Text: Ezekiel 33<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. The time of this prophecy is not given.<\/p>\n
A. The previous one was during the twelfth year, twelfth month, fifteenth day.<\/p>\n
B. The next one (verse 21) is the twelfth year, tenth month, fifth day<\/p>\n C. Most guess this one is in the later part of the eleventh year, perhaps into the\ntwelfth year.\n
II. The expectations for a watchman – Ezekiel 33:1-6<\/p>\n
A. When a land is at war, people place watchmen to give advance warning of attacks.<\/p>\n B. If a watchman does his duty and gives warning, it is not his responsibility if people\ndo not heed his warning.\n C. The only person responsible is the person who did not heed the warning. His death\nis his own fault.\n D. If a watchman doesn’t give warning, then people will still die, but the responsibility\nmoves from the people to the one who doesn’t give warning.\n
III. Ezekiel is God’s watchman – Ezekiel 33:7-9<\/p>\n
A. God gives Ezekiel a message to warn Israel.<\/p>\n B. If Ezekiel doesn’t deliver the message, then the death of a wicked man will be held\nagainst Ezekiel because he didn’t say anything.\n
1. Note that the wicked is not excused because “he didn’t know.”<\/p>\n C. If Ezekiel does deliver the message, then the responsibility is totally on the\nreceiver. If he doesn’t listen, then he will still die.\n
D. II Corinthians 2:15-17 – Two reactions to the same message<\/p>\n
E. James 3:1 – Teachers have the stricter judgment<\/p>\n
F. Acts 20:26-27 – How Paul freed himself from other men’s sins<\/p>\n
IV. The message to be delivered to Israel – Ezekiel 33:10-20<\/p>\n
A. Objection by Israel: Our sins are too great to do anything about them!<\/p>\n
1. It is a cry of hopelessness<\/p>\n
2. “We’re going to die anyway.”<\/p>\n 3. It is common among the wicked to hope to remain in sin and go\nunpunished; yet, simultaneously, despair of being able to escape\npunishment because God will never forgive our sins – Isaiah 49:14;\nLeviticus 26:39; Hosea 5:4\n
B. God’s answer: God isn’t looking to destroy, so repent and live – II Peter 3:9<\/p>\n
1. This is the same message found in Ezekiel 18<\/p>\n
2. There is no reason to die, except that a person chooses to do so.<\/p>\n
C. God’s fairness<\/p>\n 1. The past doesn’t matter. You can’t save up righteousness to balance future\nsins, nor do you have to pay back for all your sins of the past when you\nrepent\n
2. II Chronicles 7:14 – God will forgive.<\/p>\n
3. Don’t think you have it made – I Corinthians 10:12; Hebrews 10:38<\/p>\n
a. In Ezekiel 33:13, who declared the man righteous?<\/p>\n b. Some avoid the obvious by saying that the man thought himself\nrighteous because he kept God’s law. Is the keeping of God’s law\nthe problem?\n
4. The wicked can change – Ezekiel 33:14-16<\/p>\n a. What is required to demonstrate a change? – Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah\n55:7 (Does the Old Law require deed only?); Jeremiah 4:1; Micah\n6:8; Acts 3:19\n
b. Will a wicked past be held against him? Why? – Isaiah 1:18; 43:25<\/p>\n
c. Now explain Matthew 9:13<\/p>\n d. Is it proper to despair of being forgiven? – Micah 7:18-19; I John\n2:1-2\n
D. Objection: “It is not fair!” – Ezekiel 33:17<\/p>\n 1. People hang on to their past. They don’t want their righteousness\nforgotten.\n
E. Response: Each person is being treat equitably Ezekiel 18-20<\/p>\n
1. The past doesn’t matter<\/p>\n
2. What a person is is what matters<\/p>\n
3. Each person is being judged by his own actions.<\/p>\n
V. Word is delivered of Jerusalem’s fall – Ezekiel 33:21-22<\/p>\n
A. The message arrived on year 12, month 10, day 5 (June 14, 586 BC)<\/p>\n 1. The fall actually took place on year 11, month 4, day 9 (January 4, 587\nBC) – II Kings 25:1-9\n a. Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem on year 11, month 5, day 7\n(January 31, 587 BC)\n
2. It took almost 18 months for word to reach Babylon.<\/p>\n
B. Recall what God told Ezekiel – Ezekiel 24:25-27<\/p>\n 1. Ezekiel knew it had happened because of the prophecy, but now his word\nwas confirmed by an eyewitness.\n 2. Ezekiel the man was coming in advance because his mouth was opened the\nevening before the man came. Some believe the first part of Ezekiel 33 was\nrecorded that evening before the man came.\n
VI. The remnant are still believing they will escape – Ezekiel 33:23-29<\/p>\n A. Israel was consoling itself saying that if God gave Canaan to Abraham and he was\nonly one man, there still were many descendants in the land so they will be able to\npossess it.\n
1. Did Abraham gain the land by strength or by faith?<\/p>\n
2. So will numbers make a difference?<\/p>\n
3. Did Abraham actually possess Canaan? – Acts 7:5<\/p>\n 4. They vainly thought that being Abraham’s descendants gave them a right to\nthe land\n B. God asks why Israel should have rights to the land when they have sinned – Psalm\n50:16-20\n
1. Eating blood – Leviticus 17:10<\/p>\n
2. Idolatry<\/p>\n
3. Murder<\/p>\n
4. Reliance on violence – Micah 2:1-2<\/p>\n
5. Committing abominations – Leviticus 18:26-30<\/p>\n
6. Adultery – Jeremiah 5:8-9<\/p>\n
C. Those remaining will also die<\/p>\n
1. Through warfare (violence), attacks by animals, disease<\/p>\n 2. There would be no hiding place: ruins, open field, remaining fortifications,\nor caves.\n
3. God promises to empty the land – Jeremiah 4:27; 12:11<\/p>\n
VII. The reality of Ezekiel’s position – Ezekiel 33:30-33<\/p>\n
A. People are coming to hear Ezekiel. They are inviting friends and neighbors.<\/p>\n
B. They sit quietly and listen to what he says<\/p>\n
C. But they do not act on his words, nor are they really listening<\/p>\n
