יחזקאל, פרק י״ב, פסוק כ״ו

A renewed prophetic message arrives to reinforce a previous warning and overcome the skepticism of the people. God delivers a repeated communication to emphasize that His decree is not just a possibility, but an absolute certainty that will take place very soon [רד״ק].

This second message directly answers a specific claim made by the people. They convinced themselves that even if the prophet was telling the truth and the events would eventually happen, the actual punishment was pushed off to a far-off time. Drawing on past experiences with harsh warnings, the people hoped God was simply giving them a long period to repent. They believed the visions and the prophet's mission were aimed at a distant future. To completely reject this perception, God speaks again, making it unmistakably clear that the prophecy will be fulfilled immediately [מלבי״ם].