Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Thursday, January 8, 2015

8 Jan 585 B.C. A man to Ezekiel, “The city [Jerusalem] is fallen!”


8 Jan 585 B.C.  A man to Ezekiel, “The city [Jerusalem] is fallen!”
Twice, King Nebuchadnezzar had deported Jews to Babylon.  Ezekiel was a priest.  He had been deported in the second deportation in 597.  In Babylon, Ezekiel said that Jerusalem would be destroyed.
Ezekiel tells it this way:

Ezekiel 24:1-14

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

(Intro notes) 24 He showeth the destruction of Jerusalem by a parable of a seething pot. 16 The parable of Ezekiel’s wife being dead.)
Again in the [a]ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the [b]month, came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,
Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: for the King of Babel set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
Therefore speak a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Prepare a [c]pot, prepare it, and also pour water into it.
Gather the [d]pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, as the thigh and the shoulder, and fill it with the chief bones.
Take one of the best sheep, and [e]burn also the [f]bones under it, and make it boil well, and seethe the bones of it therein,
Because the Lord God saith thus, Woe to the bloody city, even to the pot, [g]whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it: bring it out [h]piece by piece: let no [i]lot fall upon it.
For her blood is in the midst of her: she set it upon an high [j]rock, and poured it not upon the ground to cover it with dust,
That it might cause wrath to arise, and take vengeance: even I have set her blood upon an high rock that it should not be covered.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Woe to the bloody city, for I will make [k]the burning great.
10 Heap on much wood: [l]kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and cast in spice, and let the bones be burnt.
11 Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that [m]the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, and that the scum of it may be consumed.
12 [n]She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not out of her: therefore her scum shall be consumed with fire.
13 Thou remainest in thy filthiness and wickedness: because I would [o]have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness, till I have caused my wrath to light upon thee.
14 I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it: I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent: according to thy ways, and according to thy works shall [p]they judge thee, saith the Lord God.

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 24:1 Of Jeconiah’s captivity, and of the reign of Zedekiah, 2 Kings 25:1.
  2. Ezekiel 24:1 Called Tebeth, which containeth part of December and part of January: in the which month and day Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.
  3. Ezekiel 24:3 Whereby was meant Jerusalem.
  4. Ezekiel 24:4 That is the citizens, and the chief men thereof.
  5. Ezekiel 24:5 Or, heap.
  6. Ezekiel 24:5 Meaning, of the innocents, whom they had slain, who were the cause of the kindling of God’s wrath against them.
  7. Ezekiel 24:6 Whose iniquities and wicked citizens there yet remain.
  8. Ezekiel 24:6 Signifying that they should not be destroyed all at once, but by little and little.
  9. Ezekiel 24:6 Spare none estate or condition.
  10. Ezekiel 24:7 The city showed her cruelty to all the world, and was not ashamed thereof, neither yet hid it.
  11. Ezekiel 24:9 Or, an heap of wood.
  12. Ezekiel 24:10 Meaning, that the city should be utterly destroyed, and that he would give the enemies an appetite thereunto.
  13. Ezekiel 24:11 Or, bottom.
  14. Ezekiel 24:12 The city hath flattered herself in vain.
  15. Ezekiel 24:13 I labored by sending my Prophets to call thee to repentance, but thou wouldest not.
  16. Ezekiel 24:14 That is, the Babylonians.
    On 8 Jan 585 B.C., a man escaped from Jerusalem to give Ezekiel the news of the fall of Jerusalem.

A 2-part message unfolds with Ez. 33.25-29 and 33.30-33 which we report below in sequence.

Ezekiel 33:25-29

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
25 Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Ye eat with the [a]blood, and lifted up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: should ye then possess the land?
26 Ye lean upon your [b]swords, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbor’s wife: should ye then possess the land?
27 Say thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, As I live, so surely they that are in the desolate places, shall fall by the sword: and him that is in the open field, will I give unto the beasts to be devoured: and they that be in the forts and in the caves, shall die of the pestilence.
28 For I will lay the land desolate and waste, and the pomp of her strength shall cease: and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, and none shall pass through.
29 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land desolate and waste, because of all their abominations, that they have committed.

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 33:25 Contrary to the Law, Lev. 17:14.
  2. Ezekiel 33:26 As they that are ready still to shed blood.

Ezekiel 33:30-33

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
30 Also thou son of man, the children of thy people that [a]talk of thee by the walls and in the doors of houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh from the Lord.
31 For they come unto thee, as the people useth to come: and my people sit before thee, and hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouths they make [b]jests, and their heart goeth after their covetousness.
32 And lo, thou art unto them, as a [c]jesting song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can sing well: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
33 And when this cometh to pass (for lo, it will come) then shall they know, that a Prophet hath been among them.

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 33:30 In derision.
  2. Ezekiel 33:31 This declareth that we ought to hear God’s word with such zeal and affection, that we should in all points obey it, else we abuse the word to our own condemnation, and make of his ministers, as though they were jests to serve men’s foolish fantasies.
  3. Ezekiel 33:32 Or, pleasant, and love song.
    When called to the office and ministry of the Word of God, Ezekiel was told that he would be speaking to rebellious, hard-hearted, stubborn, liberal, soothsaying, necromancing, superstitious and unbelieving people.

Ezekiel 2:3-5

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
And he said unto me, Son of Man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: for they and their fathers have rebelled against me, even unto this very day.
For they are [a]impudent children, and stiff-hearted: I do send thee unto them, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.
But surely they will not hear, neither indeed will they cease: for they are a rebellious house: yet shall they know that [b]there hath been a Prophet among them.

Footnotes:

  1. Ezekiel 2:4 Hebrew, hard of face.
  2. Ezekiel 2:5 This declareth on the one part God’s great affection toward his people, that notwithstanding their rebellion, yet he will send his Prophets among them, and admonisheth his ministers on the other part that they cease not to do their duty, though the people be never so obstinate: for the word of God shall be either to their salvation or greater condemnation.
    Questions:
  1. If a young ordinand, would you continue with your studies if you have the forewarning and prediction of rebuttal and hardship?
  2. How should this be preached in 2015?
  3. What can one say to secularists, liberals, necromancing Tractoes and Romanists as well as TBNers?

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