August 2017 – Eternity

64 – God’s Plan For The Ages – Revelation 2-3 – Discussion

Click onto any blue letter of number to see the Worship And Praise videos and text on the blog.

What does the Bible tell us about two wars that will take place in the end times?

Christ’s Letters to the Seven Churches

God’s love for Israel

Zechariah 8:7-8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

7 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; 8 and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’

Introduction To Post

This post uses repetition for the purpose of teaching things that are often difficult to understand.

The book of Revelation is one of the most criticized, and least taught books of the Bible. Yet, between twenty-five and thirty per cent of all verses in the Bible relate to prophecy. In spite of the encouragement of scripture to study and teach the Book of Revelation, such study and teaching is greatly neglected. In Chapters 1-3 the word “church” is mentioned 19 times. As is mentioned in the video of Revelation 2-3, the church is not mentioned again in the Book of Revelation until we see the second coming of Christ, with His saints, in Revelation Chapter 19:11. Such a lack of reference to the word, “church,” indicates the absence of the born again believers of Christ from the earth, which also verifies that the “rapture of the church,” the snatching away of the saints, has removed the true saints of God from the earth and taken them to Heaven, where the marriage of the Lamb takes place (John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The return to earth of the saints with Christ, after the tribulation, is shown in Revelation 19:7-21, Zechariah 14:1-16 and Matthew 24:29-31.

Consider the rapture of the church (from rapio, Latin; from Greek; harpazó: in English, to seize, catch up, snatch away).

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (The rapture of the church, “caught up”)

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

The judgments of God upon the earth, and upon the earth dwellers, “will happen; it’s not an allegory!” The seal judgments of Revelation 6:1-8:6, will be poured out on the earth by Christ. The trumpet judgments of Revelation 8:7-9:21, will be poured out on the earth by angels. The bowl judgments of Revelation 15:1-16:21, will be poured out on the earth by angels. The judgments become increasingly more severe;”they will happen!” These judgments occur during the 70th week of Daniel, which is also known as the tribulation, and is described by Christ in Matthew 24:21, as to its severity.

When the rapture takes place, all humans that are left on the earth will be here because of their unresolved sin, that is a result of the sin of Adam and Eve, and the curse that followed. ALL OF HUMANITY WAS CURSED. Sin followed and caused death. Only our Spirit is eternal, and will remain eternally, in either a sinful or non sinful state. ALL Sin WILL COME UNDER GOD’S JUDGMENT. The born again experience gives humans a new spirit that is as pure as the Spirit of Christ, exempting them from the judgment that will come upon non born again people. Those who are not born again, have retained the cursed and sinful spirit, and will remain on earth to either accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and be born again and receive a spirit that is free of sin, or will remain on earth and be subject to the judgmental punishment of God. Only through the new birth does anyone receive the new and perfect spirit.

Born again believers in Christ are removed from earth at the time of the rapture; their spirits have no sin. Only sin will remain on the earth. Those who have not been born again, “are sin,” because of the sinful conditions of their spirits. God will judge all sin.

Matthew 24:21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

The reason for the tribulation is to judge sin and to call unsaved Jews to accept Christ as Messiah. As believers in Christ, our judgment was satisfied when Christ died on the cross. The severity of the Revelation judgment was experienced by Christ on the Christ; He took our punishment. Believers in Christ have no need to go through the same punishment as those whom did not accept the offer of Christ to accept Him as Lord and Savior. For believers in Christ, He took our place for judgment. He became sin, but not a sinner; we became His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Where there is no sin, no judgment is needed. Consider the severity of the cross, where Christ took on Him the sin of everyone who would come to know Him as Lord and Savior through the born again process. (Matthew 27:45-54; Mark 15:33-38; Luke 23:44-48; John 16:19-30). Christ took on Him the severity of judgment that will come on the earth dwellers of Revelation. It’s not just a matter of, “He died to take away our sins;” it is much more severe! Consider the words of Christ when He said, in Matthew 27:46.

Matthew 27:46 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Christ, who was all God and all man, felt the absence of “God the Father” in His life. He felt the severity of the Judgment of God on the sin of the world, becoming His punishment to bear. God would not even look upon Christ, because Christ became sin. We can only stand in the Presence of God after our sin has been removed by the new birth, which is through faith in Christ.

John 1:29 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

29 The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

The sin of the world to be taken away to allow eternal life with Christ, “is the sin of unbelief.”

John 3:16-18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

belief in Christ (vs 16) or unbelief (vs 18). Belief results in eternal life with Christ. Unbelief results in condemnation, such as is shown in the tribulation (Revelation 6-18 Judgments of God), and in the lake of fire (final and eternal judgment)

John 3:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

God’s Holy Spirit causes the new birth to happen.

If you believe in Christ, you have been born again. If you have been born again, you believe in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

A simple faith in Christ as Lord and Savior makes all of the above (John 1:29 to Ephesians 2:8-9) to happen.

The term, “earth dwellers, those who dwell on the earth,” refers to those unsaved, unborn again people, who are not “saved, born again, or snatched away from earth.” At the time of the rapture, Christ will rapture, “catch up or snatch away,” those who have been saved and born again from the earth. As the following verses show, those earth dwellers show no remorse for their sinful lives. They refuse the offer of salvation and eternal life with Christ, even though they see the judgments of God being poured out on “all who dwell on the earth,” (Revelation 3:10).

The judgments of the tribulation can not even be compared to the severity of the eternal judgment that will follow, at the Great White Throne Judgment and the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Great White Throne Judgment

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

The Great White Throne Judgment is for those who have not been born again, from the time of creation until the time of the judgment. The punishment is severe and eternal.

Consider those who are not born again at the time of the rapture of the church; they are earth dwellers. See Revelation 3:10 – 17:8, as follow.

Revelation 3:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Revelation 6:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Revelation 8:13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

Revelation 11:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

Revelation 13:8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

Revelation 13:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

Revelation 17:8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

Earth dwellers, who remain earth dwellers by not accepting Christ as Lord and Savior, have their next stop in eternity at the Great White Throne Judgment. Don’t be an earth dweller; accept Christ as your Lord and Savior NOW!

Consider the encouragement that we read in the verses of Revelation to not neglect an understanding of Revelation.

Verses

1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near

1:19 Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

MacArthur Study Notes

1:3 Blessed. This is the only biblical book that comes with a blessing for the one who listens to it being read and explained and then responds in obedience. This is the first of 7 beatitudes in the book (v. 3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). time is near. “Time” refers to epochs, eras, or seasons. The next great epoch of God’s redemptive history is imminent. But although Christ’s coming is the next event, it may be delayed so long that people begin to question whether He will ever come (cf. Matt. 24:36–39; 2 Pet. 3:3, 4).

1:19 This verse provides a simple outline for the entire book: “the things which you have seen” refers to the vision John has just seen (chap. 1); “the things which are” denotes the letters to the churches (chaps. 2, 3); and “the things which will take place after this” refers to the revelation of future history (chaps. 4–22).

Revelation Chapter 2-3 – Video Discussion

Consider the seven churches that are mentioned. Of the seven churches, only two of them are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, “Ephesus and Laodicea.” The importance of identifying the other five churches, is that the early believers in Christ were fulfilling the great commission (Matthew 28:18-29; Acts 1:8) and planting churches. Also, of missing significance, is that the church at Rome, which has been called the mother church of Christianity, is not listed as being a recipient of the revelation of Christ. In essence, Rome was left “out of the loop.” So, what are we to think about the church at Rome? Every congregation is important. But, we can see that the church at Rome was not more significant than that of any other body of believers in Christ.

(1) Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) – the church that had forsaken its first love (2:4).

(2) Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) – the church that would suffer persecution (2:10).

(3) Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) – the church that needed to repent (2:16).

(4) Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) – the church that had a false prophetess (2:20).

(5) Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) – the church that had fallen asleep (3:2).

(6) Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) – the church that had endured patiently (3:10).

(7) Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) – the church with the lukewarm faith (3:16).

Text – Revelation Chapter 2-3 – God’s Plan For The Ages 64

Chapter 2: http://biblehub.com/nasb77/revelation/2.htm

Chapter 3: http://biblehub.com/nasb77/revelation/3.htm

What does the Bible tell us about two wars that will take place in the end times?

Ezekiel 38 War: Ezekiel 38:1-9 http://biblehub.com/nasb77/ezekiel/38.htm

Battle Of Armageddon:
Revelation 16:13-16 http://biblehub.com/nasb/revelation/16.htm
Revelation 17:14 http://biblehub.com/nasb/revelation/17.htm
Revelation 19:11-21 http://biblehub.com/nasb/revelation/19.htm

Revelation Study

This post is one of many others that you can find in this blog that deal with God’s Plan For The Ages. All posts in this series can be found under the category of Journey. Please follow this blog so that you can receive updates automatically.

Eschatology

Eschatology is the study of the teachings in the Bible concerning the end times and of the period of time dealing with the return of Christ and the events that follow. Those events, follow, but are not in the order as shown: the Resurrection, the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Millennium, the Binding of Satan, the Three witnesses, the Final Judgment, Armageddon, and The New Heavens and the New Earth. In one form or another most of the books of the Bible deal with end-times subjects.

Background

My study of the end times goes back to the year of 1976. There have been many people who have helped me to understand this exciting part of God’s Holy Word. There have also been many credible source documents that I have studied, “over and over.” The following individuals (some alive, and some deceased) are recognized for their knowledgeable of matters that relate to the end times. Their study materials have helped me to prepare this series of posts on “God’s Plan For The Ages.” Their names are presented below in no special order of importance. It is easy to research their qualifications through the internet.

Sources

John Ankerberg, Craig Blaising, Darrell Bock, E. Ray Clendenen, Jimmy DeYoung, Andrew Hill, Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcock, Tommie Ice, Grant Jeffrey, David Jeremiah, Walter Kaiser, Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, John MacArthur, Shawn C. Madden, J. Vernon McGee, Henry Morris, Richard Patterson, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Phillips, David Reagan, Ron Rhodes, Adrian Rogers, Charles C. Ryrie, C.I. Scofield, Renald Showers, Charles Swindoll, Frank Charles Thompson, Merrill Unger, Jack Van Impe, John F. Walvoord, Andy Woods, Roy Zuck, and others.

If you want to make a comment, please place that comment on this blog in the appropriate space at the bottom of this page. If you do not want your comment to be shown, please let me know. I moderate all comments, and will not violate anybody’s trust.

The scripture text was taken from Biblegateway.com

The translation of the text is from The New King James Version.

The Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, was used for lesson preparation.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture notes were taken from The MacArthur Study Bible notes that are contained in Biblegateway.com

Everyone should own the Ryrie and MacArthur Study Bibles.

Biographies

Dr. John Ankerberg, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America
https://www.jashow.org/about-dr-john-ankerberg/

Dr. Mark Hitchcock http://marklhitchcock.com/about/
Mark Hitchcock is a leading Bible prophecy expert, prolific author who has penned over 20 books on the end times, senior pastor, and adjunct faculty member of the Dallas Theological Seminary.

Dr. Ron Rhodes http://ronrhodes.org/meet-ron.html
Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary (1986). Major: Systematic Theology. Graduated with High Honors.
Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary (1983). Major: Systematic Theology. Graduated with Honors. Elected to Dean’s List.
B.A., Houston Baptist University (1979). Recipient of the Greek Excellence Award. Chief nominee for the Riverside Scholarship.

Dr. Ed Hindson, http://thekingiscoming.com/about-dr-ed-hindson/
Dr. Ed Hindson is the Bible Teacher on The King Is Coming telecast. He is also the Assistant Chancellor, Distinguished Professor, and Dean of the Institute of Biblical Studies and the School of Religion at Liberty University in Virginia.

Other bios.

Signs of the Last Days – Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Bio – http://jimmydeyoung.com/aboutdrd.shtml

Dr. Renald Showers
http://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?SpeakerOnly=true&currSection=sermonsspeaker&Keyword=Dr.%5ERenald%5EShowers
Dr. Renald Showers is an author and Bible teacher for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc.

MacArthur Study Bible Notes
Bio – Dr. John MacArthur – https://www.gracechurch.org/Leader/MacArthur/John?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Dr. John F. Walvoord, (1910-2012) long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. He is considered perhaps the world’s foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy.
Bio – https://bible.org/users/john-f-walvoord

Hal Lindsey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Lindsey
Harold Lee Lindsey (born November 23, 1929) is an American evangelist and Christian writer. He is a Christian Zionist and dispensationalist author. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Theology degree, majoring in the New Testament and early Greek literature.

