Like a chestnut tree

This chapter is similar to chapter 16. Samaria is Oholah (her tent) and Jerusalem is Oholibah (My tent is in her). (v.4) Oholah has already been punished. And Oholibah is about to be punished more severely because she is more corrupt than Oholah.

Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her obscene practices were more than the prostitution of her sister. (v.11)

That does not mean Oholah escapes judgement. They are both corrupt and treacherous.

Moreover, the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. So they have committed adultery with their idols, and even made their sons, whom they bore to Me, pass through the fire to them as food. Again, they have done this to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary on the same day, and have profaned My Sabbaths. For when they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary on the same day to profane it; and behold, this is what they did within My house. (v. 36-38)

Both the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant churches abandoned orthodox doctrines and have gone astray. They brought Greek philosophies and pagan religions into their theology. They went further and killed God’s prophets who spoke truths within their churches. Whoever sleeps with a harlot is one body with her. Samaria and Jerusalem went after Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia.

Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” (1 Corinthians 6:16)

Therefore, the harlot in Revelation 17 is the false church. People without true faith go after the world and other religions and identify themselves with them. There is only one true Jerusalem, that is the assembly of God’s chosen people saved by grace. All others belong to the assembly of God’s enemies.

There are two common features that two adulterous sisters in Ezekiel 16 and 23 and Babylon in Revelation 17.

One is that they kill God’s people.

For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. So they have committed adultery with their idols, and even made their sons, whom they bore to Me, pass through the fire to them as food. (v. 37)

You slaughtered My children and offered them to idols by making them pass through the fire. (Ezekiel 16:21)

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.(Revelation 17:6)

The other is that God hands them over to their lovers.

“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold I am going to incite your lovers against you, from whom you turned away in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; handsome young men, governors and officials all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. And they will come against you with weapons, chariots, and wagons, and with a contingent of peoples. They will attack you on every side with shield, buckler, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their customs. (v.22-24)

And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17: 16-18)

The prophetic books of the OT mention of the fall of Babylon. God finally punishes her after the seven bowls of His wrath (Revelation 17:1) It is greatly alarming that many churches try to gain political power and build an earthly kingdom for themselves. God has set civil governments separate from churches. However, Christians want to become rulers of the world. It is only natural that ignorant people without knowledge do evil things just as they remain evil. Saints must exercise their rights as citizens and vote for the government that can help the poor and maintain civil orders. This does not mean that churches should have control over their governments. Churches are NOT built for that purpose. Churches go corrupt when they start focusing on people and the world. The Roman catholic had much political power and tried to maintain that power for many centuries. The Protestant churches came against the Roman Catholic church, but they are not different from her now. If my interpretation is right, they are worse than the Roman Catholic church as we read Ezekiel 16 and 23. Sadly, all of false Christians will go as they are destined. Since they are after worldly power, they will go down as the world goes down.

If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:10)

And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18)

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become waste metal to Me; all of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the smelting furnace; they are the waste metal of silver. Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because all of you have become waste metal, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the smelting furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will place you there and melt you. And I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My wrath on you.’” (v.18-22)

The words of the LORD are pure words; Like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times. (Psalm 12:6)

God’s wrath is poured onto both the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are purified like silver is purified because all the dungs (fame, wealth, worldly knowledge, etc.) we are proud of will be burned but the knowledge of God will remain pure as Christ is pure. For the wicked, there will be nothing remaining because they are not united with Christ through the Holy Spirit. Saints are saved by God’s grace. God’s wrath is, first and foremost, against false Christians who say that they believe in God and yet, seek after idols and abominable practices.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. Her priests have done violence to My Law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have closed their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am defiled among them. Her leaders within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to make dishonest profit. And her prophets have coated with whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery, and they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger without justice. I searched for a man among them who would build up a wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. (v.35-30)

This prophesy reminds me of Sodom and Gomorrah. God made His plan of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah known to Abraham. Abraham was worried that God would destroy both the righteous and the wicked together. Abraham’s cousin Lot was living there.

