Saturday, August 29, 2015

Another Hole in the Wall
Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org
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Chapter eight of the book of Ezekiel is a very revealing portion of the Bible when it comes to exposing the sins of spiritual leaders of Ezekiel’s day. The leaders were going about their ministries as usual believing their sins were hidden from the very sheep they were supposed to be leading and protecting. However, God sees all sin and showed the prophet Ezekiel through a vision their hidden sins. As we shall see, the unveiling of those sins, as recorded in the Word of God, were very revealing.  God  sees the true heart of man.
Further, this hole in the wall revelation is useful for understanding what is presently happening in the church. Considering the Bible teaches that history repeats itself, the Ezekiel revelation is very important in understanding how religious leaders covertly cover up sin. If the religious leaders of Israel covered their sins in the past and thought no one could see, what about the spiritual leaders now? Is it possible we will be able to uncover some parallels? The purpose of this commentary will be to show there is nothing new under the sun. Whatever has happened before, has, and will happen again.
With regard to the present, many facts prove the same sins of the past are being committed today. This shows that many so-called men of God, while respected by men, may have no fear of God. However, this does not fool God who sees all things. As in the past, God will expose the sins of the religious leaders in a public way today as He did in the past. If God revealed to Ezekiel what the religious leaders were doing then, it should be no great surprise that He would do the same for our generation.
Idol of Jealousy
The first clue to the sin scenario is the idol of jealousy that God revealed to Ezekiel in his vision. The idol of jealousy was located near the door of the inner gate that opened towards the north. This idol of jealousy is far more significant than you can imagine. While few spiritual leaders today would admit it, jealousy controls many of their ministries. They are driven by a desire to be someone great and respected. If someone crosses their path, they often see it as a threat to the building of their own kingdom. Those who may appear as a threat of being in competition with them have to be eliminated in some way. Leadership driven by jealousy is nt ministry at all; rather it is carnal and of the flesh, not of the Spirit. Often this type of leader has a way of demanding obedience, and as a result, cult mentality develops as a “follow me” leadership style of ministry is promoted. A ministry driven by jealousy and selfish ambition is accompanied by every evil thing according to James 3:14-15. This, of course, is not what God desires. Satan has cleverly deceived men into following after men, their methods and their movements.  This follow-the-leader mentality has led many sheep astray.
In my personal experience over the past three decades, I have observed first-hand how the body of Christ can be misled. When a spiritual leader demands attention and respect for the organization he has birthed, it is possible for him to be looked up to as a god that should never be questioned. This is dangerous as he can become a wolf while the sheep think that he is a great shepherd. What is even worse and more devious is that a man who loves power and possession appear to be loving and full of joy when he is expressing himself to an audience, but in private, this person can be obsessed with demanding respect with the desire to be idolized. Thus the idol of jealousy that Ezekiel saw is the key that opens the hole in the wall that we are now going to look through.
Abominations
While the idol of jealousy was bad enough, God wanted Ezekiel to observe even more. The spiritual leaders of Israel considered themselves righteous before the people, but behind closed doors their sins were horrible. These abominations were uncovered by the vision that God gave Ezekiel. Here is how this scenario is recorded in the Word of God:
And he brought me to the door of the court; Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.  So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.[1]
Imagine the shock that Ezekiel experienced. Those righteous pious religious leaders who demanded respect from those who followed them were absolutely corrupt. Idolatry, one of the very things God had commanded man not do as recorded in the Law of God, was being embraced. They were worshipping “creeping things” and “abominable beasts” just like the pagans who were rooted in the worship of the creation at the Tower of Babel.  The Bible makes it clear that idolatry will not go unpunished. These religious leaders were purposely rebelling against God and they knew it. For some reason, they had been deluded into believing that they could get away with it as they hid in the dark.
The hole in the wall through which Ezekiel saw must have given him great insight that was a shock to his soul. What do you suppose Ezekiel was thinking? Was he supposed to ignore what he saw and walk away and do nothing? It did not take Ezekiel long to determine the answer. God had already spoken to him about what he was to do as recorded in the book of Ezekiel chapter three. God said:
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.[2]
It Gets Even Worse
While the Bible does not classify sin as if one sin is worse than another, it seems that God wanted Ezekiel to know that the secret sin he was about to show him, if there were a scale of one to ten, was at least a nine. These religious leaders who were supposed to be leading people to the true God had been sidetracked into worshipping the Queen of Heaven, a goddess that Jeremiah warned about in Jeremiah chapters seven and forty-four.
