Ezekiel
A sign and a symbol

by Zeny Calderon, MD

Case History:

ESC, 16, male, 4th yr hi, Ht =5’4", Wt=86 lbs, PR=120pm, sweaty, presents with vomiting and headache 3 days with marked weight  loss. Confined at Philippine Orthopedic Center on Aug. 3- 16, 2000. Dx. Pott’s Disease involving T1, T10,T12, L4. Rx: Quadruple Therapy for 3 months then Triple Therapy for 9  months, Thoracolumbar brace with cervical extension for 6-9 months. Px: Signs and symptoms pertaining to hyperthyroidism.

EZEKIEL : A SIGN AND A SYMBOL

Named at birth 16 years ago Ezekiel meaning "God strengthens",  after the prophet called to a rebellious people. He is first born son and 2nd  child of 5 (2 boys and 3 girls). Previously a robust active healthy child, he finds himself afflicted in an interesting organ, the bone. What could this mean?

THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN / SPINAL COLUMN / BACKBONE

speaks of STRUCTURE, defines POSITION,
UPRIGHT position is unique to man compared to other creatures
ANATOMICAL POSITION IS WINNING POSITION: UPRIGHT. SPIRITUALLY,  MORALLY, EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY TO CRUSH THE HEAD OF THE SERPENT
vertebrae - bone upon bone; denotes hardness with flexibility.

In gymnastics, bending down exercises are good to limber muscles. Bending over can be tricky and dangerous, as structures snap when pushed to limits. The pliant and flexible vs. the rigid and brittle bring out that quiet resilience of bone marking a dynamic healthy organism, even the church.

BONE HARDNESS is the important feature of bone to give shape.  Bone strength is quiet and dependable. It sheathes life. Red blood cells and white blood cells are formed inside the bone marrow. But bones jutting out of a frame look grotesque, so God has put on tendons and ligaments and muscles and sinews, so we have a better looking body .

I have made you a tester of metals and my people the  ore...

Spunk and Spirit, Grit and Glue

BONE > MINERALS - organic material gone

(shape and size ok, but will  crumble)

BONE + HCL > COLLAGEN - minerals dissolved

(shape  lost)

Inside the Body is a core of truth which never changes: the  laws governing our relationship with God and our fellow humans. The Ten Commandments may be likened to fetal ossification from cartilage. The Law of Love personified by Jesus is the fully developed firm and liberating skeleton, hinged and jointed within the right places.

God loves the sinner but hates sin. We need to destroy it whenever present. God will not ignore rebellion. His laws will not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Say, a man defies the law of gravity and leaps from a high place. He does not change the law of gravity; he breaks his bones.

In obedience he lives. In sin he reaps death.

In humility and forgiveness he regains life.

As the church is composed of men and women mostly clustered around disease in its various stages, even death in varied forms, we need to put our act together. There is plenty of hope, but very little time.

Set aside the thrill of watching the Hollow Man disintegrate from skin to bone to nothing, a virtual reality.

Let us go with Ezekiel to his Valley of Dry Bones and hear the Word of God bring hope to our dry spirits, watch his work in our midst, hear the rattle of bones coming together in the right places, tendons and flesh appearing on them in the right proportions, and receive the breath of His Spirit, His  Rhema:

I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will  settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and  I have done it, declares the Lord. Ezekiel 37.

One notable finding in Ezekiel’s Pott’s D. is involvement of junctional areas: T1 near the cervical group, T12 near the lumbar group, L4 near  the sacral group. This speaks of relationships, precious to the heart of God.  Whatever is precious the enemy attacks, whatever is valuable he counterfeits. Within the Body of Christ is a host of sick relationships.

CERVICO THORACIC: Man to God

First is man's relationship to God. There is that inherent enmity or hostility against God and His word, His will. Faced with the stark truth that is in scripture, many still skirt around it trying to justify persistent disobedience. This is rebellion manifesting as stiff neck. Note that  the neck bones or cervical vertebrae are intact. The law of God is perfect,  therefore it has not changed and will not. By the same law written by the finger of God will we be judged. The ark of the covenant in Old Testament times, we see again in the temple of heaven in Revelation.

LUMBOSACRAL : SEDUCTION , LUST

Second is relationship between man and wife, the most intimate  of human relationships, initiated by God who is Love, commanding them to Multiply, Rule and Reign. Satan corrupts the mandate by introducing his counterfeit love which is Lust, splintering marriages and families, where there is chaotic multiplying but no ruling and reigning.

The lumbar involvement apparently occurred earlier than the stiff neck symptom, shown by the shadow incidentally seen on X-ray where none was detected in the neck and thorax or elsewhere. This incidental finding led to  closer scrutiny of the spinal column that led to the final diagnosis of Pott’s  Disease.

The lumbosacral area encompass the pelvis which house the generative or reproductive tract responsible for multiplication. L4-L5 are in  the level of the false pelvis, while sacral and coccyx cover the true pelvis which houses the womb and the rest of the generative tract.

