So turn with me to the book of Ezekiel and chapter 13. Book of Ezekiel in chapter 13. I want to read again this evening verses 10 and 11. Seems as though those will probably be the only two verses that we deal with this evening. And he said, he began reading in verse 10, Because even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace, and there was no peace, and one built up a wall, and others daubed it with untempered mortar, saying to them, which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall rend it." The false prophets are going to see the wall collapse. The likeness here is to the wall which they built. They're going to see that wall collapse. They and the people had built lives of idolatry, lives upon Vanity, scripture says, upon falsehoods. And because they prophesied a message of peace, when in fact God said it would be His wrath, it would be destruction for their rebellion, for their hard-heartedness for their stiff neck and worshipping idolatry. He says in these verses, he says that one prophet, one false prophet built the wall. That is, he set the notion before the people that God was not at all displeased with Jerusalem. And this thing is about over, this thing by the end of two years will be completely gone and will be forgotten about. Jerusalem, you have nothing to worry about. Judah, you have nothing to worry about. The city will be confirmed in its flourishing state. It shall be a flourishing city. It'll be victorious over the powers that now threaten them. I suppose by this time the Babylonian army had surrounded, had laid the city in siege just as Ezekiel had been told to picture with the brick and the drawings on that brick and the laying siege of the city. But this prophet was prophesying that they're gonna be victorious over all that. Well, he built a wall. We would say he built a wall of peace, a wall of security, but it was a wall with no foundation. It was a wall that had been, as verse 11 states, daubed with untempered mortar. You see, this was, as we've said in the past, this was very acceptable with the people. It was pleasing to them, and it was pleasing to other prophets, it was acceptable with other prophets, and so the other prophets jumped on the bandwagon and began to prophesy the same thing, and those are the ones that are likened to daubing the wall with untempered mortar. we would say they were endeavoring to strengthen the wall, to make sure there were no holes in it, no weak spots in it, and to strengthen it. And that's what they were doing with their falsehoods, with their lies that they were spreading forth. The words here Untempered mortar, you literally mean a whitewashing. A whitewashing that is flimsy means nothing. It's something that's easily dissolved with water, and especially water with any force. Doesn't matter how thick you put it on there, it's eventually going to be washed away and is going to succumb to the elements. And so when the storm comes, it'll rain upon them and they shall fall. Of course, all this is symbolic of the Babylonian army falling upon them and the city not standing against the Babylonian army. The wall is gonna crumble, it's gonna come down. And so the wall of falsehoods, that wall of lies that was built and whitewashed is going to crumble. People are going to know it wasn't true. It wasn't true. It wasn't. solid ground. They had glossed over the sins of the people in making these things? God's not going to do anything to you. That Jeremiah, that Ezekiel, they're prophesying falsehood. Not so. God's not going to do that. And so, they were glossing over their sins. They were whitewashing their sins. We tend to do that when we talk about, oh, it was just a little sin. It was just a little white lie. That was a favorite one growing up. You know, that wasn't a big one. That was a little one. God said a lie is a lie. Furthermore, he calls deceit lying. He calls it leasing. Therefore, the prophets did not repent. The people did not repent. God's judgment caused them to be destroyed. You see, the message came to them, giving them space to repent. But the people would not repent. They wanted to hear a lie. The lies were told to them. And they repented not. And so God's judgment would cause them to be destroyed. The prophets, we saw their doom the last couple of weeks. Their names will not be written on the register. They'll never be allowed entrance into that city. Turn with me to the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 5. Isaiah chapter 5 and look with me here at verse 20. Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. That is, they call evil good and good evil. And we've talked about that amongst ourselves some. That's what we got going on today in our land. And it seems as though it would be the majority of the people that are on that bandwagon calling evil good and good evil. That is the sins of the people and it doesn't matter how wicked the individual is, why that's good. They're just expressing themselves the way God made them. And those that dare pick up the Word of God and proclaim the Word of God, well that's evil. That's a hate crime. It's a hate crime to pick up the Word of God and preach the Word of God. I'm just telling them what the Word of God says. I'm not expressing what's in my heart as far as toward that individual. I'm just calling sin, sin. I'm just calling evil, evil. And calling good, good. Look with me at the book of Proverbs. Proverbs chapter 17. Look with me here at verse 15. He that justifies the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, Even they both are an abomination to the Lord. That is, he that justifies the wicked, in other words, says, there's nothing wrong with the wicked, the wicked are okay. And he that condemns the just, he that says, oh, the just men, the righteous ones, oh, they're evil. God's Word says that both of them are an abomination unto God. And I remind you, I'm just telling you what God's Word says. You got a problem with that, take it up with God. Just remember, if you do, He changes not. He changes not. In other words, what he said in Proverbs chapter 17 is just as true today as it was when it was written. Come with me to the 28th chapter. Look with me at verse 26. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. How did the 13th chapter start off concerning these false prophets and prophetesses? They followed their own heart. In other words, they were trusting in their own heart. They were being led by their own spirit. Their heart wasn't a heart that had been given to them by God and their spirit wasn't God's spirit. And this verse says that he's a fool. That is, he's void of God and he's void of any understanding, discernment. Why? Because the things of God are discerned by the Spirit of God. Turn back to the book of Isaiah, chapter 47. Isaiah chapter 47. Look at verse 10, For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness, thou hast said, None seeth thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee. And thou hast said in thine heart, I am and none else beside me." That is an edict against these false prophets and prophecies. It's against anyone who follows their heart. They don't follow in the ways of the Lord. They don't heed His commandments. They call evil good and good evil. We have a warning from the Word of God. Turn with me to the book of Psalms. Psalms chapter number 146. Look at verse 3. Put not your trust in princes. nor in the Son of Man, in whom there is no help." Listen, He's telling us, He's telling the righteous. Don't you put your trust in princes or in man. There's no help with them. There's no benefit with them. That's exactly what these false prophets were doing. They were trusting in themselves, they were trusting in their own heart, and they were endeavoring to give the people what they wanted to hear. They were trusting in man. Not trusting in the Lord. And so we've been warned here in Psalms 146 not to do that. It's not good, it's not profitable. Turn with me to the book of Jeremiah, in chapter 17 and verse 5. 17 Thus saith the LORD, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. Don't you do it! Don't you trust in the arm of flesh? Don't you put your trust in man? To do so is to depart from the Lord. It is not to trust in the Lord, but to trust in man. And how often do we do that? How many do that when it comes election time? Time to elect a new president. Do you look to the man? You're not trusting the Lord. You look to the Lord. You trust the Lord. How about something goes wrong? How about your car break down on the interstate? Do you trust the Lord first? Do you take care of it? Do you seek Him first? Oh no! Now what? Pull out my phone and start calling the AAA or whatever or roadside assistance. excuse me, as the righteous, as Christians we're to trust the Lord and one who trusts the Lord he goes to Him first in prayer seeks His face now the warning here to these false prophets to us, or the trying storms will come. The trying storms will come. Look at verse 11. Just read the last half of that verse. There shall be an overflowing shower. Well, it would seem as though that county up in Tennessee, central Tennessee, had an overflowing shower, didn't they? 17 inches of rain in less than 24 hour period of time. Great floods. Last count I heard, 22 were dead, and they were fearing that number was gonna go sky high, and I saw that on Monday morning, so I don't know what the count is the last two days concerning that. And ye, O great hailstones, shall fall. and a stormy wind shall rend it." I mean they're going to get showers, they're not only going to get showers, they're going to get overflowing showers and then along with that they're going to get great hailstones and immediately my mind goes to the great hailstones that fell in Egypt but not on the land of Goshen where the Israelites were and killed animal and beast. Now that is accompanied with wind. Well, we here in Florida are no strangers to wind, are we? Look with me at the book of Matthew. Book of Matthew, chapter 7. And just to show you, that Matthew, the book of Matthew here is talking about Jesus, the one speaking, is talking about false prophets, and those who are believing in a lie, thinking that they've done mighty, wonderful works in the name of the Lord, and that's going to get them some benefit. Look at verse 15. Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. So beware of false prophets. That's our subject back in Ezekiel chapter 13. Ye shall know them by their fruits. If you're paying attention, you're gonna know they're a false prophet because they're bearing the fruit of a false prophet. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity. In the same context, and the thread is continuing, Jesus is continuing in verse 24, therefore, Whosoever, therefore, you know what therefore is, is joining what he previously said. with what he's about to say. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock. Them that hear these sayings of mine, and doeth them. That is, he does them in obedience. He hears, and he's obedient to that which he hears. And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. You see, the storms were coming, but he had the foresight to build it upon a rock. In other words, he heard the word of God, and he was obedient to the word of God. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, does not obey them, shall be likened unto a foolish man, the false prophets, and those who believe the false prophets, and thinking that they have an entrance into heaven with God. A foolish man which built his house upon the sand, He built it upon the sand. These false prophets in Ezekiel's day, what did they build their lives upon? Sand, whitewash. It wasn't gonna stand the storms. And the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house and it fell and great was the fall. of it. So, the trying storms will come. The Word of God is sure. Have you heard the Word of God? Have you obeyed the Word of God? Do you obey the Word of God? Or are you a foolish man? You've heard the Word of God, but you do not obey the Word of God. And that is to build your house, build your life, in Ezekiel's day, are guilty of building a wall, but not on a solid foundation. And the storms are going to come, the overflowing rain, the overflowing storms, the great hailstones, and the wind. Next week we'll...