GOD PROMISED to extinguish a cult of the dead that had defiled the Temple. This is one of the surprising things we find in our study of Ezekiel this week, in which the prophet continues with his detailed instructions for a future Temple complex, the land around it, and the calendar of feasts.

In chapter 43, Ezekiel’s description of the return of the glory of God to the temple includes His condemnation of its desecration by Israel:

“Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoring and by the dead bodies of their kings at their high places…” (Ezekiel 43:7, ESV)

Dr. Daniel I. Block, in his commentary on Ezekiel, explains that “Ezekiel has in mind the veneration of the deified spirits of Israel’s royal ancestors, analogous to the cult of the dead at Ugarit.” Click here to read the relevant excerpt from The Book of Ezekiel: Chapters 25-48 by Dr. Block (link opens a PDF document).

The deified dead at Ugarit were the Rephaim, the “warriors of Baal,” who, Derek argues in his new book Last Clash of the Titans, are the “Travelers” in the army of Gog (see Ezekiel 39:11-16). The takeaway from Ezekiel 43, when considered in the context of Ezekiel 38-39, is that the worship of the dead was pervasive and long-lasting in ancient Israel, but a day is coming when God puts an end to it for all time.

Big news: Pastor Carl Gallups, messianic rabbi Zev Porat, and Justen & Wes Faull are part of the 2019 SkyWatchTV Wars of the Gods Tour of Israel!

The tour flies from New York City to Tel Aviv Sunday, May 12, 2019, and returns Thursday, May 23. If you want to extend your trip a few days to join us in Jordan, you’d return Monday, May 27, 2019. For more information, log on to www.LipkinTours.com.

Book Four of Sharon’s series of supernatural thrillers The Redwing Saga, Realms of Stone, is available now at Amazon!

Here are the links for Book Three of The Redwing Saga, The Blood is the Life; Book Two, Blood Rites; and Blood Lies: Book One of The Redwing Saga. Visit Sharon’s author page at Amazon.com for more.

Derek’s new book Last Clash of the Titans is shipping now! For more information, log on to www.LastClashOfTheTitans.com.

Click here for the complete archive of our New Testament Bible studies to date, and click here for the Old Testament studies to date. Or go to www.spreaker.com/show/gilbert-house-fellowship for all of the audio.