Exposing Israel's politicians, priests

 (will post new article tomorrow now--sorry for delay)

Ezekiel 8:11: [11] And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

"The reason the 70 is important is because in Exodus 24 when God made the Mosaic Covenant with the nation Israel, there were 70 elders of the nation who signed the covenant.

"The 70 were chosen, Numbers 11, to oversee . . . these are the political, governmental representatives of the people. Here's the politicians. This is state-sponsored apostasy; it's what's in the HEART of the leaders of the nation," explains Richard Jordan.

Verse 12: [12] Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

"When he says they're doing it in the dark, ever man in the chambers of HIS imagery, every one of these guys has their own pet god--the one that's their favorite and what's happening here is Ezekiel is seeing it as being exposed.

Ezekiel 14: [1] Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

[2] And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
[3] Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?
[4] Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;
[5] That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

"Watch it keep happening in Ezekiel 8:13: [13] He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

"The image was bad, these 70 rulers of Israel in the dark worshipping graven images of their imaginations was ever worse, but He said there's something even worse than that.

Ezekiel 8:14: [14] Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

"Tammuz is the god of the spring, the fertility god. The idea is winter comes, there's death, and then there's the rebirth of the spring, and what they're weeping about is Tammuz died, but he's going to rise again. The contrast with that is the God of Israel NEVER dies. You're weeping for a false god who's going to die and come back to life--that's where all the abominations of the fertility god come in.

"You go back in Kings and read about these things and when Hezekiah cleaned them all out, part of what he did was he took all the Sodomites out. All of that is always connected to a spiritual degeneration.

"Then He says in verse 15: [15] Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

"Things just get worse and worse and worse. The last thing, and this is the one that's sort of the bottom of the barrel . . . 

Verse 16: [16] And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

"The inner court is where the priests ministered and there's a porch. It's got the two pillars and there's the Most Holy where the ark is and God's manifestation.

"He's standing at that door on the porch. You remember in Matthew 23 when he talks about Zachariah being the blood of the martyrs who was murdered between the porch and the altar? That's the porch; you're in the inner sanctum. You're literally in front of the door that leads you into the presence of God.

"Now the thing about it is, before you had the politicians and now you've got the priesthood and watch what they're doing. Their face is toward the east. They literally turned their backs on Jehovah, His presences, His glory, and are looking toward the east to worship the sun.

"They turned their back on their Creator and they're worshipping the creature. That's the very essence of what idolatry is per Paul's definition in Romans 1. They've literally turned their backs on who He is, what He's done.

Chapter 8 ends with, [17] Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

[18] Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.