Ezekiel 7-9; John 3
God is not only a God who brings good but also severely punishes evil and wickedness. Ezekiel's prophecies are proof of this. When announcing the coming disaster upon Israel, God does not soften the severity of His judgment: "...My eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity..." (7:4), "...I will pour out My fury upon you..." (7:8), "...I, the Lord, will strike you..." (7:9), "I will bring the worst of the nations... and put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries shall be desecrated" (7:24).
One of the reasons for such harshness is the defilement of God's sanctuary by the Jews. This speaks to the highest level of corruption. When abomination occurs among those who are supposed to lead the people to holiness, the people lose all hope: "Therefore I will act in a fury; My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them" (Ezek. 8:18).
Thus, God resorts to extreme measures—He commands that the people be struck down right in the temple: "And He said to them: Defile the temple, and fill its courts with the slain. Go out! And they went out and killed in the city" (Ezek. 9:7). Sometimes, God Himself destroys churches due to the hopeless apostasy of the people in them.
John 3
In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus straightforwardly explains salvation as being born again. This happens through the work of the Holy Spirit and is expressed in practical trust in the Son, who was sent from heaven. The Son came down from heaven to be lifted up on the cross (3:14) so that whoever looks to Him in faith "will not perish but have eternal life."
John the Baptist also confirms this in his response to the Jews. He openly confesses the superiority of Christ as the One who has come down from heaven, declaring that the Son possesses authority given to Him by the Father and that salvation is only possible through faith in the Son.
One of the reasons for such harshness is the defilement of God's sanctuary by the Jews. This speaks to the highest level of corruption. When abomination occurs among those who are supposed to lead the people to holiness, the people lose all hope: "Therefore I will act in a fury; My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them" (Ezek. 8:18).
Thus, God resorts to extreme measures—He commands that the people be struck down right in the temple: "And He said to them: Defile the temple, and fill its courts with the slain. Go out! And they went out and killed in the city" (Ezek. 9:7). Sometimes, God Himself destroys churches due to the hopeless apostasy of the people in them.
John 3
In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus straightforwardly explains salvation as being born again. This happens through the work of the Holy Spirit and is expressed in practical trust in the Son, who was sent from heaven. The Son came down from heaven to be lifted up on the cross (3:14) so that whoever looks to Him in faith "will not perish but have eternal life."
John the Baptist also confirms this in his response to the Jews. He openly confesses the superiority of Christ as the One who has come down from heaven, declaring that the Son possesses authority given to Him by the Father and that salvation is only possible through faith in the Son.
Posted in Reading Bible Together