Ezekiel 20:1-25 For His Name’s Sake, we are not Consumed
[Study Aired June 10, 2024]
Introduction
Today’s study is focused on the answer the Lord gave to Ezekiel to tell the elders of Israel who came to enquire of Him. The Lord’s answer shows His displeasure against Israel as a result of their unfaithfulness toward Him. The Lord showed His providential care for the people of Israel as He took them out of Egypt, even though they were ungrateful in their dealings with Him. In the wilderness, the people of Israel continued to rebel against Him. As a result, the Lord promised to judge them by scattering them among the nations and giving them laws which they could not live by. In all of this, the Lord did not use His power to destroy them so that His name would not be blasphemed among the nations of the world. The main takeaway of today’s study is that for His name’s sake, the Lord will carry out all that He has said about us to bring us to an expected end.
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jer 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jer 29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
The Elders Came to Enquire of the Lord
Eze 20:1 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
Eze 20:2 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
Eze 20:3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
The elders of Israel coming to enquire of the Lord from Ezekiel in the seventh year, the fifth month and the tenth day of the month have significance. The number seven means completion, that of fifth (five) means grace through faith, and the number ten signifies the fullness of the flesh. In verse 1, therefore, we are shown the spiritual depravity of the elders of Israel. It is when the sins of the leaders have reached their fullness, that is in their complete apostasy, that we are given to go through the process of grace through faith. This grace is the judgment of our old man. Spiritually, the elders of Israel here signify the Lord’s elect during our sojourn in Babylon. This is what the Lord says about us as the leaders of Israel:
Eze 34:1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 34:2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
Eze 34:3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
Eze 34:4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
Eze 34:5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
Eze 34:6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
The elders coming to enquire of the Lord means that we had not realized our spiritual depravity when we were in Babylon. The Lord’s initial refusal to answer the elders through His elect who are signified here by Ezekiel was to indicate to us that our works were not pleasing to Him.
Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Isa 59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.
Our hands being defiled with blood in Isaiah 59:3 means that we were guilty of the death of the Lord and His servants as we refused to hear them and thought they were evil. Our fingers with iniquity means that our works were dominated by our flesh. Our lips speaking lies and our tongue muttering perverseness refer to the false doctrines in our hearts and minds which are the lies of the evil one.
Luk 11:49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
Luk 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
Our lives at this stage of our walk with the Lord are likened to the elder brother of the prodigal son. Because he had not been shown his sins, he thought that he was better than his prodigal brother and therefore had the right to the estate of his father. On the other hand, his prodigal brother had come to know his sins and was therefore looking up to his father for his mercy.
Luk 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
Luk 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Luk 15:25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
Luk 15:26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
Luk 15:27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
Luk 15:28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
Luk 15:29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
Luk 15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
Luk 15:31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
Luk 15:32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
It is a privilege to be shown our sins by the Lord. The Lord’s coming to us in Babylon was to show us our sins and to provide a way for us to overcome the flesh through the fire of His words. The next verses therefore show us the Lord showing the elders of Israel their sins.
We Must Know that We Have Sinned Against the Lord
Eze 20:4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:
In verse 4, the Lord is asking Ezekiel to cause the elders of Israel to know their abominations. It is after we come to realize our sins that judgment follows. Knowing our sins is therefore a prerequisite before we are judged by the Lord. In this life therefore, the Lord is seeking for an occasion to cause us to know our abominations so that He can judge us. Judgment therefore is a privilege the Lord is bestowing on us, His elect.
Jdg 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Jdg 14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.
Jdg 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
The next four verses show the sins of the people of Israel.
Eze 20:5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;
Eze 20:6 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had spied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
Eze 20:7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Eze 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
It is with the Lord’s mighty hand that He sets us apart from the world (Egypt) to come and worship Him. The lifting up of the Lord’s hands to the seed of the house of Jacob means that the outstretched arms of the Lord are ready to receive us in Him no matter our sinful state, just like the prodigal son. This mighty hand also means that the Lord will judge us as He pours out His fury on us to cause us to obey Him, resulting in Him ruling over us.
