8 But thou, son of man [Ben Adam], hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious [meri] like that rebellious [hameri ] house [ bais]: Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

9 And when I looked, behold [hinei], an hand [hinei] was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book [megillat sefer] was therein;

Ezekiel commanded to eat the roll

While prone upon the ground Ezekiel , hears one speaking, thus :

Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the Spirit entered into me when he spake unto me and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

AND he said unto me . . Son of man, hear what I say unto thee ; . . . open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. (Chap. 1. 28 ; 11. 1, 2, 3, 8.)

Upon receiving this injunction, Ezekiel beheld a hand with a roll of a book therein. The roll is spread out before him and the writing thereon is of lamentation, mourning and woe (verses 9, 10). Respecting this roll further injunctions are given, thus :

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth and he caused me to eat that roll.

And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat i t ; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. (Ezek. 3:. 1, 2, 3.)

Deeply significant and important to observe is all this, and also all the instructions which follow. Since Ezekiel is a man of sign, it must be understood that he not only rejoiced in the word spoken and had bitter experience on account thereof, but that he will be contemporary with all things involved in the symbols and figures put before him.

The roll which he consumed was in his mouth as " honey for sweetness" and no wonder, for immediately afterwards the Spirit took him up, " the noise of the wings which kissed each other " (margin) and he heard behind him a voice saying,

" Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place " (verse 12),

which can only mean that Ezekiel as a man of sign, receives the blessing after eating the roll. The eating process also appears to typify the existence of the Ezekiel class throughout the whole period of the preparation of the saints, viz., for seven days, i.e., seven thousand years (v. 15).

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.11.

10 And He spread it [unrolled the megillah] before me; and it was written within and without [on front and back]: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

A scroll held in a hand was sent to him. It was a scroll of judgment to be executed; for therein were written lamentations, and mourning, and woe (ii. 8-10). This he was commanded to eat, and then to go and speak to Israel. What he ate was suggestive of what he afterwards spoke and wrote in his book. It was said to him,

"Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this scroll that I give thee. "Then," says Ezekiel, "did I eat."

Now, the effects produced upon him by the eating to fulness being identical with those affecting John [Rev 10: 9 - the labours of the angel of the bow], we are enabled, upon the principle of like causes producing like effects, to determine what the contents were of the little scroll eaten by John. Ezekiel and John were similarly affected.

"It was in my mouth," says Ezekiel, "as honey for sweetness;" and then, in ch. iii. 14, he tells us

"the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the hot anger of my spirit: and the hand of Yahweh was strong upon me."

And when John applied for the opened scroll, and it was given to him, he was told by the angel it should make his "belly bitter, but in his mouth be sweet as honey."

Ezekiel's scroll when eaten, though prophetic of judgments causing lamentations, and mourning, and woe, was as honey for sweetness, because,

"the judgments of Yahweh are true and righteous altogether; more to be desired than gold, yea than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey, and droppings of honeycombs. Moreover by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping them there is great reward" (Psa. xix. 10,11).

This explains the sweetness in the mouths of Ezekiel and John. The contents of the scrolls were the joy and rejoicing of their hearts; for in the complete execution of "the judgments written," they saw the development of the promised recompense of reward.

Eureka 10.13.

The sequel of Ezekiel's prophecy is in complete accord with this description of its character. It is, with slight intermissions here and there, a continual exhibition of coming calamity because of iniquity.

In this, Ezekiel is no exception to the other prophets. They are all of them deeply tinged and charged with this element which is so repugnant to human feeling. They are all of them burdened with wrath and evil - all of them full of deprecation and condemnation of Israel to whom they were addressed.

Bro Roberts - God will avenge Gentile disobedience

Written within and without

Now, just as John saw a book in the hand of Him who sat upon the throne, written within and without, and on both sides thereof (Apoc. v. i),so the roll handed to Ezekiel contained matters which affect those in the bonds of the covenant of which he was a representative, and those outside the same.

The roll contained " lamentations, and mourning, and woe " (Chap. 11. 10), for it comprised predictions of tribulation for the peoples as specially related to the purpose of God, and for those who are not within the bond of the covenant. A glance through the rest of Ezekiel's prophecy will show that he wrote of woe to Israel and woe to surrounding nations.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.11.

Anger and Sin

According to this "s i g n" the Ezekiel spirit of " hot anger and astonishment" at what he saw revealed at the river Chebar concerning Israel must have existed throughout the whole period of the " captivity," for the seven days may stand for the seven times of Israel's punishment mentioned in Leviticus xxvi. 18-28. The hot anger will include the wrath of Moses when he saw Israel worshipping the golden calf.

Ezekiel is now particularly warned of his duty to Israel thus:

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die : because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered ; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned ; also thou hast delivered thy soul. (Ibid, verses 17-21.)

A great responsibility rested upon Ezekiel because ofthe mission he was required to fulfil. A like responsibility also rests upon all for whom he is a sign. This responsibility of the members of the body of Christ towards each other is immutable, from it there is no escape.

The Temple of Ezekiel's prophecy 5.6.11