January 16, 2023: Ezekiel 17:24 - I, the LORD, Have Spoken It and Have Done It
"And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.” - Ezekiel 17:24
All of the nations, every single one of them, will see and know that God has exalted the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ above all the kingdoms of the earth. This is a prophecy that will be fulfilled. Only Jesus’ kingdom will be worldwide, and only His kingdom is eternal. Daniel the prophet described it as:
“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
As I write this devotional, 2,700 people have flown, many if not all in their private jets, to Davos, Switzerland to attend the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. There, they who call themselves the “elite” of the world will meet to talk about the various controls that they believe must be put in place in order to save the planet. They put more value on the earth than they do on human life, except for their own lives. For themselves, their own rules do not apply. This is what happens when humans worship the created instead of the Creator, Almighty God. The book of Romans addresses this issue:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:18-25)
They deny God exists, and they place no value on human life except for their own. They have exalted themselves rather than the only One who deserves to be exalted - God. There are many Scriptures that tell us how God feels about the proud. Unless they humble themselves before Him by repenting and turning to Jesus Christ, the only One who can save us from our sins, they will be brought low in judgment before Him:
Isaiah 13:11: I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isaiah 5:20-23: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe, who take away justice from the righteous man!
Isaiah 2:11-12: The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up - and it shall be brought low.
Isaiah 2:20-21: In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. Sever yourselves from such a man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he?
Oh, these verses! Woe to the people who exalt themselves and worship false idols of silver and gold! There is coming a day when Almighty God will have had enough of mankind’s wickedness, just as He did in the days of Noah and Lot, when sin had become such a putrified stench to the Lord that He put an end to it! I believe we are quickly coming to that time in the world in which we live today. Technology is increasing at such a pace that it will soon, if it doesn’t exist already, be able to eliminate the ability of humanity to be human but will be transhuman. They want to make themselves gods and the rest of humans will serve them (see: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/transhumanism-advances-in-technology-could-already-put-evolution-into-hyperdrive-but-should-they/). That is the ultimate goal of the WEF, and God will not allow it. He will not be mocked.
There is coming a day when Almighty God will tell His Son Jesus Christ to call up to Himself in the clouds of all His children - all who have believed in Him as their Savior - in the rapture of the church. Antichrist will come upon the scene, the one to whom Satan will give authority during this time period. Antichrist will confirm a 7-year covenant with Israel, some sort of peace treaty, but it will be temporary, for Antichrist will break it after 3-1/2 years when he declares himself as God in third Jewish temple, which will rebuilt I believe in the not too distant future. Then Jesus will take the scroll from God the Father and will open the first of seven seals, and the 7-year tribulation period will begin. This will be when God’s righteous wrath is thrust upon a wicked and evil world. Those who remain on earth and turn to Jesus during this time will be saved from their sins but likely martyred for their faith. All others will be destroyed and will spend their eternity in hell, in the lake of fire and brimstone.
So what does the believer in Jesus Christ do in these perilous times? We trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding. We read His word and pray to Him daily. We rest in what the Bible says, knowing that these difficult times and dark days will not last forever. We know that God will take care of His own:
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:6) ✝️