Eze 20:33 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:
Eze 20:34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
In verse 7, we are shown our abominations of defiling ourselves with the idols of Egypt. These idols of Egypt are the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions in our heavens which cause us to worship the created things instead of our creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, we rebel against the Lord as we become entrenched in the worship of another Jesus.
2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
In verse 8, we are told that as a result of our rebellion against the Lord, we are going to be judged as He pours out His fury upon us to accomplish His anger against us. As we are aware, it is through the Lord’s judgment that we learn righteousness.
Isa 26:8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
For His Names’s Sake We Shall Not be Consumed
Eze 20:9 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
Eze 20:10 Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
Here in verse 9 we are told that the Lord acted by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt so that His name would not be dishonored among the nations. Our decision to come out of the world and serve the Lord is not our decision. If we are called and chosen, then the Lord will act on our behalf to bring us to an expected end so that His name is not dishonored among the nations of the world. What this means is that from the beginning to the end of our walk in Christ, it is all His work. What He has begun in us, He will see to its completion!!
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Verse 10 shows us that after the Lord has caused us to leave the world to come and worship Him, we are sent straight into the wilderness where there is lack of water, that is, famine of the word of the Lord. This wilderness is Babylon where we end up worshiping another Jesus as part of the wonderful plan of the Lord. Babylon therefore serves a purpose for our walk in Christ. It is in Babylon that we come to see how sinful we are as we are confronted by the law of Moses which is preached in Babylon. This is what Paul has to say about this:
Rom 7:7 What should we say, then? Are Moses’ laws sinful? That’s unthinkable! In fact, I wouldn’t have recognized sin if those laws hadn’t shown it to me. For example, I wouldn’t have known that some desires are sinful if Moses’ Teachings hadn’t said, “Never have wrong desires.”
Rom 7:8 But sin took the opportunity provided by this commandment and made me have all kinds of wrong desires. Clearly, without laws sin is dead.
Rom 7:9 At one time I was alive without any laws. But when this commandment came, sin became alive
Rom 7:10 and I died. I found that the commandment which was intended to bring me life actually brought me death.
Rom 7:11 Sin, taking the opportunity provided by this commandment, deceived me and then killed me.
Rom 7:12 So Moses’ Teachings are holy, and the commandment is holy, right, and good.
Rom 7:13 Now, did something good cause my death? That’s unthinkable! Rather, my death was caused by sin so that sin would be recognized for what it is. Through a commandment sin became more sinful than ever.
Rom 7:14 I know that God’s standards are spiritual, but I have a corrupt nature, sold as a slave to sin. (GW)
Eze 20:11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
It is in Babylon that we are shown the laws and rules of the Lord through the teaching of the Law of Moses, which if we are able to obey, we shall be saved. However, when we are dominated by our flesh, or the old man, there is no way we can obey the laws and rules given to us by the Lord. The Law of Moses was therefore to make us aware of what sin is, but lacks the capacity to cause us to obey. The Law of Moses was therefore to lead us to Christ and after we have known Christ, or are known by Christ, we are therefore no longer subject to the Law of Moses.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Eze 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Through the Law of Moses, we are given to know the sabbath which represents the day of rest. However, in our spiritual poverty, we look at the sabbath physically as a day of rest from our works. It is after Christ has come to us with His words that we are given to know that the sabbath is not a day of rest but a lifetime of resting from our works and depending on the Lord to carry out His work in us. Of ourselves, we can do nothing. As the word of the Lord says, when the sabbath was first preached to us, we did not experience the rest of the Lord because of our unbelief.
Heb 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Heb 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Our Rebellion Against the Lord and His Judgment
Eze 20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.
Eze 20:14 But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.
