Ezekiel 6

God commanded Ezekiel to look towards Israel and prophesy against them: hear the word of the Lord God! God said He will bring a sword against Israel, destroy their high places, desolate their altars, lay corpses of children of Israel before their idols, and scatter their bones around their altars. Cities shall be laid waste and all their works will be abolished. They will know that He is the Lord.

However, God will leave a remnant, and they will remember God. 

Nonetheless, because of Israel's evil abominations, they shall die by sword, famine, and pestilence. Those afar off will die by pestilence; those near will die by sword; and those who remain and are besieged shall die in the famine. God will set His fury on them, and they will know that He is the Lord. 

God will stretch out His hand and make the land desolate, and they shall know that He is the Lord. 

COMMENTARY

In the beginning of the book of Ezekiel, God was focused on Jerusalem, but now His fury is on the land of Israel. Ezekiel was in the second group of people taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, but many people were still in the land, listening to the false prophets assure them that the captives would soon return. Jeremiah was also still in Israel, and he told the people it would be seventy years of captivity, yet no one listened to him. They preferred the positive message of the false prophets, much like the people of today rather listen to the soft pastors preach positive messages. 

God wanted His people to know that He is a holy God, and He will not tolerate sin. They had been given special privilege to know Him personally, but they had denied Him over and over. Now God's judgment was coming. 

However, there was a small remnant of people who did not forget God. They may have committed idolatry and were unfaithful to Him, but once they realized their sin, they turned back to God. Keep in mind that anyone who does not hate his sin, then he cannot be of God. This is what will happen during the Great Tribulation, where a remnant of His people will remember the Lord, repent, and return to Him by recognizing Jesus Christ as Messiah. 

Again, God is a holy God, and He does not desire that any should perish. Repent and return to the Lord.