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Ezekiel, having attracted the full attention of the people by his strange actions was to proclaim to them the burden, the prophetic future, the hard and most difficult times which would come upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, whom the Lord called a house of rebellion. In particular he was a sign to their prince or ruler. Eze. 12:12-13 The ruler at that time was Zedekiah, (righteousness of Jehovah), who had been appointed ruler over Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Kings 24:17-20 The name given him at his birth was Mattaniah (gift of Jehovah). Good and wholesome names did not change the heart and character of the individual for he was prone to follow the evil examples of his predecessors. So obnoxious were their actions before Him that the Lord was about to completely empty the land and destroy the city. Foolishly, Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and the sign/prophecy of Ezekiel was fulfilled. He attempted to escape through a hole dug in the wall but was captured, and his eyes were put out. That is, His eyes were covered, thus he did not see Babylon though he would be held captive there until he died. 2 Kings 25:3-7
The punishment of the Lord is with the sword, the pestilence and the famine. During the siege of Jerusalem by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, the famine raged in Jerusalem. They carefully measure and ate the food available. Ezekiel said that they would eat with anxiety and a troubled heart. Likewise, water would be a scarce commodity which they would drink with fear and in shock, not knowing how long it would be available. Eze. 12:18-19 Another element relating to the cause of their coming plight was the fact of the violence, the extremity of every manner of wickedness and abuse imaginable that prevailed in the land.
It is impossible to read all that was prophesied pertaining to just the one country and its cities, in particular Jerusalem, without drawing a parallel with the prophecies which speak of our day and time. We are consistently being warned by scientist that there will be a shortage of water which is already a fact of life in some areas of the world. Under an opened third seal a black horse was loosed. Black is the color of famine, for obvious reasons. Its rider had a pair of balances in his hands which can only mean one thing and that is a rationing of food caused by both, scarcity and price. With the constantly shocking rise of food we see the scriptures being fulfilled. A measure of wheat for a penny, three measures of barley for a penny. The penny is significant for it was the days wage of a laborer. Rev. 6:5-6 Today the price per pound is what we used to pay for a crate of fruit or vegetables. We are living in Bible prophecy days.