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Eze 20:38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

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So it's best we start in Ezekiel 20:33-38

  1. He declares His rule over Israel.
  2. He gathers Israel from foreign countries into the wilderness.
  3. He pleads with them face to face.
  4. Causes them to pass under the rod moving into the bond of the covenant
  5. He purges those rebels from among them, they don't enter Israel.

So, He draws scattered Israel from foreign countries to the wilderness, He pleads with them and measures them, those who move from the measuring of the rod into the covenant go into the country Israel, however those who do not, although they were drawn from foreign countries are then rejected under the rod in the wilderness and do not enter Israel. These purged rebellious, transgressors are then left effectively as men without a country.

For more on 'pleading with them face to face' see Jeremiah 2:8-9 and Jeremiah 2:35.

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    +1 for your answer, but what does pleading with them 'face to face' mean, strictly speaking about Israel? And where does He 'leave them' after the trouble of bringing them out of their lands of sorjourning?
    – Ted O
    Mar 15, 2017 at 23:10
  • I love this question. What does pleading face to face mean? See Jeremiah 2:8-9 and Jeremiah 2:35. It's relational 'plead with you'. It's intimate 'face to face'. It's patient. I think it's an illustration of YHWH's investment in us. He pleads with us to choose Him rather than forcing us to. He builds a relationship, trust, agreements, in order for His character to be revealed. As for the second question, He leaves them without a country in the wilderness.
    – N.Ish
    Mar 15, 2017 at 23:30
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    Rather than use comments to reply to requests for clarification, please hit edit and work in whatever improvements can be made to your original post in light of the feedback. Comments are considered ephemeral and will frequently be deleted, so don't use them to hold useful explanations of your answer, that stuff should get baked in for the benefit of future readers.
    – Caleb
    Mar 16, 2017 at 7:34
  • @Caleb, got it, thank you very much for that.
    – N.Ish
    Mar 16, 2017 at 16:56

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