Jeremiah had pleaded with his people warning that God was going to judge them because of their sin. [3] They refused to listen and faced the judgment as the Assyrians captured them and took them to Babylon. This Queen of Heaven, as we will see, shows up later in history as the “Mary” of the Roman Catholic faith.
Ezekiel, in his vision, was also aware of the seriousness of worshiping the Queen of Heaven behind closed doors. This is what the Bible states:
Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. [4]
This weeping for Tammuz was a practice associated with the worship of the Queen of Heaven as described in the book of Jeremiah. This was an abomination to God and forbidden for the Children of Israel. So why were the spiritual leaders caught up in the abomination? Once again, Ezekiel must have been terribly grieved. Even though God had warned them, they refused to listen.
Even Greater Abominations Yet
Just when you think it could not possibly get any worse, God revealed to Ezekiel the key to understanding apostasy, especially in the Last Days. Apostasy is outright rebellion to God and His Word and shows that man is following Satan rather than the Creator. God revealed to Ezekiel that the religious leaders were totally apostate and that it was his job as a watchman to warn the sheep. The Scriptures outline exactly what God had shown Ezekiel. We read:
Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, [yet] will I not hear them. [5]
Imagine how Ezekiel must have felt. God had made it clear that the worship of the sun and the moon was practiced in the dark by these supposed holy men of Israel. Rather than worshipping the true God who had created all things they were worshipping the creation just like what had been done at Babylon.
An Update for Today
All Scripture is inspired by God. It is profitable for teaching, correction, and reproof. [6] If history has a pattern of repeating, then we should pay attention to what God has revealed to us about the past and how the behavior of the spiritual leaders in Ezekiel’s day give us some clues about the behavior of  spiritual leaders today. Isn’t it reasonable to suggest that biblical characters of the past recorded in the Bible would have counterparts today?
And what about the sins that Ezekiel saw through the hole in the wall? Should we just ignore what God revealed and say times have changed and men of God have come a long way? Not that we should paint all spiritual leaders with one broad brush – this would not be right, of course. However, because the Scriptures clearly warn about the Last Days being days of apostasy, perhaps it is time to wake up!
One thing we know for sure, following men, their methods, and their movements can definitely be dangerous. Idolatry is putting anyone or anything between man and God. Without mentioning names or circumstances, I can think of hundreds of examples.                          The Bible foretells what will happen in the Last Days when the harlot or the counterfeit church sets up the One-World Religion that prepares the way for the antichrist. In order for this to happen it is clear what takes place. From our research, we see the Queen of Heaven (Mary, the Roman Catholic mother of Jesus) will help unite the world religions with Rome. (Please read the book Queen of All: How Marian Apparitions Plan to United the World Religions by, Tetlow, Oakland and Meyers.) When Satan gets this false religious system in place, a man (and his system) will arise who claims to be king of the world. This will be the antichrist who is set up by the New World Order.
The Queen has men who support her plan. These men are the Jesuits. The king has men who support him. These are the men who belong to the secret societies like the Knights of Malta, the Masons, and The Illuminati.
 Are Your Eyes Open or Closed?
Are you ready for reality? Ask yourself this question: Are there churches and denominations that once stood for truth now seduced by the lie? Is it possible we are living in the last days and the harlot is being prepared? If this is the case, will the real bride please stand up?
Ecumenism with Rome is revealed in the Bible. The One-World Religion for PEACE comes from Satan. You should be aware of the secret plans implemented by the Jesuits and other secret societies that have been spawned by Satan. Their members have crept in just like in in Jude’s day  [7]
When the truth is presented about how our spiritual leaders are being duped by Satan’s plan, those who are doing the warning are often treated like Ezekiel and Jeremiah. They are considered to be crazy or on the lunatic fringe.
What Will You Do?
Are you willing to test all things, especially the spiritual leaders whom you have considered great men of God? Have you begun to notice a difference in what they stand for now? Is your pastor departing from the Scriptures to become part of a political Dominionist plan? Is he working together with leaders of Rome and other false religions? Or does he say nothing at all about these things and tell his congregation, “All is well.”
Jesus is coming soon! Why not be about your Father’s business and reach out to those who are lost with the gospel according to the Scriptures? Take the time and look through the hole in the wall just like Ezekiel did. It will be very revealing.
1   Ezekiel 8: 7-10
2   Ezekiel 3: 17-19
3   Jeremiah 11: 9-11
4   Ezekiel 8: 12-14
5   Ezekiel 8: 15-18
6   2 Timothy 3:16
7   Jude 3-4
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