Israel – 586 B.C.- 445 B.C.

Av Ha’rachamim/Padre de Compasión/Yaakov Shwekey/Español

This article has been a very difficult one for me to compose and publish. As I watched the different videos that showed the inhumanity of Germany and the Nazis toward the Jews, it affected me in a way that I had not expected. My question to myself was, how could a “so-called” Christian nation be so terrible to a group of people, the Jews, solely because of the ethnicity of the Jews? I watched videos on the trials and hangings of German soldiers. Some of the soldiers were young men, and some were old men; it made no sense to me.

My father knew a man who was in Berlin during the 1930s. He mentioned how Hitler had such a hypnotizing effect on the people of Germany who went to hear “the Fuhrer” speak. I remember a program that said that as Hitler was rising to his political fame, that he won one of those elections by one vote. Can anyone imagine how much different the world would be today if that one winning vote had been changed to Hitler’s opposing candidate?

In the 1920s, Mussolini’s “black shirts” helped to push him to political power in Italy. At the same time, Hitler’s “brown shirts” helped him in his rise to power in Germany. I am very concerned about the “black hoodies” that are seen so often in media news reports in America today.

The Great Depression of America which began in 1929 had a world-wide effect. The Jews of Germany had fared better financially than had most German citizens. Because of the prosperity of the Jews, and for other reasons of ethnic prejudice, they were targeted by the Nazis for extermination, which led to the murders of more than six million Jewish men, women and children. Yes! The Holocaust was a real event.

In order for anyone to have a proper understanding of the people of Israel, and Jews throughout the world, it is very important to understand that the Jews are a religious people. Without that understanding, there can be no intimate knowledge of “God’s chosen people.” Jews have a deep respect for parents, and their elders. Young Jews are careful to not show a lack of proper respect for other Jews, and have a deep appreciation for parents and elders. Jews have a great respect for God’s Word. They have a belief that, from Moses through the last prophet, God gave them the ways of life and culture that were designed to make them a holy and righteous people.

History shows that Jews have fared well in life. The “Israelites” have always believed that they are “God’s chosen people” (Deuteronomy 7:6), with such a promise for the coming of the Messiah through the Jewish bloodline, and for a special place of blessing for Jews during the eternal Kingdom of God. They also believe that by being the chosen people of God, there will be harsh punishment for people who treat the Jews poorly (Zechariah 2:8).

Jews are very particular in their keeping of the “feasts of the Lord.” They believe that they are to keep the “feasts of God,” forever (Leviticus 23:31, 37, 41) (i.e., Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, etc.)

Jews believe in the authority of the prophet, priest and King. The prophet represents God to the Jews. The priest represents the Jews to God. The King is God, and is over all of His creation.

There were three Jews who were prophets of God to Israel during the time that the Jews were in exile in Babylon.

Jeremiah – He was a prophet to Jews in Judea and in all dispersed lands. He lived from 640-570 B.C.

Ezekiel – He was a prophet to Jews captive in Babylon, and in all dispersed lands. He lived from 623-570 B.C.

Daniel – He was a prophet to Jews captive in Babylon, and in all dispersed lands. He lived from 620-533 B.C.

Going back to 722 B.C., Shalmanezer, King of Assyria, captured Samaria (the northern ten tribes of Israel) and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria (2 Kings 17:1-6). The Jews of Jerusalem/Judah were taken into exile to Babylon, beginning in 597 until 586 B.C. Their return to Jerusalem began in 536 B.C, when King Cyrus of Persia issued an edict, allowing the return of the Jews to Jerusalem. The return was in stages of events until 445 B.C., after the temple had been rebuilt (515 B.C.), and after Nehemiah had completed the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, that had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. Jeremiah wrote in 607 B.C., that the time was soon coming for the Jews to spend 70 years of captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11). He also wrote of the same captivity in 599 BC. (Jeremiah 29:10). In 538 B.C., Daniel discovered those writings of Jeremiah (Daniel 9:2).

From 722 B.C., until 445 B.C., the Jews were subservient to other world empires. Those powers were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Medo-Persia. Greece and Rome would follow.

Please allow me to provide a note concerning dates in this article. A lot of time was spent trying to be as correct as possible for the dates of the events that are shown. But, I have found that not all historians agree on all dates. However, the varying dates are close enough for an accurate story to be told. One source states that, beginning in 721 B.C., Assyria began moving Gentiles into the vacated lands of Northern Israel.

God’s Plan For The Ages 63 – About Israel – Ezekiel 10 – God’s Glory Departing The Temple

Click onto any highlighted word to see the videos and text on the blog.

Jesus Saves – Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Tx

How Close are we to the Events in Ezekiel 38? John Ankerberg Show

What will happen to Israel during the war described in Ezekiel 38? John Ankerberg Show

What events will have to happen before the temple can be rebuilt in Jerusalem? John Ankerberg Show

God’s Love For Israel

Consider the words of Zechariah, and relate them to the condition of much of the world today against Israel. Consider the liberal churches who have “climbed on board” the liberal world’s wagon of lies and deception about Israel.
https://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2017/03/other-travel-ban
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinvestment_from_Israel
http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm/frm/120067/sec_id/120067
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/14/israel-boycott-questioned-as-another-us-church-steps-into-controversy.html
http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=603
http://www.jpost.com/Christian-News/Three-US-churches-consider-adopting-BDS-measures-against-Israel-in-upcoming-vote-407611
http://www.thetower.org/article/how-a-major-american-church-chose-boycotts-over-peace/
BHO and HRC are featured in the next link.
http://www.thetower.org/article/the-democratic-party-on-the-edge-of-the-abyss/
Consider the members of the National Council Of Churches. Their apostasy is evident. BHO was a member of a UCC. HRC was a member of a UMC. John 3:3. Revelation 20:11-15.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Council_of_Churches_members

Text

Lesson Preview

Ezekiel 10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Date: 594 B.C. (Scofield Study Bible)

Place: Jerusalem, Southern Kingdom Of Judah

Consider the vision that Ezekiel had of the Glory of the Lord.

Consider how Ezekiel must have felt as he received this vision from God (vs 3-5, 18-19).

Ezekiel 10:3-5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

3 Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. 5 Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.

Ezekiel 10:18-19 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. 19 When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.

Lesson Text: Ezekiel 10 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Vision of God’s Glory Departing from the Temple

1 Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a throne, appeared above them. 2 And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight.

6 It came about when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he entered and stood beside a wheel. 7 Then the cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire which was between the cherubim, took some and put it into the hands of the one clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

9 Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a Tarshish stone. 10 As for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. 11 When they moved, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went; but they followed in the direction which they faced, without turning as they went. 12 Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them. 13 The wheels were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels. 14 And each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 Then the cherubim rose up. They are the living beings that I saw by the river Chebar. 16 Now when the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them; also when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels would not turn from beside them. 17 When the cherubim stood still, the wheels would stand still; and when they rose up, the wheels would rise with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in them.

20 These are the living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and beneath their wings was the form of human hands. 22 As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one went straight ahead.

Notes – Ezekiel 10 – MacArthur Study Bible (Everybody should own a MacArthur Study Bible)

10:1 a throne. It rises above God’s angelic servants, the same 4 as in chap. 1 (10:20, 22), and is the throne of 1:26–28 on which God sits (cf. 10:20). From it, He directs the operation of His war machine (“wheels,” see notes on 1:15, 16) on Jerusalem (v. 2). The throne is like a sapphire shining forth representing God’s glory and holiness (11:22).
10:2 fill…with coals. God specifies that the marking angel (9:2, 11) reach into the war machine and fill his hands with fiery coals in the presence of the angels of chap. 1. These coals picture the fires of judgment which God’s angels are to “scatter” on Jerusalem. In Is. 6, “coals” were used for the purification of the prophet; here they were for the destruction of the wicked (cf. Heb. 12:29). Fire did destroy Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
10:3 cherubim. These were different from the cherubim of chap. 1 and here in v. 4.
10:4 This verse explains how the “cloud” of v. 3 “filled the inner court.” It repeats what is first described in 9:3.
10:6, 7 These verses picked up the action of the angelic scribe from v. 2.
10:7 cherub…put it into the hands. One of the 4 cherubim of 1:5ff. and v. 1 puts the fiery coals into the marking angel’s hand.
10:9–17 wheels by the cherubim. This whole section is similar to 1:4–21. Four wheels on God’s chariot mingled with the 4 angels (cf. 1:15–21) coordinated with each other in precision, and each with a different one of the cherubim. All looked so much alike that it was as if one wheel blended entirely with another (v. 10). As their appearance was so unified, their action was in unison, and instant (v. 11). The cherubim had bodies like men and their chariot wheels were full of eyes denoting full perception both to see the sinners and their fitting judgment. The color beryl is a sparkling yellow or gold.
10:14 the face of a cherub. This description of one cherub in 1:10 indicates this was the face of an ox.
10:15 lifted up. They were all ready to move in unison (vv. 16, 17) as the Shekinah glory of God departed (v. 18).
10:18, 19 glory…departed. There were several stages: 9:3; 10:1, 3, 4; 10:18, 19; 11:22, 23. There was thus written over the entire structure, as well as Israel’s spiritual life, “Ichabod” (the glory has departed). Cf. 1 Sam. 4:21; 10:18, 19.

Comments related to this post.

The book of Ezekiel show’s God’s prophetic purposes being fulfilled in the lives and nation of Israel. Jimmy DeYoung has called the book of Ezekiel, “the timeline of the Jews,” and the Book of Daniel, “the timeline of the Gentiles.”

Purpose of Writing: https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Ezekiel.html

Ezekiel ministered to his generation who were both exceedingly sinful and thoroughly hopeless. By means of his prophetic ministry he attempted to bring them to immediate repentance and to confidence in the distant future. He taught that: (1) God works through human messengers; (2) Even in defeat and despair God’s people need to affirm God’s sovereignty; (3) God’s Word never fails; (4) God is present and can be worshiped anywhere; (5) People must obey God if they expect to receive blessings; and (6) God’s Kingdom will come.

Eschatology

Background

My study of the end times covers a period of forty-one years. There have been many people who have helped me to understand this exciting part of God’s Holy Word. There have also been many credible source documents that I have studied, “over and over.” The following individuals (some alive, and some deceased) are recognized for their knowledgeable of matters that relate to the end times. Their study materials have helped me to prepare this series of posts on “God’s Plan For The Ages.” Their names are presented below in no special order of importance. It is easy to research their qualifications through the internet.

Sources

John Ankerberg, Darrell Bock, Jimmy DeYoung, Andrew Hill, Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcock, Tommie Ice, Grant R. Jeffrey, David Jeremiah, Walter Kaiser, Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, Tremper Longman, III, John MacArthur, Shawn C. Madden, J. Vernon McGee, Henry Morris, Richard Patterson, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Phillips, David Reagan, Ron Rhodes, Adrian Rogers, Charles C. Ryrie, C.I. Scofield, Renald Showers, Charles Swindoll, Frank Charles Thompson, Merrill Unger, Jack Van Impe, John F. Walvoord, Andy Woods, Roy Zuck, and others.

Biographies

Dr. John Ankerberg, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America
https://www.jashow.org/about-dr-john-ankerberg/

Signs of the Last Days – Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Bio – http://jimmydeyoung.com/aboutdrd.shtml

MacArthur Study Bible Notes
Bio – Dr. John MacArthur – https://www.gracechurch.org/Leader/MacArthur/John?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

The scripture text was taken from Biblegateway.com

The translation of the text is from The New American Standard Bible.

The Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, was used for lesson preparation.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture notes were taken from The MacArthur Study Bible notes that are contained in Biblegateway.com

Everyone should own the Ryrie and MacArthur Study Bibles.

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Israel 931- 586 B.C.

Click onto any highlighted word to see the videos and text on the blog.

Hatikva- Israeli national anthem

Look Back: Israel 1446 B.C. to 931 B.C.