1. Their thoughts are on making money – Matthew 15:8<\/p>\n
2. Isaiah 58:1-12<\/p>\n
D. Their interest in Ezekiel was his entertainment value<\/p>\n
1. They admired his delivery while not listening to what he said – Mark 4:16-17<\/p>\n E. But when all that Ezekiel said comes true, then they will know that Ezekiel wasn’t\nan entertainer, but a true prophet – Deuteronomy 18:21-22\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEzekiel\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Responsibilities of a Prophet Text: Ezekiel 33 I. The time of this prophecy is not given. A. The previous one was during the twelfth year, twelfth month, fifteenth day. B. The next one (verse 21) is the twelfth year, tenth month, fifth day C. Most guess this one is in the later part of the eleventh year,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":14352,"menu_order":22,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-64915","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21333,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-esther\/hamans-plot\/","url_meta":{"origin":64915,"position":0},"title":"Haman\u2019s Plot","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Haman\u2019s Plot Text: Esther 3 Understanding What You Read What order of the king did Mordecai refuse to obey? What reason did Mordecai give? How was Mordecai\u2019s refusal similar to Vashti\u2019s refusal? Why did Haman decide to destroy all the Jews? What did Haman do all year during Ahasuerus\u2019 twelfth\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":64910,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/judgment-on-egypt\/","url_meta":{"origin":64915,"position":1},"title":"Judgment on Egypt","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Judgment on Egypt Text: Ezekiel 29-32 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This section is composed of six prophecies given at various times. It is not in chronological order as far as when the prophecies were given. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ezekiel 29:1 the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0July 14, 588 BC \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ezekiel\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":64664,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/background-to-ezekiel\/","url_meta":{"origin":64915,"position":2},"title":"Background to Ezekiel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Background to Ezekiel I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0History \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0606 BC - First captivity, of which Daniel was a part \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0597 BC - Second captivity, of which Ezekiel was a part \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0586 BC - Destruction of Jerusalem \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The captivity lasted 70 years from 606 to 536 BC. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0E.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The book of Ezekiel covers a 22 year\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ProphetsDuringCaptivity.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ProphetsDuringCaptivity.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ProphetsDuringCaptivity.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ProphetsDuringCaptivity.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/ProphetsDuringCaptivity.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66380,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/preparations-for-the-passover\/","url_meta":{"origin":64915,"position":3},"title":"Preparations for the Passover","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Preparations for the Passover Reading Assignment: Matthew 26:1-5, 14-19 Mark 14:1-2, 10-16 Luke 21:37-22:13 Exodus 12:14-28 Zechariah 11:12 Did you understand what you read? How long is it until the Passover? What did Jesus say will happen soon? Meanwhile, what were the priests and elders planning? When did they not\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14352,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/","url_meta":{"origin":64915,"position":4},"title":"A Study of Ezekiel","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 27, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"A Study of Ezekiel by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The following are my class notes for teaching Ezekiel here in La Vista. They are presented here in hopes of helping you with your own study of Ezekiel. Contents Background to Ezekiel The Vision of Jehovah (Ezekiel 1) Ezekiel's Call to Preach\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/EzekielPreaching-239x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":64684,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-ezekiel\/judgment-on-jerusalem\/","url_meta":{"origin":64915,"position":5},"title":"Judgment on Jerusalem","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 15, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Judgment on Jerusalem Text: Ezekiel 4:1-5:17 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The siege of Jerusalem \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ezekiel was to get a brick (or clay tile) and etch a city on it. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One ancient source mentioned bricks being two feet long, one foot wide and four inches thick. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Around it he was to create a model\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/64915\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}