Anything counterfeit is false. Counterfeit love or Lust is ushered in very efficiently by seduction.

A believer can seduced by this spirit away from God and His Word and His will. A worker may be seduced to jobs other than the one God prepared in advance for him/ her to do. Or he may be seduced to other churches.  Then to the world.

When lust operates, it throws away all reason. Laws, even  church policies previously sound and clear, soon become ""unfair"" and ""foul""  to the one in lust.

THORACIC: RESPIRATION, COMMUNICATION

Third is relationship with one another where faulty communication prevents sharing of truth , stifling respiration, due to pains of rejection.

When a believer has experienced pains of rejection, and gets revelation from God's Spirit he may not find expression and therefore feel stifled. Inability to handle revelation because of repressed fear brings about pain. There is shallow breathing , increasing dead space. God has ways of flushing out stale air to reduce dead space by yawning or sighing. When communication is stifled due to a painful experience of rejection, one might wish for the tongue to stick to the roof of mouth.

MOUTH AND MEN , WORDS AND WOMEN

Consider Paul's words : Women must not preach/teach among men.  Did he recognize the ability of woman to seduce, influence to other doctrines?  like the women of Moab? like Eve?

It is quite interesting how God made Man, male and female He created them, and called them Man, or man and woman. From that delectable spare rib was contained the same DNA code that dictated a counterpart for every part  of man, ( brain for brain, intellect for intellect to form words, mouth for  mouth, tongue for tongue, vocal cord for vocal cord to speak the words) plus a womb.

God said to Adam : "Because you listened to your  wife..."

God had spoken to both. Woman unwittingly added to God's word and admitted she was deceived. She sinned because she was deceived. Adam blamed her. He heard God; he also heard the devil. He chose the devil's offer. He ate like his wife did. He sinned by choice.

Sarai to Abram: "Go sleep with my maidservant." Abram agreed.  Hagar despised Sarai.

Later, Sarah laughed at angel's word, and lied that she did.

Lot's daughters: "Let us get our father to drink wine and lie with him."

Rebekah (mother) to Jacob (son) "Let the curse fall on  me...deception concerning Esau and birthright.

Rachel (daughter) to Laban (father) concerning the household idols.

Mary's word to servants at Cana : "Do whatever Jesus tells  you. " And they witnessed to the first miracle of Jesus : turning water to wine.

When a woman says something of God, He makes men to  listen

" Listen to whatever Sarah tells you."

"The daughters of Zelopehad are right".

When woman obeys God's word for her, God speaks to man even in his dream. (Mary & Joseph)

When woman seeks to put things right but her hands are tied.  God intervenes.: Abigail and Nabal and David.

Jesus revealed himself to woman first, making Mary M. the first evangelist. He knew she would tell others the good news that he is alive,  he is risen. He showed himself to two men, they would not believe.

DISCERNMENT DESIRED

Must distinguish between spirit of a manipulator (Jezebel) or  catalyst (Miriam)

between Queen Vashti and Queen Esther

Deborah, Jochebed, Miriam, Shiprah and Puah, daughters of Zelopehad

SPIRITS THAT INFLUENCE FAMILY MEMBERS

Absalom spirit, affecting sons and daughters

Miriam spirit - prophetess sister of Moses and Aaron criticized Moses on account of his Cushite wife, turned leprous until Moses  prayed for her.

envy, ksp, jealousy, among intercessors; some members operate well in time of crises but flop when bored...critical spirit comes in. 

CERVICAL VERTEBRAE - SABBATHS AND FESTIVALS

As we come to the close of the age, we take note of what God is saying to the church. In the prophecy of Daniel we see that the Antichrist will attempt to change the commandments dealing with time :the Sabbath Days in  Yahweh's law which constitute the sign of the God of Israel. In other words, he  will try to forge Yahweh's signature (His Sabbath Days) and he will highlight the festivals of his choice. (Rest day being Sunday the first day of the week instead of the 7th day or Saturday Sabbath, pagan festivals like Christmas,  Easter, Halloween etc. instead of the 7 annual festivals of Yahweh.

What's the big deal about times and seasons? Our God of order does things according to his timetable. The mighty things he did in his Program of Salvation, He did during his prescribed Sabbaths. In the future He will faithfully keep his appointment with us. With all our good intentions, we can  miss out when we come on the wrong days, because we have spent ourselves on other days. Those that the Lawless One introduced.

He shall seek to change the times and seasons and the Law.  Dan. 7:25

Because of hardness of heart, many Christians have been unable to enter into God’s rest. This inherent enmity to God and His law is rebellion manifested as stiff neck. He suffers the consequence. He has opened the door for  viruses, bacteria, and other disease producing foreign bodies into him.

Ezek 20: 24...because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths, and their fathers lusted after their father's idols.

Heb 4:9-11...There remains, then a Sabbath rest for the people of God for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work just as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no  one will fall by following their example of disobedience. more on next page............

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posted Friday, October 13, 2000