River of Life Community Church
Sunday, April 19, 2026

      • Ezekiel 1:1–3NKJV

      • Exodus 32:7–8NKJV

      • 2 Kings 17:15–17NKJV

      • Isaiah 1:13–15NKJV

      • Jeremiah 25:8–11NKJV

      • 1 John 1:9NKJV

      • Romans 10:9NKJV

  • Before the Vision

    Ezekiel 1:1–3 NKJV
    Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
    Before we go further into the chapter and begin to dissect the vision that Ezekiel received, we need to know who Ezekiel is and where the people of Israel are in their relationship with God and where they are physically as a nation.
    Ezekiel who’s name means “God strengthens or God is strong” was a priest that was carried to Babylon during the first captivity from the southern kingdom of Judah. We don’t know how old he was when he was taken. We don’t know anything about his background other than he is the son of Buzi and a priest.
    What happened to Israel wasn’t sudden- it was the result of years of spiritual decline and rebellion against God. What happens to us is never sudden - it is the result of years of spiritual decline and rebellion against God.
    Let’s pray.

    A Nation in Spiritual Decline

    Before the the exile:
    Israel had turned deeply into idolatry
    Leaders, priests and prophets were often corrupt
    People were going through religious motions, but their hearts were far from God
    From the beginning the people of Israel were setting a pattern early of turning quickly from God to idols.
    Exodus 32:7–8 NKJV
    And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ”
    It was a repeating cycle
    Sin - oppression - crying out - rescue - repeat
    2 Kings 17:15–17 NKJV
    And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger.
    This section of scripture is a summary indictment of Israel’s fall: idolatry, child sacrifice and rejection of God’s covenant

    Corruption and Empty Religion

    They continued to worship God outwardly but their hearts were far from God
    Isaiah 1:13–15 NKJV
    Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
    It doesn’t matter how clean you look on the outside for the Lord can see your heart!
    Amos 5:21–24 ““I hate, I despise your feast days, And I do not savor your sacred assemblies. Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them, Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs, For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments. But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.”
    God rejects fake worship and lack of justice

    Early Covenant Warning

    This is critical - the exile was not random. They were warned in Deuteronomy 28:15 ““But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:” and in Deuteronomy 28:36 ““The Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods—wood and stone.”
    God was patient for centuries before judgement came. This warning in Deuteronomy came around 1400 BC before entering the promise land.
    This is roughly 800 years before the final destruction of Jerusalem happened in 586 BC the exile was completed.
    But God is so gracious to His children He doesn’t just give one warning. He continues to warn through the prophets.
    From the time the kingdom divides When King Saul dies and Israel and Judah split. then the decline accelerates. Idolatry increases the leadership becomes more unstable and prophets were constantly warning the people.
    Now we are 340 years from the the final destruction of Jerusalem
    From Major Prophetic Warnings to the exile - closest to Ezekiel context
    Key prophets:
    Isaiah early warnings to exile 150 years
    Jeremiah ministry to exile 40 years Read the warning
    Jeremiah 25:8–11 NKJV
    “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the Lord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
    the tragedy was it was not just sin - but refusal to listen
    QUESTION: Has there been something God has been asking of you and have you been refusing to listen?
    Ezekiel’s Immediate timeline
    Taken to Babylon 597
    Jerusalem destroyed 586 - 11 years later
    prophesying right before the final collapse
    while people still hoped judgement wouldn’t come
    800 years - God’s long patience
    340 years - national decline after division
    150-40 years intense prophetic warnings
    11 years - final countdown
    God didn’t judge quickly - He warned repeatedly
    The exile wasn’t a sudden disaster it was the end of a long pattern of ignoring God.
    QUESTION: Are there moments in your life that God has warned you? Where are you on the timeline? Are you at the beginning of His long patience or are you on the final countdown? Do you see yourself in great decline in you relationship with Him or have you been receive some great warning messages everywhere you turn on social media? It seems as if everyone is reading your mail and they don’t even know you?
    The time is short and he is coming for a bride the is waiting and prepared for his return.
    How do we do that?
    Live set apart. We belong to God. We don’t participate any longer with the things of this world. We avoid anything that would defile our relationship with God. If it would not please him we don’t do it. We need to Stay faithful
    Prepare our garments. Garments symbolize purity and readiness. If our garments are dirty that means there is sin standing between us and our Lord and we need to get rid of it. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us then obey quickly to remove it from our lives. No matter what it is.
    Keep oil in our lamps (be ready at any time) He will return at any time. Remain watchful and be ready trusting His return. We don’t know the hour but we live like it is today. Readiness isn’t a moment ...it’s a lifestyle.
    Are you living like you belong to him now?
    Are you spiritually prepared or just assuming you have time?
    If He came tonight would you be ready?
    1 John 1:9 NKJV
    If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
    Romans 10:9 NKJV
    that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
    Next week we begin to go deeper into the chapter
River of Life Community Church
rolccmn1@gmail.com
763-321-6509
http://www.rolcc.info/live/
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