Judgement Day - its misery and solemnity
Test Ezekiel 24 Time 13/05/07 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
In Ezekiel 24 we have two prophecies given at around the same time. They were given in Babylon where Ezekiel and others were in exile at the time when Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, first laid siege to Jerusalem back in the Promised Land. Their purpose is to show that in all this God, as the Master of that place, is also the one who destroys it. At the end of the chapter Ezekiel is told that he is going to be silent until he receives news of Jerusalem's fall and indeed although he prophecies about other things he doesn't mention this subject again until three years later when (33:21) we read In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, The city has fallen!
The fearsome judgement of the siege of the holy city and the destruction of the Temple in 597 BC is now a long way back in history. The final judgement it points to, however, is still future. Today it is nearer than it has ever been. We need to fix our minds on that judgement and once again Ezekiel helps us to do that.
What we have in the chapter is first a parable about the judgement, "the parable of the cooking pot" we may call it. Then we have a sign about the judgement. We are told how Ezekiel's wife, who has not been mentioned until now, dies and how Ezekiel is forbidden to mourn for her.
1. Consider the coming judgement and the miseries it will bring and repent
1. Consider that God is sovereign and all days including the last are in his hand
From time to time we have references to specific dates in Ezekiel. You could make a time chart plotting the dates. The whole book begins with a date: In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. (This was Ezekiel's own thirtieth birthday when he would have began his duties as a priest) On the fifth of the month - it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin - the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him.
Then in 8:1 he says In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came upon me there and in 20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in front of me.
And now it is the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day and Ezekiel again says the word of the LORD came to me. This time God says Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Babylon was some distance from Israel as you know and it is likely that Nebuchadnezzar's besieging of Jerusalem was known at first only because God revealed it.
This reminds us
1 That God knows all things and directs all that happens. Nothing is outside his control. Kings and armies and all else are under his rule.
2 But then there is also this record this date, this very date. We must take note of what God does. We cannot wander through life oblivious to what God is doing and so there are significant dates that we should note. We do this automatically in some cases – the day of our birth, a wedding anniversary. It is right that we note these significant occasions and remember God's providence. In school they teach children (I trust they still do) 1066, 1415, 1666, 1805, 1914, 1989, etc. I would say that a Christian living in this country should know other dates too like 1611, 1662, 1735, 1859, 1904, 1989, etc. God is at work – let us not be unaware of it.
3 Finally, we ought to be aware too that one day in the calendar, the last day, will be here.
2. Consider the parable of judgement used here
Now, in the light of this fact Ezekiel is told to tell the people a parable Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it. Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces - the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones; take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it. You have the picture then – a great cooking pot or cauldron full of water and in go the various ingredients – choice pieces of leg and shoulder. It is then brought to the boil with a fire underneath.
And what it means, if it is not already clear, comes out in verse 6 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them. 9, 10 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the wood high. So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred. The rebellious house is going to be ruined, Jerusalem the city of bloodshed is going to be besieged and the fierce heat of the Babylonian army will make those inside suffer as if they were in a boiling cauldron. The picture harks back to what had been said in Ezekiel 11 and in Jeremiah 1:13-15 where Jeremiah sees a boiling pot, tilting away from the north and the LORD says From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms, ... Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah. People thought they would be safe in the iron cauldron of Jerusalem but instead they were about to face great suffering in that pot.
Here is powerful picture of judgement then – being boiled in a cauldron. Think of the intense heat. Next time your cooking or watching someone cooking have this in mind. The 19th Century Scots minister Robert Murray M'Cheyne stopped one day to take shelter from a sudden downpour in a roadside quarry. There was a fire in a furnace of the engine shed where he was standing with a group of workmen. He asked them what that fire reminded them of. That was all; but the way in which he spoke made his words burn in the hearts of those who heard him, and at least one was converted.
3. Consider the judgement pronounced here
1 So first we have this picture of intense heat, of fire
In Ezekiel 24 we have two prophecies given at around the same time. They were given in Babylon where Ezekiel and others were in exile at the time when Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, first laid siege to Jerusalem back in the Promised Land. Their purpose is to show that in all this God, as the Master of that place, is also the one who destroys it. At the end of the chapter Ezekiel is told that he is going to be silent until he receives news of Jerusalem's fall and indeed although he prophecies about other things he doesn't mention this subject again until three years later when (33:21) we read In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, The city has fallen!
The fearsome judgement of the siege of the holy city and the destruction of the Temple in 597 BC is now a long way back in history. The final judgement it points to, however, is still future. Today it is nearer than it has ever been. We need to fix our minds on that judgement and once again Ezekiel helps us to do that.
