When Holiness sits in the presence of spiritual wickedness.

Ezekiel 8:1

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

Ezekiel chapter 8 reveals the consequence of serving the creature instead of the Creator. This gives rise to sensual and sexual desires which consumes the temple of God, which is our soul and spirit. Sensual/sexual urges are the very basic of carnal desires of human beings which cause people to walk in the flesh instead of the Spirit. By enflaming those basic desires, the door opens to welcoming the entity that gives people what to think, feel, say, and do.

As a result of living by the flesh and not the Spirit, “…they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.” Ezekiel 8:17b “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain.” James 4:1-2

Here begins the opening verse of Ezekiel chapter 8.

“ And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.” Ezekiel 8:1

This verse refers to how much time the Israelites have been in captivity, “…in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month…” Ezekiel was a captive of Babylon under king Nebuchadnezzar, as was Daniel. Ezekiel had a grassroots ministry while Daniel was governing alongside king Nebuchadnezzar. King Jehoiachin is thought to be the governor over the Israelites during the time period in this verse. During this period of captivity, the hand of the Lord came on Ezekiel while he was sitting with the elders of Judah. God revealed something to Ezekiel about the spiritual corruption of the elders.

Ezekiel was sitting in his house, which was a house filled with faithfulness and reverence to the will of God and His word. In front of him sat the elders of Judah, who were spiritually corrupt, far from the will of God, and indulgent in sensual and sexual urges. In the presence of the spiritually wicked, the hand of God came upon Ezekiel to reveal a vision of their wickedness and the consequences.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we dedicate our home (our body) as the house of the Holy Spirit. When we are in the presence of spiritual wickedness, there is an overwhelming sense within us that the person is not living for Jesus Christ. The entity that governs through thoughts, feelings, words, and behaviors is spiritual wickedness. This entity leads people to deny the existence of God and they cause conflict with the presence of the Holy Spirit. They love the darkness that hides their sin. Jesus Christ is the light shining in the dark, and His light lives in us. In Jesus, there is a vivid vision of the spiritual evil within them. Even for them, Jesus gave His life on the Cross for their redemption, if they believe in Him and confess that He is Lord.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1