Ezekiel 14:22-23

In spite of this severe judgment on Jerusalem, some of the inhabitants would survive and would join the Jews already in exile (i.e., a remnant, but this time an apostate remnant, cf. Jeremiah 44:27-30; Amos 9:8; Amos 9:11-15). The formerly exiled Jews would see their conduct and actions (Heb. ’alilah, evil actions) and feel some comfort in view of the calamity that had overtaken Jerusalem. They would then see that what the Lord had done to Jerusalem was fair because these Jerusalemites’ actions deserved judgment (cf. Genesis 18:25). They would also see that God’s preservation of some of them was pure grace.

The presence of godly people living in an ungodly society will not necessarily preclude divine judgment on that society. There must be repentance by many people in that society for God to withhold judgment.

"A vicarious deliverance from individual sin, however, is impossible, except for the singular eternal vicarious deliverance provided by Jesus the Messiah in his substitutionary death for all sins (cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He alone can deliver others because of his death for their sin and his resurrection from the dead." [Note: Alexander, "Ezekiel," p. 807.]