Eze 20:15 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;
The house of Israel in the wilderness represents the harlot woman or Babylon or the physical churches of this world which have rebelled against the Lord. We were part of this church in the wilderness until the Lord came with His brightness and the spirit of His mouth to judge us as He initiates the process of destroying our old man or flesh so that we can learn righteousness. Thus, the Lord saying that He would pour out His fury upon us to consume us in verse 13 is His judgment, and that is the best thing that could have happened to us in this life. His judgment is therefore what the Lord is working out for His name’s sake such that we do not drag His name in the mud among the heathen of this world.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
In verses 14 and 15 we are made aware that the Lord lifted up His hands upon the people of Israel to prevent them from entering the land flowing with milk and honey. In other words, we cannot possess our bodies, which are represented by the land flowing with milk and honey, until the Lord has poured out His fury on our old man.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Eze 20:16 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
Eze 20:17 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
In verses 16 and 17, the Lord is telling us that in spite of our spiritual depravity, He did not destroy us but continued to keep us in the wilderness. This shows us that even though Babylon, or the established churches of this world, has derailed from serving the Lord, they are being kept by the Lord for His own purpose. As we can see, we were not serving the Lord acceptably during our time in Babylon, but the Lord did not destroy us but kept us until the set time symbolized by seventy years when He came with His brightness and the spirit of His mouth to deliver us from Babylonian captivity outwardly and within our hearts and minds.
Jer 25:9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
Jer 25:10 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 candle.
Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
Physically, Babylon, or the physical churches of this world, is being kept for a set time, and then will be destroyed by the Lord. This is what the Lord says about its destruction:
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.Rev 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
Eze 20:18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
Eze 20:19 I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
Eze 20:20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
Eze 20:21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
Throughout our stay in Babylon, the Lord was urging us through His messengers to walk in His statutes and judgments, but we did not pay heed to them as we were enchanted by another Jesus (defiling ourselves with idols). In our state, we were not able to find rest (sabbath) in Him as we thought that we were responsible for our own actions because of our famed freewill. As a result, we rebelled against the Lord, setting ourselves up for the Lord’s judgment of our old man as He pours out His fury upon us.
2Pe 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2Pe 2:22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Eze 20:22 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
Eze 20:23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
Eze 20:24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.
Eze 20:25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;
In verse 22, the Lord did not use His power to destroy the people of Israel so that His name would not be dishonored among the nations who had watched Him bring the Israelites out of Egypt. This implies that because of the Lord’s name which we bear as His children, He will see to the completion of what He has started with us.
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
In keeping with His name not being profaned among the nations, the Lord takes steps to bring us in line with His purpose. Our rebellion as described in verse 24, relates to not following the Lord’s laws, not resting in Him and lastly, serving another Jesus.
The Lord’s judgment as shown in verse 23 is to scatter us among the heathens or countries with the objective of putting an end to our filthiness. That is to say that we learn righteousness through the Lord’s judgment.
Eze 22:15 I will scatter you among the nations and force you into other countries. I will put an end to your uncleanness. (GW)
As the verses below show, scattering us among the heathen or nations means drawing the sword after us.
Eze 12:14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
Eze 12:15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.Eze 5:2 Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
The third part that is scattered in the wind means that the drawing of the sword after us is a process and not a one-time event. The negative aspect of sword refers to words that are spoken which destroy us. The sword refers to the lying words and false doctrines of the adversary.
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.Psa 64:2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
Psa 64:3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
These negative words spoken are one of the tools that the Lord uses to cause people to speak bitter words to us, His elect, as part of the Lord’s judgment.
In verse 25, the Lord is saying that as part of His judgment, He allowed us to follow laws that were not good and rules by which we could not live. As Peter stated, the Law of Moses was like a yoke that we were not able to bear during our time in Babylon.
Act 15:10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
As indicated earlier, the Law of Moses is what is practiced in Babylon. These laws were not different from the laws that are applicable in the heathen countries that the Lord had scattered us into.
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
The essence of the Lord giving us laws (the Law of Moses and its related rules) which are not good and which we could not obey is to show us that we are sinful. It is only when we come to appreciate our spiritual depravity of not being able to obey the Law of Moses that Christ comes in to help us by delivering us from our flesh which is the repository of sin. Oh, how wonderful is the Lord’s plan of salvation for us!!
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.
May His name be praised forevermore!!