Ezekiel 16:55, commentary and pictures

Ezekiel portrays the Jewish church as espoused to the Lord in covenant, yet become an unfaithful harlot through an unlawful union with the world. That harlotry was joining the surrounding nations in their idolatry, conforming to the world and mixing righteousness with sin, which God calls fornication and adultery. The return of Sodom, Samaria and Jerusalem to their former estate is the resurrection of all the wicked at the end of the thousand years, brought back in the same sinful condition and character they had at death to stand before God in executive judgment. It promises no probation or salvation after death, but makes clear that those who sinned against greater light bear greater guilt and just condemnation. It is no prediction of a future restoration of the Jewish nation to Palestine before a millennium of peace, for the fall shown here is rejection by God, distinct from the destruction that follows after delay, as with Babylon.

Unfaithful Wife Symbolism

Ezekiel 16 portrays Judah's sins through the figure of a lewd, licentious woman, with a harlot as the symbol of a corrupt, fallen, apostate church. The chapter sets forth the Jewish church as espoused to the Lord in covenant relationship, becoming His, but then breaking that covenant and turning to others. That turning made her an unfaithful harlot through an unlawful bond and relationship with the world, joining herself to the world when she turned from Him.

That apostasy consisted in the chosen people joining the surrounding nations and worshiping their gods. The Lord describes Israel's departures from Him, including idolatry and conformity to the world, as adultery because He is joined to His people as a husband. Mixing righteousness with sin is unfaithfulness to God. God calls a union of His church with the world fornication and adultery.

The chapter is a strong parable rebuking the apostasy of Judah and Israel. In it God earnestly pleads for His children to turn to Him.

Return as Resurrection Judgment

The return of Sodom and her daughters, and of Samaria and her daughters, and of Jerusalem and her daughters to their former estate is the resurrection of all the wicked, brought back in the condition in which they died to stand before God in executive judgment. That judgment concerns only their deeds done before death, for which they then receive their reward. The former estate is a return in their sins to the same condition and character as before, not to a changed or cleansed state. Sodom's former estate was pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness, with failure to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, and when its inhabitants are raised to life again their thoughts will still be the same.

The verse gives no promise of probation and salvation after death and points to no future probation. The resurrection is a return to that former estate in order to be punished in the judgment. The comparison of Judah and Israel with Sodom shows that those who sinned against greater light were more guilty than those who had less light, and that difference in guilt will be made clear at the resurrection. Sodom will be shown to be justly condemned, but Samaria, the ten-tribe kingdom, with Israel and Judah, will deserve greater condemnation because she sinned against greater light.

There is no resurrection for the wicked until the end of the thousand years. Those then raised meet their doom in fire coming down from heaven upon them. Jerusalem will never be made whole again.

Church Fall Without Restoration

The fall portrayed in the chapter is the fall of the Jewish church as an unfaithful harlot, and it illustrates the fall of Babylon, which is God's rejection of an unfaithful church. That fall was rejection by God, distinct from destruction, which came later and was deferred for a considerable time.

The woman in the chapter is a symbol of a church, and this supports understanding Babylon in Revelation as a church rather than the whole world or a literal city. Babylon so understood is a universal worldly church, with the church of Rome as mother and other churches as her daughters. Jerusalem as an adulterous wife who turns from God to foreign powers becomes like Babylon. This pictures God's people abandoning His precepts and joining themselves to the world, turning to worldly powers for help instead of seeking the Lord, a pattern belonging to the apostate church.

The promise that Sodom, Samaria, and Jerusalem with their daughters will return to their former estate is not a prediction of a future restoration of the Jewish nation to Palestine before a millennium of peace. Just as the people of Sodom were destroyed and await judgment rather than returning to their land, so the verse gives no evidence that the Jews will return to Palestine.