What we have in the chapter is first a parable about the judgement, "the parable of the cooking pot" we may call it. Then we have a sign about the judgement. We are told how Ezekiel's wife, who has not been mentioned until now, dies and how Ezekiel is forbidden to mourn for her.
1. Consider the coming judgement and the miseries it will bring and repent
1. Consider that God is sovereign and all days including the last are in his hand
From time to time we have references to specific dates in Ezekiel. You could make a time chart plotting the dates. The whole book begins with a date: In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. (This was Ezekiel's own thirtieth birthday when he would have began his duties as a priest) On the fifth of the month - it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin - the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him.
Then in 8:1 he says In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign LORD came upon me there and in 20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in front of me.
And now it is the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day and Ezekiel again says the word of the LORD came to me. This time God says Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Babylon was some distance from Israel as you know and it is likely that Nebuchadnezzar's besieging of Jerusalem was known at first only because God revealed it.
This reminds us
1 That God knows all things and directs all that happens. Nothing is outside his control. Kings and armies and all else are under his rule.
2 But then there is also this record this date, this very date. We must take note of what God does. We cannot wander through life oblivious to what God is doing and so there are significant dates that we should note. We do this automatically in some cases – the day of our birth, a wedding anniversary. It is right that we note these significant occasions and remember God's providence. In school they teach children (I trust they still do) 1066, 1415, 1666, 1805, 1914, 1989, etc. I would say that a Christian living in this country should know other dates too like 1611, 1662, 1735, 1859, 1904, 1989, etc. God is at work – let us not be unaware of it.
3 Finally, we ought to be aware too that one day in the calendar, the last day, will be here.
2. Consider the parable of judgement used here
Now, in the light of this fact Ezekiel is told to tell the people a parable Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it. Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces - the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones; take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it. You have the picture then – a great cooking pot or cauldron full of water and in go the various ingredients – choice pieces of leg and shoulder. It is then brought to the boil with a fire underneath.
And what it means, if it is not already clear, comes out in verse 6 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them. 9, 10 Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the wood high. So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred. The rebellious house is going to be ruined, Jerusalem the city of bloodshed is going to be besieged and the fierce heat of the Babylonian army will make those inside suffer as if they were in a boiling cauldron. The picture harks back to what had been said in Ezekiel 11 and in Jeremiah 1:13-15 where Jeremiah sees a boiling pot, tilting away from the north and the LORD says From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms, ... Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah. People thought they would be safe in the iron cauldron of Jerusalem but instead they were about to face great suffering in that pot.
Here is powerful picture of judgement then – being boiled in a cauldron. Think of the intense heat. Next time your cooking or watching someone cooking have this in mind. The 19th Century Scots minister Robert Murray M'Cheyne stopped one day to take shelter from a sudden downpour in a roadside quarry. There was a fire in a furnace of the engine shed where he was standing with a group of workmen. He asked them what that fire reminded them of. That was all; but the way in which he spoke made his words burn in the hearts of those who heard him, and at least one was converted.
3. Consider the judgement pronounced here
1 So first we have this picture of intense heat, of fire
This is a common picture of hell –
9, 10 I, too, will pile the wood high. So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred.
2 There is also the idea of being consumed
9, 10 I, too, will pile the wood high. So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred.
2 There is also the idea of being consumed
6 Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them. The people will eventually be brought out of Jerusalem like meat out of a pot but it will be to the sword or exile. Nebuchadnezzar would not draw lots as was sometimes done and only a proportion of the people (often one tenth hence decimation) would be taken – no, all would go.
3 Further, the city itself would be burnt up
3 Further, the city itself would be burnt up
11 Then set the empty pot on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows so its impurities may be melted and its deposit burned away. This reminds us that at the judgement not only will all the unrepentant be judged and destroyed but so will the earth itself.
What a fearful judgement lies ahead. Are we ready? We must repent. An old rabbi used to say to his students "Make sure you repent the day before you die". They would say "but when do we know it is our last day?" and he would say "we don't, so we need to repent every day!". He was right.
4. Consider the judgement – its basis and cause
It is important that when we think about the judgement that we think correctly about its basis and cause. In verse 14b we read You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD. This is the basis for it – what we do. Romans 2:6-10 says the same thing God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Unbeliever – you have no good deeds, all are bad. You are doomed.
What a fearful judgement lies ahead. Are we ready? We must repent. An old rabbi used to say to his students "Make sure you repent the day before you die". They would say "but when do we know it is our last day?" and he would say "we don't, so we need to repent every day!". He was right.
4. Consider the judgement – its basis and cause
It is important that when we think about the judgement that we think correctly about its basis and cause. In verse 14b we read You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD. This is the basis for it – what we do. Romans 2:6-10 says the same thing God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Unbeliever – you have no good deeds, all are bad. You are doomed.
