Ezekiel 12:23
Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
The proverb God promises to bring to an end claimed that the days drag on and every vision fails. In its place God declares that the days are near and every vision will take effect. In its original setting the message told Judah that judgment was near and fulfillment would come without delay in the lifetime of that rebellious generation.
As prophecy the verse concerns time, promising that God himself will speak the true time of Christ's coming and what he speaks will certainly happen. The earlier proclamations of 1843 and of the tenth day of the seventh month in 1844 were approved by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in contrast to false predictions of time made after the seventh month of 1844. God will stop the false visions by speaking from heaven to make the true time known to his people.
After the expected time passed, the verse comforted disappointed believers when applied to the prophetic tarrying time, sustaining their conviction that the event was still near. For those waiting through disappointment the verse gives assurance that God foresaw the delay and trial and that his prophetic word remains sure of fulfillment. For those facing delay the verse gives courage to wait patiently, hold fast to God's word, and keep confident trust while fulfillment seems delayed.
The chapter belongs to the perils of the last days and must be given critical, thoughtful attention and studied on one's knees before God. Those who from a perverse spirit have placed stumbling blocks before others must remove them, or God will turn his face completely away from them and their associates.