This introduction reviews the years of Israel that go back to the year of 1446 B.C. The Israelites had been living under bondage in Egypt for more than 400 years. They were in the desert, after having fled Egypt. The Jews were being led by Moses, who is considered by Jews to be a prophet of God to Israel. The account of the exodus of Israel from Egypt is provided in the following link:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1663/jewish/The-Exodus.htm

Moses died in the year of 1406 B.C. His successor was Joshua, who led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the land of Canaan in the year of 1406 B.C. The story of Joshua’s leadership of the Israelites is provided in the following link: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111849/jewish/Joshua.htm

The history of the Israelites, from their entry into Canaan, until their final exile in 586 B.C., is provided in the following link:
http://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/from-joshua-to-the-exile-the-people-of-israel-in-the-promised-land

The Israelites believed that they were “God’s chosen people;” that God spoke those words to Moses; that they were written by Moses in the Jewish writings (Deuteronomy 7:6 of the Tanakh); and were spoken by Moses to the Israelites while they were in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. See the following link for the words of Deuteronomy 7:6 of: The Book of D’varim (Deuteronomy): Chapter 7, of the Torah – Pentateuch: of the Tanakh. The Christian Bible also contains the book of Deuteronomy.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/d-varim-deuteronomy-chapter-7

The Jews believed, and still believe, that they were chosen by God to bring the Messiah into the world, hence, “God’s chosen people.” God’s chosen people have been known as Hebrews, Israelites and Jews, per the following link: http://www.jewfaq.org/whoisjew.htm

In the Bible, Jews were called Hebrews or Children of Israel. The terms “Jew” and “Judaism” come from the tribe or kingdom of Judah.

The Jews also believed that they were chosen by God to live in the land of Canaan, as was spoken by God to Abraham, Issac and Jacob (Genesis 12:1-3; Genesis 17:22; Genesis 26:3-5, 24; Genesis 27:28-29; Genesis 28:14-15). The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy were written by Moses in the years 1450-1410 B.C.; Jews believe that God spoke the words of those books to him. (Documented in notes by Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, Dallas Theological Seminary). The following link describes Canaan as being the land that God had promised to the Jews.

http://www.jewfaq.org/israel.htm

The Promised Land

The history of the Jewish people begins with Abraham, and the story of Abraham begins when G-d tells him to leave his homeland, promising Abraham and his descendants a new home in the land of Canaan. (Gen. 12). This is the land now known as Israel, named after Abraham’s grandson, whose descendants are the Jewish people. The land is often referred to as the Promised Land because of G-d’s repeated promise (Gen. 12:7, 13:15, 15:18, 17:8) to give the land to the descendants of Abraham.

It is important to know that Jews wrote and maintained the books of the Tanakh. Christians refer to those writings as being the Old Testament of the Bible. The following information provides information on the Tenakh:

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hebrew-bible/

Hebrew Bible: Torah, Prophets and Writings

The Bible, also known as Tanakh, is the founding document of the Jews.

The Hebrew Bible, also known as Mikra (“what is read”) or TaNaKh, an acronym referring to the traditional Jewish division of the Bible into Torah (Teaching), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings), is the founding document of the people of Israel, describing its origins, history and visions of a just society.

Israel: From 931 B.C. to 586 B.C.

When the first dispersal of the Jews occurred in 722 B.C., by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, those conquered Jews were living in the northern kingdom of Israel. The record of the northern Jews being carried away into exile into Assyria can be found in 2 Kings 17:1-41. The account of the 722 B.C. diaspora was documented by Jeremiah, who was believed by the Jews to be a prophet of God to the Jews. From Assyria, the scattering of Jews continued throughout much of the middle east and Europe. The land in which those Jews had settled, and from where they were dispersed, was known as Samaria, hence, the name “Samaritans” (We’ve all heard about the story of the “good Samaritan).

It was after the death of Israel’s King Solomon, in 931 B.C. (1 Kings 11:43), that Israel became a divided kingdom. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel followed King Jeroboam and settled north of Jerusalem, and became known as Israel. The remaining two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, stayed in Jerusalem, which became known as Judah, and were loyal to Rehoboam as their King, Just as the northern ten tribes (Israel) were taken into exile in 722 B.C., the southern tribes (Judah) would be taken in exile to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. There were three deportations of Jews from Judah, beginning in 597 BC, with the last one occurring in 586 B.C. The siege by King Nebuchadnezzar, as was stated in 2 Kings 24:10, ended with the final siege of Jerusalem that began in January, 588 B.C., and lasted for a year and a half (per Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, Dallas Theological Seminary).

Even though the Jews had been scattered throughout much of the middle east and Europe, they were told by the prophet Ezekiel that God would return them to their promised land of Israel, per Ezekiel 36:24-29. Other Jewish prophets also provided similar words of encouragement to the Jews of Judah and Israel. The accounts of the disaspora of Judah can be found recorded in 2 Kings 24:1 through 2 Kings 25:21.

Atrocities that came upon the city of Jerusalem, the Jews and the temple, at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar and his forces, are documented by Jeremiah in 2 Kings 24 and 2 Kings 25. In order for anyone to understand the plight of the Jews, there must be understanding of the things that happened to them as they were being forced from their city of Jerusalem, and were being taken captive to Babylon, which is located in the present day nation of Iraq. It is also important to know the things that happened to the Jews while they were held captive by the Babylonians for 70 years. Babylon was located 59 miles southwest of present-day Baghdad. Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein viewed himself as being the reincarnated King Nebuchadnezzar (https://www.olivetreeviews.org/e-updates/jans-articles/item/704-saddam-hussein-and-nebuchadnezzar-a-tale-of-two-kings). More of the story of the treatment of the dispersed Jews in Babylon can be found in the book of Daniel, which was written by a Jew who was also present in dispersed Babylon, and was viewed by Jews as being a prophet of God. Dr. John MacArthur provides excellent commentary on Chapters 24 and 25 of the book of Second Kings, and will be used in this article to point out key points of those two chapters.

It is important to remember that the writings of the Jews were maintained by the Jews. The commentaries of 2 Kings Chapters 24 and 25 will follow the words of those chapters. As a human being, I am appalled at the atrocities that the Babylonians inflicted upon the Jews. I will insert the word “Atrocity,” within the verses of text whenever such an occurrence is viewed by me. The chronology of the following events is very effective in showing the mistreatment of the Jews, who were being forced from their homes, temple and city by their Babylonian captors.

Why Did Hitler Hate Jewish People?

2 Kings 24 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Babylon Controls Jehoiakim

1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 The Lord sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the command of the Lord it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord would not forgive. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

Jehoiachin Reigns

6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place. 7 The king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

Deportation to Babylon

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went up to Jerusalem, and the city came under siege. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it. 12 Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he and his mother and his servants and his captains and his officials. So the king of Babylon took him captive in the eighth year of his reign. 13 He carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, just as the Lord had said. 14 Then he led away into exile all Jerusalem and all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.

Atrocity: vs 10-14

15 So he led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also the king’s mother and the king’s wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all strong and fit for war, and these the king of Babylon brought into exile to Babylon.

Atrocity: vs 15-16

Zedekiah Made King

17 Then the king of Babylon made his uncle Mattaniah king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For through the anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Commentary, 2 Kings 24 (Reference notes: Dr. John MacArthur)

24:1 Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar II was the son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon from 626–605 B.C. As crown prince, Nebuchadnezzar had led his father’s army against Pharaoh Necho and the Egyptians at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in northern Syria (605 B.C.). By defeating the Egyptians, Babylon was established as the strongest nation in the ancient Near East. Egypt and its vassals, including Judah, became vassals of Babylon with this victory. Nebuchadnezzar followed up his victory at Carchemish by invading the land of Judah. Later, in 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took some captives to Babylon, including Daniel and his friends (cf. Dan. 1:1–3). Toward the end of 605 B.C., Nabopolassar died and Nebuchadnezzar succeeded him as king of Babylon, 3 years after Jehoiakim had taken the throne in Judah (Jer. 25:1). Nebuchadnezzar reigned from 605–562 B.C. three years. Nebuchadnezzar returned to the W in 604 B.C. and took tribute from all of the kings of the W, including Jehoiakim of Judah. Jehoiakim submitted to Babylonian rule from 604–602 B.C. In 602 B.C., Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylon, disregarding the advice of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 27:9–11).

24:2 the Lord sent…raiding bands. As punishment for Jehoiakim’s disobedience of the Lord’s Word through His prophet Jeremiah, the Lord sent Babylonian troops, along with the troops of other loyal nations, to inflict military defeats upon Judah.

24:7 king of Egypt. In 601 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar again marched W against Egypt and was turned back by strong Egyptian resistance. However Egypt, though able to defend its own land, was not able to be aggressive and recover its conquered lands or provide any help for its allies, including Judah.

24:8 eighteen. This reading is preferred over the “eight” of 2 Chr. 36:9 (see note). three months. Having regrouped, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah for a second time in the spring of 597 B.C. Before he could enter Jerusalem, Jehoiakim died and was succeeded as king of Judah by his son, Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin ruled for a short time in 597 B.C. See note on 2 Chr. 36:9, 10.

24:10–12 The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem was begun by the troops of Nebuchadnezzar. Later, Nebuchadnezzar himself went to Jerusalem and it was to the king himself that Jehoiachin surrendered (v. 12).

24:12 eighth year. 597 B.C. For the first time, the books of Kings dated an event in Israelite history by a non-Israelite king. This indicated that Judah’s exile was imminent and the land would be in the hands of Gentiles.

24:13 Nebuchadnezzar plundered the treasures of the temple and king’s palace, just as the Lord had said he would (cf. 20:16–18).

24:14–16 In 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar took an additional 10,000 Judeans as captives to Babylon, in particular the leaders of the nation. This included the leaders of the military and those whose skills would support the military. Included in this deportation was the prophet Ezekiel (see notes on Ezek. 1:1–3). Only the lower classes remained behind in Jerusalem. The Babylonian policy of captivity was different from that of the Assyrians, who took most of the people into exile and resettled the land of Israel with foreigners (17:24). The Babylonians took only the leaders and the strong, while leaving the weak and poor, elevating those left to leadership and thereby earning their loyalty. Those taken to Babylon were allowed to work and live in the mainstream of society. This kept the captive Jews together, so it would be possible for them to return, as recorded in Ezra.

24:17 Mattaniah…Zedekiah. Mattaniah was a son of Josiah and an uncle of Jehoiachin (cf. 1 Chr. 3:15; Jer. 1:3). Mattaniah’s name, meaning “gift of the Lord,” was changed to Zedekiah, “righteousness of the Lord.” Nebuchadnezzar’s changing of Zedekiah’s name demonstrated his authority as lord over him (see note on 23:34). See notes on 2 Chr. 36:11–21.

24:18 eleven years. Zedekiah ruled in Jerusalem, under Babylonian sovereignty, from 597–586 B.C.

24:20 Zedekiah rebelled. In 588 B.C., Apries (also called Hophra), the grandson of Necho, became Pharaoh over Egypt. He appears to have influenced Zedekiah to revolt against Babylon (cf. Ezek. 17:15–18).

2 Kings 25 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Nebuchadnezzar Besieges Jerusalem

1 Now in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. 2 So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls beside the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then they captured the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and he passed sentence on him. 7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.

Atrocity: vs 1-7

Jerusalem Burned and Plundered

8 Now on the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every great house he burned with fire. 10 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 Then the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the people, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

Atrocity: vs 8-12

13 Now the bronze pillars which were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze sea which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried the bronze to Babylon. 14 They took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the spoons, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 15 The captain of the guard also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 16 The two pillars, the one sea, and the stands which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and a bronze capital was on it; the height of the capital was three cubits, with a network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these with network.

Atrocity: vs 13-17

18 Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three officers of the temple. 19 From the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and five of the king’s advisers who were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led away into exile from its land.

Atrocity: vs 18-21

Gedaliah Made Governor

22 Now as for the people who were left in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, he appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan over them. 23 When all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, namely, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 24 Gedaliah swore to them and their men and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans; live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”

25 But it came about in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck Gedaliah down so that he died along with the Jews and the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Atrocity: vs 25-26

27 Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison; 28 and he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes and had his meals in the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life; 30 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Commentary, 2 Kings 25 (Reference notes: Dr. John MacArthur)

25:1 ninth year. Responding to Zedekiah’s rebellion (24:20), Nebuchadnezzar sent his whole army to lay siege against the city of Jerusalem. The siege began in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, Jan., 588 B.C. The “siege wall” was comprised of either wood towers higher than the walls of the city or a dirt rampart encircling the city

25:2 eleventh year. Jerusalem withstood the siege until the 11th year of Zedekiah, July, 586 B.C. Hezekiah’s tunnel guaranteed the city an uninterrupted supply of fresh water (20:20) and an Egyptian foray into Judah gave the city a temporary reprieve from the siege (Jer. 37:5)

25:3 famine. After a siege of 2½ years, the food supply in Jerusalem ran out (Jer. 38:2, 3).

25:4 the city wall was broken. The two walls near the king’s garden were probably located at the extreme SE corner of the city, giving direct access to the Kidron Valley. This gave Zedekiah and his soldiers an opportunity to flee for their lives to the E.