Believer – all your bad deeds are forgiven, you will be rewarded for your good deeds.
Particular sins are condemned here
1 Bloodshed
Particular sins are condemned here
1 Bloodshed
7-9 For the blood she shed is in her midst: She poured it on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground, where the dust would cover it. To stir up wrath and take revenge I put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered. Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! ... They were shameless in their bloodshed. We see something of that in our own land in our own day. It is a fearful thing.
2 Impurity
2 Impurity
More generally he speaks of (6) ... the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! 12, 13 It has frustrated all efforts; its heavy deposit has not been removed, not even by fire. Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided. They would not be cleansed. Are we like that? Refusing to repent, to be washed. Beware!
5. Consider the judgement – its decisiveness
5. Consider the judgement – its decisiveness
14 I the LORD have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. Think of how it is with exams in school or college – the day comes and you're there. The invigilator says “Pens down”. This is how it will be when the final day of judgement comes.
2. Consider the coming judgement and how solemn it will be and repent
Sometimes the prophets had to do strange things, things that were not easy. Jonah was sent to preach to the pagans of Nineveh and ended up being swallowed by a whale. Amos the farmer was sent to prophesy not in his native Judah but in Israel. Hosea was told to marry a woman even though he knew she would turn out to be an adulteress. Here we read of how Ezekiel is told that his wife will die and when she does he is forbidden to mourn for her.
1. Consider the sign of judgement used here
The sign was in two parts
1 He was to suddenly lose his wife
2. Consider the coming judgement and how solemn it will be and repent
Sometimes the prophets had to do strange things, things that were not easy. Jonah was sent to preach to the pagans of Nineveh and ended up being swallowed by a whale. Amos the farmer was sent to prophesy not in his native Judah but in Israel. Hosea was told to marry a woman even though he knew she would turn out to be an adulteress. Here we read of how Ezekiel is told that his wife will die and when she does he is forbidden to mourn for her.
1. Consider the sign of judgement used here
The sign was in two parts
1 He was to suddenly lose his wife
She was to die. God did warn him shortly before but it must have been a bitter blow. 15-17 The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.
Several things arise from this
First, far from being a hindrance to spirituality a good wife or husband can be a real blessing. Ezekiel was truly spiritual and he was a married man. It is a false spirituality that supposes that marriage precludes spirituality.
Second, one of the greatest comforts in life is companionship and fellowship, especially in marriage. No doubt that was how it was with Ezekiel and his wife. Be thankful for your spouse. Be thankful for friends.
Third, God refers to Ezekiel's wife as the delight of your eyes. How Ezekiel loved to look at her day by day and see not only her loveliness but her love for him. The same face that had attracted him as a young man continued to delight him now she was older. That is how it should be in a marriage.
Fourth. But she died quite suddenly and it is a reminder that nothing we have or hold dear in this life is guaranteed to last. We don't know how soon the delight of our eyes may be snatched away and become the despondency of our eyes. Death is all around us and the time is short. So (to quote 1 Corinthians 7:29-31) From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
Fifth. When we suffer a loss like Ezekiel suffered we must recognise God's hand in it. With one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. God takes from us sometimes what we treasure most. He gives, he takes. He has the right to do as he chooses with what is his own, after all.
Sixth. At times of great sorrow we may be free to mourn as Ezekiel was not but we must endeavour like he did to continue in our duties as far as we can. We will probably find sadnesses more easy to bear if we do that for if we keep ourselves in the love of God all will be well.
18a So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died.
2 He was not to mourn
15-17 Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners.
This was the hardest thing about it, perhaps. Yet, Ezekiel was obedient. Sometimes God asks to do hard things, unusual things .We ought to seek to be obedient whatever God demands.
18b The next morning I did as I had been commanded.
2. Consider the meaning of the sign of judgement used here
19 Then the people asked me, Won't you tell us what these things have to do with us? This is a good question. They knew that Ezekiel loved his wife and that he would not react to his wife's death in this way unless there was some good reason. And so they ask what he is showing them. We ought always to be eager to see what God is teaching us.
1 The meaning is that just as the delight of Ezekiel's eyes was suddenly taken from him so the delight of their eyes was about to be taken too. They did not have a proper reverence for the Temple but they did have a carnal one and now Nebuchadnezzar was about to destroy that very potent symbol of their pride. 20, 21 So I said to them, The word of the LORD came to me: Say to the house of Israel, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary - the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. ... See verse 25 ... their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart's desire. Part of God's final judgement will be the removal of all men's privileges in Christ. Out will go their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart's desire.
