The Danger of Dissatisfaction With
One’s Lot in Life - Part XXII
Ezekiel 16:31-63;
“For the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in
unrighteousness.”
(Romans
1:18)
“And to you who are troubled rest with
us, when the Lord Jesus
shall
be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
In
flaming
fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and
that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall
be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory
of His power…” (II Thessalonians
1:7-9) “…..then…that
Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord
shall
consume
with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness
of His coming ….and with them that perish because
they
believed not the truth, that they might be saved.” (ibid. ch. 2:8-10)
Read Deuteronomy 18:18-19
At the end of the lesson, today, I hope to read the lyrics
from two George Jones songs dealing with choices and the
cold hard truth. Secular
songs with unemphasized spiritual truths
evertwhere. These thought are timely, not because we are
near
an important national election, but because our nation is in
decline
as
we have be dealing since May 26th.
Sin and Wrath of God
The NIV of Ezekiel 16
31 When you built your mounds at
every street corner and made your lofty
shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because
you
scorned payment. (Have you ever heard the term “sex
trafficking?”
32 “You adulterous wife! You prefer
strangers to your own husband!
33 All prostitutes receive
gifts, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing
them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.
34 So in your prostitution you are
the opposite of others; no one runs after you
for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and
none is
given to you.
35 “‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord!
36 This is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your
lust
and exposed your naked body in your
promiscuity with your lovers, and
because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your
children’s blood,
37 Therefore I am going to gather
all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure,
those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you
from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will
see
you stark
naked. (KJV - “I.....will
discover thy nakedness unto them, that
they
may see all thy nakedness.”)
38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery
and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath
and jealous
anger.
39 Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they
will tear
down
your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you
of your clothes
and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.
(KJV -“.....shall take thy fair jewels and leave thee naked
and bare.”)
40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to
pieces with their swords.
41They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in
the
sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will
no longer pay your lovers. (Compare the results of
(“Even as
giving themselves
over to forincation, and going after strange flesh,
are
set forth an
example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7)
Genesis 13:
v. 6 -
v. 7 - This prosperity was injurious to
bargain when one grows rich at the expense of
his better nature
There was a strife between brethren and part of the
sad situation was a compromise of their witness before
the Egyptians.
(In
reference to
The Greek word for heresy is
αἵρεσις - hairesis - a choosing,
choice – then that which is chosen, and hence an opinion, especially
a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for
submission to the power
of truth and leads
to division, the formation of sects and finally,
APOSTASY FROM GOD! (Think of the origins, influences and
roles of PRO-CHOICE and the AMERICAN
CIVIL LIBERTIES
UNION in the
ALL BEGAN WITH A CHOICE
– a la – HERESY – CY -2009)
we may assume that his declension was associated with the following:
*
*
* Lot
pitched his tent towards
* Lot
dwelt in
* Lot
sat in the gate of
* Lot
was unhappy -
* Lot
lingered when warned to flee - had to be drug out of
Apparently the sojourn in
effect on
"But the men of
exceedingly" (ch.
13:13)
The following is taken from the website arkdiscovery.com under the
heading of Sodom &
Gomorrah
Notice
that each of the cities stand out from the terrain because of the white
ash contained within them.
The city of
built one that was square.
As cities grew and expanded, they quickly lost
this square shape. Genesis
10:19 indicates the five cities formed the
Canaanite
border, thus they could not have been grouped together at
the south end of the
at the base of
Peninsula, including a large cemetery area containing
1,000,000 graves.
The
cities were located in the plain, so they should not be located in the low
area now covered by the
century, as Josephus said, "The traces or
shadows of the five cities are still to
be seen." If Josephus could see them, then we should be able to see
them also.
The
water level of the
areas Josephus saw in his day are still visible today.
Biblical Warning For All
The
cities of the plain were destroyed as a warning for all that this same event
will happen again one day to the wicked. One would think
God is capable of
preserving this ancient lesson for us to see and to learn from.
"Then the Lord rained brimstone
and fire on
the Lord out of the heavens" (Genesis
19:24.) "Turning the cities of
and
an example to those who afterward would live ungodly" II Peter
2:6.
(The
word for "example" means an exhibit for warning.)
Above - The
northern end of the
42Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away
from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.
43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged
me with
all these things, I will surely bring
down on your head what you have done,
declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other
detestable practices?
44 “‘Everyone
who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you:
“Like mother, like daughter.”
45 You are a true daughter of your
mother, who despised her husband and her
children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their
husbands
and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an
Amorite.
46 Your older sister was
daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with
her
daughters, was
47 You not only followed their
ways and copied their detestable practices,
but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they. *******
48 As surely as I live, declares
the Sovereign Lord, your sister
her
daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your
sister
arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not
help the poor and needy.
(Pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness -
KJV - CY - 2024)
50They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away
with them as you have seen. (Although not
here, sixty-tw0 [62] times in
Ezekiel, it is said, “and they shall know that I am the Lord” I would say
that this
statement is its equivalent, stated in
other words - see
# 223.
Ezekiel – Study of God’s Use of the
Word Know
51
Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You
have done more
detestable things than they, and have made
your sisters seem righteous
by all these things you have done.
20
Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most
of His mighty
works
were done, because they repented not:
21
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the
mighty
works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and
Sidon,
they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for
Tyre and Sidon at
the
day of judgment, than for you.
23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven,
shalt be
brought
down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been
done
in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable
for the land of
Sodom
in the day of judgment, than for thee.
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O
Father, Lord
of
heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the
wise
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26
Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy
sight.
27
All things are delivered unto me of my Father:
and no man knoweth
the
Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save
the
Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
28
Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek
and lowly
in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
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If
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Two
secular songs of the recent past to put American
culture in perspective:
both sung by George Jones
You
best remember me my friend
I am the cold hard truth
I've
had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No, I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I've made
I was tempted
By an early age I found
I liked drinkin'
Oh, and I never turned it down
There were loved ones
But I turned them all away
Now I'm living and dying
With the choices I've made
Chorus:
I've had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
No, I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I've made
--- Instrumental ---
I guess I'm payin'
For the things that I have done
If I could go back
Oh, Lord knows I'd run
But I'm still losin'
This game of life I play
Living and dying
With the choices I've made
Chorus:
I've had choices
Since the day that I was born
There were voices
That told me right from wrong
If I had listened
I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying
With the choices I've made
--- Instrumental ---
Living and dying
With the choices I've made...