Far be it from You to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly? (Genesis 18:25)

Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once: suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” (Genesis 18:32)

The Book of Revelation also mentions of Sodom where the death of the two witnesses are mentioned.

And their dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. (Revelation 11:8)

In Sodom and Gomorrah, the situations were not what Abraham hoped for. Indeed, God would not have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah if there were ten righteous people living there. But the reality is that the evil people do not let the righteous live among them.

But they said, “Get out of the way!” They also said, “This one came in as a foreigner, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them!” So they pressed hard against Lot and moved forward to break the door. (Genesis 19:9)

The only way to survive in Sodom and Gomorrah (and Egypt) is to become like the wicked. Therefore, false Christians often become worse sinners than the unbelievers because they try to save their lives by becoming like them.

Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it. (Luke 17:32)

“Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

On the outside, these false Christians may appear to live a pious life and dedicate themselves to church activities and helping the poor. But they deny their Master who bought them (2 Pet 2:1). They deny Sola Gratia. They deny what the Bible truly teaches. Many Christians feel afraid of leaving their church because they think their comfortable life will end. They do not know that the adulterous church does not have God’s authority of saving people. The comfort they feel is not true comfort. Depart from the adulterous church and escape for your life. Yet, God knows that you will hesitate. God saves His chosen people by grace.

Then the two men said to Lot, “Whom else do you have here? A son-in-law and your sons and daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.” So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD is destroying the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be joking. When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.”  But he hesitated. So the men grasped his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, because the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out and put him outside the city. When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the surrounding area; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” (Genesis 19:12-17)

Abraham was a shadow of Christ. And Lot was saved not because of his own righteousness but because of Abraham. We are saved because of Christ. We must not forget our Lord who has saved us by grace. Denying Sola Gratia is denying our Lord.

So it came about, when God destroyed the cities of the surrounding area, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived. (Genesis 19:29)

Keep praying and reading the Bible so that you would not resist God when He tells you to leave your church.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example of what is coming for the ungodly; and if He rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the perverted conduct of unscrupulous people (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and despise authority. Reckless, self-centered, they speak abusively of angelic majesties without trembling, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a demeaning judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, using abusive speech where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having hearts trained in greed, accursed children; abandoning the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own offense, for a mute donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet. (2 Peter 2:4-16)

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues; (Revelation 18:4)

and say to the land of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am against you; and I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go out from its sheath against humanity from south to north. So humanity will know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword from its sheath. It will not return to its sheath again.”’ (v.3-5)

Now as for you, son of man, make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And make a signpost; make it at the head of the way to the city.(v.19)

And it will be that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with plague,’ declares the LORD, ‘until I have eliminated it by his hand. (Jeremiah 27:8)

The Israelites trusted the kings of other nations such as Egypt and Babylon instead of their own king, God. They went after other nations and their idols. Their abominable acts are described in Ezekiel 16 and 23. Because of the prostitution of the Israelites, God handed the Northern Israel to Assyria and the kingdom Judah to Babylon. Assyria and Babylon were given the power so that the Israelites would learn the pain of slavery in foreign lands. Although they were in exile in Babylon, God was still with them (Ezekiel 11:16).

People who focus on morality when reading the Bible do not understand why God hands His people over to those who are lawless. Throughout history, God handed Christians over to non-Christians or false Christians. And we understand the reason when we read the Bible. We call ourselves Christians and yet, go after idols in our hearts. We are handed over to those that we have been after. And then we realize how stupid we have been.

People who connects Christianity and earthly prosperity/happiness fail to see the necessity of sufferings given by God. Even reborn Christians sometimes fall into temptation especially when they have earthly prosperity leading to pride. Pride always leads to idolatry and immoralities because it promotes serving and praising oneself. Only when God wakes us up from our delusions, we realize how merciful and faithful God is.

