The Lord spoke to me, declaring, 'Just as this belt has deteriorated, so will I cause the pride of Judah and Jerusalem to decay. This people has strayed from my words and followed the inclinations of their hearts, pursuing foreign gods for worship; they will be like this worthless belt. As a belt fits a man's waist, so have I bound the house of Israel and the house of Judah to Me, intending for them to be My people, a name, praise, and glory, yet they did not listen. The belt, symbolic of God’s people Israel, taken from the earth, has been brought near to Him through His mercy despite its unclean state. When sin entered, this linen was taken beyond the Euphrates to Assyria, as if consumed by a multitude of nations, to be hidden away. Eventually, it would be the prophet, representing God, who would release the people from their captivity. However, even upon returning, they failed to obey God's commandments, turning instead to the gods of others, ultimately leading to the betrayal of the Son of God and their eternal ruin.
Each righteous individual serves as a belt to God, drawn from the earth and united with Him in fellowship. They cover and protect what is less than pure within His Church from the challenges posed by pagans and heretics. When this belt is immersed in the waters, crossing the streams of the Euphrates and becoming soaked with the moisture of Assyria, it loses its strength, decays, and becomes ruined. While it may return to God's service, it cannot regain its original beauty—not because God is unyielding, but due to its own failings, as people choose not to heed His words and instead follow their hearts’ corrupt desires. The Lord further explains this analogy, stating, 'As a belt fits a man's waist, so have I bound the whole house of Israel and the house of Judah to Myself, those two and ten tribes, to be a people called by My name, praise, and glory; yet they turned away from Me, following their vices. Let him who recognizes that 'it is good for me to draw near to God' (Psalm 72:28) take care not to become negligent, lest he be severed from God's presence, fall beyond the boundary, fall under the dominion of Assyria, and be placed not upon solid rock, but within the corrupted cleft of the rock, tainted by heretical vices, eventually rendered incapable of serving as the Lord's belt.
THEOSIS