ALONE WITH GOD------

QUESTION: Please discuss Ezekiel 34:12 "the cloudy and dark day."

ANSWER: The shepherds spoken of in these verses would be those whom God had appointed to guide, care for, and feed His flock, the children of Israel. This would refer to their priests and prophets. Also in this case, since Israel’s government was a combination of church and state, it might include their kings and rulers as well. These were all set over the children of Israel to seek their welfare and best interest and to guide them in both sacred and secular things. We get a good view of the Good Shepherd in the 23^rd Psalm. We see the Good Shepherd here providing all the wants of His sheep, leading them to the still waters and providing for them security and sufficiency so that they lie down in peace in green pastures. He never forsakes His flock but is with them in trouble and adversity the same as in prosperity which is evidenced by His walking with them through the valley of the shadow of death. He always provides abundance for them even to the overflowing stage and sets them a table right in the presence of their enemies.

In John 10:11, Jesus declares Himself to be the Good Shepherd and declares that the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. Then in verse 12 He speaks of the hireling, whose own the sheep are not, and when he sees the wolf coming he leaves the sheep and fleeth; the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. Jesus further explained in verse 13 that the reason the hireling flees when danger and trouble threatens is because he is just a hireling and is primarily interested in his hire and temporal gain and does not care for the sheep.

Again in Luke 15:3-7, Jesus presents another graphic picture of a Good Shepherd looking after his sheep. He has a hundred sheep and one wanders away and gets lost. He leaves the ninety-nine in the fold and goes in search of the lost one until he finds it; then he puts it on his shoulder and carries it home. He cares for all his sheep and when one is in trouble, that is the one he seeks to help.

These shepherds spoken of in Ezekiel 34:2-6, were supposed to be like this and like the Good Shepherd of John 10:11, and the Shepherd featured in the twenty-third Psalm. But, oh, how different they were! They were like the hireling Jesus mentioned in John 10:12-13, and were looking after their own comforts and gain. They were entirely insensitive to the needs of the flock. They did not strengthen the diseased, heal the sick, bind up the broken, bring back those who were driven away, nor seek that which was lost. They ruled with force and cruelty. They were totally unfaithful and entirely insensitive to their responsibility as shepherds of a flock. As a result, the sheep were scattered and wandered through all the mountains and high hills of the whole earth and became meat to be devoured by the beasts of the field. This all actually happened to the children of Israel again and again because of their wickedness and idolatry which was instigated by their priests, prophets, and rulers. It is also a type of what has happened to the people of God (spiritual Israel) during this gospel dispensation and has a second fulfillment there.

In Isaiah 9:16, we read, "For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed." Again we read in Isaiah 3:12, "...O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." In Jeremiah 23, beginning with verse 9 is a strong indictment against the prophets and priests of Israel. Verse 11 says, "For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord." We also read in verse 13, "And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err." Clear on down through verse 32 God is strongly proclaiming against the prophets who prophesy in His name declaring that "the Lord hath said," but they prophesy lies and falsehoods.

The awful consequences of all this false prophesying and the profanity among priests and prophets are found in Jeremiah 14:13-16, which I will insert here. "Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword;..." It becomes apparent here that the people who listen to the prophets who prophesy falsehoods and offer security in those falsehoods and doctrines that are not according to God’s Word, shall become victims of those prophets (be devoured by the beasts of the field the false prophets) and share the same fate with them.

In Hosea 5:10 it says, "The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound: therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water." A few other texts regarding landmarks and bounds will add a little emphasis to this text where it says "The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound." When the Israelites entered into Canaan land, everyone received an inheritance consisting of a piece of land secured by bounds and landmarks. This was to remain in that family throughout their generation. This inheritance was considered such a valuable and sacred thing that the daughters of one tribe were forbidden to marry into another tribe because it would affect their inheritance which was not transferable to any other tribe. In Deuteronomy 27:17 a curse was pronounced upon anyone who tampered with the landmark and altered the bounds of his neighbor’s field. Also read Proverbs 22:28 and Deuteronomy 19:14. We see this was a very strong charge against the princes of Judah who were like them that removed the bound. The princes of Judah would be their prophets, priests, and rulers. They had tampered with God’s Word and law, and prophesied falsely to the people and led them into error and idolatry, and God’s wrath was against them.

This whole discussion describes the class and condition of the shepherds in Ezekiel 34, and the awful consequences of their lordship over the people. It will be necessary to wait until another time to consider the other part of the question, "the cloudy and dark day."

QUESTION: Please discuss Ezekiel 34:12 "the cloudy and dark day."

ANSWER: The gospel dispensation or gospel day is divided into four parts and to get a clear understanding of any one of them it must be viewed in connection with the related other parts of the day. These periods are known as the "morning time;" the "noon time" when the sun was darkened at noon and the earth was darkened in the clear day (Amos 8:9) which is known in history as the "dark age" of Popery; then a period which was neither light nor dark (known to the Lord as not day nor night in Zechariah 14:6-7, and known as the "cloudy and dark day" in Ezekiel 34:12); then the "evening time" which was to be light. (Zechariah 14:7.) Thus we have a gospel day which was bright and glorious both in its morning and evening, its beginning and ending. These two periods of time of gross darkness, the dark ages of Popery, were followed by a time of part light and part darkness as they approached the Evening Time when the sun was again to shine forth in its strength.

