Bible Study Ezekiel 22 Jerusalem and "the refiners furnace"

[GodIsMySavior]

I find this chapter of Ezekiel especially sobering concerning the coming judgement upon 70ad Jerusalem.

What struck my curiosity was the phrase "I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem". I am assuming this is talking about the whole house of Israel, which includes the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

I have a view of how God would accomplish that. [The fire and melting almost describes a nuclear bomb being dropped on the City or a type of "gehenna"........[Matt 23:33]]

The Refining Furnace
Ezekiel 22:
17The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 18 Son of man/adam, the house of Israel is become dross to me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver. 19Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold! I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you. 21Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. 22As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so you will be melted in its midst; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath/fury on you.
===============
I can view that as the gathering of 1000's of Jews for the feast of the Passover in 70ad!
The Jews word compelled to travel to Jerusalem for that event and what better days to do it than at Passover.

Here is how Josephus describes what was happening before the siege started;

The Destruction of Jerusalem - George Peter Holford, 1805AD

*snip*

While Jerusalem was a prey to these ferocious and devouring factions, every part of Judea was scourged and laid waste by bands of robbers and murderers,.............The three factions, rendered frantic by drunkenness, rage, and desperation, trampling on heaps of slain, fought against each other................ John of Gischala, who headed one of the factions, burnt storehouses full of provisions ; and Simon, his great antagonist, who headed another of them, soon afterwards followed his example. Thus they cut the very sinews of their own strength

Dan 8:23 - “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
Hos 5:2 - The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them

At this critical and alarming conjuncture, intelligence arrived that the Roman an army was approaching the city. The Jews were petrified with astonishment and fear...............nothing to be seen but garments rolled in blood," -- nothing to be expected from the Romans but signal and exemplary vengeance..........................
Such was the horrible condition of the place when Titus and his army presented themselves, and encamped before Jerusalem ; but, alas ! not to deliver it from its miseries but to fulfill the prediction, and vindicate the benevolent warning of our Lord,................

The day on which Titus encompassed Jerusalem, was the feast of the Passover ; and it is deserving of the very particular attention of the reader, that this was the anniversary of that memorable period in which the Jews crucified their Messiah! At this season multitudes came up from all the surrounding country, and from distant parts, to keep the festival. How suitable and how kind, then, was the prophetic admonition of our LORD, and how clearly he into futurity when he said "Let not them that are in the countries enter into Jerusalem." Luke xxi. 21.

Nevertheless, the city was at this time crowded with Jewish strangers, and foreigners from all parts, so that the whole nation may be considered as having been shut up in one prison, preparatory to the execution of the Divine vengeance ; and, according to Josephus this event took place suddenly

Dan 8:23 - “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
Hos 5:2 - The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter. I will discipline all of them

================================
To be continued............Any thoughts?

 

[for_his_glory]

Ezekiel 22:17-20 could very well be those Jews that were killed in Jerusalem during the Roman siege in 70AD that killed 1.1 million Jews during that time who went after strange gods. I see the hand of God bringing wrath upon Israel by using their enemies as they turned away from God refusing to repent

When studying the history of the twelve tribes of Israel being the sons of Jacob/Israel we find from 1047 B.C. and 931 B.C. the twelve tribes were under the leadership of three Kings, Saul, David and Solomon. Near the end of Solomon's reign he fell into idolatry and God spoke of tearing apart the Kingdom as judgment for these sins, 1 Kings 11:10-12. After Solomon's death his son Rehoboam became King and those ten Northern tribes (Israel/Ephraim and Dan) rebelled against King Rehoboam and followed after Jeroboam up North causing a division of the north and south Kingdom. Only the tribe of Judah (Judah) and the tribe of Benjamin (Judah) stayed Loyal to King Rehoboam in the southern Kingdom for they kept Gods commandments as they knew David was the lineage of the promised Messiah as it was prophesied of the prophets of God. For almost two centuries the two Kingdoms where divided, but a remnant of the ten tribes soon came back to Judah after following Jeroboam as he turned the northern Kingdom into idol worshippers.

We see this siege again in Rev 9-14-18 when the sixth trumpet is sounded and this time it is God sending out His angels to the four quarters of the earth to slay a third of men with fire and smoke and brimstone.

Rev 9:14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
Rev 9:15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
Rev 9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Rev 9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
Rev 9:18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.