judgments do not change, and that judgment begins at the house of God. He urges hearers to seek the Lord while He may be found and to prepare their hearts for inevitable judgment.

Introduction: The Question of Repeated Judgment

Weaver introduces the question 'Will it happen again?' in light of God's judgments, emphasizing that God's immutability means His judgments against sin do not change.

Will it happen again? You'll understand. Ezekiel 9, verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 9:3-4

"He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge of the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. Behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side." "And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; and the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity."

The Call of the Destroyers (Ezekiel 9:1-2)

God calls six men with destroying weapons to execute judgment on Jerusalem, standing by the brazen altar, signifying that those who reject substitutionary sacrifice become the sacrifice themselves.

No Mercy When Judgment Falls

Using the example of Joab, Weaver illustrates that once God's judgment arrives, it is too late to beg for mercy.

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 2:28-31

"Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth."

Identity of the Six Men: Angels or Babylonians?

Weaver discusses scholarly views on whether the six men represent Chaldean soldiers or angels, leaning toward the angelic interpretation.

An interesting verse is found in Jeremiah 39, verse 3. It just so happens that there are six princes of Nebuchadnezzar that are mentioned in the Bible. Let me just read it. Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 39:3

"And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon."

The Abominations That Provoked Judgment (Ezekiel 8)

Weaver examines four escalating abominations: open idolatry at the gate, secret idolatry among elders, women weeping for Tammuz, and priests worshiping the sun.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:2-5

"If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die."

So God demands the death penalty. Look now in Job 31.

Scripture Reading — Job 31:26-28

"If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness; and my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand: this also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above."

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:25-29

All have fallen prey to idolatry. Now, go back to Ezekiel chapter 8 and look at verses 17 and 18. Here's the conclusion that God comes to. Ezekiel 8, verse 17: "Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger."

The Marking of the Faithful and the Slaughter (Ezekiel 9:3-7)

God commands a man with an inkhorn to mark those who sigh and cry over the abominations, then orders the destroyers to slay everyone else, beginning at the sanctuary.

Judgment Begins at the House of God (1 Peter 4:17-18)

Weaver connects Ezekiel 9 to 1 Peter 4, showing that New Testament judgment also begins with God's people, and warns of the fate of the ungodly.

So if you will turn to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4. And I want you to look please at verses 17 and 18. 1 Peter 4, verses 17 and 18. Watch carefully. 1 Peter 4, verse 17:

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

Now watch.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

Now let's go back to verse 17. Watch carefully.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God."

Exactly the way it did in Ezekiel 9.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel?"

Wow. And then he clarifies that in verse 18. Now watch.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 4:17-18

"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

Modern America's Parallel Sins

Weaver argues that America has apostatized like Judah, engaging in idolatry, covetousness, and self-worship, and asks whether judgment will happen again.

Applications and Warnings

Weaver applies the message by noting God's ready ministers of wrath, the futility of trusting in founding fathers, and the danger of ignoring God's call to repentance before judgment falls.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:24-27

"Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance."

Yeah, Abraham was a friend of God. God gave him the land. Ah, but now we got it from Abraham. He was saying, well, there are lots of us. Watch verse 25. God says,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:24-27

"Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood,"

which was condemned in Scripture,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 33:24-27

"and lift up your eyes toward your idols,"

which is condemned in Scripture, "and shed blood," which is condemned in Scripture, "and shall ye possess the land?"

Conclusion: Prepare Your Heart

Weaver concludes by urging personal preparation and repentance, desiring to be like Ezekiel who survived and worshiped God.

Will it happen again?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	fZvQyiKUEqw
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2015-06-11
Dictation Name
Book	Book 039: Church Order and Worship - Volume 1 — Chapter 21
Source Timed Segments	85

