The Contenders and the Pretenders

Ezekiel 9 to 12 Do you wonder who is faithful to God? Jude wrote that there are some that are “contenders and some are pretenders.” Unfortunately, many in Jerusalem fell into that last category. They looked and acted the part of the elite priesthood. They did all the right things like offering the sacrifices and saying the right prayers, but they were the pretenders. They did not know God nor glorify Him. How often do we get caught in that same trap! The real question is; are you: a contender or a pretender?

Yet God knew those who were His even though Ezekiel, as his chosen prophet, did not and so He sent his angelic forces with an order: “put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” [Ezek 9:4]  God sent them throughout the city to mark His faithful ones and strike down the unfaithful. As Ezekiel watched, he asked the Lord, “Will you destroy the entire remnant of Israel?” [Ezek 9:8] He was not the only one that was wondering the same thing. Many centuries earlier, Abraham had asked God: “Will you really sweep away the godly along with the wicked?” [Gen 18:23]

 Beloved, God knows those who are His, and He marks them so that the evil one cannot destroy them. Like Job, the “contenders” are protected by the Father. Remember, Jesus asked the Father twice to keep his followers safe; “Father, keep them safe from the evil one.” [John 17:11 & 15]

Don’t worry about the pretenders. Until God calls you home, “contend earnestly for the faith…” [Jude 3].