We must remember that Ezekiel was not written merely for the sake of history. We need to know the spiritual application of these seven nations to today's situation. Previously, we pointed out that the spiritual application of the noisome beast is that some evil people could be in the church as wolves (Ezek. 14:21; Acts 20:29). Based upon this principle, we have to discover the spiritual application of these seven nations. Otherwise, we will read these chapters merely as a kind of prophecy which was fulfilled in history. The Bible is not merely a book of history; it can also be applied to the church today.
Ammon and Moab were two brothers who were born of Lot by his daughters. Their origin was an ugly, evil thing. Yet Lot was a relative of Abraham, the first forefather of the people of Israel. It is not an easy thing to apply all these pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, but by considering the whole context of the Bible we can get a proper application. According to these verses in Ezekiel, Ammon offended God. First, when the sanctuary of God was profaned, they were happy. They said, "Aha" when the sanctuary was profaned (25:2-3). Secondly, when the holy land of God was made desolate, the Ammonites were also happy. Finally, when the house of Judah was carried away into captivity, the Ammonites were again happy. They were happy about three things: the sanctuary being profaned, the good land being made desolate, and the house of Judah being carried away. This means that they hated the sanctuary, they hated the holy land, and they hated the house of Judah. The sanctuary was a type of the incarnated Christ tabernacling on this earth as God's dwelling place, God's sanctuary (John 1:14). The good land signifies Christ with all of His riches and grace that God has given us. The house of Judah, according to typology, signifies the church. Thus, the sanctuary signifies Christ, the good land signifies God's rich grace in Christ, and the house of Judah signifies the church.
Some people on the earth, represented by the Ammonites, hate Christ, they hate the grace God gives in Christ, and they hate the church. Do you understand? Who are today's Ammonites? They are the people who hate Christ, who hate God's grace, and who hate the church. During the first two centuries A.D. the Roman Empire was a kind of Ammonite. The Roman Empire hated the incarnated Christ, the very tabernacle as God's sanctuary on the earth and it hated the grace that God gave to His people. The Roman Empire also hated the church. Even today these kinds of persons are on the earth. In this country, in your city, even in your neighborhood are some Ammonites.
What about the Moabites? The Moabites said, "Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen" (25:8). The Moabites were happy to say that Jerusalem was no longer separated from the nations. This signifies the kind of person who likes to bring the church into an association with the world. They like to make the church the same as the world. During the first two centuries of the church, the Roman Empire was an Ammonite, hating Christ, God's grace, and the church. Then a Roman Emperor, Constantine, came in not as an Ammonite but as a Moabite. He brought the church into the world, making the church nearly the same as the nations. Today the situation is still the same. Some Ammonites hate the church, but some Moabites come into the church and do their best to make the church associated with the world and to make the church the same as the world. Though Ammon and Moab were brothers, what they did toward the people of Israel was very different. Today we still have these two kinds of people. I am afraid that even in some of the local churches some might be used by Satan as a Moabite to bring the church into the world and to make the church associated with the world. They want the church to be the same as the heathen.