We are less than a week away from our first-ever Exploring Ezekiel Conference! Yes, the first half o

We are less than a week away from our first-ever Exploring Ezekiel Conference!

Yes, the first half of the book focuses on God’s judgment of idolatrous Israel and the resulting destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

Yet Ezekiel 25–32 records God’s judgment upon the nations surrounding Israel. They were judged for their pride, cruelty, idolatry, hostility toward God’s people, and celebration of Jerusalem’s destruction.

But the story does not end there. Our God is the God of restoration - the One who remains faithful even when we are faithless. The remainder of the book points toward Israel’s restoration and future - a restoration we are witnessing today and whose continued unfolding our children will also see in the near future.

After describing Israel’s restoration and the war of Gog and Magog, Ezekiel does not give us a detailed account of the Tribulation, which is revealed in other books. Instead, he takes us directly to the temple of the Millennial Kingdom in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem has a bright future.

Israel has been restored to its land.

Israel will be restored to its Messiah.

Hardships still lie ahead.

Further judgment is coming.

But in the end, all Israel will be saved!

As the Day of Atonement draws to a close, I choose to celebrate Israel’s promised restoration rather than take verses out of their broader biblical context, blame the people of Israel for everything wrong in this world, and then sugarcoat that hatred with a few verses about judgment.

Always remember how the story ends, and don’t dwell only on the hardships and disappointments along the way!