I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ezekiel 9-12.

Continuing his vision of idolatry in Jerusalem, Ezekiel describes God sending men through Jerusalem to kill the idolaters living there.  However, before they went out into the city, God sent a man to mark those who were horrified by the sins and idolatry going on there.  As an aside I want to note that throughout Ezekiel he uses “idolatry” and “detestable sins” somewhat interchangeably.  This indicates to me that justifying sins is idolatry.  Back to the main thread.  Ezekiel’s vision of God sending men through Jerusalem to kill the idolaters living there.  In Ezekiel’s understanding this was the majority of the population to the point where he feared God would wipe out everyone left in Israel.  There is an interesting subtext here.  No, God was not going to kill everyone left in Israel, but only because there were a few faithful left.  “Everybody else is doing it” is no defense against God’s judgement for sin.  If everyone turns from God to sin, He will indeed kill all of us.

Prophets had been telling the people of Israel for a long time that if they did not turn from their sins, God would bring devastation on the land.  As a result, people had begun to think that these prophecies were for the distant future.  Through Ezekiel, God told the people that time was up.  The distant future had arrived.  As I read this I wondered if God is sending the same message to us today.  When I was growing up, most Christians believed that Christ’s return was just around the corner, that time was running short for people to turn to God and be saved.  I no longer get that sense.  Today, it feels like most Christians believe that God’s final judgement will be some time in the distant future.  I fear that means that it will be any day now.  We need to have a sense of urgency in order to transform society the way in which God intends.