Issue 1587 – The Great Reveal – October 29, 2024
This morning, I want to talk about the Great Revelation. No, not the book at the end of the Bible, although that is part of it.
I’ve been reading Ezekiel lately. Ezekiel can be a challenging read in places because it is so full of such obscure imagery in the front end, and towards the close is an extensive section on building the temple. Yet, it is always a worthwhile read. There is a consistent theme throughout the book that I knew was there, but it had slipped my mind in some ways.
We serve a revelatory and relational God. That is we serve a God who makes Himself known to us in order that we might know Him in a personal way.
God reveals Himself to us in the created order. In Romans 1, we are told there is no excuse for not knowing God because He reveals Himself to us in nature.
God reveals Himself through all of the Scriptures. He reveals Himself to us through the working of the Holy Spirit. He reveals Himself through prophecy. He reveals Himself through the incarnation of Jesus. Through Christ, we see the Father.
God is not content to be the man hiding behind the curtain. He wants His people to see Him, to know Him, and to be in a relationship with Him forever.
Through the prophet Ezekiel, God reveals Himself to the spiritually adulterous and rebellious nation of Israel and the surrounding nations through an extended set of prophetic warnings of what will happen to them.
He warns of His wrath and judgment. He speaks of His holiness and mercy. We can learn a lot about the character of God through Ezekiel’s words.
God tells the people why He will act and about Himself for a very specific reason … that they will know He is God. I lost count of the number of times the phrase “Then they will know that I am the Lord”or its equivalent appears in Ezekiel. It wouldn’t surprise me if it appeared more than 50 times.
We see God’s love and mercy when He promises to return His people to their land.
Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. Ezekiel 39:28
We see His great wrath promised against Philistia and other nations.
“I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.” Ezekiel 25:17
We see His holiness
So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 38:23
I could list many more examples, but those should be sufficient to illustrate the concept. God wants to be known; He makes Himself known in many ways.
God’s revelation of Himself is an act of great mercy. After we fell into sin and died spiritually, He could have chosen to turn His back on us in our rebellion. He chose to reveal Himself and to provide an opportunity for forgiveness and restoration.
Without His revelation, we would not know of Christ and have no hope of redemption. We would be lost, separated from God, forever.
Praise His name because He desires to make Himself known and for us to be in a relationship with Him.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
__________________________________________
Did you know that we have an email version? It has the same great content but in a different format.
Subscribe today: https://mailchi.mp/f27bbeb09c22/gleanings-1
For an archive of many back issues, visit our website at https://gleaningsfromtheword.com.
___________________________________________
(c)2024 Gleanings From the Word, K.F. “Kevin” Corbin. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.