More Than A Prophet

“Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples. And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. . .”

“For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John”. . .not a New Testament prophet, but a culmination of all the Old Testament prophets rolled up into one. . .three of whom stand out in my mind more than the rest - Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther - for they too are more than just prophets. . .and, in reading these precious stories again do we begin to see what God is doing even TODAY!

Take Ezra for example. . .his very name עֶזְרָה [H5834] means: HELP - which is the same as H5833 (עֶזְרָה) meaning: HELP, HELPER. It is interesting to note that H5833 is derived from H5828 (עֵזֶר,ʻêzer) meaning: HELP, HELP MEET - the same word used to describe the “woman” God separated out from man. The root word of H5828 is ʻâzar (עָזַר) [H5826] meaning: TO SURROUND, PROTECT, AID, HELP, SUCCOR.  Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. . .”  The word “Comforter” here, is the Greek root word paraklētos (παράκλητος) [G3875] meaning: ADVOCATE, A HELPER, SUCCORER, AIDER, ASSISTANT.  From this, it is easy to see that Ezra is a type of the Holy Spirit - although I do believe further study of this little book will make that connection sure.

When I read Ezra, I see Babylon as the Harlot Church system whom the “king” thereof is stirred up to let some of its captives return to their homeland in order to build again the “House of God” - only when Ezra arrives to teach the people the ways of God, he discovers that many of the men and priests had married the “women” of the land which God had instructed them time and time again, not to do. These “women” then gave birth to children who “spoke not the language of Israel”. . .that is, the language of the Spirit!  These returning exiles had laid a foundation for the Temple with the work of their own hands, just like the many “House’s of God” are built up today.  All the "vessels” are there, but they are not being used the way God intended, if at all. . .we’ve all been there.  

The Grieving of the Spirit

If I could pick just one passage of scritpure in the entire Bible which provides us with a picture of what it looks like when the Holy Spirit is grieved by our adulterous hearts, I believe it would be the following. . .

Chapter 9. . .”After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying:

O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.” - End Quote

I ask you, is this not the voice of one speaking on behalf of those He is responsible for leading in the way of Christ Jesus?  Ezra includes himself in the blame as one standing in the breach between God’s mercy and His wrath.

The People Confess Their Sin

Chapter 10. . .”While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.

Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem,  and that if anyone did not come WITH THREE DAYS, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.

Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter.  Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.”  Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men, heads of fathers' houses, according to their fathers' houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.” - End Quote

The “heavy rain” here reminds me of Elijah warning Ahab to get down from Mount Carmel because he had “heard the sound of abundance of rain”. . .this coming only after the people of Israel repented, thus bringing an end to the drought they had brought upon themselves through the worship of false idols.  We too live amongst a people who are parched and weary, and in desparate need of the sound of RAIN!  Yea. . .even lots, and lots of RAIN!  Oh! that heaven would pour down its bounty upon us!!

The Hour Cometh and Now is!

As our dear brother Preston Eby so vividly and accurately wrote of our generation, “We are at the hour in history when we will no longer be able to depend upon ourselves, much less on others for our strength and sustenance. The hour has come when tribulation is sweeping away every refuge of lies. It’s turbulent floods are eroding the sandy foundations from beneath our feet. The old dependancies of church meetings, form and ceremonies are all at their end. If you have trusted in men for your strength, they will be taken from you. If you have depended upon others for your spiritual bread, they will be removed far from you; and all this will come about so that through the fires and floods of tribulation the badly soiled garments of the Laodicean age will be cleansed and made white in the Blood of the Lamb!

The tribulations which are now gripping the entire earth, are the birthpangs of the kingdom of God. God is calling upon the in-Christed saints to become more firmly rooted and grounded in Him so that amid the coming floods they will not be moved away from the HOPE OF HIS CALLING! Long ago, David - the man who through the dreadful tempests of life had learned to trust in God to sustain him, wrote these wonderful words. . .

God is our refuge and strength,
 a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Psalm 46:1-2

And yet, as wonderful as the words are that David spoke, and the deliverance that God gave him. . .God has reserved for you and me to see that day when the earth will be removed and the mountains carried away into the heart of the sea! These are the things that are now coming in fury upon the world, and when it is over, every man who has become rooted and grounded in Christ will be standing - unmoved! These will NOT be moved from THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING!” - End Quote

There is neither space or time to detail all of the wonderful things I see in these three little books, but if you do decide to read them anew, I pray the Spirit will lead you to see them as one complete story of restoration, redemption and REJOICING, as Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to repair the “breaches” in its walls and to populate the actual city - which is a type of the New Jerusalem Bride.  Then, on the brink of Israel’s total annihilation, along comes Esther who is that Bride - a Queen who then risks Her own life to save Her brethren. . .a sacrifice which ultimately brings PEACE and JOY to ALL the people residing in the Kings provinces! 

The Resoration of Israel

“In that day I will raise up
    the booth of David that is fallen
and repair its breaches,
    and raise up its ruins
    and rebuild it as in the days of old
that they may possess the remnant of Edom
    and all the nations who are called by my name,”
    declares the Lord who does this.

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper
    and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
    and all the hills shall flow with it.
I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
    and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
    and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them on their land,
    and they shall never again be uprooted
    out of the land that I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.

Amos 9:11-15

With shouts of joy from Zion. . .your sister in Christ,

Julie Hogan, October 2025

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