25:5 plains of Jericho. Zedekiah fled toward the Jordan Rift Valley. Babylonian pursuers caught him in the Jordan Valley S of Jericho, about 20 mi. E of Jerusalem.

25:6 Riblah. Located on the Orontes River about 180 mi. N of Jerusalem, Riblah was Nebuchadnezzar’s military headquarters for his invasion of Judah. This location was ideally situated as a field headquarters for military forces because ample provisions could be found nearby (cf. 23:33). The captured traitor Zedekiah was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, where he was blinded after witnessing the death of his sons. The execution of the royal heirs ensured the impossibility of a future claim to the throne or rebellion from his descendants. The blinding made his own future rebellion or retaliation impossible. Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah that he would see Nebuchadnezzar (see notes on Jer. 32:2–5; 34:3), while Ezekiel had said he would not see Babylon (see note on Ezek. 12:10–13). Both prophecies were accurately fulfilled.

25:8 seventh day. See note on Jer. 52:12. This was Aug., 586 B.C., one month after the Babylonian breakthrough of Jerusalem’s walls (vv. 2–4). Nebuzaradan. He was the commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s own imperial guard, sent by the king to oversee the destruction of Jerusalem. The dismantling and destruction of Jerusalem was accomplished by the Babylonians in an orderly progression.

25:9 First, Jerusalem’s most important buildings were burned.

25:10 Second, the Babylonian army tore down Jerusalem’s outer walls, the city’s main defense.

25:11, 12 Third, Nebuzaradan organized and led a forced march of remaining Judeans into exile in Babylon. The exiles included survivors from Jerusalem and those who had surrendered to the Babylonians before the capture of the city. Only poor, unskilled laborers were left behind to tend the vineyards and farm the fields.

25:13–17 Fourth, the items made with precious metals in the temple were carried away to Babylon. See notes on 1 Kin. 7:15–49.

25:18–21 Fifth, Nebuzaradan took Jerusalem’s remaining leaders to Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar had them executed. This insured that they would never lead another rebellion against Babylon.

25:18 Seraiah. Seraiah was the grandson of Hilkiah (22:4, 8; 1 Chr. 6:13, 14) and an ancestor of Ezra (Ezra 7:1). Even though Seraiah was executed, his sons were deported (1 Chr. 6:15).

25:21 Judah…carried away captive. Exile was the ultimate curse brought upon Judah because of her disobedience to the Mosaic Covenant (cf. Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:36, 64). The book of Lamentations records the sorrow of Jeremiah over this destruction of Jerusalem.

25:22–30 The books of Kings conclude with this brief epilogue. Despite the punishment of the Lord experienced by Israel and Judah, the people were still rebellious (vv. 22–26). However, due to the Lord’s mercy, the house of David endured (vv. 27–30). The books of Kings end with a note of hope.

25:22 Gedaliah. In an attempt to maintain political stability, Nebuchadnezzar appointed a governor from an important Judean family. A more detailed account of Gedaliah’s activities is found in Jer. 40:7—41:18. Gedaliah’s grandfather, Shaphan, was Josiah’s secretary, who had implemented that king’s reforms (22:3). His father, Ahikam, was part of Josiah’s delegation sent to Huldah (22:14) and a supporter of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 26:24).

25:23 Mizpah. Located about 8 mi. N of Jerusalem, Mizpah became the new center of Judah. Mizpah might have been one of the few towns left standing after the Babylonian invasion.

25:24 oath. As governor, Gedaliah pledged to the remaining people that loyalty to the Babylonians would ensure their safety.

25:25 seventh month. October, 586 B.C., two months after the destruction of Jerusalem (cf. v. 8). Ishmael. Elishama, Ishmael’s grandfather, was a secretary under Jehoiakim (Jer. 36:12; 41:1). Ishmael probably assassinated Gedaliah because he wished to reestablish the kingship in Judah with himself as king, since he was of royal blood (cf. Jer. 41:1).

25:26 went to Egypt. Fearing reprisals from the Babylonians, the people fled to Egypt.

25:27 thirty-seventh year. March, 561 B.C. Jehoiachin was about 55 years old (cf. 24:8). Evil-Merodach. The son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, he ruled as king of Babylon from 562–560 B.C. To gain favor with the Jews, the king released Jehoiachin from his imprisonment and gave him special privileges.

25:28–30 spoke kindly to him. This good word from the king of Babylon to the surviving representative of the house of David served as a concluding reminder of God’s good Word to David. Through the curse of exile, the dynasty of David had survived. There was still hope that God’s good Word to David concerning the seed who will build God’s temple and establish God’s eternal kingdom would be fulfilled (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12–16). The book of 2 Kings opened with Elijah being carried away to heaven, the destination of all those faithful to God. The book ends with Israel, and then Judah, being carried away to pagan lands as a result of failing to be faithful to God.

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God’s Plan For The Ages 62 -Left Behind? Miss The Rapture? What To Do.

Left Behind? Miss the Rapture? Ed Hindson on What To Do.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 New King James Version (NKJV)

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The following note is one that I sent to an internet friend. The question about unbelievers coming to Christ during the tribulation is one that many people may share.

It has been a year since you raised a very good question about “a strong delusion..” Let me give you some verses that show great support for that verse (2 Thes 2:11). The term “earth dweller” is shown in the following verses to show that there will be people who miss the rapture, who will not accept the truth of Christ, even though they see the world falling apart all around them. You and I are “citizens of heaven,” Phil (3:20), but the earth dwellers will not let go of their love for this world, and will be the recipients of the judgments of God during the tribulation. See, Rev 3:10, 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8, 13:14, 17:8. But, still, there will be those who will miss the rapture and will come to know Christ as Lord and Savior. See Rev 20:4, “they did not take the mark of the beast.” Rev 8:9-14, tells of those martyred tribulation believers…It will be difficult for unbelievers, who accept Christ during the tribulation, to avoid being put to death by the forces of the Anti-Christ….It has been 41 years since I first heard anything about the end times. But, God has put a deep desire within me to study that part of God’s Word that is often ignored, rejected, neglected, and improperly taught. I encourage you to check out and follow my blog, which deals heavily with the end times. The link follows.

https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/

God’s Plan For The Ages 61 – Final Signs – The Gathering Storm

Final Signs: The Gathering Storm

What are the signs of the Lord’s coming? Listen to what Drs. Ed Hindson Mark Hitchcock say about the Bible’s warnings for the end times.

The Rapture Of the Church: English (to seize, catch up, snatch away); Latin (rapio); Greek (harpazo).
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; John 14:1-3. The coming of Christ in the air to take His saints to heaven for rewards and the marriage of the Lamb. This takes place while the tribulation is taking place on earth.

The Second Coming Of Christ, in the air, with his previously raptured saints, at the end of the tribulation, to stand on planet earth at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The reason is to set up His earthly kingdom of 1,000 years, and to bring judgment on sin. Zechariah 14:1-16; Matthew 24:21-31; Revelation 19:11-21, 20:1-15.

Consider the bios of Drs. Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcoek

God’s Plan For The Ages 60 – Revelation 1 – Discussion

Click onto any blue letter of number to see the Worship And Praise videos and text on the blog.

Shout to the Lord – Women of Faith

There is none like you – Women of Faith

Above All

God’s love for Israel

The Davidic Kingdom (Jeremiah 33:14-16)

14‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15‘In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. 16‘In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.’

Introduction To Post

God’s Plan For The Ages 60 – Revelation 1 – Discussion

The scriptures for this text come from “Bible Hub” http://biblehub.com/ Bible Hub is very good for research, having the lexicons for both the Old and New testaments. The 1977 translation is very user-friendly for me; I trust that it will be for you, too. The course of this study of Revelation will have each chapter being shown as a detailed, verse by verse, text study of each post, as well as a video group discussion of the same chapter, but in a separate post. The previous post (58), was a verse by verse text study. To get into the proper cadence for the following chapters, the post of the chapter video discussion will be shown prior to the verse by verse text study post. Concurrently, with the study of Revelation, I am also writing a series of posts on the Book of Ezekiel, which relates closely to the Book of Revelation. I encourage you to follow that series of posts, too. It is my desire to help other seekers of end times information to gain as much knowledge as is possible from this teaching of Revelation, which is all too often ignored, neglected, discounted and criticized. Because of the scriptural emphasis that God has placed on the Jews, verses will also be shown in each post that tell of God’s love for “His chosen people” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Holy Scripture tells of the place of honor that Israel holds in the 1,000 year Kingdom Of God, aka, the Millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20), and in The Eternal State (Revelation 21-22).

Revelation Chapter 1 – Video Discussion

Following the video discussion of Chapter 1 of Revelation, will be the written words of Revelation Chapter 1. A list of the verses of scripture, that the four speakers used in the video, are provided in the order that the verses were spoken. Bios are provided for each of the speakers, at the bottom of this page. (Drs. John Ankerberg, Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcock, Ron Rhodes)

Revelation Chapter 1 Video

The Glorified Jesus Reveals the Future

Speaker Notes Revelation 1 – The Glorified Jesus Reveals the Future – Discussion

Following, is a list of the verses of scripture that the four speakers used in the video, in the order that the verses were spoken. Bios are provided for each of the speakers, at the bottom of this page.

Ed Rev 1:1; 1:17; Mark Rev 1:3, 1:4-5; Isaiah 11:1-2; Ron Rev 1:8, 22:13; John Rev 1:5-7; Mark 1 Thes 4:17, 1 Cor 15:52, Rev 1:7, 1:9; Ed Rev 1:19, 1:8; John Rev 1:11; Ed Rev 1:13, 2:4; 2:10, 3:1-2, 3:8, 3:15-16, 3:20, 3:22; John Rev 1:20; Ron Rev 1:12-13; 1:16,1:20, 5:8. John Rev 2:2-4, 2:7; Ron 1 John 5:4-5, Rev 2:8-11, 20:6; John Rev 2:10; Ed Matt 10:32-33.

Revelation Chapter 1 – Text – God’s Plan For The Ages 60

NASB 1977

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Message to the Seven Churches

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Patmos Vision

9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” 12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle. 14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 19 “Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall take place after these things. 20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation Study

Eschatology

Background

Sources

John Ankerberg, Darrell Bock, Jimmy DeYoung, Andrew Hill, Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcock, Tommie Ice, Grant R. Jeffrey, David Jeremiah, Walter Kaiser, Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, John MacArthur, Shawn C. Madden, J. Vernon McGee, Henry Morris, Richard Patterson, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Phillips, David Reagan, Ron Rhodes, Adrian Rogers, Charles C. Ryrie, C.I. Scofield, Renald Showers, Charles Swindoll, Frank Charles Thompson, Merrill Unger, Jack Van Impe, John F. Walvoord, Andy Woods, Roy Zuck, and others.

The scripture text was taken from Biblegateway.com

The translation of the text is from The New King James Version.

The Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, was used for lesson preparation.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture notes were taken from The MacArthur Study Bible notes that are contained in Biblegateway.com

Everyone should own the Ryrie and MacArthur Study Bibles.

Biographies

Dr. John Ankerberg, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America
https://www.jashow.org/about-dr-john-ankerberg/

Other bios.

Signs of the Last Days – Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Bio – http://jimmydeyoung.com/aboutdrd.shtml

MacArthur Study Bible Notes
Bio – Dr. John MacArthur – https://www.gracechurch.org/Leader/MacArthur/John?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Pre-Tribulation Rapture – A Discussion

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Valid Arguments Against The Pre-Tribulation #Rapture ? NO!

The opening video shows a wonderful discussion that relates to the rapture of the church. Drs. David Reagan and Thomas Ice are recognized as being Bible scholars, having an exceptional understanding of the scriptures that relate to the end times, which is also known as eschatology.

Many people discount the truth of the rapture (English, rapture, from “to seize, catch up, snatch away;” Latin, rapio; Greek, harpazo). The people with whom I have had such a discussion have not taken the time that is necessary to study scriptures that explain the end times. A key verse of scripture that explains the severity of the time of tribulation is Matthew 24:21, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will,” (commentary on verse shown below).

By having an understanding of how bad it will be during the tribulation, it will be easier to understand why Christ will not leave His saints, “the bride of Christ,” on earth during that time. For someone to think that the church will have to go through the tribulation, is to believe that every born again man and woman, as well as every infant and little child, will be present when the Judgments of God are unleashed upon the earth. Those judgments, “seal, trumpet and bowl” judgments, are fully described in Revelation, Chapters 6-19. The rapture is for born again believers of Christ. The tribulation is for those people who are not born again, and are known as “earth dwellers,” Revelation 3:10, 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8, 13:14, 17:8. Please take time to study this post; study it often.

