17 September 592 B.C. Ezekiel in his home in southern Babylon sitting with the Elders. Can’t we just be Marcionites and toss all that OT-stuff?

17 September 592 B.C. Ezekiel in his home in southern Babylon sitting with the Elders.  Can’t we just be Marcionites and toss all that OT-stuff? 

It had been 5 years since Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Jerusalem for a 2^nd time.

Ezekiel had visions of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 8.1-4. Ezekiel 8:1-4

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

8 1 An appearance of the similitude of God. 3 Ezekiel is brought to Jerusalem in the spirit. 6 The Lord showeth the Prophet the idolatries of the house of Israel.

¹ And in the ^[a]sixth year, in the ^[b]sixth month, and in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the Elders of Judah sat before me, the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

² Then I beheld, and lo, there was a likeness, as the appearance of ^[c]fire, to look to, from his loins downward, and from his loins upward, as the appearance of brightness, and like unto amber.

³ And he stretched out the likeness of an hand, and took me by an hairy lock of mine head, and the Spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me ^[d]by a Divine ^[e]vision to Jerusalem, into the entry of the inner ^[f]gate that lieth toward the North, where remained the idol of ^[g]indignation, which provoked indignation.

⁴ And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there according to the vision, that I saw ^[h]in the field.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 8:1 Of the captivity of Jeconiah.
2. Ezekiel 8:1 Which contained part of August, and part of September.
3. Ezekiel 8:2 As Ezek. 1:27.
4. Ezekiel 8:3 Hebrew, in the visions of God.
5. Ezekiel 8:3 Meaning, that he was thus carried in spirit, and not in body.
6. Ezekiel 8:3 Which was the porch or the court where the people assembled.
7. Ezekiel 8:3 So called, because it provoked God’s indignation, which was the idol of Baal.
8. Ezekiel 8:4 Read Ezek. 3:22.
   God showed Ezekiel the idolatry in the Temple. There was an idol at the altar.  70 elders worshipped engraved animals.  Women were weeping at the Temple gate foor the heathen god Tammuz.  25 men were in the Temple precincts worshipping the Sun.
   Ezekiel 8.5-17.

Ezekiel 8:5-17

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

⁵ Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now toward the North. So I lifted up mine eyes toward the North, and behold, Northward, at the gate of the ^[a]altar, this idol of indignation was in the entry.

⁶ He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou not what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel commiteth here to cause me to depart from ^[b]my Sanctuary? but yet turn thee and thou shalt see greater abominations.

⁷ And he caused me to enter at the gate of the court: and when I looked, behold, an hole was in the wall.

⁸ Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall. And when I had dug in the wall, behold, there was a door.

⁹ And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.

¹⁰ So I went in, and saw, and behold, there was every similitude of creeping things, and ^[c]abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel painted upon the wall round about.

¹¹ And there stood before them seventy ^[d]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 censor in his hand, and the vapor of the incense went up like ^[e]a cloud.

¹² Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the Ancients of the house of Israel ^[f]do in the dark, everyone in the chamber of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth.

¹³ Again he said also unto me, Turn thee again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

¹⁴ And he caused me to enter into the entry of the gate of the Lord’s house, which was toward the North: and behold, there sat women mourning for ^[g]Tammuz.

¹⁵ Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

¹⁶ And he caused me to enter 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.

¹⁷ Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a small thing to the house of Judah to commit these abominations which they do here? for they have filled the land with cruelty, and have returned to provoke me: and lo, they have cast out ^[h]stink before their noses.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 8:5 That is, in the court where the people had made an altar to Baal.
2. Ezekiel 8:6 For God will not be where idols are.
3. Ezekiel 8:10 Which were forbidden in the Law, Lev. 11:4.
4. Ezekiel 8:11 Thus they that should have kept all the rest in the fear, and true service of God, were the ringleaders of all abomination, and by their example pulled others from God.
5. Ezekiel 8:11 It was in such abundance.
6. Ezekiel 8:12 For besides their common idolatry they had particular service, which they had in secret chambers.
7. Ezekiel 8:14 The Jews write, that this was a Prophet of the idols, who after his death was once a year mourned for in the night.
8. Ezekiel 8:17 Declaring that the censings and service of the idolaters, are but infection and villainy before God.
   God asked Ezekiel a question.  Joel Osteen, would you care to comment on this? Ezekiel 8.17-18.

Ezekiel 8:17-18

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

¹⁷ Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a small thing to the house of Judah to commit these abominations which they do here? for they have filled the land with cruelty, and have returned to provoke me: and lo, they have cast out ^[a]stink before their noses.

¹⁸ Therefore will I also execute my wrath: mine eye shall not spare them, neither will I have pity, and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

God gave His command. Ezekiel 9.1-5.

