Now we need to go on to see how God exercised His judgment over these seven nations. God executed judgment in four ways: by destroying these nations, by making them desolate, by making them very low, and by delivering them to the nether parts of the earth, that is, to the lower parts of the earth (31:14). Where are those in the Roman Empire who hated the church? They are in the nether parts of the earth, the place where every persecutor of the church will eventually go.
It is crucial that we deal with our old man. If we do not judge our old man, God will exercise His judgment upon us, making us low and “down” in spirit. If we judge our old man, not caring to be first or to have any position in the church, we will be happy in the church life, we will be “up,” and our spirit will be “high.” To be “down” means that we are under God’s judgment.
Because we go along with our natural man, in His judgment, sometimes God will even destroy us and make us desolate. When we are desolate, we have nothing fresh, new, living, and growing. Instead, we are like a desert. Desolation is the result of our going along with our natural man. The more we exercise our natural wisdom, the more desolate we will be. But if we judge our natural man, our spirit will rise up and will be fresh, living, and flourishing.
Our old man and our natural man surely need to be dealt with by God. We cannot be responsible for the “Ammonites,” the “Moabites,” the “Tyrians,” the “Zidionians,” and the “Egyptians,” but we can, and we should, be responsible for the “Edomites” and the “Philistines,” who signify our old man and our natural man. By God’s grace we need to deal thoroughly with the old man and with the natural man, not allowing them to carry out a destructive work in the church. First Corinthians 3:17a says, “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him.” If our old man and our natural man destroy the church of God, God will destroy us with our old man and natural man. Regarding this, we need to learn to fear God.
The first result of God’s judgment upon the nations was that all the nations (and also Israel) knew that He was the Lord. “That they may know that I am the Lord”: the expression is used many times in the book of Ezekiel. Again and again the Lord seemed to be saying, “I will destroy them that they may know that I am the Lord. I will make them desolate that they may know that I am the Lord. I will make them low that they may know that I am the Lord. I will put them into the nether parts of the earth that they may know that I am the Lord” (25:7, 11, 17; 26:6; 29:6). All those who opposed the Lord and who are now in the nether parts of the earth, such as Emperor Nero, Hitler, and Mussolini, now know that Jesus is the Lord. Eventually, all those who are still opposing God and persecuting the church will be put into the nether parts of the earth, where they will know that Jesus is the Lord.
The second result, or issue, of God’s judgment upon the nations was that God’s purpose was carried out and fulfilled.