The Book of Habakkuk tells us why God handed the Israelites to Babylonians. At first, Habakkuk does not understand why God gives power to the lawless Chaldeans. God answers to him in chapter 2. And God says:

Behold, as for the impudent one,
His soul is not right within him;
But the righteous one will live by his faith. (v.2)

God teaches us that we live by faith in God. And that faith is from God. Who can teach or give counsel to God?

Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, and informed Him of the way of understanding? (Isaiah 40:13-14)

Many Christians say to God what He should do or shouldn’t do in their prayers. They are merely speaking to their idols. It would be better to keep silent and read the Bible instead of speaking meaningless words that bring God’s wrath.

“What benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it,
Or a cast metal image, a teacher of falsehood?
For its maker trusts in his own handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.
Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’
To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’
That is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
Yet there is no breath at all inside it.
But the Lord is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth be silent before Him.” (Habakkuk 2:18-20)

Also I gave them My Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, so that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. (v. 12)

Christ, the Lord of Sabbath, saved us from the life of slavery by shedding His blood on the cross. And the Passover symbolizes the saving work of Christ according to the Father’s will. God who justifies also sanctifies people. And yet, many people in the Protestant churches deny this truth. There are people, including ministers and theologians, who think they can sanctify themselves by works. I believe the Puritanism has done much harm to the Protestant churches. Because people deny God, He announces judgements on them. These people, who think they can sanctify themselves by works, are considered as evildoers because they do not have the true knowledge of God given by the Holy Spirit.

But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, which, if a person follows them, then he will live by them; and they greatly profaned My Sabbaths. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them.(v.13)

Therefore, God will send fire on the world.

and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not go out and the entire surface from south to north will be scorched by it. And all mankind will see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it will not go out.”’” Then I said, “Oh, Lord God! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking in riddles?’” (v. 47-49)

The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:7)

Revelation 8 talks about the seventh seal and the first, the second, the third, and the fourth trumpet. Sealing of the saints happens between the sixth and the seventh seal. The first trumpet talks about burning of the third of the earth. In a similar pattern, sealing of God’s people who lament over idolatrous acts done in the temple happens in Ezekiel 9:4. Ezekiel 20 talks about the burning of trees witnessed by all mankind. God describes Himself as a consuming fire. But God does not burn everything as we read Exodus 3:2.

For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Deuteronomy 4:24; see also Hebrews 12:29)

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. (Exodus 3:2)

A tree can be interpreted as a man, a church, or a nation in the Bible. There are trees that do not burn. Those trees who are united with Christ (Word) cannot be consumed by fire.

each one’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each one’s work. (1 Cor 3:13)

The words of the LORD are pure words; Like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, filtered seven times. (Psalm 12:6)

If anyone puts faith in their own works and speaks against God’s words, their works will be consumed by fire at the end. When men built the tower of Babel, they put much work into it. But God made it impossible for them to carry out their plans.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Genesis 11:3-7)

It may appear to some that God judges like men do. There is a big difference between human judges and God. That is God sees the heart of every person. The Bible says that the heart produces evil (Matthew 15:19). The works reveal what is truly in one’s heart. Only God is the true and righteous judge because He judges people by their heart. People judge only by what they see and by their traditions and laws. Church leaders act like they have divine authority to judge other Christians. But they must rely on God and must not focus on people. Anyone who does not receive the Holy Spirit will be rejected by God and be consumed by fire because God judges by one’s works that come from the heart.

While I was in a Reformed church, I came to know that the church leaders judge people by their own interpretations of the Bible. The leaders say they follow their church orders and the Confessions. But they fail to see what the real problem was. The problem was that they were merciful to people who love evil deeds and were harsh to those who want to live according to God’s words. They did not realize that they needed to repent. In a dream, even before their deeds were revealed to me, all seven elders laughed at me. One of them was on a wheelchair, which means he was spiritually disabled. They laughed at me because I tried to expel excrement. I mentioned before that I was the church in my dream. On the outside, my wounds were bad but not life-threatening. But then I realized that the wounds were bigger and deeper than I initially thought.

