How can Ezekiel 32:25 deepen our understanding of God's judgment in Revelation? The text itself “They have made a bed for her among the slain, with all her multitudes. Her graves surround her, all of them uncircumcised, slaughtered by the sword; they bear their disgrace with those who descend to the Pit. They are put among the slain.” Setting the scene • The oracle targets Egypt, picturing the once-proud empire assigned a “bed” in the realm of the dead. • “Uncircumcised” stresses separation from God’s covenant people. • “Slain by the sword” underscores divine, not merely human, judgment. • “Bear their disgrace” shows judgment includes conscious shame, not annihilation. • “The Pit” (Hebrew šaḥat) anticipates the final abyss imagery of Revelation. Echoes in Revelation Ezekiel’s vision Revelation’s fulfillment • Mass grave of the nations → Revelation 19:17-21: corpses of kings, commanders, horses, and riders strewn across the earth. • Sword of judgment → Revelation 19:15: “From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” • Descent to the Pit → Revelation 20:1-3: Satan bound in “the Abyss,” same concept amplified. • Enduring disgrace → Revelation 20:14-15: the lake of fire, “the second death,” eternal shame outside God’s presence. • Separation from covenant → Revelation 22:15: “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers…”—uncircumcised hearts barred from the Holy City. Shared themes that sharpen our view of God’s judgment • Certainty: both passages treat judgment as scheduled and unavoidable. • Totality: no partial penalty—whole multitudes fall; in Revelation “earth and sky fled” (20:11). • Personal shame: disgrace is carried, not escaped (Ezekiel 32:25; Revelation 14:10-11). • Divine initiative: the sword belongs to God; human weapons are secondary. • Moral justification: terror once “spread in the land of the living” boomerangs back—sin is perfectly recompensed (Galatians 6:7). Why the tomb imagery matters • It roots Revelation’s visions in prior, concrete history—God judged Egypt once; He will judge all nations finally. • A “bed among the slain” strips away illusions of power or culture; what is left is the soul before its Maker. • The grave encircled by others pictures corporate solidarity in rebellion and punishment (cf. Revelation 18:4, “Come out from her, My people”). • Shame in death anticipates the public exposure at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:12, “books were opened”). Living in light of certain judgment • Take God at His word—every prophecy so far has landed exactly as spoken. • Reject any hope in worldly strength; Egypt fell, Rome will fall, every empire will follow. • Embrace covenant identity—be spiritually “circumcised” in Christ (Colossians 2:11-13) to avoid the lot of the uncircumcised. • Proclaim grace now; the window for repentance closes when the sword falls (2 Corinthians 6:2). |
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