(Ezek.20:19-20)
19 “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.â€
I’m continually struck by the language of the bible prophets and how they each had unique expressions and sayings which came to them as the Spirit of God moved upon them to prophesy. Pretty much all of the prophets used the expression, “The word of the Lord came unto me saying”. I love this expression. It reminds me of Genesis when the Voice of the Lord came walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen.3:8). This expression gives personage to the Word of God. It wasn’t just an idea or a thought that came to the prophets. It was the person of the Lord Jesus Christ who would come unto them saying something, and they would usually always have to wait on the Lord for him to come. Sometimes it took days, even weeks, of waiting for the Word to come, but as their faith was perfected in the patience they cultivated, a powerful and robust word manifestation came to the children of Israel through God’s holy servants the prophets. I love this!
One of Ezekiel’s favorite phrases or prophetic expressions was “that you may know that I am the Lord your God”. This was applied to a number of circumstances and a number of different “acts” of the Lord. It wasn’t just used in acts of blessing, acts of kindness, or acts of mercy, but also in reference to acts of judgment and punishment against the rebellious house of Israel.
(Ezek.13:14)
“So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.”
I want to tell you today that this is all for the glory of God, the exaltation of his name, the revelation of his person and his image to mankind. When God was kind, it is so we might know that He is the Lord. When the Lord moves in judgment, it is so we might know that He is the Lord. When He shows his wonderful love, tender mercy and compassion, it is so we might know that He is the Lord. When he pours out his wrath and removes people from the face of the earth, it is so we might know that He is the Lord. This was the greatest revelation that the prophets carried, that of the revelation of God’s glory. A further unveiling of the revelation of glory came through the Lord Jesus Christ, yet He made it clear that as you’ve been seeing the Father so have you been seeing the Son, for the Father and the Son are One (Jn.14:9). This scripture is found in John’s contribution to the New Testament, for it was John’s prophetic and apostolic burden to reveal Christ, yea, to reveal the glory of the Son. The prophets of old beheld the same God of glory that John did. He was and will always remain the Ancient of Days, eyes like fire, hair as white as wool, feet like burnished brass standing in a furnace, a vesture dipped in blood from the conquest of kings, grapes being squeezed between his toes for the wrath to pour out upon the nations (Dan.7:9-10, Rev.1:14-15; 19:11-15). This is the Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8). This is the express image of the God who’s name is Love. All this has been revealed to mankind, and even so more is yet to be revealed, such as we have never seen before. All of this has been revealed and is yet to be revealed for the glory of God. It’s not for your amusement, it’s not to prop up your idols that you’ve made into God, it’s not to comfort you in your religious and cultural traditions that have made the Word of God of no effect (Mark 7:13). It is for the glory of God.
If it was not God we were dealing with one might be tempted to bring a railing accusation against our Lord, saying that this “glory” was selfish, saying that having all things by him, unto him, and for him (Rom.11:36) is the product of selfish desire. But only a fool would say such a thing. Those who have touched this God of Glory, those who have partaken of this glory, the glory of the only Begotten of the Father, know that this glory is for the good of everyone.
When God is glorified nations prosper. When God is glorified the power of sin is extinguished. When God is glorified the head of the Serpent is crushed beneath the feet of those whom He calls his sons! When you glorify God in your life and with your life, the life of the kingdom flows with all of its power, blessing, and force. It is for his glory but it is for our good. Out of his glory flows his goodness.
GOODNESS FROM GLORY
(Ex.33:17-19)
17 “And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.â€
Moses found grace in God’s sight. In that grace He called out to see God’s glory, and God’s first response to this request was, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee;...” (vs.19). Every revelation, every unveiling of God’s glory to mankind is an expression of his “goodness”. In other words it’s ultimately all for our own good, even if we don’t understand it. In that goodness God must “proclaim his name”. In his name is love, in His name is grace, but in his name we also find a consuming fire and a judge that stands at the door (Deut.4:24; Ja.5:9). Out of the proclamation of his many names comes the manifestation of being “gracious to whom he will be gracious” and showing “mercy to whom he will show mercy”. God is gracious to some but not to others. God shows mercy to some but not to others. Why? It is not because he’s unfair or unjust. It’s for the glory of God. This is what God explained to Moses when He cried out to see God’s glory (Ex.33:18). You can’t see the God of Glory without him proclaiming his name, and God can’t proclaim his name without showing mercy to some, but not to all, according to the divine mystery of election. God can’t proclaim his multifaceted beautiful name without being gracious to whom He chooses to be gracious to, according to election.
