28 Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind.29 And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
“How much longer?” we would all bellyache on long trips to San Antonio from our home in Midland, TX. It was a 6-hour trip one way, and we did not have devices to listen to music or play games on. No, it was the open road and maybe a book to read. The open road calls some, but for us kids it meant 6 hours of staring out the window, hoping we could just transport ourselves to grandmother’s house instantly. That was a hopeless fantasy, and we knew it. We would finally get to grandmother’s house a whole half day later, get out of the car, and run around thanking the Lord we made it and no more car travel time and staring out the window.
Ezekiel is still prophesying in Babylon. The Lord downloads to him some end-times prophecies about Gog and Magog and the last days of the earth in chapters 38 and 39. We won’t get into all that because the debate over when and who is too much to swallow in a devotional. If you are interested in end-times prophecy, I would recommend David Jeremiah and his end-times teaching. It is really great. He goes through the book of Revelation. You will learn a lot and come away inspired.
Our verse today is a sneak peek forward some six hundred and fifteen years in the future. The Lord is telling His people about Pentecost in the book of Acts. When Jesus came and died on the cross, He said, “It is finished” in John 19:30. Jesus was referencing the finished work of the cross. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice that satisfied the payment for all of the world’s sin, past, present, and future. “It is finished” should be burning into our heads when we think about sin. What if I told you some of the most evil people to ever walk the earth had their sins paid for at the cross? We can go through the worst of them, and all of them could have accepted the gift of salvation offered by Christ.
When Jesus walked the earth, He told us that He would be sending a helper. In John 14:26 it says, “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative, that is, the Holy Spirit, he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” That Holy Spirit was given to the world in the second chapter of Acts on the day of Pentecost. By being baptized in the Holy Spirit, the disciples were then equipped to do the work of the Lord. This same Holy Spirit lives inside of every believer. He takes up residence in your heart and will be your guide for all things in life. He will instruct you in righteousness, and you will see signs and wonders follow those who believe (Mark 16:17-19). This is what the Lord downloaded to Ezekiel about.
The Lord promises not to leave you. He won’t leave any behind, He leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one (Matthew 18:12-14). He will never turn His face from us because He sees us through the blood of Christ. Most of all, His Holy Spirit is poured out to all who believe today. We have a decision to make. Are we going to accept the gifts of God in our lives, or are we going to pass? Those long car trips were long and sometimes hard, but when we got to our destination, we were so happy to see our relatives and, most of all, not be in the car. It took over six hundred years for this prophecy to be fulfilled.
Today you can accept the saving grace of Jesus and be saved. You can also be baptized in the Holy Spirit as well. Don’t wait another day to grasp what Christ did for you. It was a long time coming for the people of Israel. It can be today, right now, for you.
Prayer: If you have never prayed the salvation prayer, here it goes: “Father, I am a sinner, and I need you in my life. Come in and take up residence in my heart. I pray that You would be the leader of my life, and I dedicate my life to You. I receive Your gift of salvation in Jesus’ name, amen.”
If you have never been baptized in the Holy Spirit, let’s pray this prayer: “Father, I want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit today in Jesus’ name. I receive Your gift of the Holy Spirit like the disciples did in Acts. I thank You for my prayer language You talk about in the New Testament. I thank You for being used by the Holy Spirit with all the gifts of the Spirit today for Your glory, in Jesus’ name, amen.”
Let It Go 
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