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The Bible Breakdown
Ezekiel 08: The Hidden Doorway
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The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, ezekiel, chapter 8, and today's title is the Hidden Doorway. The Hidden Doorway. We're going to get into all that and kind of let you know what that is in just a moment. But if you want to open up your Bibles with me to Ezekiel, chapter 8, while you're doing that, make sure, if you're new around here, to like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure, if you're new around here, to like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you're leaving us a five-star review on the podcast it really does help. And make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook, because I'm going to tell you something they're doing an amazing job there and the more we dig, the more we find Alright. Well, once again, if you have your Bibles, I want to open up with me to Ezekiel, chapter 8, don't forget that the overall goal of Ezekiel is God's promise of renewal. Now, remember, the overall goal of this is they have been exiled. Ezekiel is in exile and he is riding back to Jerusalem and to the people in exile and he's saying look, this is what happened. He's chronicling the different things and he's talking about the time when the glory of the Lord departed and all these bad things like here's the reason why these things are upon us. And chronicling the different things and he's talking about the time when the glory of the Lord departed and all these bad things Like here's the reason why these things are upon us. And we're kind of walking through some of that where he is just he's saying like listen, I don't like that. This happened, but we cannot, like we didn't earn it somehow, you know, and these are some harder chapters to make it through, but they're really good cautionary tales for all of us to make sure we don't ever find ourselves in these kinds of positions, because it's easy to look at people in the Bible and see now what they should have done, how they should have done it. But remember, these people hadn't had this happen to them yet and it's only through hindsight that they could look back and go okay, maybe that wasn't the best idea, so we want to give them a little bit of a break, but bad things are happening, okay, so if you're ready. Ezekiel, chapter eight, verse one, says this then, on September 17th, during the sixth year of King Jehoiakim's captivity.
Speaker 1:While the leaders of Judah were in my home, the sovereign Lord took hold of me. I saw a figure that appeared to be a man, for what appeared to be. What did it say? Jesus looked like Something similar to this in the book of Revelation All right, verse 3. Pause for a second. So this guy. And he took me by the hair. Pause for a second. So this guy, an angel? I don't know. I was telling you that the book of Revelation, verse 1, kind of describes Jesus as kind of looking like a burning flame. Joker done, grabbed Ezekiel by the hair. Thanks man, you couldn't just, you know, hit me on the shoulder or grab my hand. No, he grabs him by the hair. And then the Spirit of the Lord lifted me into the sky. So not only did he grab him by the hair, he picked him up by the roots. All right, then he lifted me up into the sky and transported me to Jerusalem in a vision from God. Thanks man.
Speaker 1:I was taken to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the temple where there was a large idol that was made the Lord very jealous. Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel was there, just as I had seen it before in the valley. Then the Lord said to me Son of man, look toward the north. So I looked there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate, near the altar, and it stood an idol that had made the Lord so jealous. Son of man, do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel committing to drive me from my temple? But come and you will see even more detestable sins than these. There's our title for our chapter.
Speaker 1:He said Go in and see the wicked, detestable sins that are being committed there. So I went in and saw the walls covered with engravings of all kinds of crawling animals and detestable creatures. I also saw the various idols worshipped by the people of Israel. Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there, with Jehazanah, the son of Shaphan, in the center. Each of them held an incense burner from which a cloud of incense rose above their heads.
Speaker 1:Then the Lord said to me Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with the idols in dark rooms? The Lord doesn't see us. They are saying the Lord doesn't see us, he has deserted our land. Then the Lord added come and I will show you an even more detestable sins than these. And he brought me to the north gate of the Lord's temple, where some women were sitting there weeping for the God Tammuz, have you seen this? He asked. But I will show you even more detestable sins than these. Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord's temple. At the entrance to the sanctuary, where the entry room and the bronze altar, there was about 25 men with their backs to the sanctuary of the Lord and they were facing east, bowing low to the ground, worshiping the son. Have you seen this, son of man? Is it nothing to the people of Judah that they are committing these detestable sins, leading the whole nation into violence, thumbing their nose at me and provoking my anger? Therefore, I will respond in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them, and though they cry for mercy, I will not listen.
Speaker 1:Wow, so what's going on here is no longer are they doing idol worship in the hills and in the far areas. They are now doing idol worship all over the temple. They have turned the temple into a polytheistic place where they're worshiping all these different kinds of gods. And what's going on here is this angel, whatever. It was an angel, or maybe it was a Christophany that's a Jesus in the Old Testament jokered and grabbed Ezekiel by the hair. And now we can tell why he's angry. He's like do you see this? And he goes to three different places and he's like do you see this? And what he's doing is he's going. And he even told them. He said no one else can see this, they don't think I'm doing this or they don't think I can see. So I want to give you kind of a hidden door so you can go in and see what people are actually doing. They're claiming they're serving me, but they're really not. And what this made me think of is I watched a movie one time that was completely heretical.
Speaker 1:Okay, so like this is. This is not our theology, is not coming from this, but it was an interesting thought experiment that in this, this thought experiment, before you, after you died and before you went to either heaven or hell, you had to sit in a a a viewing room and they would watch your whole life like it was a movie. And what would happen is there were these three judges that would either determine that you had lived a good life, full of courage, and were good to others and you would go to heaven or you didn't right. And it was interesting because as the movie went out, there was a whole plot involved. But the point that was there is like after you died, people sat and watched your life to determine if you'd been a good person.
Speaker 1:And I remember one time somebody said how would you feel if someone put your life on a big screen at church? Would you be fine with it or would you immediately look for the door because you were embarrassed? And that's kind of like what God has done here. It's, these people are thinking that they're worshiping these false gods and these idols in secret. And God is saying actually I see you and I'm exposing you to everybody else because we now see this. Now, you know, 3000 years later, we're still reading about these fools, you know. So I mean, they totally got exposed, right.
Speaker 1:And so what can we take away from this? And that is this we need to live our lives in private, as though everybody else could see. We need to live our lives in private as though everybody else could see. Now, what do I mean by that? Of course, there's an amazing amount of balance there. I'm not trying to say anything weird, but I'm trying to say the Bible says whatever you do in secret will be shouted from the rooftops. And if that scares you, you know where you need to course correct.
Speaker 1:If you're saying now I'm not talking about when you go into the bathroom or changing clothes, I'm talking about the other stuff, like, whatever you do in secret will be brought into the open. And so is there something in your life that, if it got out, you'd be embarrassed? Well, if there is, there's automatically a reason to be thankful to the Lord, because he has not exposed it, nor does he plan to. But what if he did? Why not bring it to him now? Why not say to him now God, I am so sorry that I have let this thing get control of me, but I don't want it to have control over me any longer. I bet you'll be surprised at how much mercy he has on you, and I bet you'll be surprised how quickly he is to forgive you, to restore you and set you free.
Speaker 1:Let's pray right now, God, thank you so much for your restoration power. Thank you to restore you and set you free. Let's pray right now. God, thank you so much for your restoration power. Thank you, god, that you see us and yet you still love us. I'm so thankful, god, that you are for us in every way. I pray today, god, as you convict us and you remind us of the things that we need to get out of our lives. You help us to also remember, lord, that you are for us in more ways than we can imagine, and we'll receive your forgiveness today, in Jesus' name. We pray Amen, anyway, but don't forget, god's word says in Ezekiel 34, verse 14, I will put my spirit in you and you will live again. God wants us to have life, and have life to the full. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Ezekiel, chapter 9.
