The Mark Of Christ

Date: Sunday, August 31, 2014
Today's Chapters: Ezekiel 8-11
Message Title: The Mark Of Christ
Hello My Friend,

When Jesus walked the earth in the flesh, He lived among the Jews, as He was born into a Jewish family, He would walk from town to town, find a few believers, but the majority of them would reject Him. Today, it is not much different, many still reject Him. A converted Jewish missionary said that Orthodox Jews only read the first five books of the Bible (Torah), then they stop there because the rest states the connection of Jesus. Perhaps they, as well as the rest of the people who believe in God, but reject Christ, hope that their ignorance will justify their actions. What they fail to realize is that the entire Bible is connected to Jesus, after all, He is the Word made flesh, and He is the only hope. “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” - Proverbs 30:4-6.
After the fall of Jerusalem, and most of Judah had been carried off to Babylon, many of the Jews from Assyria that had been scattered since their fall flocked to Jerusalem, and they brought all their abominations with them. Through an amazing revelation, God comes to Ezekiel and shows him the horrible state of Jerusalem as His people forsook Him for their false gods. “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; 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. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. 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.” - Ezekiel 8:3,4,9,12.

The Book of Ezekiel is the Book of Revelation for those living in Old Testament days, it was designed to show the Jews that even though God chose them to be the first people to be known as His people, they are not exempt from judgment either. I imagine God grieves and weeps every day over the abominations He sees, He has no choice, but to turn His eyes away and cover his ears to the horrible sounds. I tell you, the longer I serve God the more abominations I see and can understand why He turns His head. Even the things I catch myself doing still today remind me of how merciful God is to have spared me from the judgment I should be receiving. “Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes. Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments.” - Psalms 119:155,156.

A mark is an impression, something that symbolizes who or what you are, we all have a mark of some kind, that is what makes us all unique from one another. God chose to put a special mark on the forehead of His children. God takes Ezekiel on a gruesome journey to see the fate of all, Israel included, who do not have this mark. “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: 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.” - Ezekiel 9:4,5,8-10.

Ezekiel saw first hand the anger of God toward those who reject His Son, He knows we are all sinners, and He is merciful to us, but He will have no mercy on those who reject Him. No matter who you are, man, woman, or child, any person who fully understands right from wrong, and does not have the mark upon them will be destroyed in the fire. The mark God is looking for, the blood of Christ. “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” - 1 John 1:6,7.

The word recompense means to compensate, to repay what is due according to any thing given, for instance, a person who works a job get compensated or paid for the work they have done. Whether people realize it or not, God sees everything, and we get compensated for the work we do. Ezekiel, was so overwhelmed by what he saw he just knew that all of Israel was done for, but God gave him some hope when he asked if He was going to destroy all of Israel. “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 sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.” - Ezekiel 11:16,20,21.
The same God of Israel is the God of America, China, Rome, Egypt, and every other nation, only those who have the blood of Christ, upon them will be saved and brought to Israel to live there when He reigns as King. Those who reject Christ, Jew or not, will be compensated with hell and the lake of fire. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7,8.
Today's Prayer: God, It's scary to see all that is happening in the world today and realize that judgment is coming. Lord, open the hearts of those who are looking to their false gods and religions to save them from Your wrath. Keep us strong and protected against all the corruption and wickedness of the world, give us Your power to stand strong in our faith, tell others the truth, and not be pulled into the likeness of their standards. Help us to be a witness and a testimony and keep us looking to You so we do not get caught up in the world. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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