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question of Repeated Judgment: Weaver introduces the question 'Will it happen again?' in light of God's judgments, emphasizing that God's immutability means His judgments against sin do not change.
The Call of the Destroyers (Ezekiel 9:1-2): God calls six men with destroying weapons to execute judgment on Jerusalem, standing by the brazen altar, signifying that those who reject substitutionary sacrifice become the sacrifice themselves.
No Mercy When Judgment Falls: Using the example of Joab, Weaver illustrates that once God's judgment arrives, it is too late to beg for mercy.
Identity of the Six Men: Angels or Babylonians?: Weaver discusses scholarly views on whether the six men represent Chaldean soldiers or angels, leaning toward the angelic interpretation.
The Abominations That Provoked Judgment (Ezekiel 8): Weaver examines four escalating abominations: open idolatry at the gate, secret idolatry among elders, women weeping for Tammuz, and priests worshiping the sun.
The Marking of the Faithful and the Slaughter (Ezekiel 9:3-7): God commands a man with an inkhorn to mark those who sigh and cry over the abominations, then orders the destroyers to slay everyone else, beginning at the sanctuary.
Judgment Begins at the House of God (1 Peter 4:17-18): Weaver connects Ezekiel 9 to 1 Peter 4, showing that New Testament judgment also begins with God's people, and warns of the fate of the ungodly.
Modern America's Parallel Sins: Weaver argues that America has apostatized like Judah, engaging in idolatry, covetousness, and self-worship, and asks whether judgment will happen again.
Applications and Warnings: Weaver applies the message by noting God's ready ministers of wrath, the futility of trusting in founding fathers, and the danger of ignoring God's call to repentance before judgment falls.
Conclusion: Prepare Your Heart: Weaver concludes by urging personal preparation and repentance, desiring to be like Ezekiel who survived and worshiped God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's judgments are consistent because He is immutable.

Since God does not change, His response to sin remains the same; therefore, past judgments serve as warnings for the present.

Weaver argues: 'if we grasp the truth of God's immutability... we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same... and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change.'

Rejecting Christ's sacrifice leaves one exposed to God's wrath.

The brazen altar scene shows that without a substitute, sinners become the sacrifice; this principle applies to all who reject Christ.

Weaver states: 'Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves.'

The sins of Ezekiel 8 mirror modern American sins.

Open idolatry, secret hypocrisy, nature worship, and corrupt leadership are paralleled in today's environmentalism, abortion advocacy, and self-centered religion.

Weaver compares weeping for Tammuz to modern environmental grief over animals while ignoring abortion, and sun worship to exalting nature over God.

Covetousness and self-will are the essence of idolatry.

Idolatry is not limited to bowing to images; it is any elevation of self, desire, or possessions above God, as Colossians 3:5 teaches.

Weaver explains: 'When we place our desires, our lusts, and our loves upon things instead of the Lord, it is idolatry.'

Judgment begins with God's people, making their accountability greater.

1 Peter 4:17 echoes Ezekiel 9:6, indicating that those who profess faith face stricter judgment, and if the righteous are scarcely saved, the ungodly have no hope.

Weaver connects the two passages: 'For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God... And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?'

Trusting in a godly heritage cannot shield from judgment.

Just as Israel could not rely on Abraham while living in sin, America cannot rely on its Christian founding fathers while practicing idolatry and rebellion.

Weaver cites Ezekiel 33:24-27: 'Abraham was one... but we are many... Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols... and shall ye possess the land?'

There is a point when God will no longer hear cries for mercy.

Ezekiel 8:18 and 9:10 show that persistent sin leads to a time when God's fury is unleashed without pity, making immediate repentance urgent.

Weaver quotes: 'though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them' and 'mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 9:1-2: God calls six men with destroying weapons to execute judgment on Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 9:3-4: God commands a man with an inkhorn to mark those who sigh and cry over abominations.
Ezekiel 9:5-7: The destroyers are ordered to slay everyone without the mark, beginning at the sanctuary.
Ezekiel 9:8-11: Ezekiel intercedes, but God declares He will not spare; the man with the inkhorn reports completion.
1 Kings 2:28-31: Joab flees to the altar but is killed there, illustrating that mercy is unavailable when judgment falls.
Jeremiah 39:3: Six princes of Babylon are named, possibly corresponding to the six men in Ezekiel 9.
Psalm 118:27: God is the Lord who gives light; bind the sacrifice to the altar, contrasting with those who become the sacrifice.
Lamentations 4:6: The punishment of Jerusalem is greater than Sodom's because of greater responsibility.
Ezekiel 8:1-6: Ezekiel is shown the image of jealousy at the north gate, provoking God to jealousy.
Ezekiel 8:7-12: Elders worship idols in secret chambers, saying the Lord does not see.
Ezekiel 8:13-14: Women sit weeping for Tammuz at the north gate of the temple.
Ezekiel 8:16: Twenty-five men with backs to the temple worship the sun toward the east.
Deuteronomy 17:2-5: Death penalty prescribed for worshiping the sun, moon, or heavenly hosts.
Job 31:26-28: Job denies secretly worshiping the sun or moon, which would be iniquity deserving judgment.
Ezekiel 22:25-29: Prophets, priests, princes, and people are all corrupt, showing total societal apostasy.
Ezekiel 8:17-18: God declares He will deal in fury and not hear their cries because of their abominations.
1 Peter 4:17-18: Judgment begins at the house of God; if the righteous are scarcely saved, what of the ungodly?
Colossians 3:5-6: Covetousness is idolatry, and the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.
Ezekiel 33:24-27: Israel cannot claim the land based on Abraham while practicing idolatry and bloodshed.
Isaiah 55:6-7: Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.