Christ often referred Himself as bread. He is Truth and Word of God. When Truth comes and lives with a person, the person naturally expel excrement just as we eat food and then expel stools and urine later. People know that they will die if they stop eating. But they don’t realize that they die when they stop expelling stools and urine. When we come to know God by the Holy Spirit through the words of God, we naturally repent of our sins and turn away from evil. What churches around the world do not realize is that they need repentance. They boast that they know God and yet, rely on men and seek after fame and popularity. Therefore, they cannot repent. Even if they try to repent, their prayers are not accepted because their repentance is not from God, and most importantly because they do not accept the fact that repentance is initiated and completed by God alone. If anyone claims that people can repent and earn God’s grace by their own initiatives, he/she is an idolater. When the Holy Spirit comes, one realizes his/her own foolishness and idolatrous acts. There are people who will never receive the Holy Spirit. God lets them do what they want to do – living a falsely pious life, relying on their works, and rejecting the Spirit. Yet, the entire house of true Israel, the invisible church, will be saved because Christ has bought them with a price of His own blood according to the Father’s will. And the church lives by faith in God.

“As for you, house of Israel,” this is what the Lord God says: “Go, serve, everyone of you his idols; but later you will certainly listen to Me, and My holy name you will no longer defile with your gifts and your idols. For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “there the entire house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will accept them and there I will demand your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will show Myself to be holy among you in the sight of the nations. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers. And there you will remember your ways and all your deeds by which you have defiled yourselves; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you in behalf of My name, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.’” (v. 39-44)

for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

But false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (2 Peter 2:1)

The sons of Josiah were Johanan, the firstborn, the second was Jehoiakim, the third, Zedekiah, and the fourth, Shallum. (1 Chronicles 3:15)

Before him (Josiah) there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and all his might, in conformity to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. (2 Kings 23:25)

 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with all that his forefathers had done. And Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at Riblah in the land of Hamath, so that he would not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of his father Josiah, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt, and he died there. (2 Kings 23:31-34)

So Jehoiakim lay down with his fathers, and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place. Now the king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with all that his father had done.At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. Then Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials. And the king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign.  (2 Kings 24:6-12)

I consider that Josiah resembles Christ more than king David. The great king Josiah had four sons. Among four sons, two are mentioned in Ezekiel 19. Two are identical and evil.

Little is known about the first son. It is believed that Shallum (Johoahaz), the fourth son, succeeded Josiah. But he did evil and was taken to Egypt by Neco. He was succeeded by his older brother, Jehoiakim. He also did evil and died in Jerusalem. His son Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) succeeded him. He also did evil, and Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon. He was succeeded by Zedekiah who was the third son of king Josiah. Zedekiah also did evil and was taken to Babylon and died there. Zedekiah refused to listen to the words of God spoken by the prophet Jeremiah. And his end was horrible.

The king of Babylon slaughtered Zedekiah’s sons as Zedekiah watched. He also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. Then he blinded Zedekiah and put him in bronze shackles. The king of Babylon took him to Babylon and put him in a prison, where he stayed until he died. (Jeremiah 52:10-11)

But God showed mercy to Jehoiachin in Babylon because of His promise to king David. And Zerubbabel is a descendant of Jehoiachin. And their names are mentioned in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1 :12-13 and Luke 3:27.

The two lions in Ezekiel 19 are believed to be Johoahaz, who was taken to Egypt, and Jehoaichin, who was taken to Babylon. But I think the second lion indicates king Zedekiah. He was also taken to Babylon.

They put him in a wooden collar with hooks and brought him to the king of Babylon;
They brought him in hunting nets so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel. (Ezekiel 19:9)

 Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death. (Jeremiah 52:11)

Although Jehoiachin is considered the last king of Judah by some, I consider Zedekiah was the last king of Judah. The Bible tell us the evilness of the last four kings of Judah. From a moral point of view, they may not much worse than other kings. But God had already decided to put an end to Judah before they became kings.

