1. Was God going to show pity as He brought an end to the land of Israel?
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No: “(1) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (2) Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land. (3) Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations. (4) And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (5) Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come (6) An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come. (7) The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains. (8) Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. (9) And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth” (Ezekiel 7:1-9).
When a faithful prophet speaks of an end, it is going to come (Habakkuk 2:1-3).
Under this in light of the following: “And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border” (Jeremiah 31:17; cf. Jeremiah 29:10).
We know “the end” was just “an end”, for there have been many days of judgment throughout the Scriptures (Isaiah 13:1-14:23, Isaiah 34:1-8, Joel 1:13-20, and Matthew 23:37-24:34).
God long ago warned about His anger (Deuteronomy 31:17).
We also know this “end”, being during the time the Old Law was in effect, came to pass during the time the Law of Moses was in effect (Matthew 5:17-18).
God was going to Judge them according to their ways (Ezekiel 18:30) like we will face in the very end (John 5:28-29 and II Corinthians 5:10).
He was going to recompense upon them their abominations (Jeremiah 16:17-18).
He established His eye would not spare, no pity (vs. 4; 9) as He states and repeats the same things (Ezekiel 5:11).
An evil [trouble; adversity] end (Jeremiah 44:11 and Daniel 9:12).
The time is come (Zephaniah 1:14-16), time is up (Ezekiel 12:28).
God got tired of holding in His fury (Jeremiah 6:11).
2. When that day came, were there going to be economical consequences in Israel?
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Yes: “(10) Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. (11) Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them. (12) The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. (13) For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life” (Ezekiel 7:10-13).
At the time when God was about to level Judah, they were proud (Jeremiah 13:9; 17).
At a time such as this, what they had materially would mean nothing (Isaiah 5:13-14).
They were going to lose it all (Jeremiah 52:13).
Anyone they had done business with would not and could not save them (Isaiah 47:15).
3. When the trumpet for battle was to sound, were the children of Israel ready to fight?
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No: “(14) They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. (15) The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him (16) But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. (17) All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. (18) They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads” (Ezekiel 7:14-18).
Blow the trumpet (Jeremiah 4:5), but it is pointless (Jeremiah 7:20; 12:12).
There was no where to run to where life was rosy for them (Jeremiah 15:1-3 and Lamentations 1:20).
Those God gave an escape to, the remnant (Ezekiel 6:8-10). Life is not all good for them and the road to repentance will be long and filled with sorrow (Ezra 9:6-15).
4. Would Israel be able to use silver or gold for deliverance?
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No: “They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity” (Ezekiel 7:19).
That which was used of value for idols is waste (Isaiah 30:22).
Psalms 49:6-8, Proverbs 10:2, Proverbs 11:4, and Revelation 3:14-22
5. What was going to happen to His ornament, that was set in majesty?
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Taken by strangers: “(20) As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them. (21) And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it. (22) My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it” (Ezekiel 7:20-22).
God was going to give up His house (II Chronicles 36:17-21, Jeremiah 7:12-14, Isaiah 64:11, Lamentations 2:6-7, and Ezekiel 24:21), the temple because of how they had ruined it (Jeremiah 32:34).
6. After the making of a chain, what was going to be brought upon the land of Israel?
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The worst of the heathen, destruction, mischief, lacking of vision from the prophets, mourning, desolation, judgment; they would know He is the Lord: “(23) Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence. (24) Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled. (25) Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none. (26) Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. (27) The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 7:23-27).
The making of a chain (Jeremiah 27:1-7).
The land is full of bloody crimes and violence (Jeremiah 2:34 and Jeremiah 22:17).
God said and did bring the worst of the heathen (II Chronicles 36:1-21, Jeremiah 6:22-25, and Jeremiah 52:1-11; cf. Proverbs 17:11).
Destruction without peace (Isaiah 48:22, Isaiah 57:21, and Jeremiah 8:15-16).
Mischief upon mischief is disaster (Jeremiah 4:20).
Rumors (Jeremiah 51:46).
No visions (Amos 8:11-12; cf. Proverbs 29:18).
Time to reap (Isaiah 3:11).
As the previous chapter stated (Ezekiel 6:8-14), God’s carrying about His judgment would verify who He was to them (Lamentations 4:13-14).