Check out the following link for a more detailed explanation of the rapture:
https://www.gotquestions.org/rapture-of-the-church.html

Matthew 24:21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Christ discusses the great tribulation with His disciples, who are Jews.

21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

24:21 great tribulation. The words “has not been” and “nor ever shall be”—along with the description that follows—identify this as the yet-future time in which God’s wrath shall be poured out upon the earth (see note on Rev. 7:14). Jesus’ descriptions of the cataclysms that follow closely resemble the outpouring of divine wrath described in the bowl judgments of Rev. 16 and His subsequent appearing in Rev. 19 (see note on v. 30).(MacArthur Study note)

Bios of Drs. Ice and Reagan can be seen in the following links.

http://www.pre-trib.org/about/dr-ice
Bio – Dr. Thomas Ice

http://christinprophecy.org/staff/dr-david-r-reagan/
Bio – Dr. David R. Reagan

A prior post was written, which has a very detailed study of the things that lead to, and beyond, the rapture. Click onto the following link and that post will be shown to you.

https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/gods-plan-for-the-ages-56-daniel-9-the-tribulation70th-week-of-daniel/

God’s Plan For The Ages 56 – Daniel 9 – The Tribulation/70th Week Of Daniel July 31, 2017

Does God Really Care About, “Who Wins The Big Game?”

Auburn’s Final Play in Iron Bowl: Chris Davis Return for TD

Click onto any blue letter or number to see the videos and text on the blog.

The college football season begins on Saturday, August 26th. There are many teams that have already made up their minds that they will be chosen to compete for the national championship in a four-team, two-game playoff. All of the players have been sharpening their skills, and being told by their coaches how to “play as a team.” But, really! Does care about winners and losers in football?

The opening video is one of my favorite ones in all of football. It shows how Auburn beat Alabama in the last play of their game in 2013. Will this year’s College Football Championship Game end in such an exciting manner; who knows? But, the question still remains about God and football, “Does God Really Care About Who Wins The Big Game,” or any other game? By the way, the Head Coach of Auburn is Gus Malzahn; he is a true, “brother in the Lord,” which means that he knows Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Psalm 18:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

God the Sovereign Savior

1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

The movie, “Facing The Giants,” is one that deals with many different relational situations. One of the key lines in the movie is spoken by Coach Grant Taylor when he says, “if we win, we praise Him (God); and if we lose we praise Him.” Another word to remember from the coach is, “give it your best, and leave the rest to God.” One of the best statements was made by Brooke, the coach’s wife, “nothing is impossible when God is on your side.” There are five key events that should be watched for. 1. Coach getting a new truck. 2. Coach getting a $6,000 a year pay raise. 3. Coach buying flowers for his wife. 4. Coach and his wife having a very romantic dinner. And, 5. The moon lit sky after the dinner. The following two paragraphs contain a Wikipedia description of the movie.

In 2003, Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) is the head coach at Shiloh Christian Academy, and has yet to post a winning record in his six-year tenure. After his seventh season begins with a three-game losing streak, the players’ fathers start making noises about replacing Coach Taylor with defensive coordinator Brady Owens. This is not the only problem that Grant is facing. His car is breaking down, and he discovers that he is the reason that his wife Brooke cannot become pregnant.

Grant Taylor creates a new coaching philosophy and decides to praise God, no matter what the result. At the same time he guides and urges each one of his players to give the maximum effort, and motivates them to believe that they can win under God’s provision. From that point on, the Shiloh Eagles (Grant’s team) lose only one more game for the rest of the season and advance all the way to the state championship game against the three-time defending champion, the Richland Giants. Even though the Eagles have only a third as many players as the Giants, the Eagles hold their own and ultimately win the game on a 51-yard field goal from a backup kicker who had never kicked more than a 35-yarder before. Grant’s prayers to have children are also answered as Brooke conceives after four years.

The following link will give you an introduction to the movie. It will take you to one of the most emotional scenes in the movie. The setting deals with the giants of life that the coach faces, including the inability of him and his wife to have children.

The full length movie of “Facing The Giants” is available for you to see by way of the iTBN link which follows.

https://www.tbn.org/programs/facing-giants

Full movie, compliments of iTBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network)

Mark 10:27 Names of God Bible (NOG)

27 Yeshua looked at them and said, “It’s impossible for people to save themselves, but it’s not impossible for God to save them. Everything is possible for God.”

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This post is one of many others that you can find in this blog that deal with Intimacy. All posts in this series can be found under the category of Intimacy. Please follow this blog so that you can receive updates automatically.

The link to this blog is: https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/

Ready Or Not! The Rapture! The Second Coming! They’re On The Way!

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(1/2) Grant Jeffrey – Rapture vs Second Coming

(2/2) Grant Jeffrey – Rapture vs Second Coming

Bioh Grant R. Jeffrey Grant (October 5, 1948 – May 11, 2012)
http://www.grantjeffrey.com/bio.htm
http://www.grantjeffrey.com/

To see the blog full post click onto the following link.

https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/ready-or-not-the-rapture-the-second-coming-theyre-on-the-way/

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Praise

Michael W Smith A New Hallelujah Featuring The African Children’s Choir Live YouTube

Galatians 3:27-29 New International Version (NIV)

27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Jews & Arabs worship together in Nazareth, Israel.

Hebrew Christian Worship Songs /2015 Great Is The Lord, Gadol Adonai Umehulal Me’Od

Immanuel..Immanuel..Beautiful Arabic Christian Song @ Cave Church , Egypt(Subtitles)

IYOO KHALVARI (South African Praise Medley) |Voice of Pentecost

Я вижу Иисуса, в славе и силе!
(Slavic:Unknown Nation)

Молодёжный хор – “Он Иегова”; Ukrainian Christian Song

“Here I am to Worship” – Russian Youth Choir

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my blog. From your friend in the USA.
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God’s Plan For The Ages 59 – About Israel – Ezekiel 9 – A Vision Of Judgment

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We Are Standing On Holy Ground – First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL

When will the Ezekiel 38 war take place?
John Ankerberg Show

God’s Love For Israel

Text

Jeremiah 30:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

3 For behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’”

Lesson Preview

Ezekiel 9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Date: 594 B.C. (Scofield Study Bible)

Place: Jerusalem, Southern Kingdom Of Judah

Notice the personal involvement of God in His judgment of the sin of Jerusalem. We can easily see that “sin is serious stuff!”

Consider verse 9.

9 …“The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity;”

Notice the note on verse 3.

3 “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple…” (My note) In due time, the Glory of the Lord will leave the temple in Jerusalem, and will not return until the time of “the Millennium/Kingdom of God/future kingdom of Messiah/Millennial reign of Christ.” When the Glory of the Lord leaves the temple,(having fully departed (Ez 11:22, 23), the Glory will not return until (Ez 43:2–7). There will be no such return of the Glory of the Lord when the temple is rebuilt in 515 BC (Ezra 6:16), or when a temple is built during the tribulation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Second Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14-15). Without the Glory of the Lord, a “temple” is only a “structure,” having a floor, four walls and a roof.)

Notice in verse 4 how righteous Jews will escape God’s judgment by having a mark placed on their foreheads. (“put a mark on the foreheads;” see MacArthur note.)

Notice in verses 5-7 that God’s judgment was all-encompassing, beginning in the temple.

Notice in verses 8-11, the conversation between Ezekiel and God. Ezekiel was pleading for mercy. God reaffirmed that sin must be judged, using the word “perversity, to describe the actions of the Jews of Jerusalem (that which is perverted, perverted justice…Hebrew 4297. “mutteh”)

Lesson Text: Ezekiel 9

The Wicked Are Slain

1 Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.” 2 And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; 4 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

5 To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. 6 Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple. 7 Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.

8 So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”

9 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.”

The Romans Road

Consider the following verses that explain the road to salvation.

Romans 3:23 New King James Version (NKJV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:8 New King James Version (NKJV)

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 6:23 New King James Version (NKJV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:13 New King James Version (NKJV)

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Consider the following video discussion of sin, as it relates to those living in the world today.

Will God overlook our sin, or must He deal with it?

In Ezekiel 9, Jerusalem Jews were saved from the judgment of God because of their righteousness (9:4). In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul explains in Romans 3:21-22 that righteousness comes through faith in Christ, to all who believe in Him as Savior and Lord.

Romans 3:21-22 New International Version (NIV)

Righteousness Through Faith

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,

Notes – Ezekiel 9 – MacArthur Study Bible (Everybody should own a MacArthur Study Bible)

9:1 charge over the city. God summoned His servant angels to carry out His judgments. These angelic executioners (cf. Dan. 4:13, 17, 23) came equipped with weapons of destruction.
9:2 six men. Angels can appear like men when ministering on earth (cf. Gen. 18:1; Dan. 9:20–23). One man. He was superior to the others. Linen indicates high rank (cf. Dan. 10:5; 12:6). Perhaps this was the Angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ (see note on Ex. 3:2). He had all the instruments of an oriental scribe to carry out His task (vv. 4, 11).
9:3 the glory…had gone up. The glory of God departs before the destruction of the city and temple. The gradual departure of God from His temple is depicted in stages: the glory resides in the temple’s Most Holy Place, between the wings of the cherubs on each side of the ark of the covenant over the mercy seat, then leaves to the front door (9:3; 10:4), later to the E gate by the outer wall (10:18, 19), and finally to the Mt. of Olives to the E, having fully departed (11:22, 23). The glory will return in the future kingdom of Messiah (43:2–7).
9:4 a mark on the foreheads. Since God’s departure removed all protection and gave the people over to destruction, it was necessary for the angelic scribe (Angel of the Lord) to mark for God’s preservation the righteous who had been faithful to Him. Those left unmarked were subject to death in Babylon’s siege (v. 5). The mark was the indication of God’s elect, identified personally by the pre-incarnate Christ. He was marking the elect (cf. Ex. 12:7). Malachi 3:16–18 indicates a similar idea. Cf. Rev. 7:3; 9:4. The marked ones were penitent and were identified for protection. Here was a respite of grace for the remnant. The rest were to be killed (vv. 5–7).
9:8 Will You destroy all? Ezekiel is fearfully aroused in prayer because the judgment on Jerusalem and Israel is so vast. God replies that pervasive sin demands thorough judgment (vv. 9, 10), yet comforts him by the report that the faithful had been marked to be spared (v. 11). Cf. Rom 11:1, 2, 25–27.

Comments related to this post.

The book of Ezekiel show’s God’s prophetic purposes being fulfilled in the lives and nation of Israel. Jimmy DeYoung has called the book of Ezekiel “the timeline of the Jews.”

Purpose of Writing: https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Ezekiel.html

Eschatology

Background

Sources

Biographies

Dr. John Ankerberg, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America
https://www.jashow.org/about-dr-john-ankerberg/

Signs of the Last Days – Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Bio – http://jimmydeyoung.com/aboutdrd.shtml

MacArthur Study Bible Notes
Bio – Dr. John MacArthur – https://www.gracechurch.org/Leader/MacArthur/John?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

The scripture text was taken from Biblegateway.com

The translation of the text is from The New King James Version.

The Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, was used for lesson preparation.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture notes were taken from The MacArthur Study Bible notes that are contained in Biblegateway.com

Everyone should own the Ryrie and MacArthur Study Bibles.

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Messiah Of The Old Testament

Walter Kaiser and Darrell Bock – The Messiah of the Old Testament
Get your pen and paper ready! This video is one that will provide many good scriptures that relate to the Messiah in the Old Testament. The video is lengthy, but it is well worth the time that you will spend listening to three of the most knowledgeable scholars of the scriptures. Consider the video to be one that you will go back and study often.

https://www.amazon.com/Darrell-L.-Bock/e/B001IO9UP8
http://www.dts.edu/about/faculty/dbock/
Darell L. Bock

https://christianuniversity.org/professors/dr-walter-c-kaiser-jr/
https://www.amazon.com/Walter-C.-Kaiser/e/B001IO9TIQ
Walter C. Kaiser

https://www.jashow.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ankerberg
John Ankerberg

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Israel, A Look Within, From Without

The nation of Israel is rich in culture and history. No one can deny the contributions to our world that have come from such a small nation, having such a small citizenry. Please consider the value to society that the nation of Israel has provided, in spite of the many obstacles that have been placed in its way. The opening video shows a major obstacle that the Jewish people have had to overcome. The Jewish children in Germany, in the 1930s, are seen singing Hatikvah, which would become the national anthem of the nation of Israel. Many of the children, if not all of them, would be murdered in the Nazi death camps during the Holocaust.