Historical References

Adam Clarke's commentary on the six men as Chaldean representatives: Weaver quotes Clarke's view that the six men symbolize the Babylonian army and the man with the inkhorn represents a recorder.
Matthew Henry's commentary on the six men as angels: Weaver cites Henry's argument that the six are destroying angels, not human armies, acting as ministers of wrath.
Egyptian idolatry and tomb paintings: Weaver references Adam Clarke's note that the wall portrayals in Ezekiel 8 resemble Egyptian tomb art depicting animals and idols.
Worship of Tammuz/Adonis in ancient Near East: Weaver explains the nature worship and sexual rites associated with Tammuz, citing Matthew Poole and Albert Barnes.
Benjamin Franklin's role at the Constitutional Convention: Weaver notes Franklin's call for prayer and his calculation of George Whitefield's preaching range to illustrate Christian influence on founders.
George Whitefield's preaching and Franklin's calculation: Weaver mentions that Franklin calculated Whitefield could be heard by 25,000 people without amplification.

Important Quotes

if we grasp the truth of God's immutability, that is, His unchangeableness, we do not have to ask that question, because He is still the same infinite, eternal, immutable, holy, and righteous God that He always has been, and His judgments against sin and rebellion do not change.

Establishes the foundational premise that God's character ensures consistent judgment, making the question 'Will it happen again?' answerable by Scripture.

Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken God's substitutional sacrifice for their sins. And thus, they now became the sacrifice themselves.

Summarizes the gospel principle that rejecting Christ's substitutionary atonement leaves one to bear their own punishment.

it's too late for mercy when judgment is fallen.

Highlights the urgency of repentance before God's judgment arrives, using Joab as a sobering example.

the greater the opportunity and the greater the responsibility, the greater the culpability and thus the greater the punishment.

Explains why Jerusalem's punishment exceeded Sodom's, applying the principle of increased accountability for those with greater light.

Covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.

Redefines idolatry for a modern audience, showing that material desire and self-will are as damning as ancient image worship.

though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

Warns that persistent sin can lead to a point where God refuses to listen to cries for mercy, emphasizing the need for timely repentance.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Offers the gospel hope that God is merciful to those who repent while grace is available, contrasting with the finality of judgment.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does God's immutability affect our understanding of His judgments in history and today?

[Context]

Weaver argues that because God does not change, His response to sin remains consistent.

[Question]

In what ways do people today reject God's substitutionary sacrifice and risk becoming the sacrifice themselves?

[Context]

Weaver explains that those who forsake Christ's atonement must pay for their own sins.

[Question]

What are the parallels between the abominations in Ezekiel 8 and modern cultural sins?

[Context]

Weaver compares open idolatry, secret hypocrisy, nature worship, and corrupt leadership to contemporary issues.

[Question]

Why does judgment begin at the house of God, and what does that mean for professing Christians today?

[Context]

Weaver connects Ezekiel 9:6 with 1 Peter 4:17 to show that God holds His people to a higher standard.

[Question]

How is covetousness a form of idolatry, and how does it manifest in our lives?

[Context]

Weaver cites Colossians 3:5 to redefine idolatry as placing desires and self above God.

[Question]

Can a nation rely on its Christian heritage to avert judgment while practicing sin?

[Context]

Weaver uses Ezekiel 33 to show that Israel could not claim Abraham's righteousness while living in rebellion.

[Question]

What does it mean to seek the Lord while He may be found, and how can we do that practically?

[Context]

Weaver urges immediate repentance based on Isaiah 55:6-7 before the window of grace closes.

Applications

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