(4) EZEKIEL 10:10; EZEKIEL 10:14-22
(4) EZEKIEL 10:10; EZEKIEL 10:14-22
There seems to be remarkable order in the instruction of the book. Chapter 4 gives us the death of the Lord Jesus typically; chapter 8 suggests the resurrection: the prophet is taken by a lock of his hair and carried up between the earth and the heavens and brought to Jerusalem. Chapter 10 emphasises the heavenly testimony, the frequent occurrences of the word ‘cherubim’ suggesting what is of heaven. We thus have the truth before us in three important aspects; we have seen the effect of it, and how it has been linked up with the remnant. In chapter 5 the prophet has to have his hair and beard shaved; the hair was divided into three parts, and of these “a few in number” were specially cared for. In chapter [p. 389] 6 we have the remnant formally recognised, and then in chapter 9 the remnant embraces everyone who sighs and cries on account of the abominations that exist. They would be taken account of in that connection and spared the judgment, as the Lord says to Philadelphia, “I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial”, Revelation 3: 10. They are carefully marked so that the six men with the slaughter weapons pass them by. God specially interested Himself in them, and we may be assured that God is interested now in everyone who sighs and cries, and that they are marked. It is a divine mark on them, and they would be distinguished by the intelligence of life. All this is leading up to the final retribution that is coming on christendom. Peter deals with the government of God, corresponding in that way with this book, and he tells us that the judgment begins “from the house of God”, with those who are really believers. That is the significance of the men standing by the brazen altar; all takes place from the standpoint of the house.
The ‘sighing’ and the ‘crying’ involve your having been with God in regard of the abominations. If you move about in the world you are impressed with the awfulness of things that exist at the present time even amongst those who professedly own the Lord’s name. You feel the things you encounter and suffer in your spirit; it is in that way we suffer with Him at the present time. Those “that sigh and that cry” are such as have accepted the captivity. The book of Ezekiel is divided by the dates given and they refer to the captivity. You will observe that in chapter 11 there are certain ones who say the land is theirs (verse 15). There are today those who profess to occupy ground divinely given, claiming apostolic succession; they disregard therefore the captivity. Chapter 11, however, shows that God takes account of those who regard the captivity; they are the [p. 390] ones to whom He becomes a little sanctuary. It is important to note that the dates refer to the captivity, for no one comes into the light of God save as acknowledging this. Then verse 15 answers today to those who claim to be the assembly of God. There are two great branches in the professing system, perhaps three. The position Rome claims to have is the direct line, then the Anglican, and possibly the Greek church. These are saying ‘the land is ours’, and they have not the slightest idea of the church being in captivity. This book would place such under the eye of God for judgment. Those who accept the captivity come in for divine recognition and care. They have lost the temple and all its glory, but He becomes to them a sanctuary Himself. That is what we are coming to; without pretending to be anything we come in for the divine recognition of the remnant, and thus He becomes a sanctuary to us. Christendom denies the heavenly character of the assembly and it becomes an organisation for the world. The ministry of Ezekiel is to bring in the heavenly. It says in chapter 11: 24, 25, “The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity; and the vision that I had seen went up from me. And I spoke unto them of the captivity all the things that Jehovah had shewn me”. Those of the captivity come in for all the light that Ezekiel had, and that light came out of heaven. That indicates how matters are today; those who accept the captivity and bow to the hand of God in it have come in for recognition in chapter 6, and then in chapter 11 they find the sanctuary, and Ezekiel, representing the ministry of Christ, is amongst them. As accepting the judgment of God and humbling themselves, how they would enjoy the words of Ezekiel; what happy times they would have notwithstanding their external captivity! They had access to God. He [p. 391] Himself would be amongst them through Ezekiel. “I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you” (verse 19). God would work with them notwithstanding all their captivity. Those who accept the captivity now come in for all the light of heaven.
John’s gospel comes in on the lines that we are on. You have first in that gospel what Christ is God-ward, “The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father”. That corresponds with the vision the prophet saw at the river Chebar; the measurements from the loins and upward. In Ezekiel 8 the measurement begins from the loins and downward; that, I think, would be John 3, the Son of man lifted up. He takes our place as lifted up on the cross; and then opens up the way. The great subject of life is opened up, involving the death and resurrection of Christ. “God so loved the world”; that comes out in the measurement downward. The love of God works, and then in John 6 the great question of food comes in and brings in the heavenly position. In chapter 7 the Holy Spirit is here, not as in chapter 4 as a gift, but as come down from Jesus glorified. “This he said concerning the Spirit ... for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified”. It is through Christ glorified we have the Holy Spirit here, and that brings us to the tenth chapter of Ezekiel; it is the heavenly side.
The ox is left out in the description of the cherubim in chapter 10, and there is a variation from chapter 1. “The first face was the face of a cherub” (verse 14); that dominates the position. The ox is left out and the order is different. It is a question of what is heavenly. The ox has the earth specially in view. The first chapter emphasises the ox; the feet are specially referred to. In John 3: 12, 13 the Lord says, “If I have said the earthly things to you, and ye believe not, how, if I say the heavenly things to [p. 392] you, will ye believe? And no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven”. The Son of man being in heaven knows. So we have the heavenly order of things in Ezekiel 10, which refers to Jesus in heaven and the Holy Spirit here maintaining the heavenly testimony.
