Widow Makers

(This is part of the Bible study The Desolate Woman And The Married Woman.)

Ezekiel 22:23-31- The dry, uncleansed land of America (due to the uncleansed state of the church), like Israel, is a result of the spiritual leadership within our nation. They have not taught and upheld the necessity of righteous, holy living amongst the people of God (the daily sacrifice described in Daniel 11:28-32 below. Also, see my book Profaning The Covenant). Instead, in their greed and rebellion they have exploited God’s people for their own name’s sake, not turning them back from sin. They have made many widows in our midst (verse 25), causing the “married woman” to lose her husband (see the Bible study The Desolate Woman And The Married Woman). He is dead to her, his (the Lord) presence is no longer experienced.

23 And the word of the LORD came to me saying,

24 "Son of man, say to her, 'You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.' [See Luke 21:20-23 below where he speaks of the day of vengeance which Isaiah 61:2 proclaims. Interestingly enough, when Jesus quoted this passage from Isaiah in Luke 4:18-19 as a public proclamation of His ministry, He stopped short at “to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” The next part is “and the day of vengeance of our God.” I believe this is because at that moment in time He was offering His favor to the people. When they rejected His offer of favor, they were receiving the day of His wrath and vengeance. It will be one or the other for all of us.]

25 "There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her [Through their greed they have become “widow-makers.” That is, their false doctrines allow a person to live in sin, glorifying themselves, with no consequence. They have not taught the people the difference between the holy and the profane. In their teachings there is no need for consecration, and sanctification. Revelation 18:7-8 speaks of these deceived individuals. They say “I sit as a Queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.” In other words, she will be removed, or cast out from her place of ruling authority with the King (see the Bible study Queen Vashti's Rebellion). Verse 8 says that “she will be burned up with fire for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” For more on this see my Bible study entitled The Tribulation.] .

26 "Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

27 "Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain.

28 "And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken.

29 "The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice.

30 "And I searched for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

31 "Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads," declares the Lord GOD.

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Zechariah 7:9-14- The lack of good deeds amongst God’s people caused the “pleasant land” to become desolate. Due to their refusal to listen to the Lord when He called out to them, He would not listen to them when they cried out to Him. Unfortunately, this will happen in the church at the end of this age.

9 "Thus has the LORD of hosts said, 'Dispense true justice, and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother;

10 and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.'

11 "But they refused to pay attention, and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing.

12 "And they made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.

13 "And it came about that just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen," says the LORD of hosts; [see Proverbs 1:20-33]

14 "but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is desolated behind them, so that no one went back and forth, for they made the pleasant [2532- “delight, desirable”] land desolate."

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Micah 7:13

13 The earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the result of their deeds.

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Daniel 11:28-32- See the note below.

28 "Then he [the king of the north] will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.

29 "At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.

30 "For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened, and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard [“to give heed to, to mark”] for those who forsake [“to leave, abandon”] the holy covenant.

31 "And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary [“a consecrated thing or place, the holy place”] fortress, and do away with the regular [“daily”] sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.

32 "And by smooth words [“flattery, fine promises”] he will turn to godlessness [2610] those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength [“to be courageous, firm, resolute”] and take action.

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2610 chaneph (khaw-nafe');

a primitive root; to soil, especially in a moral sense:

to be profaned, to be defiled, to be polluted, to be corrupt

a) (Qal)

1) to be polluted

2) to be profane, to be godless

b) (Hiphil)

1) to pollute

2) to make profane, to make godless, to cause to be defiled

This passage speaks of “the abomination that causes desolation.” (Also see Daniel 9:27 and 12:11.) It involves those who have “violated the covenant.” The king of the North is said to have abolished the daily sacrifice. Paul said “I die daily.” Covenant breakers see no need for this “daily sacrifice.” They set themselves on the Lord’s throne in their hearts, desecrating His sanctuary within themselves. They are the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2 who “takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” This man is the fallen, sinful nature within all of mankind. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can subdue him.

Those who forsake, or abandon the “holy covenant” through unholy living, profane the covenant (see my book Profaning The Covenant). Through continued disobedience we destroy the place of protection in Christ. Our lack of concern towards consecration to the Lord through the daily sacrifice of our lives is satan’s objective. When we take this lightly, the spirit of antichrist has gotten a foothold within us. If unrepented of, it will destroy you.

Matthew 23:37-39- Because of Israel’s unwillingness to listen to the word of the Lord through His prophets to gather to Him, to draw near to Him (see my Bible study The Return Of Jesus Christ), their “house” would become a desolate, uninhabited wilderness deserted by the Shepherd. They will not see Him again until the appointed time at the end.

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.

38 Look, your house is left to you desolate [2048].

39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

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2048 eremos (er'-ay-mos)

of uncertain affinity; lonesome, i.e. (by implication) waste (usually as a noun, 5561 being implied):

KJV-- desert, desolate, solitary, wilderness.

solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited

a) used of places:

1) a desert, a wilderness

2) deserted places, lonely regions

3) an uncultivated region fit for pasturage

b) used of persons:

1) deserted by others

2) deprived of the aid and protection of others, especially of friends, acquaintances, kindred

3) bereft

a) used of a flock deserted by the shepherd

b) used of a woman neglected by her husband from whom the husband withholds himself

Luke 21:20-23- In this comparative passage to Matthew 24:15-22, Luke adds verse 20 which speaks of the desolation of Jerusalem at the end of this age. (See the Bible study The Desolate Woman And The Married Woman.)

20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand.

21 "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city;

22 because these are days of vengeance [see Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61:1-2], in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23 "Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people,

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