At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” (Ezekiel 3:16-21 NIV)

This seems so harsh to Ezekiel. He is called to warn those who are obstinate and stubborn, a rebellious house, people who are ready to silence him. Why does the Sovereign Lord bother to send one prophet after another to his rebellious people? He loves her. In chapter 16, we see Jerusalem as God sees — His beloved that He has lovingly rescued from abandonment. And yet, despite the love lavished upon her, she has forsaken her Beloved and gone after the idolatrous world who shamefully abuse her. Jerusalem has become the adulterous wife.

In these chapters, we catch a glimpse of how it is that at the close of this Age, the Church is the Bride of Christ, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. Though it is up to each of us individually to respond to God’s call and heed His warnings in the Scriptures, we will miss the point if our eyes are merely on ourselves and our responsibilities. How can we please God except that we appreciate that He is waiting for His Bride. He has given Himself for her, not merely that you and I are saved from our sins, but that we are redeemed for our part in the Bride of Christ. It is so much bigger than ourselves, we must get past focusing on our own salvation.

So, we need to turn from our evil ways, be faithful to sound the warning, and much more, let the Spirit work on us that the Bride may be prepared for our Lord and King. Do we love Him?

The times are alarming. The warnings severe. But the tenderness for Jerusalem is seen in His word. Only God’s beloved corporately can satisfy God’s heart or continue to grieve His heart.