The Coming Ruler
The prophecy of Ezekiel is a hard book to read. A lot of it details the iniquity of the people and the reason why God brought judgments upon them. But, as with many similar prophecies in Scripture, amid the destruction, there is hope.
Read Time: 3 minutes
Verses 25 to 27 speak of the end of the reign of Judah’s last king, Zedekiah. Ezekiel describes him as “O profane wicked one, prince of Israel,” and he is told to “Remove the turban and take off the crown.” The crown was what Zedekiah wore as king, but the turban was the headpiece of the priests (see Exo. 28:4). Both offices were to come to an end.
As both king and priest, Christ will restore the two offices represented by the crown and turban.
While the priesthood was restored after the exile in Babylon, it became corrupt, as we know from the New Testament, and since the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, there has been no king reigning on David’s throne. Mention of “A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it.” (v27) possible alludes to the three-fold attack on Jerusalem, first by Nebuchadnezzar, later by the Romans, and in the future when the Gogian confederacy comes against the city of the last time.
But the words of the prophet in these verses end with hope,
That is, of course, a prophecy of the rightful heir of David’s throne, the Lord Jesus Christ. As both king and priest, he will restore the two offices represented by the crown and turban.
The key element in this prophecy is the phrase “the one to whom judgment belongs,” or, as in many other translations such as the NET, “to whom is the right.” A similar prophecy is found in Genesis 49:10,
In both cases, the one who’s right it is, or the one to whom the ruler’s staff belongs, is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The contrast between the rulership that will be administered by the Lord Jesus Christ, and Zedekiah’s, couldn’t be greater.
When we look at today’s world, we see similar contrasts. The basest of men rule the most powerful countries of the world, most obviously by the leader of the so-called free world in America. The prime minister of Israel is little better. Like Trump, Netanyahu is a religious man. But both men have displayed fleshly characteristics that rival kings like Zedekiah.
However, as we’ve been distracted by things like the pandemic and wildfires, the angels have been working with these ungodly rulers to bring about a remarkable sign of the times, something which tells us the one who’s right it is to rule on David’s throne may be very close to returning.
Two Arab countries in the Middle East, the UAE, and Bahrain have recently entered into peace accords with the nation of Israel, the first time another country in the area has done so since Jordan in 1994.
no lasting peace can come about without the righteousness that the Lord Jesus Christ will establish when he returns
Netanyahu’s speech is an interesting read. He began by thanking Trump saying,
“You’ve proposed a realistic vision for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. And you have successfully brokered the historic peace that we are signing today, a peace that has broad support in Israel, in America, in the Middle East—indeed in the entire world.”
The Israeli prime minister continued to use the word peace throughout his speech, for instance, “this peace will eventually expand to include other Arab states, and ultimately it can end the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all.” This is precisely what we expect, a period of “peace and security” (1 Thess. 5:3) in the Middle East with Israel,
However, what none of the leaders of Israel, the USA, the UAE, and Bahrain understand is that no lasting peace can come about without the righteousness that the Lord Jesus Christ will establish when he returns. The irony for each of these leaders is that they will soon lose their power to the one who’s right it is. We’re right on the eve of Christ’s return. Righteousness and peace are at the door.
Richard Morgan
Simi Hills, CA