Podcasts about all israel

Send us a text Romans 8 ends with one of the most comforting promises in all of Scripture: Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. But that leads to a deep and pressing question that Romans 9–11 seeks to answer: If God is faithful, what do we make of Israel's rejection of their Messiah?These three chapters are the theological backbone of Christian assurance, affirming the reliability of God's promises and character.The Mystery Revealed (v.25)Paul does not want the Gentile believers to be ignorant or arrogant."Mystery" = a divine truth now revealed: Israel has experienced a partial and temporary hardening until the full number of Gentiles come in.God's redemptive plan is unfolding."All Israel Will Be Saved" (v.26–27)Likely refers to ethnic Israel as a whole, not every individual or the Church.Paul cites Isaiah and Jeremiah to show that this is covenantal fulfillment.A future generation of Israel will turn to Christ at His return.God's Faithfulness and Mercy (v.28–29)Dual perspective:Enemies of the gospel for the sake of the Gentiles.Beloved because of the patriarchs."The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."The Paradox of Disobedience and Mercy (v.30–32)Disobedience of Israel led to mercy for the Gentiles.Mercy shown to Gentiles will one day provoke mercy toward Israel.God allows all to be bound over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on all.No one earns salvation; all receive it through grace.Three Key Claims of Paul:Israel's hardening is partial – a remnant remains.Israel's hardening is temporary – it will end.All Israel will be saved – pointing to a future collective turning.Paul sees history as a tapestry, not a straight line. Even resistance and disobedience serve the larger purpose of showcasing God's mercy.Conclusion:God has not abandoned Israel, and He will not abandon us.If God remains faithful to Israel despite their failings, He will surely remain faithful to all who trust in Christ.The promises begun with Abraham will be fulfilled in Christ.Romans 11:25–36 is not just about Israel—it is about the steadfast mercy of God."For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36)The Balance of GrayGod, doubt, and proof walk into a podcast... it goes better than you'd expect!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showFor an ad-free version of my podcasts plus the opportunity to enjoy hours of exclusive content and two bonus episodes a month whilst also helping keep the Bible Project Daily Podcast free for listeners everywhere support me at;|PatreonSupport me to continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

Paul's great desire is that “All Israel will be saved” but as the scriptures state they are a stubborn and stiff necked people. Regardless Christ's salvation is available to ALL who believe in Him.  

Paul's great desire is that “All Israel will be saved” but as the scriptures state they are a stubborn and stiff necked people. Regardless Christ's salvation is available to ALL who believe in Him.  

Paul's great desire is that “All Israel will be saved” but as the scriptures state they are a stubborn and stiff necked people. Regardless Christ's salvation is available to ALL who believe in Him.  

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (04/08/25), Hank answers the following questions:God hates the shedding of innocent blood according to Proverbs 6:17. What is considered innocent blood? How can God sanction the killing of children in 1 Samuel 15:3? Kim - Winston-Salem, NC (1:03)Can you explain what Jesus meant when He described the narrow and wide gates? Paul - Wheeling, WV (8:05)What does Paul mean in Romans 11 when he says, “All Israel will be saved”? Larry - St. Louis, MO (15:11)I need help with the doctrine of election. What is the definition of the word “world” in John 3:16 and 1 John 2:2? Myron - Leland, NC (23:00)

9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Da 9:1–27.

Who is the All Israel in Romans 11 and When and How Will They Be Saved Discussion Questions How does Romans 11:25-27 fit into Paul's argument in chapter 11, chapters 9-11, and the book of Romans as a whole? To whom does Paul refer when he speaks of all Israel in v. 26?  How and when will Israel be saved?  In what ways is all the promise of all Israel being saved connected to the second coming of Christ.

Greg answers questions about what Deuteronomy 13:11 means when it says that “all Israel will hear and be afraid,” whether we should “leave our offering at the altar” to reconcile with a bully, apathetic people, leading an Outpost as a woman, and accepting vs. resisting difficult situations.   Topics: Does the phrase “All Israel will hear and be afraid” in Deuteronomy 13:11 refer to being afraid after hearing the punishment was carried out or being afraid after hearing what the prescribed punishment is for the crime? (02:00) How does Jesus telling us to “leave our offering at the altar” to go reconcile with someone and to “take the log out of our own eye” apply to dealing with an evil bully? (11:00) What would you say to an apathetic person or someone who compartmentalizes their religious life to help them see their need for the Lord? (24:00) Do you have any guidance on how I could proceed to convince my pastor to let me lead an STR Outpost as a woman? (38:00) Recognizing that we have personal responsibility and free will, and God is sovereign and all-knowing, how do we know if the difficult thing we're going through is discipline from God and we should wait for his rescue or if it isn't and we should try to resist it? (47:00)   Mentioned on the Show:  STR Outposts Related Links: Should Women Teach in Church? by Greg Koukl

