B M 1,2-. Prophets.
N O -2-7. Lies.
P 8,9. Divine hostility.
Q 10-16. Symbols.
M 17. Prophetesses.
N Q 18,19. Symbols.
P 20,21. Divine hostility.
O 22,23. Lies.
483 B.C.
Ezekiel 13)
1 And the word of the LORD (Yahaveh) came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man (see 2:1), prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel that prophesy (this refers to the false prophets of Israel. Cp. Jer. 5:30,31; 23:9-32; 27:14;9:8,9,22,23), and say you to them that prophesy out of their own hearts,
'Hear you the word of the LORD;
3 Thus says the Lord GOD (Adonai Yahaveh); 'Woe to the foolish prophets (see Prov. 1:7), that follow their own spirit (not the Holy Spirit), and have seen nothing! (They have seen nothing of God or His truth. They are deceiving themselves and others.)
4 O Israel, your prophets are like the jackals in the ruins.
5 You have not gone up into the breaches, neither made up the hedge (= fence or wall of a vineyard [Num. 22:24. Ps. 80:12. Isa. 5:5) for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.
6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, 'The LORD says:' and the LORD has not sent them: and they have made others to hope that their word would be confirmed.
7 Have you not seen a vain vision, and have you not spoken a lying divination, whereas you say, 'The LORD says it;' albeit I have not spoken? (A solemn warning as to some of the changes made in the Vulgate versions. Cp. 2:5-7. Jer. 23:21.)
8 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; 'Because you have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, says the Lord GOD.
9 And My hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the secret counsel of My People, neither shall they be written in the register of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the soil of Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. (God won't put up with them. Aren't you glad? There is no room in heaven for seducing spirits. Judgment begins at the pulpit [1 Peter 4:17].)
Q R 10-. False peace.
S -10. Wall.
T l 11. Storm.
m 12. Fall.
T l 13. Storm.
m 14. Fall.
S 15. Wall.
R 16. False peace.
10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, 'Peace;' and there was no peace;
and he (i.e. one = a false prophet. Cp. v.16) built up a outer wall, and, lo, others coated it with whitewash: (Cp. Matt. 23:29. Acts 23:3. This word whitewash in the Hebrew is "taphel" (taw-fale'). It means slime. In a spiritual sense, slime is what false teachers put out. It is slime that holds the whitewash to the wall. The seducing spirits try to cover truth by whitewashing everything. They will tell you the world is due for peace, when there will be no peace until the Prince of peace returns.)
11 Say to them which coated it with whitewash, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing rain (cp. Matt. 7:25,27); and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. (The hailstones referred to in this verse are those that fall at the last trump (Ezek. 38-37 and Rev.19). There is a storm coming. Make certain your house is built on the Rock. The seducing spirits will tell you, "You don't need to understand the Book of Revelation; you are going to be gone". Their lies shall fall.)
12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said to you, 'Where is the coating wherewith you have coated it?'
13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; 'I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing rain in My anger, and great hailstones in My fury to consume it. (Our Father is not happy with those who whitewash His truth. They will pay dearly.)
14 So will I break down the wall that you have coated with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and you shall know that I am the LORD. (Their lies will be brought down and the truth revealed. All will know that He is the Lord.)
15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the outer wall, and upon them that have coated it with whitewash, and will say to you, 'The outer wall is no more, neither they that coated it;
16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see a vision of peace for her (referring to the meaning of the word Jerusalem), and there is no peace, says the Lord GOD.' (The prophets tell us over and over through God's Word that antichrist will set up shop in Jerusalem and pretend to be Christ. There will be no peace, until the Prince of Peace returns.)
17 Likewise, you son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy you against them, (This required Divine courage on the part of Ezekiel. Cp. 14;8; 20:46; 21:2; 29:2; 38:2. God is going to give us an example of the lies the seducing spirits are telling.)
18: And say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes (= sew together coverings upon all the joints of My hands: i.e. hide from the People the hands of Yahaveh lifted up and stretched forth in judgment [Isa.26:11; 52:10]. See 14:9,13), and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature (= make mantles to cover the heads [and therefore the eyes] of those on whom the judgment of God's hands were about to fall, lest they should see. Stature = tall figure, put here, for every man of high or lofty station: i.e. for the princes and rulers in Jerusalem, whose eyes were blinded by the false prophetesses) to hunt souls! (or to ensnare, like in a web of lies). Will you all hunt the souls of My People, and will you save the souls alive that come to you? (This is not a question, but a statement. From the days of the tower of Babylon, man has attempted to create his own salvation. This sounds like as though some are promising their own brand of salvation. There is only one way to salvation! Sewing covers over the armholes to block God's outstretched saving arms is not the way to salvation. Sewing covers is part of the whitewash covering God's outreached arms of salvation.)
19: And will you all pollute Me among My People for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread (= teach for money), to slay the souls that should not die (= to prophecy falsely that they should be slain), and to save the souls alive that should not live (= to promise life to those who should not live), by your lying to My People that hear your lies? (Too many preachers today are worried about how much money they are bringing in rather than how much of God's Word they are giving out.)
20: This is why thus says the Lord GOD; 'Behold, I am against your pillows (see v.18), wherewith you all there hunt the souls to make them fly (= escape, the so-called "rapture", or fly away doctrine), and I will tear them from your arms (so that these wraps could be torn away), and will let the souls go, even the souls that you all hunt to make them fly. (God's Word does not teach us to fly. He is against those biblically illiterate preachers that do falsely teach His children they will fly. Seducing spirits are rampant in this generation. The rapture is not written in God's Word. God is against those seducing spirits who would teach His children to fly to save their soul.)
21: Your kerchiefs (= wraps that cleave close round the head. The object being to cover the head so that God's hand may not be seen) also will I tear, and deliver My People out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and you all shall know that I am the LORD.
22: Because with lies you all have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked (= the lawless one, i.e. Satan, i.e. Anti-Christ. He will be right there with the whitewashers saying, "You don't have to worry. You will escape God's judgment because you are going to be gone". God hates those that teach people to fly to save their souls instead of teaching them to get into God's Word), that he should not return from his wicked way (= his wrong way), by promising him life (Continuance in life: i.e escape from the judgments announced by Yahaveh):
23: Therefore you all shall see no more vanity, nor divine divination's: for I will deliver My People out of your hand: and you all shall know that I am the LORD.'' " (God will not give anybody anything that is not written as a witness in His Word. Don't allow any man to taint God's Word. Don't be deceived by the whitewash some false prophets and preachers would use to hide God's truth from you. Don't let traditions of men rob you of your blessings. Study to show yourself approved.)