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Prophecy by parable. Ezekiel was commanded to speak a parable to those in captivity. However what he was to declare was already in the process of fulfillment. Ezekiel was in Babylon but spoke of the events which, at that moment, were taking place in the attack against Jerusalem. Eze. 24:1-2 The parable was to convey the punishment of a rebellious people who had grossly and consistently sinned against their God. The dealings of the Lord with them were based upon their resolute and continuous resistance against the will of the Lord. The parable depicted complete destruction of the city and its inhabitants. Eze. 24:3-5
We do ourselves a grievous injustice by picking and plucking positive scriptures pertaining to Jerusalem while ignoring the negative. The parable given to Ezekiel most definitely emphasizes the negative. It shows the true character of the city and their rejection of the message of the prophets and of the murder of some of them. The responsibility of the uncovered blood of these martyrs was referred to by the Lord Jesus in parabolic form. In the parable, Jesus also predicted His own death at the hands of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Mark 12:1-9 The blood of these innocents was not covered by dust but the blood was displayed upon a rock. Eze. 24:7 That rock is Christ Jesus. 1 Cor. 10:4 The precious blood of Christ has a twofold purpose. When we accept His atonement we are cleansed by His blood. To reject Him is to heap the blame and responsibility of His death upon ourselves. Acceptance or rejection determines our eternal status.
A great fire to be prepared for the destruction of the scum, that the filthiness of the city might be destroyed. Any real and permanent move of the Spirit must have, as a foundation, the destruction of all scum and filthiness. Nothing is to be withheld from the burning, purging power of the fire of the Spirit. Too much of what we see today is expressed in the words, ì I have purged thee, but thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged anymore, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.î Eze. 24:13 Cleansed but not cleansed. Given the opportunity for a transformation but afterward continuing in the same worldly pattern. Prior to the last day revival, expect the fire of the Lord to burn furiously among the true members of the body of Christ. John the Baptist predicted that the Lord Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and FIRE. Luke 3:16 The cleansing, purging effect of that baptism being the most necessary element of the blessed experience. A spiritual movement that has a foundation of having had its start with repentance and purification by the fire of the Spirit will produce a holy and righteous last day church.