Scripture

Then he said to me,”The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very, very great. The entire land is full of murder. The city is filled with injustice. They are saying ‘The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!’”

Observation

The Lord thunders for the men appointed to punish the city. Six men appear in the temple courtyard, each carrying a deadly weapon. A seventh carrying a writer’s case appears also.

The glory of the Lord rises up. The Lord commands the man with the writer’s case to mark the foreheads of everyone who is mourning the sin of the city, The Lord tells the other men to kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. They are to start at the Temple, defiling it with the corpses of those who are not marked.

The Lord declares that the sins of Israel and Judah are very, very great, and that they will not be spared.

Application

The declaration about the sins of Israel and Judah could equally be made against Australia and many other countries in the world.

There is a quality of sin that was much less common a generation ago. It seems to me that the quantity of outrageous crimes is increasing. Terrorism, home invasions, road rage, machete attacks, these are alarming.

But there is a casual kind of sin that is concerning also. Selfishness, lack of regard for others, drug use, greed, and many others. These things seem less serious, but underline the sinfulness of all people.

While they don’t say it explicitly, people believe that God cannot see, that He has abandoned the land.

Ezekiel tells us that the Lord does see and He has an agenda to bring to justice all who fall short of His glory.

Listen

Lord, as I read this chapter, I see that it is not just about Israel and Judah. It is about Australia also,

Keith, when people turn their backs on me, it is to justify sin. When Christian civilisations abandon me, they fall apart quickly,

The elite leaders call Australia a post-Christian society. They are saying “The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!”

I do see it, but I have not abandoned the land. Australia is still the great Southland of the Holy Spirit. I will call this people back to me. Revival is coming. The awakening will sweep over this land, and many will turn to me. My heart is for this country, and I will not abandon it to its fate.