Pay Attention! Listen to the Watchmen on the Wall!

The city of Old San Juan in Puerto Rico is heavily fortified. Its “El Morro” Fortress dates back to 1650 when the Spanish government ordered the city to be surrounded by walls. The picture above is of one of its “garritas” or sentry towers where guards were posted 24/7 — the watchmen. Their job was to warn the fortress officers if they saw any enemy ships approaching. I imagine they would then rally the troops and be ready for the attack.

Now, imagine if the sentry warned an officer, but the officer did nothing and the fortress was attacked and men were killed. Whose at fault? The officer, right? The sentry did his job. Such is the job of the watchmen (and women!) on the Wall.

Back in the Old Testament days, most cities were walled cities — not unlike Old San Juan. Watchmen were stationed on the wall and their job was to watch out for approaching enemies and to warn the leaders and the people that an attack would be imminent. We have this in Ezekiel chapter 33.

Ezekiel as Israel’s Watchman

Once again a message came to me from the Lord: ² “Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman. ³ When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. ⁴ Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. ⁵ They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.’

⁷ “Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. ⁸ If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ⁹ But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.

The Watchman’s Message

¹⁰ “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ ¹¹ As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?

¹² “Son of man, give your people this message: The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked behavior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins. ¹³ When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their righteous acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins. ¹⁴ And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. ¹⁵ For instance, they might give back a debtor’s security, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. ¹⁶ None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live.

¹⁷ “Your people are saying, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right,’ but it is they who are not doing what’s right. ¹⁸ For again I say, when righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and turn to evil, they will die. ¹⁹ But if wicked people turn from their wickedness and do what is just and right, they will live. ²⁰ O people of Israel, you are saying, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right.’ But I judge each of you according to your deeds.”…

³⁰ “Son of man, your people talk about you in their houses and whisper about you at the doors. They say to each other, ‘Come on, let’s go hear the prophet tell us what the Lord is saying!’ ³¹ So my people come pretending to be sincere and sit before you. They listen to your words, but they have no intention of doing what you say. Their mouths are full of lustful words, and their hearts seek only after money. ³² You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t act on it! ³³ But when all these terrible things happen to them—as they certainly will—then they will know a prophet has been among them.”

Ezekiel 33:1-20; 30-33 NLT

Today’s Watchmen

Today, there are many “Watchmen on the Wall”. Some of them are listed on this page. Or do a search on YouTube for “Watchmen on the Wall” and see who comes up. Look for the latest videos. There are some that are posting several times a week because they, too, realize that we are living in the Last Days.

They are warning us that we need to repent of our sins and turn to Jesus Christ. If people hear the message and repent and follow Jesus, then they’ll be OK. They won’t be left behind in the Rapture. If they hear the message and ignore it, it’s not the watchman’s fault if the people end up in hell.

For instance, in Ezekiel 37, we read about Dry Bones.

A Valley of Dry Bones

The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. ² He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. ³ Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! ⁶ I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

⁷ So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. ⁸ Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

¹⁰ So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ ¹² Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

Ezekiel 37:1-14 NLT

The Jews are Returning to Israel

Sunday, I listened to Prophecy Today with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. He interviewed John Rood who covers news of the European Union. The latest is that hundreds of thousands of French Jews are preparing to leave France and move to Israel. They are being driven out by antisemitism and jihad. Here is the interview….

Dr. DeYoung says that the return of the Jews is like the dry bones coming to life in 3 stages…

1. Secular Israel – they are not Messianic or believers in Jesus
2. Breath of Life – they accept Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah
3. They enter the Kingdom of God.

We are Truly Living in the Last Days!

Do I consider myself a “watchman on the wall”? Pastor Tom Hughes says that all born-again Christians should be, so maybe I am. I prefer to see myself as one of the “daughters” Peter spoke of in Acts 2…

¹⁷ ‘In the last days,’ God says,
    ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
    Your young men will see visions,
    and your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ In those days I will pour out my Spirit
    even on my servants—men and women alike—
    and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will cause wonders in the heavens above
    and signs on the earth below—
    blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
²⁰ The sun will become dark,
    and the moon will turn blood red
    before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
²¹ But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
    will be saved.’

Acts 2: 17-21

Get that? “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!” Everyone!

Are you saved? Have you called on the name of the Lord? Only Jesus can save you! No church, no sacraments, not Mary, not a priest, not even the Pope can save you. Only Jesus!

If you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven and that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, this is what you have to do…

Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.

• Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
• Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
• Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
• Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.

Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…

Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly…

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and my life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I surrender my whole life to you and I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Jesus Christ is coming back soon! Are you ready?

Soli Deo Gloria — To God Alone Be the Glory!

Next Steps in Your New Walk with Jesus…

1. Start reading the Bible daily to get to know God. If you don’t have one, I recommend the YouVersion, Bible.app and Through the Word app — both are free and have a lot of great Bible studies.
2. Pray every day. Talk to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you daily.
3. Find and join a Bible-believing church — preferably a non-denominational one and be baptized!

Here’s a special, rather appropriate song…