Sign-Witnesses ? Part V

Sign-witnesses must bear great burdens Son of man, eat your bread with shaking, and drink water with trembling and with tearfulness. - 12: 18Ezekiel's prophetical ministry carried a great burden with it. He was not left to bear only the burdens of his own family; he had to carry the burden of the entire nation. You must here the true picture: the last king of his race was sitting upon the throne of David, the man after God's own heart. And this king, Zedekiah, was not after God's own heart. The fall of Zedekiah would mean the ultimate failure of theKingdom of Israel until the Messiah would come. The glory had already gone from the Temple, and now the glory was about to leave the royal house. Zedekiah would be driven from Jerusalem into exile and would die there. The words which Hosea had prophesied were about to be fulfilled: Where is now thy king, that he may save thee in all thy cities? And thy judges of whom thou saidest. Give me a king and princes? I have given thee a king in Mine anger and have taken him away in my wrath. - Hosea 13: 10, 11. This prophecy lay heavily on the heart of Ezekiel. Every circumstance and humiliation, which should attend the flight of the king, the prophet himself must first suffer. He even had to cover his face in order not to see the ground with his eyes, since Zedekiah's own eyes were to be put out. The prophet could foresee that which was later described by Jeremiah: And the king ofBabylon put out the eyes of Zedekiah: and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon and put him into prison until the day of his death. - Jer. 52:10, 11. Read More