Now for a brief summary of each of those periods in order to establish the "cloudy and dark day" in its relation to the other periods of the gospel day.

In Isaiah 21:11 we read, "The burden of Dumah. He calleth me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?" According to the Pictorial Bible Dictionary (Zondervan), Dumah means silence. This prophecy probably refers to the 400 year period between the close of the Old Testament with Malachi to the beginning of the New Testament era and the coming of Christ during which time there was no prophet from God nor any word from Him. A lack or absence of any communication with God surely produces spiritual darkness and night. What the prophet is actually asking here is, "What time of night is it?" Then in verse 12 the glad announcement is given, "...The morning cometh,..." This was certainly an encouraging announcement after so long a night of dismal darkness. Again in Isaiah 60:1-3, we read, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee,... And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising." This is another prophecy of a glorious, new day which was to come.

These and many other Old Testament prophecies were gloriously fulfilled in the coming of Christ and His ministry and work and teachings among the people. He ushered in the dawning of the new and glorious gospel day. In Matthew 4:16 we read concerning Jesus, "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." And again in Luke 2:32, Jesus is declared to be "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." Jesus is the "Light of the world," and with His coming the darkness of night was dispelled and the glorious light of the gospel was ushered in. This was the glorious morning of the gospel day.

Many grand and glorious things could be written about that morning time of the Church and the gospel going forth conquering and to conquer, but space does not permit. Neither is the question concerned with that.

In Isaiah 21:12, after the announcement that "The morning cometh," it immediately followed, "And also the night:..." There was an age of awful, terrible, frightful spiritual night that followed the glorious light of the morning of the gospel day. This was brought about by apostasy from the pure standards of the pure gospel in the morning Church. This apostasy brought about the setting up of a human, man-made religious system (the Roman Catholic Church) in the place of the spiritual Church built and presented to the world by Jesus Christ, with the pope at the head of it in the stead of Jesus Christ, the Head of the pure New Testament Church. This period was prophesied in a number of prophecies. I will refer to perhaps only a couple from the Old Testament and then maybe one or two from the New Testament. Amos and Micah describe it thus: "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day" (Amos 8:9); and, "Therefore night shall be unto you,...that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them." (Micah 3:6).

After Jesus had described the destruction of Jerusalem and the calamitous tribulation during that time, He said in Matthew 24:29, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the power of the heavens shall be shaken." The language here is all figurative or symbolic, and signifies a terrific upheaval and commotion in the spiritual heavens and the darkening of the spiritual atmosphere. This was the result of taking from the people the pure Word of God and substituting in its place the theories and doctrines of men and the substitution of the form for the fact of godliness. This period lasted for 1260 years until the time of the sixteenth century reformation by Martin Luther which broke the power of the Catholic hierarchy.

Now we reach the period of time involved in our question "the cloudy and dark day." The 34^th chapter of Ezekiel is a prophecy which may have a twofold fulfillment. It may have a direct fulfillment in ancient Israel, but it certainly has a fulfillment in the spiritual Israel in this gospel day. God’s rebuke of the unfaithful shepherds certainly describes the ministry of the apostate church in their brutishness, severity, arrogance, and tyranny over the people in those dark ages. Then at the time of the reformation, light broke in upon the darkness when Martin Luther declared the truth that "the just shall live by faith." Justification by faith in Jesus had not been taught to the people all during the dark ages. Now there was some light shining through, but it shone dimly as through a cloudy mist of fog. Following the 16^th century reformation we have a period of sect making and organized religion known as Protestantism. There were many sects or denominations formed, each having its own creed and doctrine. This was perhaps due to the different leaders of the period getting hold of certain truths as they began to be gradually revealed as they were coming out of the dark night of papalism, and each leader establishing a creed and doctrine on the particular principle or principles of truth which he had received. But there was still considerable darkness and practices carried out of the dark ages mixed in with the truth which had been revealed to them. Zechariah prophesied of this time in Zechariah 14:6-7. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:

But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day nor night:..."

The people of God generally became identified with these different sects and denominations, and consequently were scattered and divided one from another. This was not God’s plan for His people. The New Testament teaches throughout the unity of spirit and faith (doctrine), and oneness of the people of God. Consequently, it is said in Zechariah 14:7, immediately following the quotation of Scripture above, "...But it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light."

We are in that glorious time now when the pure gospel light is once more shining forth in its brilliance and beauty, and God’s people are being gathered to the one body of Christ. The main thrust of the Evening Light Reformation message is the unity of God’s people and the one, true Church divine. This is what is meant in Ezekiel 34:12, "...So will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day."

The cloudy and dark day period lasted 350 years from the time of the 16^th century reformation in 1530 until the time that the Evening Light Reformation broke in 1880. The evening time will last until Jesus comes again which rounds out and completes the gospel day.