Based on Ezekiel 22:1-16 (New King James Version)
“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult. ‘Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you. In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow. You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths. In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity. One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,’ says the Lord God. ‘Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”
What needs to be shared today is not easy, and it is mostly for those who profess to be believers. I must begin with the events we are experiencing at this time around the world. Can we say that the world and its state is the same as always? And if we are sincere and logical, we would realize that not everything is the same, but that we progressively follow a course where things become more and more difficult and harsh. Families are increasingly destroyed. There is disease like never before and starting at very young ages. Food is not what it used to be. You buy something to eat, and it goes bad quickly. The cost of living is rising more and more, and money seems to be slipping through our fingers. And there are wars and rumors of wars, wars between nations, and wars between groups of people without uniforms and without flags, but guided by greed and evil, and thousands upon thousands of people die in a short time. And what can we say about hunger that already covers a large percentage of our planet? Having said all this: Can we believe that these are coincidences, or the normal course of things, or as many think, a product of the evolution of man? Or is there something else going on?
If we believe in God and His Word, we would clearly understand that nothing that happens is just because and nothing more. There is only one reason why all this is happening, sin. And even more clearly, because of the sin of the supposed believers in God. It is believed that a third of all the inhabitants of the planet believe in God and belong to some group of the Christian faith. I do not mean by this that if we follow the Lord properly, that the world would be a beautiful place full of prosperity and blessing because this world is corrupted by sin. But, it wouldn't be as bad as this if His so-called people followed the Lord more appropriately. Let us remember for a moment when Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah, and that if there had been at least 10 righteous people, God would not have destroyed those places. But, we know that there were less than 10 because God destroyed them completely, because of their sin. The only righteous one was actually Lot because even his wife turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back wanting to return, and his daughters took advantage of their father when they were alone with him to bear children. We can follow this same concept, that when there is an overabundance of destruction in the world, it is because there is a great overabundance of sin against God, and sin on purpose, not by accident or ignorance.
Some would say: “We are in the time of grace, and God forgives the sins of His people.” But through the Scriptures, we understand that what happened before with Israel, and how God punished them, also applies to us today, because it happened as an example, as it is written: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-11. And the Scriptures also say this: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31. So then, do not let yourselves be deceived neither by false prophets or teachers, nor by your own evil desires, all the bad that is upon us globally is because of our sin, and we must do something about it.
What should we do? Repent, but not based on what we believe, but rather, on how God commands. And this must always be our foundation: “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40. So then, do you love God with everything you are, above all things? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Does your lifestyle, your actions show this love? Overcome sin in you through the Lord, for your own good, before it is too late. Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!