Sun.’s Devo - Secrets of Heaven

Read Ezekiel 10:1-11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105;16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2
Ezekiel was among the exiled taken to Babylon when God gave him this vision of what was happening in Jerusalem. He is taken to heaven to get a heavenly perspective of what was happening.
There are three heavens mentioned in the Bible. One is the sky we see, the second is the heaven where angels and demons operate and the third is where God’s throne is. The expanse is the crystal floor of heaven so that is why the throne was above the heads of the cherubim. Cherubim can go to all three heavens. The man in linen is one of God’s heavenly priests. He was to put coals from the table of incense in the hands of the cherubim so they could scatter them over the city. This was to mark their destruction.
The cherubim took the place of the ox in the faces of the four creatures because they were to be God’s servants to bring judgment. The face of the ox was on the front this time because he was in charge.
God showed Ezekiel the twenty-five elders who stood at the door of the gate of the city. They were the ones who executed judgements for the people. Two of them were named: Jaazaniah and Pelatiah. Their names mean “God has heard” and “God has delivered”. The one whose name meant “God has delivered” died the day that Ezekiel told the people his prophesy. God was making the point that the day of deliverance had died. Ezekiel saw the parallel and fell on his face and cried out, “Ah, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?”
God, in his kindness, showed Ezekiel the bigger picture. Israel would be driven from their land and dispersed throughout the land, but they would return one day and they would have undivided hearts and God would give them a new spirit. They would follow God’s decrees and carefully keep his laws. They would be his people and he would be their God.
Hebrews explains that a person who is born again will drink in the water from heaven and produce fruit for the kingdom. A person who is not born again will produce curses and briers. Briers in the Greek means a crow-foot which is a three-pronged obstruction used in war. In other words they will bring death.
God has promised us that our works will be judged and we will be rewarded by them but the works of the heathen will also be judged and they will be rewarded for them.
Lord, may our works bring honor to you and remain in the end.