PJP2 PROLOG 151116 PROLOG Focus Ezekiel 12:15-16....

Psalm 91:1-2 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)....{My Refuge and My Fortress}...."He who Dwells in The Shelter of The Most High Will Abide in The Shadow of The Almighty.  I will say to The Lord, 'My Refuge and my Fortress, my God, In Whom I Trust.'”....

PJP2 PROLOG POST 151116 Ezekiel 12:15-16 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."And they shall Know That I Am The Lord, When I Disperse them among the nations and Scatter them among the countries. BUT I Will Let a few of them Escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, That they May Declare all their abominations among the nations where they go, and May Know That I Am The Lord.”

I have to admit I have not spent a lot of time studying the Bible's prophets.  Granted these past few years, as Cindy and I have used our "Read Through The Bible In A Year" plan, I have read through the prophets writings.  To say I know them, or even understand them would be a stretch.  I will say I am more familiar with The Holy Spirit's Inspired Word to them than I had been before.  For example, until this year, I had not picked up on that Ezekiel, one of the YAHWEH Priests that was taken into exile with the 10,000 other Jewish captives post Babylon's capture and destruction of Jerusalem, was thought to be around 25 years old.  When Ezekiel hit 30 years of age, this is when it is believed that God The Father, via His Holy Spirit, began Sharing and Inspiring Ezekiel with God's Phenomenal Visions, but extremely Timely Word.  Ezekiel's overall Mission via God's Prophecy through him: (1) Immediate Repentance by the people; (2) Confidence to the exiles that God had NOT forgotten them and there's HOPE via YAHWEH's Plan for Reconciliation.

Now, one may think, as we noted in Jeremiah, again we find a similar thread in Ezekiel, that God The Father is somewhat of a harsh task-master.  I would counter that, though, with what The Holy Spirit Inspired Jeremiah to write in Jeremiah 4:18 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)...."Your ways and your deeds
have Brought This (God's Judgment) upon you.  This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart.”....

So, one may be wondering how there is a Positive Word of Encouragment from this dread scenario....I would offer Two such Encouragements.  First at least 49 times in Ezekiel the phrase, or similar wording is found, "Then they will Know that I Am The Lord."  This is indeed a Word of Encouragement, at least to me, becuase I Hear The Lord Saying He is NOT giving up on us.  He is Consistently and Constantly Reaching out to us.  The Second - let me step out of the way and let The Spirit Speak via His Inspired Word to the writer of Hebrews as recorded in Chapter 2....

Hebrews 2:1-18 (ESV)/(emphasis added/jaj)....{Warning Against Neglecting Salvation}....
"Therefore we must pay much Closer Attention to What we have Heard, Lest we drift away from It.  For Since The Message Declared by angels Proved to Be Reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a Just Retribution, How Shall we Escape If we neglect Such A Great Salvation?  It Was Declared at First By The Lord, and It Was Attested to us By those who Heard, while God Also Bore Witness by Signs and Wonders and Various Miracles and By Gifts of The Holy Spirit Distributed According to His Will....{The Founder of Salvation}....For it was NOT to angels that God Subjected the world to Come, of Which we are speaking.  It has Been Testified somewhere, 'What is man, that You Are Mindful of him, or the son of man, That You Care for him?  You Made Him  for a little while lower than the angels; You Have Crowned Him (our Lord Jesus) with Glory and Honor, putting everything in Subjection under His feet.”  Now in putting everything in Subjection to Him, He Left Nothing outside His Control. At present, we do not yet See Everything in Subjection to Him.  BUT we see Him Who for a little while was made lower than the angels, Namely Jesus, Crowned With Glory and Honor Because of The Suffering of death, So That By The Grace of God He Might taste death for everyone.  For it was Fitting that He, for Whom and By Whom All Things exist, in Bringing many sons to Glory, Should Make The Founder of their Salvation Perfect through suffering.  For He Who Sanctifies and those who are Sanctified all have One Source.  That is Why He is NOT Ashamed to Call them Brothers, saying, 'I Will Tell of Your Name to My brothers; in the Midst of the congregation I Will Sing Your Praise.'  And again, 'I Will Put my Trust in Him.”  And again, 'Behold, I And the children God Has Given Me.'  Since Therefore the children Share in flesh and blood, He Himself Likewise Partook of the same things, That Through death He Might Destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, And Deliver All those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.  For Surely it is not angels that He Helps, BUT He Helps the offspring of Abraham.  Therefore He Had to Be Made Like His brothers (us) In Every Respect, So That He Might Become a Merciful and Faithful High Priest in The Service of God, to Make Propitiation for the sins of the people.  For Because He Himself Has Suffered when tempted, He Is Able to Help those who are being tempted."....

Phew...THAT is a LOT.  Suffice to say our HOPE is indeed Secure in God's One and Only Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who Is God's Ultimate High Priest and Sacrifice for us, Once and for All Time.

My prayer for us today would simply be that The Holy Spirit would Open our Hearts to Hear and Receive His Call to Him.  Father God, Through Your Son Jesus may we come to Know and Reflect that You and You Alone are The Lord.  Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Mercy, Grace and Your Living Example.  We lift up our Prayers in Your Name....Amen/Amen...jaj

Blessings/jaj