VESSELS OF HONOR AND DISHONOR FOR HIS GLORY, TO REVEAL HIS NAME
(Rom.9:10-24)
10 “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?â€
Notice how Paul quotes the word of the Lord that was given to Moses that day on the mountain. If it could not be any more clear, look at the beautiful truth that our beloved Apostle to the Gentiles articulates here for our incredible blessing and understanding concerning the glory of God. Who are we, the clay, to bring accusation against the Potter and indict him on our terms of goodness and fairness? Who are we to question him, the Master of the Universe, the one who knows exactly what it is He’s doing?
God shows mercy to some but not to others, for his glory, to reveal his glory and proclaim his name, period. God loved Jacob and hated Esau, even before they were born and had done good or evil, for his glory and his for his purposes, to reveal and proclaim his name.There was not a shred of unrighteousness in him when he did such a thing. He did it with perfect love, wisdom, foresight, and insight. Who are we to say He made a mistake? Who are we to say He did not keep his love on? Who are we to play God today and dishonor the Lord with falsely representing him and refusing to proclaim his name to the nations? Who are we to withhold his name from the songs we sing, the sermons we preach, and the conferences which we organize to make a mockery of his name? Who are we? We are the vessels of honor and dishonor and at the end time which shall reveal the glory of his name one way or another, so just those have done who have gone before us. In bridal glory and in severe wrath which shall not be quenched, his name shall be proclaimed in this generation. He shall be glorified in the earth in both pardoning and punishing it! He is the God of Glory! His name will be proclaimed in all the earth!
Pharaoh was raised up as a vessel of dishonor, a vessel of wrath, so that God might “show his power in him, and declare his name throughout the nations” (vs.17). That may seem unfair to you but I assure you it is not. It was for the glory of God, and that glory is for the good of all. From the glory flows his goodness, from that goodness his name is proclaimed, and as that name is proclaimed there are vessels of honor and dishonor who rise to receive their just reward. There are vessels of glory and vessels of wrath who come forth, ordained as such from the foundation of the world (Eph.1:5&11).
When all the nations heard the news of what the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob had done to Egypt and their great king, this was a great revelation of God to the earth. It was a great revelation of his glory and proclamation of his name. It was necessary, for the good of all, for this to happen; for God to show his power in Pharaoh and proclaim his name through Egypt’s judgment. For in this judgment was his name as a Savior and a Deliverer proclaimed in the same act (Ex.6:6). In the same way, when Christ would finally come, the same thing happened with the Jews and the Gentiles. God severely judged and cut off Israel so that He might show kindness to the Gentiles (Rom.11:22). His name was proclaimed through Christ as Savior, but it was also proclaimed as Judge when He struck the nation of Israel and scattered them across the face of the earth.
CONCLUSION
So know this when you read your bible. Know this when you see God deal with men and women differently. Know this when you see God deal with nations distinctly and uniquely. It’s so that you might know that He is God, just as Ezekiel and the prophets so often told the children of Israel. Ananais and Sapphira fell dead on the spot. They were raised up as vessels of dishonor having hearts filled with the lies of Satan to lie to the Holy Ghost. As God’s wrath fell on these vessels and the men carried their bodies out in the presence of all, the glory of God was made manifest and many souls came into the kingdom (Acts 5:1-15).
I believe the Lord would say to you the church…
“I have presently ordained vessels of honor and vessels of dishonor in your ranks.
The ones I have chosen to dishonor, the ones I have chosen to reveal my glory in, through my wrath, shall emerge in these last days, and it shall be unmistakable to those who have eyes to see. They shall be lifted up in the community as the vessels they are. My wrath will be poured out upon them.
In exposing will I expose them, in crushing will I crush them, and you will see the anointing come forth from this. You will see a move of God in this nation, in this country, but it will not be void of the vessels of wrath. As I showed my power in Pharaoh and as I proclaimed my name throughout the nations by the wrath which He received from my name, so will I proclaim my name among the nations in the days and weeks to come, as I lift up these vessels of my wrath, of my dishonor, in my name.
That you might know that I am the Lord and that sin and talebearing and falsehood will not go before me without my hand moving in this place, these ones shall be stripped and they shall be made ashamed for the revealing which shall come by my name. As Pharaoh hardened his heart, so have these ones hardened their hearts and rebelled against my commands. My word has fallen like water upon the rock, even the stone of their hearts, and it has not caused their hearts to beat with love for my commandments. They have refused to have my law written in their hearts, therefore now this Rock shall fall upon them. The rock shall become their rain. If they were truly mine then they would have fallen on the Rock and been broken and contrite in spirit. But they are not mine, so they shall be like Pharaoh in your day.
That you might fear the Lord,... that you might know that I am the Lord and there is none like me in all the earth, I shall do this with choice leaders. I shall do this with choice politicians. I shall do this with leaders in the church who have feasted upon the leaven of Herod,... that you might know that I am the Lord your God.â€
In His Service,
Stephen Powell
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