Click onto the following links to learn more about the Holocaust. Much of the free world remained silent as the Holocaust continued with the murders of more than six million Jews being the result.

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_fi.php?ModuleId=10005143&MediaId=183
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/the-holocaust

The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. Holocaust is a word of Greek origin meaning “sacrifice by fire.” The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were “racially superior” and that the Jews, deemed “inferior,” were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.

Consider some of the notes that were placed on You Tube.

דער שטעטל: ילדי הגימנסיה העברית בעיירה מונקאטש שבהרי הקרפטים שרים “התקווה” שנות ה’תר”צ המוקדמות, בין שתי מלחמות העולם.

Children from the Hebrew Gymnasium Singing “Hatikvah” in Munkács, the early 1930’s

________________________________________

1 year ago
IM crying. They sing the first version of “Hatikvah” the “religious” one. They have a heavy European accent. They were all killed in the Holocaust. I’m in tears and crying.

View all 5 replies
Tobías Leon
Tobías Leon
1 year ago
think 90% of these kids died before 15
REPLY
13

View reply
Merobel luis
Merobel luis
2 years ago
INNOCENT LITTLE ANGELS SAYING HATIKVAH.
REPLY
12

View reply
Roger Hudson
Roger Hudson
8 months ago
The most moving version of Hatikva on youtube, evidence that nazism but be total smashed. I pray for all their souls.
REPLY
8

Tongsat Haokip
Tongsat Haokip
8 months ago
jews being God ‘s own people have been subjected to all kinds of exploitations. I really like Hatikvah it reminds me of their captivity to Babylon , the Roman invasion in 70 AD ,the Holocaust ,the Anne’s diary . i pledge for them a happy,peaceful and harmonius life forgetting their sufferings of almost 2,000 years.May God bless Israel.Amen.
REPLY
8

Introduction

As with most non-Jews, my view and perception of Israel is “from without.” As a gentile (not Jewish), having grown up in a city having a large Jewish population and influence, I have come to love the Jewish people, whether they are naturalized citizens from other countries, or if they are home-grown in my nation, The United States Of America. There are many people who live in other nations, as well as in America, who do not share my love or appreciation for Israel and its people. In this, and in following posts, I will attempt to paint a “prettier face” on a people who are, all too often, shown as having an “ugly face”in our world’s community of nations. The history of the Jews shows that the nation of Israel has often come under great oppression, from many other nations and people, with many deaths taking place. Israel is the only democratically run nation in its region of the world. A variety of sources of information will be used to show Israel in the light that I see that nation, and its people.

The nation of Israel has appx 8.6 million people, with appx 6.5 million being Jews.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/latest-population-statistics-for-israel
The size of Israel is about the same size as that of the state of New Jersey.
http://iris.org.il/sizemaps/new_jersey.htm
Of 350 million people living in the middle east, Jews make up only about 6.5 million of the 350 million.
http://www.cotf.edu/earthinfo/meast/mepeo.html.

Consider a look at Israel, “from within.”

Israeli Arts, Culture And Literature, Culture In Israel, by Asher Weill

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/culture-in-israel

A review of any country’s cultural history over the last fifty years would show enormous changes – undoubtedly a quantum leap – and certainly more changes than in any other fifty year period in history. How much more so in Israel, where that same period was marked by a series of cataclysmic events which had – and are still having – an effect on the very nature and cultural character of this young but old nation.

Israel in 1948: a country of 640,000 Jews; just three years after the annihilation of six million Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. A country on the eve of invasion by five neighboring Arab nations intent on wiping it out, or, in the words of one Arab leader, “driving the Jews into the sea.” A country in the throes of absorbing the remnant of decimated European Jewry – despoiled of all their worldly goods and brutally severed from their cultural and linguistic roots, but intent on surviving and creating a new life in the one piece of land that was prepared to accept them.

Each of the decades that followed was marked by yet more social and political convulsions. The fifties were the years of the mass immigration of Jews from Arab lands: from Morocco, from the Yemen, from Iraq; and of tens of thousands of Jews from some 70 countries worldwide, all of whom had brought with them their own language, national heritage and cultural baggage.

The sixties were, above all, marked by the military victory in the Six-Day War of 1967, when a whole new national mythos and sense of euphoria engulfed not only the Jewish population of Israel, but indeed the entire Jewish Diaspora – only to be shattered to a large extent by the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and its aftermath, some of the effects of which are still very much with us nearly three decades later. The seventies and the eighties saw the first tentative bridges to peace with the Arab world, beginning with the historic visit to Israel of President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt in 1977.

History of Israel, Its Diaspora and Return, 722 B.C., forward

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-diaspora

Ancient Jewish History: The Diaspora

The Jewish state comes to an end in 70 AD, when the Romans begin to actively drive Jews from the home they had lived in for over a millennium. But the Jewish Diaspora (“diaspora” =”dispersion, scattering”) had begun long before the Romans had even dreamed of Judaea. When the Assyrians conquered Israel in 722, the Hebrew inhabitants were scattered all over the Middle East; these early victims of the dispersion disappeared utterly from the pages of history. However, when Nebuchadnezzar deported the Judaeans in 597 and 586 BC, he allowed them to remain in a unified community in Babylon. Another group of Judaeans fled to Egypt, where they settled in the Nile delta. So from 597 onwards, there were three distinct groups of Hebrews: a group in Babylon and other parts of the Middle East, a group in Judaea, and another group in Egypt. Thus, 597 is considered the beginning date of the Jewish Diaspora. While Cyrus the Persian allowed the Judaeans to return to their homeland in 538 BC, most chose to remain in Babylon. A large number of Jews in Egypt became mercenaries in Upper Egypt on an island called the Elephantine. All of these Jews retained their religion, identity, and social customs; both under the Persians and the Greeks, they were allowed to run their lives under their own laws. Some converted to other religions; still others combined the Yahweh cult with local cults; but the majority clung to the Hebraic religion and its new-found core document, the Torah.

In 63 BC, Judaea became a protectorate of Rome. Coming under the administration of a governor, Judaea was allowed a king; the governor’s business was to regulate trade and maximize tax revenue. While the Jews despised the Greeks, the Romans were a nightmare. Governorships were bought at high prices; the governors would attempt to squeeze as much revenue as possible from their regions and pocket as much as they could. Even with a Jewish king, the Judaeans revolted in 70 AD, a desperate revolt that ended tragically. In 73 AD, the last of the revolutionaries were holed up in a mountain fort called Masada; the Romans had besieged the fort for two years, and the 1,000 men, women, and children inside were beginning to starve. In desperation, the Jewish revolutionaries killed themselves rather than surrender to the Romans. The Romans then destroyed Jerusalem, annexed Judaea as a Roman province, and systematically drove the Jews from Palestine. After 73 AD, Hebrew history would only be the history of the Diaspora as the Jews and their world view spread over Africa, Asia, and Europe. Sources: The Hebrews: A Learning Module from Washington State University

The most direct way of discussing the diaspora of the Jews is to use the Complete Jewish Bible, which was translated into English by Dr. David H. Stern, who was born a Jew, and lives in Israel. As you can see, a bible is a book; it is a book that is regarded as being one of authority. The Jewish writings have been maintained by the Jews; the original languages were Hebrew and Aramaic. In approximately 405 A.D., those writings were translated into Latin by Jerome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-28/405-jerome-completes-vulgate.html
http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/301-600/jeromes-bible-legacy-11629678.html

Comments in this article will be made relative to the situations in which the Jewish people found themselves during their diaspora. There may be different views and understandings of the Jewish writings but, one thing is certain; they were written by Jews, and from a Jewish point of understanding and perspective.

Consider the following comments on the word, “bible.”

Bible – definition of Bible in English | Oxford Dictionaries

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bible

Consider the following uses of “bible.”

A book regarded as authoritative in a particular sphere.

The Jewish scriptures, consisting of the Torah or Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa or Writings.

‘A cooking bible can be so helpful when it comes to unusual ingredients, and cooking techniques.’
‘But I was also obsessed with the possibility of the future turning out to be horrible – so I carried around 1984, Farenheit 451 and Brave New World like they were my Bibles.’
‘This is the bible of cooking as simple or as complicated as you care to get.’
‘The book became the bible of the democracy movement, and the city a place of pilgrimage for human rights activists.’
‘My bible is Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, a two-volume cookery book I was given at 25.’

INFORMATION ON THE COMPLETE JEWISH BIBLE

Translated by Dr. David H. Stern

Version Information

Presenting the Word of God as a unified Jewish book, the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) is a translation for Jews and non-Jews alike. It connects readers with the Jewishness of the Messiah. Names and key terms are returned to their original Hebrew and presented in easy-to-understand transliterations, enabling the reader to say them the way Yeshua (Jesus) did.

The CJB is a translation of the Bible into English by Dr. David H. Stern. It consists of Dr. Stern’s revised translation of the Old Testament (Tanakh) plus his original Jewish New Testament (B’rit Hadashah) translation in one volume. It was published in its entirety in 1998 by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc.

The Old Testament translation is a paraphrase of the public domain 1917 Jewish Publication Society version. The New Testament section is Dr. Stern’s original translation from the ancient Greek.

Dr. Stern’s purpose for producing the Complete Jewish Bible was “to restore God’s Word to its original Jewish context and culture as well as be in easily read modern English.”

The CJB follows the order and the names of the Old Testament books in the Jewish Bible, rather than those of typical Christian Bibles. It uses Hebrew names for people and places, such as Eliyahu for “Elijah”, and Sha’ul for “Saul.” The work also incorporates Hebrew and Yiddish expressions, such as matzah for “unleavened bread” and mikveh for “ritual immersion pool”.

The calendar begins.

722 B.C. Assyrians deported 27,290 inhabitants of Israel to distant locations, from which many of them have remained until this day.

“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Ashur captured Shomron. He carried Isra’el away captive to Ashur, resettling them in Halach, in Havor on the Gozan River and in the cities of the Medes.” (2 Kings 17:6)

17:6 king of Assyria. Sargon II (see note on 17:3). carried Israel away. The capture of Samaria marked the end of the northern kingdom. According to Assyrian records, the Assyrians deported 27,290 inhabitants of Israel to distant locations. The relocation of populations was characteristic of Assyrian policy during that era. The Israelites were resettled in the upper Tigris-Euphrates Valley and never returned to the Promised Land. “Halah” was a city NE of Nineveh. The “Habor” River was a northern tributary of the Euphrates. The “cities of the Medes” were NE of Nineveh. Samaria was resettled with foreigners (v. 24). God did what He said He would do in Deut. 28. The Jews were carried as far E as Susa, where the book of Esther later took place. (The author of 2 Kings was the prophet Jeremiah, ca. 550 B.C., per Dr. Charles C. Ryrie, Dallas Theological Seminary, deceased.)

The buildup to the deportation of the Jews starts with the death of King Solomon, ca. 931 B.C., 1 Kings 11:43. At that time, there were twelve tribes of Israel, with all of them living in, or around Jerusalem, in Israel; they were a unified kingdom. Soon, thereafter, they became a divided kingdom. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were both kings reigning in Israel’s divided kingdom. Rehoboam was one of Solomon’s sons and king of Judah in the south (1 Kings 11:43). Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s former officials, an Ephraimite, and king of Israel in the north (1 Kings 11:26). The two southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin, remained at Jerusalem, and were called “Judah.” The northern tribes became known as “Israel,” and settled in Samaria. (1 Kings 12:16-20; 1 Kings 14:21-24). Jeroboam reigned until his death in 910 B.C., 1 Kings 14:20. Rehoboam reigned until his death in 913 B.C., 1 Kings 14:31. From that point in time, forward, other kings assumed leadership of the northern and southern tribes, with a splintering of each group taking place, and the first deportation of Jews taking place in 722 B.C., with the ten northern tribes being removed from their land, per 2 Kings 17:6. The splintering of the two southern tribes was taking place, too. The next post will discuss the effects of that dysfunction.

Food for thought.

“Jeroboam” and his ten tribes “jumped” north to Samaria. “Rehoboam” and his two tribes”remained” in Jerusalem.

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God’s Plan For The Ages 58 – Revelation 1 – The Vision – Data

Click onto any blue letter of number to see the videos and text on the blog.

Michael W Smith A New Hallelujah Featuring The African Children’s Choir Live

Lesson Video

What is the outline from the book of Revelation?

God’s love for Israel

Joel 3:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV)

God Judges the Nations

1 “For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.