Ezekiel 8 would correspond with the great subject of life in John. The prophet is taken up by a lock of his head; there was a new growth of hair, and the hand takes hold of that and lifts him up between the earth and the heavens. All that refers to the energy of life, “Even as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son also to have life in himself”, John 5: 26. There was power in the hand that took the lock, but there must have been power in the hair. There was the power of God in raising Christ, but there was life inherent in Christ, as there was, in type, in the sheaf of Joseph that stood up. That would cover John 3 to 6, and in chapter 7 we have the heavenly position; the Spirit here answering to Jesus glorified.
There are four things marking the living creatures in chapter 1, intelligence, strength, firmness and rapidity; all these things enter into the government of God. These creatures are known on earth, but the cherubim, who knows about them? They represent what is heavenly, no doubt governmentally, for they are seen in the tabernacle; indeed, the first mention of the cherubim is in connection with government (Genesis 3: 24). But what is to be noted is that they are unknown on the earth; we have no reference to them in Genesis 1, which brings before us what we are conversant with on earth; the cherubim refer to what is heavenly. The book of Job gives us light regarding them; they are in sympathy with God. One has to be prepared for every step in an exercise; and as we enter into what is meant by the [p. 393] prophet lying on his side, and the terrible conditions relative to soul exercise that this prophecy suggests to us, we would be fitted for a more elevated position, and as understanding the resurrection we would be rendered able to discern that which is abominable to God. Those in the official position say the land is theirs; they have on the hair. They have revived the whole system, as in the Catholic ceremonialism, and they pride themselves on the possession of it, whereas Ezekiel 5 shows that every trace of it has to be cut to the roots. Then the new growth in chapter 8 would be life in resurrection taking us outside of all that. It would prepare us for the cherubim, concerning which they know nothing.
Another interesting point in this section is the care and minuteness with which God Himself looks into everything. Ezekiel himself felt the extraordinary rigidness of the judgment; he says in chapter 9, “And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! wilt thou destroy all the remnant of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem? And he said 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, Jehovah hath forsaken the earth, and Jehovah seeth not. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense their way upon their head”. That is, God graciously explains to the prophet who felt the judgment was too severe, that it was imperative. We must deal with these things. Then it says in chapter 10, “And I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over the head of the cherubim there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne”. The throne is not occupied; God is Himself in the very midst of what is going on and so He says to the man, “Come in between the wheels” (not “Go in” as in the ordinary version); God is not said to be sitting on the throne; He says, as it were, ‘I am down upon the earth’. It is to assure any heart that may be timid in regard of any rigid refusal of evil, that it is imperative. It is very much like the Lord walking among the golden candlesticks; nothing escapes His eye. In verse 18 we read, “And the glory of Jehovah departed from over the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim”. It seems as if He would impress Ezekiel that what He was doing was imperative, a thing required, or He would not have done it. He vindicates the glory departing. It indicates, moreover, that we have not the Lord’s presence in the public church itself; He has left it. In chapter 11: 22, 23, the glory has left the house definitely: “And the glory of Jehovah went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city”. It is from thence that Jesus went up to heaven and the glory is now in heaven.
Many have accepted the captivity and yet are not prepared to deal with the evil. There are few of us who are, but God takes pains to impress upon us that the judgment is necessary. He would not call for it were it not. The tendency with us is to spare ourselves, and there is great allowance made for the flesh. The judgment by these six men with the slaughter weapons was very drastic; no one escaped, neither little children or women. There was no natural pity; it is natural sentiment that works damage. Even Ezekiel himself hesitates, but Jehovah explains that it is imperative.
Chapter 11 becomes intensely interesting to those who love the Lord, because He becomes a sanctuary. He says in verse 16, “Although I have removed them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to [p. 395] them as a little sanctuary in the countries whither they are come”. Now it is very touching that He Himself would become that, in humble circumstances, far from Jerusalem, scattered among the countries. You can have all that God is, only in humble circumstances. Thus today, where you have the acknowledgment of the captivity and sympathy with the mind of God, He comes in, not only as honouring us, but to be a sanctuary.
In John 14 we read, “He that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him”. The manifestation is not exactly the sanctuary. It is that the Lord reveals Himself to us in a certain position and that becomes light. Then Judas (not the Iscariote) says, “How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us and not to the world?”. Jesus says, “If any one love me, he will keep my word”. There you come to a further thought, the word. The word of God means the opening up of God’s mind, and if we keep that there is room for God to dwell. Hence He says, “We will come to him and make our abode with him”. It may be in outwardly humble circumstances but nevertheless it is there. The thought of keeping His word comes in answer to the question relative to not manifesting Himself to the world, and it involves that one as keeping His word is governed by the light of another world. Fellowship and all that we enjoy are connected with another scene and while outwardly we might be in adverse conditions here, the Lord would help us in our spirits so that we might enter into it. In our circumstances today we are looking on to the future, for our goal is the heavenly city.