Ezekiel 12

15–16 In Old Testament times, people believed that when a nation was defeated it meant that that nation’s gods had failed. However, in the case of Judah, God would spare a few of His people so that they could testify to the nations that their God had not “failed”; it was because of their own sins that they had been driven into exile.

17–20 Here the Lord tells Ezekiel to act out another message for the people of the land, the exiles (verse 19). This time Ezekiel is to portray the anxiety and despair of the Jews in Jerusalem as they face the terror brought by the Babylonians. During times of blessing, the Jews had refused to learn from God; now God would teach them through times of judgment.

21–25 The Jews in Jerusalem had a proverb: . . . every vision (prophecy) comes to nothing (verse 22). Isaiah had prophesied a century earlier, and his prophecies hadn’t come true; Jeremiah had been prophesying about the fall of Jerusalem for many years, and his prophecies hadn’t come true either. But now God says He will put an end to that proverb, because the time has come for all those past prophecies to be fulfilled—without delay²⁰ (verses 23–25). What God has spoken He will now do. How much better it would have been for the Jews to have believed God’s warnings and averted disaster. How sad it is that so many people have to experience punishment and judgment before they learn that God is true to His word.

26–28 People avoid facing unpleasant truths in various ways. Some say: “It will never happen” (verse 22). Others say: “It will happen only in the distant future” (verse 27). But the Lord said to the people of Jerusalem–and to the exiles: “It will happen now. None of my words will be delayed any longer” (verse 28). And within a few years, Jerusalem fell.

Jesus has told us that He is coming again and that we should always be watchful and ready for His return. But we too become lax and careless; we live our lives as if He would never come—certainly not in our lifetime! But if we act like this we are in danger of becoming like those Jews in Jerusalem who thought the end would never come.

Jesus said: “Be on guard! Be alert! . . . If he (the Lord) comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping” (Mark 13:33,36). Fellow believers, let us always be ready for the Lord’s return; let us live as if we expected Him to come tomorrow (see Mark 13:32–37; 2 Peter 3:8–13).