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses. Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to arouse his anger.So the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’ (2 Kings 23:25-27)

Jehoahaz was the last son of Josiah. And Zedekiah was the last king of Judah. Their end was full of shame and disgrace. The visible churches or the church systems have produced many evil leaders that kill and harm God’s true chosen people. I am not talking about their immoral deeds. By giving false hope and speaking lies about God just as the false prophets did in the OT, they mislead and kill people. The time will surely come when God judges all evil leaders in churches. Then God’s enemies will be put to shame.

All my enemies will be put to shame and greatly horrified; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be put to shame. (Psalm 6:10)

It is not that only evil leaders will be judged. Those who follow them will also be judged.

… they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth? (Revelation 6:10)

But if the wicked person turns from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. All his offenses which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. (v. 21-22)

When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness, commits injustice and dies because of it, for his injustice which he has committed he dies. But when a wicked person turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. Since he understood and turned away from all his offenses which he had committed, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. (v. 26-28)

It is easy to divide work from faith and the conditional covenant from the unconditional covenant. Apostle Paul used a simple analogy throughout his letters for the Jews who could not understand the mystery of God’s grace. And some misinterpreted his words and think that there are two completely different covenants just as we divide the Bible into two, the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is one way to look at the covenants of God.

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins. (Mark 2:22)

Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

However, there is, in fact, only one covenant. That is the new covenant. The new covenant promises that the Holy Spirit stays with a chosen person forever. This has always been God’s plan.

God alone is righteous. Only God plans and fulfils. Without the Holy Spirit, we are not righteous no matter how many good deeds we do in the eyes of the world. Only through the unconditional covenant, the requirements of the conditional covenant are fulfilled. It is because only by the Holy Spirit, our heart of stone is removed. With the heart of flesh given by God, we understand God and His ways and turn away from evil ways. Therefore, true obedience is the work of the Holy Spirit within a person. Christ became a man so that His people would become like Him. And the result is the Kingdom. This is God’s good will.

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. (Revelation 22:12)

Only those who receive the Holy Spirit by grace will be saved because the Lord knows His chosen people. Despite human weaknesses, saints do not fall again because of God’s eternal grace. Their good works are known to God because the Holy Spirit has done them. Works reflect the condition of the heart. If it remains as the heart of stone, one will produce no fruit or bad fruit. If it has changed to the heart of flesh, one will inevitably produce good fruit. Therefore, true faith given by God produces good works. Faith comes first, not works.

Remain in Me (Christ), and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. (John 15:4)

So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘If you will indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive. But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and you yourself will not escape from their hands.’” Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am in fear of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for they may hand me over to them, and they will abuse me.” But Jeremiah said, “They will not turn you over. Please obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, so that it may go well for you and you may live. But if you keep refusing to surrender, this is the word which the Lord has shown me: ‘Behold, all of the women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,

“Your close friends
Have misled and overpowered you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire,
They turned back.”

They are also going to bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.’” (Jeremiah 38:17-23)

———————————————————————————–

So Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the Lord anointed you as king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Instead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord!”

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord, for I went on the mission on which the Lord sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” Samuel said,

“Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice,
And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry.
Since you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He has also rejected you from being king.”

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have violated the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. (1 Samuel 15:17-24)

There is at least one thing common with king Zedekiah and king Saul. That is, they feared people. They feared people more than God. Listening to people and trying to please them is the first step to corruption. I know there are so-called super ministers in the world. They preach in front of many people, do broadcasting, and write books. They are extremely popular among Christians. And yet, they do not speak truths. Even though they speak of Sola Gratia at the beginning, they deny it at the end. Then we realize that they are false Christians. Almost always, their immoral living is revealed at the end. We who have the Holy Spirit speak truths of God and live according to the Law. They do not have the Spirit and thus, speak lies and live against the Law. Because of their popularity and reputation, people follow their words, not God’s words.

