The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. Ezekiel 33:1-5 NIV
Ezekiel is a prophet during the time of Babylonian captivity. Here in my bible this particular scripture passage is the beginning of a scipture passage titled, Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman.
In this scripture passage, God is clearly telling Ezekiel that as a watchman his responsibility is to inform the people when he sees the sword coming against a land. You might look at our country and say that the sword has been coming against our land for some time now. The watchman’s job is to blow the trumpet and warn the people. He then says three times that if anyone hears the sword and does not heed their warning that it is on them, “their blood is on their own head”.
The question today is are you ignoring the trumpet? The sad thing is that if the rapture took place on a Sunday morning there would be many left sitting in their church pews. So many today like to talk the talk, but fall short when it comes to walking the walk.
Are you hanging on to sin that you just can’t let go of? Is your bottom in the pew but your heart somewhere else? Are you going to church to make a show or to please someone else? When you hear the trumpet sound, will you just think “wow, that’s loud” or will you heed the warning?
Not many people would argue that we are living in the last days. I believe that the time on this planet is short. Now the bible tells us that a day is like 1,000 years and 1,000 years is like a day to God so no one really knows when Jesus will come back for us. But we also don’t know when God will decide to call us home. I read about people in car wrecks or people murdered in violent incidents and I often wonder if they had any idea that that particular day would be their last? Would it have made any difference in how they had lived. If you are hearing the trumpet, you need to heed the warning my friend. It’s time to get right with God.
If you feel that you are in a right relationship with God, are you acting as a watchman? Will friends and family die and go to heaven on your watch? Are you doing what you can to blow the trumpet and warn them? Are you trying your best to lead them to salvation?
One bible verse that strikes fear in my heart is Matthew 12:36, “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Be very careful about every word that comes out of your mouth. Be very careful about every keystroke you make on the computer, tablet or phone. We live in a world of social media where plenty of people think that it is perfectly okay to say whatever they want, whenever they want to millions of people via the internet. Well be careful my friend because one day you will stand in judgement for these words and either be acquitted or condemned.
Whether you are a watchman or someone who needs to heed the watchman’s trumpet blow, my prayer for you today is that you remain alert and sober. I pray that you understand that no one knows when we will be called home. When we face God on the day of judgement we must be ready to give account of everything we have said and done. So be on guard, guard your mouth and your mind. Be ready to meet God and eager to spend eternity in glory with Him, not anxious about judgement day.
The instructions are pretty simple, heed the warning and save yourself. Also do your best to bring as many people to heaven with you as you possibly can.
Have a great weekend!