Why Do Tribulations Come

The Lord brought His Word to Ezekiel so he could in turn bring it to his people. Before the Lord sent him to them, He told them that they would not listen to him.

“Now the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.’” Ezekiel 12:1-2

They didn’t need glasses or hearing aids. What they needed was a heart for the Lord.

The Lord called Ezekiel to dramatically act out what was going to happen to them.

“Son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity to another place in their sight. It may be that they will consider, though they are a rebellious house. By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity. ...I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.” Ezekiel 12:3-4, 6

Governmental transportation departments place signs along roadsides to help motorists navigate. Has anyone ever cursed a road sign for its helpful information? Perhaps, someone cursed those signs with undesirable speed limits on them. Is that why we don’t like signs from God? They remind us that we are going to fast? They tell us to slow down? They tell us that we are going the wrong way? Well, these signs are God’s attempts to save us from destruction.

“In the morning the Word of the Lord came to me, saying...” Ezekiel 12:8

Praise God! Blessed is the person to whom Lord brings His Word!

“Son of man has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: this burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them.’ Say, ‘I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.’” Ezekiel 12:9-11

Are we willing to be signs for God? To lend our faces and voices to Him so that He can direct souls to the heavenly Promised Land? Ezekiel’s people did not want to be exiles in Babylon, but they needed to be humbled so that they would turn back to the Lord. If they refused to humble themselves, they would perish in their sins, and that would be dramatically worse for them.

“Then they shall know that I am the Lord when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 12:15-16

They had tasted the goodness of the Lord and turned from Him to idols. They should have all perished, but the Lord spared some of them to testify to what He done for them. If we alone from our family members are walking with the Lord, we should not be arrogant, but humble. The Lord graciously spared us to testify of His grace, mercy and love.

Another sign...

“Moreover the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and anxiety. And say to the people of the land, thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants... that they shall eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with dread... because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. ...the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 12:17-20

Food and water are vital to our existence, but these basic necessities become scare when violent people rule over others. We must let God’s Word speak as it is without twisting it to halt the slide of societies into violence and decadence.

The Lord brings His judgments to pass so that people know that HE is the LORD.

“I am the Lord. I speak, and the Word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the Word and perform it, says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 12:25

God watches over His Word to ensure that it comes to pass in due season.

“And the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, hear the Word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. ...You say, the Lord says but I have not spoken. ...Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you, says the Lord God. Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace.” Ezekiel 13:1-3, 5, 7-8, 10

Have you ever seen a movie where the villains turn a directional sign around so it points in the wrong direction? That is what false prophets do. They turn the signs around. If God is saying to prepare for tribulation, they say, “Take a chill pill! Everything is fine.” Thus, no one stops to pray, to read God’s Word or to help with the work of communicating His Word to the wider community around them. There is a fire. It is called hell. Prophets of God are compelled by God’s love to be signs to those around them both by what we do and don’t do, by what we say and by what we don’t say.

“I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. ... Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 13:13-14

God allows tribulations to come as a sign to people that something is wrong. He rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. He brought great winds and hailstones on Israel due to their sins. This same judgment appears in Revelation 16:21. “And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.”

“Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them. ‘Will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies? Therefore, thus says the Lord God: behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. ‘Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. Therefore, you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 13:17, 19-20, 22-23

In the Gospels, Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of Man, thus He expressed solidarity with the prophet Ezekiel. Jesus did not affirm the use of charms to hunt for souls as a hunter hunts for birds. The women of Israel were prophesying for barley and bread. They strengthened those who did wrong and grieved the hearts of those who did right. God promised to deliver His people from them.

“Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? ...They are all estranged from Me by their idols. Thus says the Lord God: repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.’” Ezekiel 14:1-3, 5-6

The elders of the land must have felt that they had sufficiently covered up their sins. They came and sat with Ezekiel, but the Lord revealed to Ezekiel that they were idolators. Ezekiel was to seek their stumbling into iniquity so that all people would see that they were not who they projected themselves to be. False prophets and elders need to be exposed for the good of God’s people who they are leading.

“That the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God, says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 14:11

The Lord wants to keep His people close to Him. Resting under the shadow of the wing of the Almighty is the safest place to be. To be distant from the Lord to satisfy those who don’t want Him in their life is not a safe place to be.

“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut-off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness, says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 14:13-14

No one can ride into heaven on the merits of other human beings. No one should pray to saints or to Mary. There is one Mediator between God and man. His Name is Jesus Christ. Jesus is One who sacrificed Himself for our sins. Jesus is the One who resurrected from the dead on the third day to show His power over death. False prophets are forever pointing to someone other than Messiah to save people. The spirit of falsehood in them gravitates away from the truth that there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved than the Name of Jesus. (See Revelation 19:10, 1 Timothy 2:5, 1 John 2:2; Acts 4:12)

“For thus says the Lord God: how much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it, says the Lord God.” Ezekiel 14:21-23

Praise God for keeping a remnant from the destruction! He keep a remnant alive and He transforms their ways and doings.

Why do tribulations come? To save some from perishing. Noah turned from the multitude to follow the Lord. Daniel would not eat the king of Babylon’s sumptuous cuisine. He preferred to eat vegetables, drink water and to remain close with God. Job lost all his worldly treasures, but still blessed the name of the Lord, and the Lord blessed him. Such people shine for the Lord like stars in the night.

Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.”