God handed the Israelites over to king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The people and the kings of Judah were comfortable in their kingdom while they despised God. They love to live in a kingdom without the King. Tenants are trying to remove the landlord. When God announced disasters to punish them, they resisted God’s words and persecuted His prophets. Jeremiah was threatened and harassed because of God’s words that he spoke to people. Rather than turning away from their evil ways, they continue to serve idols.

Egypt symbolizes slavery to sins. And the Law reveals that we are sinful. Christ came and died to break us from that bondage. Although people have tasted the sweetness of freedom, they miss their old days of slavery and go back to Egypt.

After the fall of Jerusalem, those remaining in Jerusalem insist on going to Egypt. Jeremiah warned them. But they still did. The end was death. Jeremiah chapter 42 to 46 tells us the end of rebellious people.

God has hardened the heart of Pharaoh, Saul, and Zedekiah because they are to show us who the Lord is. Their demise tells us that human wisdom is nothing. We always come up with various ideas that we think will work well. But we do not have any wisdom or power. We own nothing. Fear of God is the beginning of true wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

Many Christians think that Apostle Paul had a successful career because he built many churches. Christians often quote verses from the Book of Acts and think they can convert everyone to Christianity. I consider that Evangelism and Acts 29 movement has done much harm to Christianity. People get lured by false leaders all the time. And there is nothing that I can do to stop them. It was God’s will that the Apostles built many visible churches. Many people came to churches, but many did not know God as we read the NT. The Letter to the Galatians tells us about the challenges that Paul had within churches.

Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I testify about you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:15-16)

At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. (2 Timothy 4:16-17)

Paul’s understanding of how one is saved did not change in his writings. He never taught people work-based or Law-based salvation. He always preached on Sola Gratia. However, false teachers twist his words and confuse people. If anyone wants to go back to Egypt, I won’t stop him/her because people always act according to what they know and understand. God also let Zedekiah do whatever he wants to do. But God’s warnings do not go away. How can we know God unless He gives us the Holy Spirit? Therefore, God alone plans and carries out His plans.

… I also swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine… (v.8)

Then your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord God. “But you trusted in your beauty and became unfaithful because of your fame, and you poured out your obscene practices on every passer-by to whom it might be tempting. (v.14-15)

Now your older sister is Samaria, who lives north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lives south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. Yet you have not merely walked in their ways and committed their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you also acted more corruptly in all your conduct than they. As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done! Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, plenty of food, and carefree ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. So they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it. Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half of your sins, for you have multiplied your abominations more than they. So you have made your sisters appear innocent by all your abominations which you have committed. Also, bear your disgrace in that you have made judgment favorable for your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. Yes, be also ashamed and bear your disgrace, in that you made your sisters appear innocent. (v. 46-52)

Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both your older and your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. So I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord, so that you may remember and be ashamed, and not open your mouth again because of your disgrace, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done,” the Lord God declares. (v. 60-63)

Both the Northern Israel and the kingdom of Judah built a city to worship God. The Northern Israel built altars for God at Dan and Bethel (in Samaria region), and Samaria was their capital city. And Judah continued to worship in the temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the authorized place for worship to God because the Tabernacle was there as we read 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Jerusalem was the pride of the kingdom of Judah. However, God reveals that Jerusalem has committed more sins than Samaria or Sodom. That does not mean that Samaria or Sodom will escape judgements. When Ezekiel received God’s words, they had already been punished and destroyed. This chapter warns the people of Judah of the fall of Jerusalem. As always, the judge tells the sinner why he/she is judged. Although the sentence will be carried, God gives hope to His chosen people that He will restore the city and make it His eternal dwelling place. I am not talking about a city that can be visible on the earth.