3:2 gather all nations. The nations of the world will be gathered to Jerusalem to the battle of Armageddon (Zech. 12:3; 14:2; Rev. 16:16; 19:11–21). Valley of Jehoshaphat. The name means “Yahweh judges” (cf. 3:12, 14) and although the exact location is unknown, other prophets spoke of this judgment as occurring near Jerusalem (Ezek. 38, 39; Dan. 11:45; Zech. 9:14ff.; 12:1ff.). This judgment of the nations includes the event of Matt. 25:31–46.

God’s Plan For The Ages 58 – Revelation 1 – The Vision – Data

Lesson Text

Introduction and Benediction

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

Re: verse 1. The Revelation, “singular.” (Mine)
Re: verse 3. A promise of a blessing for those who study the book of Revelation. (Mine)

Greeting the Seven Churches

4 John, to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Re: (the rapture, “the catching up,” from rapio, Latin, from harpazo, Greek, 1 Thes 4:16-18). (Mine)

Re: verse 7. At the coming of Christ in the air, and the catching up of the born again believers in Christ (the saints), with Christ catching up His deceased saints first, with the living saints following; all of those saints will meet in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, with their next stop being Heaven, for rewards and the marriage of the lamb (1 Thes 4:16-18; 2 Cor 5:8; Rev 19:7-8). In this verse 7, we see Christ coming from heaven, “with clouds,” with His next stop being the Mount of Olives, in Jerusalem. At that time, all of the people on the earth (all of the people who had been left behind from the rapture), will see Christ on his way to earth. They had experienced the time of tribulation (the judgments of God and the oppression of the anti-Christ). They will mourn, but not for joy. They will have great fear, and not joy, at the appearance of Christ, as He is on His way for judgment. Christ will inflict severe and eternal punishment on those living gentiles who had mistreated the Jews during the tribulation, Matthew 25:40, “My brethren.” (Zechariah 14:1-16; Revelation 19:11-21; Matthew 24:27-31; Matthew 25:31-46). Christ had taken his saints to heaven as the Lamb of God. He is now seen returning to earth from heaven, with those same raptured saints, as the Lion Of The Tribe Of Judah, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (John 1:29, Rev 5:5, 19:16). (The living gentiles, who had shown compassion for the Jews during the tribulation, had come to know that the Jews were God’s chosen people. Their compassion for the Jews was due to their acceptance of Christ as their Lord and Savior; God granted them entry into the Kingdom/Millennial reign of Christ, from where they would enter into the eternal state (Matthew 25:40; Revelation 21:1-7). Many Bibles, videos of sermons about Christ, and other Christian material, will be available for those who are left behind when the rapture takes place; they will have those sources of information to teach them about Christ. They, and all believers in Christ, are over-comers, because of their faith in Christ, 1 John 5:4) (Mine)

1 John 5:4 English Standard Version (ESV)

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Vision of the Son of Man

9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

Study Notes

The following study notes come from the MacArthur Study Bible, and are provided by Biblgateway.com

Revelation

1:1 The Revelation. The Gr. word from which the Eng. word “apocalypse” comes lit. means “to uncover, or to reveal.” When it refers to a person, it means that person becomes clearly visible (see Introduction: Title; cf. Luke 2:30–32; Rom. 8:19; 1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7). Jesus Christ. The gospels unveil Christ at His first coming in humiliation; Revelation reveals Him in His exaltation: 1) in blazing glory (vv. 7–20); 2) over His church, as its Lord (chaps. 2, 3); 3) in His second coming, as He takes back the earth from the usurper, Satan, and establishes His kingdom (chaps. 4–20); and 4) as He lights up the eternal state (chaps. 21, 22). The NT writers eagerly anticipate this unveiling (1 Cor. 1:7; 2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7). God gave Him. As a reward for Christ’s perfect submission and atonement, the Father now presented to Him the great record of His future glory (cf. Phil. 2:5–11). Readers eavesdrop on the gift of this book, from the Father to His Son. shortly. The primary meaning of this word (lit. “soon”; cf. 2:5, 16; 3:11; 11:14; 22:12; 2 Tim. 4:9) underscores the imminence of Christ’s return.
1:3 Blessed. This is the only biblical book that comes with a blessing for the one who listens to it being read and explained and then responds in obedience. This is the first of 7 beatitudes in the book (v. 3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). time is near. “Time” refers to epochs, eras, or seasons. The next great epoch of God’s redemptive history is imminent. But although Christ’s coming is the next event, it may be delayed so long that people begin to question whether He will ever come (cf. Matt. 24:36–39; 2 Pet. 3:3, 4).
1:4 seven churches which are in Asia. Asia Minor, equivalent to modern Turkey, was composed of 7 postal districts. At the center of those districts were 7 key cities which served as central points for the dissemination of information. It is to the churches in those cities that John writes. who is and who was and who is to come. God’s eternal presence is not limited by time. He has always been present and will come in the future. the seven Spirits. There are two possible meanings: 1) a reference to Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the 7-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit (Is. 11:2); or 2) more likely, it is a reference to the lampstand with 7 lamps (a menorah) in Zechariah—also a description of the Holy Spirit (see notes on 4:5; 5:6; Zech. 4:1–10). In either case, 7 is the number of completeness, so John is identifying the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
1:5 firstborn. Of all who have been or will be raised from the dead, He is the preeminent one, the only one who is the rightful heir (cf. 3:14; Ps. 89:27; Col. 1:15).
1:6 kings and priests. More accurately, “a kingdom and priests.” All who believe live in the sphere of God’s rule, a kingdom entered by faith in Jesus Christ. And as priests, believers have the right to enter God’s presence.
1:7 coming with clouds. This echoes the promise of Daniel: The Son of Man will come with the clouds of heaven (Dan. 7:13)—not ordinary clouds but clouds of glory. In the OT, God often manifested Himself in an energized, blazing light, called the Shekinah or glory cloud. No one could see it fully and live (Ex. 33:20), so it had to be veiled. But when Christ returns, the glory will be completely visible. Cf. Matt. 24:29, 30; 25:31; see notes on 6:12–17. they who pierced. Not a reference to the 4 Roman soldiers usually involved in crucifixion, but to the Jews who were actually responsible for Christ’s death (Acts 2:22, 23; 3:14, 15). Zechariah identified the ones who pierced Him as “the house of David” and “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” and prophesied that they will weep tears of genuine repentance because of what they did to their Messiah (Zech. 12:10). all the tribes…will mourn. The mourning of the rest of the earth’s inhabitants is not that which accompanies genuine repentance (cf. 9:21). It is the result of guilt for sin and fear of punishment (6:16; cf. Gen. 3:8–10).
1:8 Alpha and the Omega. These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. An alphabet is an ingenious way to store and communicate knowledge. The 26 letters in the English alphabet, arranged in almost endless combinations, can hold and convey all knowledge. Christ is the supreme, sovereign alphabet; there is nothing outside His knowledge, so as there are no unknown factors that can sabotage His second coming. (cf. Col. 2:3). the Almighty. “Almighty God” occurs 8 times in Revelation, underscoring that God’s power is supreme over all the cataclysmic events it records (see also 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7, 14; 19:15; 21:22). He exercises sovereign control over every person, object, and event, and not one molecule in the universe is outside that dominion.
1:9–18 This vision of Christ is equaled in grandeur only by the vision of His final return as King of kings and Lord of lords (19:11–16).
1:9 tribulation and kingdom and patience. Four characteristics that John and his believing readers share: 1) persecution for their faith; 2) membership in the redeemed community over which Christ serves as Lord and King; 3) eager anticipation of the glory of His coming millennial reign on earth; and 4) endurance and perseverance in spite of difficult times. island…called Patmos. Located in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and part of a group of about 50 islands, Patmos is a barren, rocky, crescent-shaped island that is about 10 mi. long and less than 6 mi. at its widest point. It served as a Roman penal colony. According to early Christian historian, Eusebius, the emperor Nerva (A.D. 96–98) released John from Patmos.
1:10 in the Spirit. This was not a dream. John was supernaturally transported out of the material world awake—not sleeping—to an experience beyond the normal senses. The Holy Spirit empowered his senses to perceive revelation from God (cf. Acts 10:11). Lord’s Day. This phrase appears in many early Christian writings and refers to Sunday, the day of the Lord’s resurrection. Some have suggested this phrase refers to “the Day of the Lord,” but the context doesn’t support that interpretation, and the grammatical form of the word “Lord” is adjectival, thus “the Lord’s day.” loud voice. Throughout Revelation, a loud sound or voice indicates the solemnity of what God is about to reveal.
1:11 book. The Gr. word refers to a scroll made of parchment formed from papyrus, a reed that grows plentifully along the Nile.
1:12 lampstands. These were portable gold lampstands that held small oil lamps. Each lampstand represented a church (v. 20), from which the light of life shone. Throughout Scripture, 7 is the number of completeness, so these 7 lampstands are representative of all the churches.
1:13 Son of Man. According to the gospels, this is the title Christ used most often for Himself during His earthly ministry (81 times in the gospels). Taken from the heavenly vision in Dan. 7:13, it is an implied claim to deity. garment. Most occurrences of this word in the Septuagint, the Gr. OT, refer to the garment of the High-Priest. The golden sash across His chest completes the picture of Christ serving in His priestly role (cf. Lev. 16:1–4; Heb. 2:17).
1:14 white like wool. “White” does not refer to a flat white color but a blazing, glowing, white light (cf. Dan. 7:9). Like the glory cloud (or Shekinah), it is a picture of His holiness. eyes…flame of fire. Like two lasers, the eyes of the exalted Lord look with penetrating gaze into the depths of His church (2:18; 19:12; Heb. 4:13).
1:15 feet…fine brass. The altar of burnt offering was covered with brass and its utensils were made of the same material (cf. Ex. 38:1–7). Glowing hot, brass feet are a clear reference to divine judgment. Jesus Christ with feet of judgment is moving through His church to exercise His chastening authority upon sin. voice… sound of many waters. No longer was His voice like the crystal clear note of a trumpet (v. 10), but John likened it to the crashing of the surf against the rocks of the island (cf. Ezek. 43:2). It was the voice of authority.
1:16 seven stars. These are the messengers who represent the 7 churches (see note on v. 20). Christ holds them in His hand, which means that He controls the church and its leaders. a sharp two-edged sword. A large, two-edged broad sword. It signifies judgment (cf. 2:16; 19:15) on those who attack His people and destroy His church.
1:17 fell at His feet. A common response to seeing the awesome glory of the Lord (Gen. 17:3; Num. 16:22; Is. 6:1–8; Ezek. 1:28; Acts 9:4). First and the Last. Jesus Christ applies this OT name for Yahweh (22:13; Is. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12) to Himself, clearly claiming to be God. Idols will come and go. He was before them, and He will remain after them.
1:18 keys of Hades and of Death. See note on Luke 16:23. Death and Hades are essentially synonyms, but death is the condition and Hades, equivalent to the OT Sheol, the place of the dead (see note on 20:13). Christ decides who lives, who dies, and when.
1:19 This verse provides a simple outline for the entire book: “the things which you have seen” refers to the vision John has just seen (chap. 1); “the things which are” denotes the letters to the churches (chaps. 2, 3); and “the things which will take place after this” refers to the revelation of future history (chaps. 4–22).
1:20 the angels. The word lit. means “messenger.” Although it can mean angel—and does throughout the book—it cannot refer to angels here because angels are never leaders in the church. Most likely, these messengers are the 7 key elders representing each of those churches (see note on v. 16).

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Eschatology

Background

Sources

The scripture text was taken from Biblegateway.com

The translation of the text is from The New King James Version.

The Ryrie Study Bible, New American Standard Bible, was used for lesson preparation.

Unless otherwise noted, scripture notes were taken from The MacArthur Study Bible notes that are contained in Biblegateway.com

Everyone should own the Ryrie and MacArthur Study Bibles.

Biographies

Dr. John Ankerberg, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America
https://www.jashow.org/about-dr-john-ankerberg/

Signs of the Last Days – Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Bio – http://jimmydeyoung.com/aboutdrd.shtml

MacArthur Study Bible Notes
Bio – Dr. John MacArthur – https://www.gracechurch.org/Leader/MacArthur/John?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

God’s Plan For The Ages 57 – About Israel – Ezekiel 8 – A Vision Of Wickedness In The Temple

Click onto any highlighted word to see the videos and text on the blog.

It Is Well With My Soul – FBC Jacksonville, FL

How Close are we to the Events in Ezekiel 38?
John Ankerberg Show
Published on Sep 8, 2015
Our exciting new programs with prophecy experts Dr. Renald Showers and Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. In this four program series we investigate what the Bible teaches about the timing and events that will take place when Jesus returns at the Rapture. Dr. DeYoung also gives us an up to moment report on what is happening in the nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38 today.