Ezekiel 9:1-5

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

9 1 The destruction of the city. 4 They that shall be saved, are marked. 8 A complaint of the Prophet for the destruction of the people.

¹ He cried also with a loud voice in mine ears, saying, The visitations of ^[a]the city draw near, and every man hath a weapon in his hand to destroy it.

² And behold, six ^[b]men came by the way of the high gate, which lieth toward the ^[c]North, and every man a weapon in his hand to destroy it: and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s ^[d]inkhorn by his side, and they went in and stood beside the brazen altar.

³ And the glory of the God of Israel was ^[e]gone up from the Cherub, whereupon he was, and stood on the ^[f]door of the house, and he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side.

⁴ And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and ^[g]set a mark upon the foreheads of them that ^[h]mourn, and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

⁵ And to the other he said, that I might hear, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let your eye spare none, neither have pity.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 9:1 The time to take vengeance.
2. Ezekiel 9:2 Which were Angels in the similitude of men.
3. Ezekiel 9:2 Signifying, that the Babylonians should come from the North to destroy the city and the Temple.
4. Ezekiel 9:2 To mark them that should be saved.
5. Ezekiel 9:3 Which declared that he was not bound thereunto, neither would remain any longer, than there was hope that they would return from their wickedness and worship him aright.
6. Ezekiel 9:3 Or, Threshold.
7. Ezekiel 9:4 Or, mark with [x].
8. Ezekiel 9:4 He showeth what is the manner of God’s children, whom he marketh to salvation: to wit, to mourn and cry out against the wickedness, which they see committed against God’s glory.
   God’s glory rose up and went to the entrance of the Temple.
   Ezekiel 10.4.

Ezekiel 10:4

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

⁴ Then the glory of the Lord ^[a]went up from the Cherub, and stood over the door of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 10:4 Meaning, that the glory of God should depart from the Temple.
   Then, the attention is turned to the eastern gate.
   Ezekiel 10.19.

Ezekiel 10:19

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

¹⁹ And the Cherubims lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them: and everyone stood at the entry of the gate of the Lord’s House at the East side, and the glory of the God of Israel was upon them on high.

Ezekiel 11.9-10.

Ezekiel 11:9-10

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

⁹ And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into ^[a]the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.

¹⁰ Ye shall fall by the sword, and I will judge you in the border of ^[b]Israel, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 11:9 That is, of the Chaldeans.
2. Ezekiel 11:10 That is, in Riblah, read 2 Kings 25:6.
   Ezekiel is further queried.
   Ezekiel 11.13.

Ezekiel 11:13

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

¹³ ¶ And when I prophesied, Pelatiah the son of ^[a]Benaiah died: then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord God, wilt thou then utterly destroy all the remnant of Israel?

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 11:13 It seemeth that this noble man died of some terrible death, and therefore the Prophet feared some strange judgment of God toward the rest of the people.
   God gives answers at Ezekiel 11.16-21.

Ezekiel 11:16-21

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

¹⁶ Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God, Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little ^[a]Sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.

¹⁷ Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God, I will gather you again from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

¹⁸ And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the idols thereof, and all the abominations thereof from thence.

¹⁹ And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within their bowels: and I will take the ^[b]stony heart out of their bodies, and will give them an heart of flesh,

²⁰ That they may walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and execute them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

²¹ But upon them, whose heart is toward their idols, and whose affection goeth after their abominations, I will lay their way upon their own heads saith the Lord God.

Footnotes:

1. Ezekiel 11:16 They shall be yet a little Church: showing that the Lord will ever have some to call upon his Name, whom he will preserve and restore, though they be for a time afflicted.
2. Ezekiel 11:19 Meaning, the heart whereunto nothing can enter, and regenerate them anew, so that their heart may be soft, and ready to receive my graces.
   God’s presence was taken up from Jerusalem and Ezekiel was taken back to Babylon.
   God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity to generations.

Exodus 20:5

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

⁵ Thou shalt not ^[a]bow down to them, neither serve them: for I am the Lord thy God, a ^[b]jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third generation and upon the fourth of them that hate me:

Footnotes:

1. Exodus 20:5 By this outward gesture, all kinds of service and worship to idols is forbidden.
2. Exodus 20:5 And will be revenged on the contemners of mine honor.
   Questions:

1. A jealous God?
2. Exodus 20.5?
3. Where does this get any modern press in modern venues?
4. Or, does a prevalent Marcionism prevail today?  Liberals?  Chrismoes? Charismatics? LACNA?  Archbishop of Canterbury? Modern liturgies and hymns?
5. What does the “fear of the LORD” mean?  Who evinces that these days?  In your circles?  What of Ecclesiastes 12.1-2?  Or, Proverbs? Or, Revelation
6. Can’t we just all be “nice” and avoid all this?  Can’t we be Marcionites?  Sing a few rounds of Kumbaya and emote?