The Protestant churches boast that they are different from the Roman Catholic church. They boast that they worship God right. They call themselves true churches of God. They call their church their mothers. But their mothers are harlots. It is very sad, but it is true. They are not true churches. The only true church is the invisible church. They praise the Reformers and the Confessions. Yet, they do not follow what they say. Many have abandoned the Confessions. They put trust in men’s words, not God’s. They worship men, not God. They worship themselves, not God. They lure people to their churches saying that they can save them but make them worse sinners than themselves.

This is the end of churches that speak lies. Jerusalem who denies Sola Gratia and speaks lies will fall. If anyone puts hope in a visible church or a church system, the end will be sad. Only the words of God will remain.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. (Matthew 5:13)

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything? If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred? (Ezekiel 15:1-5)

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)

I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign Lord. (Ezekiel 15:8)

God cuts down the unfruitful vine (Israel) and throws it into fire because she has been unfaithful. Saints are united with Christ through the Holy Spirit. Those who have not received the Spirit cannot bear fruit (faith). They will be thrown into fire on the Day of the Lord. Apostle Paul talks about the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his letter to the Galatians.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Many interpret these verses from a moral point of view. But the distinctive feature of a good vine is faith in God. Faith is the gift from God (Ephesians 2:8).

Many Christians think science is against God. But science, when used and understood properly, is beneficial in understanding the Bible. I looked up some information on salt. Salt cannot lose saltiness as long as it is in natural form. But it can lose saltiness when it contains additives. Salt in pure form does what it should do – enhancing the taste of food and preventing bacterial growth. When its natural form is broken, it goes bad. It becomes rubbish. It loses its saltiness and cannot suppress bacterial growth. So is the vine that cannot bear fruit. A vine is useful as long as it bears good fruit. Saints cannot survive unless we remain in God and His words.

If we add anything to the pure form of faith like those who follow Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism, we are no longer called Christians by God. True Christians are the light of the world because we know God and have faith in Him, not by our will, but by God’s.

“Son of man, if a country sins against Me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and eliminate from it both human and animal life, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save themselves,” declares the Lord God. (v.13-14)

even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not save either their son or their daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness. (v.20)

You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, even on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me. (Deuteronomy 5:9)

“What do you people mean by using this proverb about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat sour grapes, but it is the children’s teeth that have become blunt’? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, “you certainly are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. (Ezekiel 18:2-4)

What God says in Deuteronomy 5:9 may appear to contradict to what He says in Ezekiel 14:20. When God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandment, He spoke to the Israel nation. And He made a conditional covenant with Israel nation, a visible church. And the warning written in Deut 5:9 was fulfilled when Israel was destroyed by Babylon.

I will make them an object of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 15:4)

However, God’s eternal covenant has always been with His chosen people (one invisible church) within visible churches through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. All chosen people of God have faith in Him. And that faith is a gift from God. Only those who receive the Holy Spirit by grace, according to His eternal Covenant of Grace, are righteous because only God is righteous.

Earlier I talked about the difference between righteousness of Adam and that of Noah (and Abraham). The word “righteous” used for Noah is God’s righteousness, which does not depend on works. I already talked about the transition of Job’s righteousness from work-dependent to grace-dependent. Daniel has also received the same righteousness as Noah and Job.

There may be many theories about why God mentioned those three men. I cannot say I know exactly why. But what is more important is that God is talking about people who received grace without works. Noah and Job existed before the Ten Commandments. Daniel was an Israelite but he is equally righteous as Noah and Job. This tells us that righteousness does not come from keeping of the Law. There is something greater than the written code – God. Obedience to all God’s commands and understanding His will comes from the Holy Spirit. Most importantly, the Spirit makes us love God because we know God. If anyone says, “I love God” and yet, does not have the right understanding of God, he/she is loving an idol.

There is not a single person who will understand God by his/her own will and efforts. Saints may not know all truths but we know, at least, that we are saved only by grace. That may be the biggest difference between those under grace and those under curse.

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the Law but under grace. (Romans 6:14)