Revelation 19:19 King James Version (KJV)

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

Note: 19:19 kings of the earth. See 17:12–17. their armies. See 16:13, 14. His army. Zechariah describes this army of the Lord as “all the saints” (14:5). (MacArthur Study Bible)

God’s Love For Israel

Text

Revelation 21:12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

Revelation 21:10-12 NASB

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

My note: The names of the twelve tribes of Israel will be written on the 12 gates of the of the walls of the New Jerusalem

Lesson Text

Ezekiel 8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Date: 594 B.C. (Scofield Study Bible)

Notice the personal involvement of God in all but two verses (10 and 11).

Abominations in the Temple

1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber. 3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court,where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy. 4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.

5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.

6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.” 7 So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.

9 And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls. 11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’”

13 And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.” 14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.

15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.

17 And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Consider why God would be drawn to jealousy in verse 1-6.

Consider the honor of Ezekiel being called “son of man.”

Ezekiel and Daniel were “all man.” Christ was “all God and all man.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible (Ezekiel 2:1)

Son of man – This phrase (which occurs elsewhere in Scripture) is applied especially to Ezekiel and Daniel, the prophets of the captivity. Ezekiel is thus reminded of his humanity, at the time when he is especially permitted to have contact with God.

Question: “What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man?”

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Son-of-Man.html

Answer: Jesus is referred to as the “Son of Man” 88 times in the New Testament. A first meaning of the phrase “Son of Man” is as a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” The description “Son of Man” was a Messianic title. Jesus is the One who was given dominion and glory and a kingdom. When Jesus used this phrase, He was assigning the Son of Man prophecy to Himself. The Jews of that era would have been intimately familiar with the phrase and to whom it referred. Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the Messiah.

A second meaning of the phrase “Son of Man” is that Jesus was truly a human being. God called the prophet Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times. God was simply calling Ezekiel a human being. A son of a man is a man. Jesus was fully God (John 1:1), but He was also a human being (John 1:14). First John 4:2 tells us, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.” Yes, Jesus was the Son of God—He was in His essence God. Yes, Jesus was also the Son of Man—He was in His essence a human being. In summary, the phrase “Son of Man” indicates that Jesus is the Messiah and that He is truly a human being.

Consider why God would be drawn to Jealousy. The Message translation is very informative in this matter.

Ezekiel 8:1-6 The Message (MSG)

The Spirit Carried Me in Visions

8 1-4 In the sixth year, in the sixth month and the fifth day, while I was sitting at home meeting with the leaders of Judah, it happened that the hand of my Master, God, gripped me. When I looked, I was astonished. What I saw looked like a man—from the waist down like fire and from the waist up like highly burnished bronze. He reached out what looked like a hand and grabbed me by the hair. The Spirit swept me high in the air and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the Temple’s inside court where the image of the sex goddess that makes God so angry had been set up. Right before me was the Glory of the God of Israel, exactly like the vision I had seen out on the plain.

5 He said to me, “Son of man, look north.” I looked north and saw it: Just north of the entrance loomed the altar of the sex goddess, Asherah, that makes God so angry.

6 Then he said, “Son of man, do you see what they’re doing? Outrageous obscenities! And doing them right here! It’s enough to drive me right out of my own Temple. But you’re going to see worse yet.”

Notes – Ezekiel 8 – MacArthur Study Bible (Everybody should own a MacArthur Study Bible)

8:1 the sixth year. 592 B.C. (cf. 1:2) in Aug./Sep., a year and two months after the first vision (1:1). the hand of the Lord. This ushered the prophet into a series of visions (v. 3) stretching to the end of chap. 11.
8:2 a likeness. He saw the glory of the Lord (v. 4) as in 1:26–28.
8:3 in visions of God. Ezekiel 8–11 deals with details conveyed only to Ezekiel in visions. Ezekiel’s trip to Jerusalem was in spirit only, while his body physically remained in his house. In visions, he went to Jerusalem and in visions he returned to Babylon (11:24). After God finished the visions, Ezekiel told his home audience what he had seen. The visions are not a description of deeds done in the past in Israel, but a survey of Israel’s current condition, as they existed at that very time. the seat…image of jealousy. God represents to Ezekiel the image of an idol (cf. Deut. 4:16) in the entrance to the inner court of the temple. It is called “the image of jealousy” because it provoked the Lord to jealousy (5:13; 16:38; 36:6; 38:19; Ex. 20:5).
8:4 the glory of…God. God was also there in glory, but was ignored while the people worshiped the idol (v. 6).
8:6 to make Me go far away. Sin would expel the people from their land and God from His sanctuary.
8:7–12 This section describes “greater abominations” (v. 6) of idolatry, namely a secret cult of idolatrous elders.
8:8 dig into the wall…a door. This indicates the clandestine (cf. v. 12) secrecy of these idolaters, practicing their cult in hiding.
8:10 portrayed…on the walls. The temple’s walls are ugly with graffiti featuring creatures linked with Egyptian animal cults (cf. Rom 1:23) and other idols. Leaders of Israel, who should be worshiping the God of the temple, are offering incense to them (v. 11).
8:11 seventy…elders. Obviously not the Sanhedrin, since it was not formed until after the restoration from Babylon, though the pattern had been suggested much earlier (cf. Ex. 24:9, 10; Num. 11:16). These men were appointed to guard against idolatry! Jaazaniah…son of Shaphan. If he was the son of the Shaphan who read God’s Word to Josiah (2 Kin. 22:8–11), we have some concept of the depth of sin to which the leaders had fallen. He is not to be confused with the man in 11:1, who had a different father.
8:14 weeping for Tammuz. Yet a greater abomination than the secret cult was Israel’s engaging in the Babylonian worship of Tammuz or Dumuzi (Duzu), beloved of Ishtar, the god of spring vegetation. Vegetation burned in the summer, died in the winter, and came to life in the spring. The women mourned over the god’s demise in July and longed for his revival. The fourth month of the Hebrew calendar still bears the name Tammuz. With the worship of this idol were connected the basest immoralities.
8:16 worshiping the sun. In the most sacred inner court where only priests could go (Joel 2:17), there was the crowning insult to God. Twenty-five men were worshiping the sun as an idol (cf. Deut. 4:19; 2 Kin. 23:5, 11; Job 31:26; Jer. 44:17). These 25 represent the 24 orders of priests plus the High-Priest.
8:17 put the branch to their nose. The meaning is uncertain, but it seems to have been some act of contempt toward God. The Gr. OT translators rendered it, “they are as mockers.”
8:18 I…will act in fury. God must judge intensely due to such horrible sins (cf. 24:9, 10).

Comments on this post.

This post is one of others that you can find in the blog under the category of “Journey.” There, you will be able to locate the Journey posts, in the order of their being published. Please follow this blog. Select Category, “Journey” to see all of the posts that relate to the end times study.

The book of Ezekiel show’s God’s prophetic purposes being fulfilled in the lives and nation of Israel. Jimmy DeYoung has called the book of Ezekiel “the timeline of the Jews.”

Purpose of Writing: https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Ezekiel.html

Biographies

Dr. John Ankerberg, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America
https://www.jashow.org/about-dr-john-ankerberg/

Signs of the Last Days – Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Bio – http://jimmydeyoung.com/aboutdrd.shtml

MacArthur Study Bible Notes
Bio – Dr. John MacArthur – https://www.gracechurch.org/Leader/MacArthur/John?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Eschatology

Background

Sources

John Ankerberg, Darrell Bock, Jimmy DeYoung, Ed Hindson, Mark Hitchcock, Tommie Ice, Grant R. Jeffrey, David Jeremiah, Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, John MacArthur, J. Vernon McGee, Henry Morris, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Phillips, David Reagan, Ron Rhodes, Adrian Rogers, Charles C. Ryrie, C.I. Scofield, Renald Showers, Charles Swindoll, Frank Charles Thompson, Merrill Unger, Jack Van Impe, John F. Walvoord, Andy Woods, Roy Zuck, and others.

Please follow this blog: https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/

Signs Of The Last Days – 032415

Signs of the Last Days

This post was first published on April 1, 2015, under post ID, 032415 – Road To Armageddon, Daniel 1. the post can be seen by clicking onto the following link.
https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/032415-road-to-armageddon-daniel-1/ ‎

Road To Armageddon, Daniel 1

The verses that are discussed are taken from the Scofield Reference Notes, which are taken from The Scofield Study Bible. The first Scofield Study Bible was published in 1909 and revised in 1917, (copyright 1909 and 1917, renewed 1937 and 1945), and was edited by Dr. Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (C.I. Scofield, D.D., 1843-1921).

The Scofield and RSB sources are posted on the internet.

G. Campbell Morgan Central Thought

Daniel 1:8 English Standard Version (ESV)

Daniel’s Faithfulness

8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.

1:8 he would not defile himself. The reason for Daniel’s conclusion that he and his friends would be defiled by the king’s food is not given. Perhaps it involved violation of the dietary laws of Moses (Lev. 11; 17). (RSB)

Scofield Outline, With Reformation Study Bible Notes

Chapter 1, Daniel’s Early Life In The Babylonian Court

Verses 1-7, Daniel In The Palace Of Nebuchadnezzar

Verses 8-21, Daniel’s Resolve

Daniel 1:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

Daniel Taken to Babylon

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

1:1 the third year. Jehoiakim’s third year was 605 b.c. In that year Nebuchadnezzar defeated a coalition of Assyria and Egypt at Carchemish and initiated Babylon’s rise to international power. After the battle of Carchemish, Nebuchadnezzar advanced against Jehoiakim (2 Kin. 24:1, 2; 2 Chr. 36:5–7) and took some Judeans captive, including Daniel. This was the first of three invasions of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. The second was in 597b.c. (2 Kin. 24:10–14), and the third in 587 b.c. (2 Kin. 25:1–24). In the Book of Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar’s attack is dated to Jehoiakim’s fourth year instead of the third (Jer 25:1; 46:2). The difference of one year occurs because in the Babylonian chronology, which Daniel apparently used, the king’s reign was officially counted from the first day of the succeeding new year, rather than from the actual date of his accession to the throne.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar led the Babylonians to victory at Carchemish as crown prince and commander of the army. Shortly after this victory, he assumed the Babylonian throne when his father Nabopolassar died (626–605 b.c.). Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (605–562 b.c.) is the historical context for much of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

Daniel 1:6 English Standard Version (ESV)

6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.

1:6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. In these Hebrew names, the component el means “God,” and yah is a form of God’s name “Yahweh” (Ps. 50:1 note). Hence: Daniel means “my judge is God”; Hananiah, “Yahweh is gracious”; Mishael, “Who is what God is?” and Azariah, “Yahweh has helped.”

Daniel 1:7 English Standard Version (ESV)

7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

1:7 Belteshazzar . . . Shadrach . . . Meshach . . . Abednego.Suggestions for the meanings of these names include: Belteshazzar, “May Bel protect his life”; Shadrach, “the command of Aku,” (the Sumerian moon-god); Meshach, “Who is what Aku is?” and Abednego, “servant of Nebo” (a Babylonian god). Bel is another name for Marduk, the chief Babylonian god (cf. 4:8).

Daniel 1:21 English Standard Version (ESV)

21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

1:21 until the first year of King Cyrus. Babylon fell to Cyrus in 539 b.c., or sixty-six years after Daniel had been taken captive to Babylon. Daniel lived through the entire period of the Babylonian captivity. Cyrus issued a decree in the first year of his reign permitting the Israelites to return from captivity, and to take with them the vessels from the temple that had been seized by Nebuchadnezzar (Ezra 1:7–11). The statement does not mean that Daniel died in the first year of Cyrus (10:1).

Let us consider the following video which discusses the signs of the last days.

Published on Feb 18, 2014

The Bible is clear that there will be certain signs that take place during the last days. However, the signs described are different in the passages that take place at the Rapture and at the Second Coming. At the Rapture, no signs must first take place. At the Second Coming, there will be many. In this session, guests Dr. Renald Showers and Dr. Jimmy De Young along with Dr. John Ankerberg look at the fifth difference between these two events—a difference between the number of signs that are given for each event—and why this difference matters.

Biographies

Dr. John Ankerberg, founder and president of The John Ankerberg Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America
https://www.jashow.org/about-dr-john-ankerberg/

Signs of the Last Days – Dr. Jimmy DeYoung
Bio – http://jimmydeyoung.com/aboutdrd.shtml

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