Yekhezq’el (Ezekiel) 13:3-9

Thus says ADONAI YAHUAH; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! 4 O Yisra’el, your prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. 5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Yisra’el to stand in the battle in the day of YAHUAH. 6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, YAHUAH says: and YAHUAH has not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. 7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, YAHUAH says it; albeit I have not spoken? 8 Therefore thus says ADONAI YAHUAH; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, says ADONAI YAHUAH. 9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Yisra’el, neither shall they enter into the land of Yisra’el; and ye shall know that I am ADONAI YAHUAH.

The key to understanding this entire passage lies in the duty of the true prophet, which is to go up into the gaps (or, to ascend into the breach) and to make up the hedge for the house of Yisra’el – to stand in the battle in the day of YAHUAH.  This is a bit different that forecasting the future, saying YAHUAH says (thus sayeth the Lord), and to then go about hoping that something would then confirm the word. 

So the true prophet:

Stands in the gap

Makes up a hedge for the house of Yisra’el

             Stands in the battle in the day of YAHUAH.

But what of the foolish prophets?  What have they done?

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar (תפל taphel – foolish things): 11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar (foolish things), that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. 12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? 13 Therefore thus says ADONAI YAHUAH; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. 14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar (foolish things), and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am YAHUAH. 15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar (foolish things), and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; 16 To wit, the prophets of Yisra’el which prophesy concerning Yerushalayim, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, says ADONAI YAHUAH.

I see this a bit today, with prophets building a wall with foolish things rather than standing in the gap, building a hedge for the house of Yisra’el and preparing to stand in battle in the day of YAHUAH. 

Standing in the gap means defending the faith when there is no one else there to do so – when the wall that should be providing protection is broken such that there is a gap – and a gap that is filled by a person, not more wall.  Does this mean hanging out at the church waiting for the rapture?  Does it mean sitting in the Mezzanine while other believers are slaughtered by purveyors of cultish religions?  Does it mean fleeing for the hills of Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, etc. when the wall collapses in certain places? 

I don’t think so.  When the wall collapses, the true prophet steps into the breach with the Word of YAH to build a strong tower.  The false prophet teaches vanity and foolish things.

There are so many purveyors of hyperbole designed to terrify the average American, preaching the ultimate conclusion that a person should buy a gas mask, food, ammunition, and water filtration systems on the way to some destination out of the nation.  All of these teachings are foolish things (untampered mortar). 

Let’s consider the admonition of Yermiyahu in his chapter 42:

Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 42:7-18

And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of YAHUAH came unto Yirmeyahu. 8 Then called he Yahuchanon the son of Qareach, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 And said unto them, Thus says YAHUAH, the ELOHIYM of Yisra’el, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him; 10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. 11 Be not afraid of the king of Babel, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, says YAHUAH: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. 12 And I will show mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.  13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of YAHUAH your ELOHIYM, 14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Mitsrayim, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the shofar, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: 15 And now therefore hear the word of YAHUAH, ye remnant of Yahudah; Thus says YAHUAH TSEVA’OT, the ELOHIYM of Yisra’el; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Mitsrayim, and go to sojourn there; 16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Mitsrayim, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Mitsrayim; and there ye shall die. 17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Mitsrayim to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. 18 For thus says YAHUAH TSEVA’OT, the ELOHIYM of Yisra’el; As mine anger and my fury has been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Yerushalayim; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Mitsrayim: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. 

In short, Yekhezq’el calls us to stand and fight for the house of Yisra’el, not to run away to a place where we think there will be no war, no hunger, and no pestilence. But if we abide in the land, YAH will build us, YAH will plant us and not pluck us up. 

Let those prophets who sell us terror keep this in mind.