2 Not only that but also The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. Their very own children will die at the hands of the enemy. And again this is a feature of the judgement – the loss of loved ones. We need not only to repent but to warn our loved ones.
3 Further, they will also not mourn. He goes on (22ff) And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners. You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. Exactly why would the people not mourn? Commentators are divided – was this a cynical command, they don't care anyway? Would they be beyond grief, overwhelmed or perhaps there would be so many troubles they would not keep up? Will they not dare to mourn before their captors? Is he speaking of capital punishment without opportunity for mourning? Perhaps the nearest we can get is to say that they will not have hearts, nor time, nor money for the ceremonies of grief. They will be so entirely taken up with solid substantial grief that they will have no room for the shadow of it. Further, everyone will be mourning anyway so there will be no need to distinguish themselves. What will be needed will be tears of repentance but they will not come.
Several things arise from this
First, far from being a hindrance to spirituality a good wife or husband can be a real blessing. Ezekiel was truly spiritual and he was a married man. It is a false spirituality that supposes that marriage precludes spirituality.
Second, one of the greatest comforts in life is companionship and fellowship, especially in marriage. No doubt that was how it was with Ezekiel and his wife. Be thankful for your spouse. Be thankful for friends.
Third, God refers to Ezekiel's wife as the delight of your eyes. How Ezekiel loved to look at her day by day and see not only her loveliness but her love for him. The same face that had attracted him as a young man continued to delight him now she was older. That is how it should be in a marriage.
Fourth. But she died quite suddenly and it is a reminder that nothing we have or hold dear in this life is guaranteed to last. We don't know how soon the delight of our eyes may be snatched away and become the despondency of our eyes. Death is all around us and the time is short. So (to quote 1 Corinthians 7:29-31) From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
Fifth. When we suffer a loss like Ezekiel suffered we must recognise God's hand in it. With one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. God takes from us sometimes what we treasure most. He gives, he takes. He has the right to do as he chooses with what is his own, after all.
Sixth. At times of great sorrow we may be free to mourn as Ezekiel was not but we must endeavour like he did to continue in our duties as far as we can. We will probably find sadnesses more easy to bear if we do that for if we keep ourselves in the love of God all will be well.
18a So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died.
2 He was not to mourn
15-17 Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners.
This was the hardest thing about it, perhaps. Yet, Ezekiel was obedient. Sometimes God asks to do hard things, unusual things .We ought to seek to be obedient whatever God demands.
18b The next morning I did as I had been commanded.
2. Consider the meaning of the sign of judgement used here
19 Then the people asked me, Won't you tell us what these things have to do with us? This is a good question. They knew that Ezekiel loved his wife and that he would not react to his wife's death in this way unless there was some good reason. And so they ask what he is showing them. We ought always to be eager to see what God is teaching us.
1 The meaning is that just as the delight of Ezekiel's eyes was suddenly taken from him so the delight of their eyes was about to be taken too. They did not have a proper reverence for the Temple but they did have a carnal one and now Nebuchadnezzar was about to destroy that very potent symbol of their pride. 20, 21 So I said to them, The word of the LORD came to me: Say to the house of Israel, This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary - the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. ... See verse 25 ... their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart's desire. Part of God's final judgement will be the removal of all men's privileges in Christ. Out will go their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart's desire.
2 Not only that but also The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. Their very own children will die at the hands of the enemy. And again this is a feature of the judgement – the loss of loved ones. We need not only to repent but to warn our loved ones.
3 Further, they will also not mourn. He goes on (22ff) And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners. You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. Exactly why would the people not mourn? Commentators are divided – was this a cynical command, they don't care anyway? Would they be beyond grief, overwhelmed or perhaps there would be so many troubles they would not keep up? Will they not dare to mourn before their captors? Is he speaking of capital punishment without opportunity for mourning? Perhaps the nearest we can get is to say that they will not have hearts, nor time, nor money for the ceremonies of grief. They will be so entirely taken up with solid substantial grief that they will have no room for the shadow of it. Further, everyone will be mourning anyway so there will be no need to distinguish themselves. What will be needed will be tears of repentance but they will not come.
This is a contrast with hell. Hell is described as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. It is only in heaven that there are no tears.
3. Consider again that God is sovereign and must be acknowledged
Consider these final verses and remember that God is in control and he must be acknowledged to be in control.
3. Consider again that God is sovereign and must be acknowledged
Consider these final verses and remember that God is in control and he must be acknowledged to be in control.
24 Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.
25-27 And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, etc - on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.
See it now and repent and run to Jesus Christ.
25-27 And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, etc - on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.
See it now and repent and run to Jesus Christ.