Link for the book: https://amzn.to/4fBCOSw Donation link for bible study company: https://biblestudycompany.com/# If you are in need of being saved https://biblestudycompany.com/blog/article/81 Here are the topics! 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:43 The Book The Coming King 00:00:55 Love Israel Bible study course 00:01:52 End times timelines 00:02:16 Persecution of Jews is growing 00:03:52 Watch Israel the Fig Tree 00:04:27 Three End times indicators 00:06:57 Because Israel rejected God, are they still in play?00:12:31 There is only Salvation in Christ 00:13:32 Understanding the Sovereignty of God 00:15:36 Does God cause us to be born again before we can be born again? 00:16:23 Rise of Antisemitism 00:18:37 How many Arabs vs Israelis were in Israel in 1948? 00:20:27 How thorough the book is on the prophetic timelines 00:21:47 Why did Israel have so many problems? 00:22:17 Pornography in the temple 00:23:58 The church is no longer contrite over their sin 00:25:06 People want to reject the Millennial Kingdom, so why? 00:27:02 What is Daniel at 69 weeks? 00:27:57 Explaining Messiah Cut off has to do with death for a covenant 00:29:42 Explaining the time of the Gentiles 00:31:16 Defining the word Tribulation 00:32:09 All 7 years of Tribulation is not God's wrath 00:33:10 Tribulation Wrath of God begins in Chapter 8 of Revelation 00:34:38 Times of the Gentiles has to do with Daniel 00:35:52 Explaining "All Israel will be saved" 00:37:20 All Israel means a remnant of saved and unsaved 00:42:12 Where in the prophetic timeline does the rapture happen?00:43:36 Abomination of Desolation 00:45:02 How do we know a seal or trumpet or bowl happened? 00:45:42 The rapture occurs sometime after the abomination of desolation 00:46:04 The horses explained 00:49:32 What is the purpose of the millennial kingdom? 00:51:06 God set up a Kingdom on Earth 1000 years ago, and people still rebel 00:52:14 Millennial kingdom is for Israel to finally obey God 00:53:38 When Satan is released at the end of the 1000 years 00:56:22 Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot change00:58:30 What is the true purpose of worship? 01:00:06 Sacrifices restarted? 01:00:36 How is one saved in the millennial kingdom? 01:02:46 Seeing Jesus is not a problem for salvation 01:02:59 Sacrifices in the Millennial Kingdom01:05:22 Who are the different groups in the millennial kingdom 01:07:53 Remnants of people 01:09:57 The Church, like Israel, has failed too 01:10:24 The main message of the Millennial Kingdom is how great a savior is our Lord Jesus Christ 01:11:22 Great White Throne Judgment 01:12:13 How will the first temple be built with the Mosques on the temple mount? 01:13:00 What is the abomination of desolation 01:14:38 Timing of Rapture. No one knows, but there are clues 01:16:31 Is partial preterism? 01:23:29 Ending prayer

Offering Up Our Flesh (audio) David Eells 1/19/25 Bearing Our Cross Will Save Souls Sean Lynch - 07/01/2009 (David's notes in red) In a dream the Lord showed me about a coming crucifixion for the brethren. In the dream, I was in either a hotel or some type of big castle. During this dream, there were many events going on, but the Lord is only bringing certain things to my remembrance. In one of the events, I remember I was outside of the hotel and I heard a loudspeaker tuned to a secular radio station and I heard David's voice. He was preaching the gospel to the world. I thought this was awesome because now David's message was going to the whole world and was reaching many people. (Representing the David Man-child reformers.) The next event I remember, I was inside this hotel and I saw a group of people approaching me. Then the fire of God fell upon me with holy boldness because I started preaching the Word with boldness and no fear like the early apostles did when the Holy Spirit fell upon them. (Normally I'm very shy and not bold. The Lord has been working on me with this and I believe He has shown me that He is going to make me speak with boldness. “God's power is made perfect in our weakness”. However, these people did not receive the message of the gospel, as they started laughing and scoffing and went their own way. The next scene I remember, I was in a long walkway with doors on both sides. I believe I was with another brother in Christ. Suddenly, a mountain of a man with long hair, appeared very strong and who looked like a professional wrestler, walked in to pummel whoever got in his path. The other brother took off and both doors shut and I was left alone with this man. (The Lord was forcing me into crucifixion.) I decided I was going to preach the gospel to him which, at the time, seemed crazy because this man looked like he wanted to rip me from limb to limb; however, I felt holy boldness rise up in me and went and stood by the man and preached the Word with boldness to him. After I was done preaching, he just stood there and looked at me and then proceeded to beat me up very badly. I did not strike back but let him pummel me. I do not know if he had killed me or not but I knew the Lord was showing me to turn the other cheek. I then was taken to another scene where I saw this same man was changed because I did not fight back. He was now a fire-breathing gospel evangelist and was preaching to other people. Next I remember him preaching to a group of people and then he was beaten, as well. I do not know if he was killed. (The Lord had shown me that because of my testimony of turning the other cheek and going to my cross how this man was saved and was allowed to go to his cross.) I remember being deeply touched by this brother who had gone to his cross. I remain touched even now as I'm writing this because the Lord is truly showing me how to lay my life down for the brethren and what is meant to go to our cross. The Lord has shown me that there are many brothers and sisters in the world who will come into the kingdom as a result of our willingness to turn the other cheek and overcome evil by laying our lives down. Please read our book, How Shall We Die     Why Die Walking After the Flesh? SG - 03/01/2011 (David's notes in red) I asked the Lord for a dream and He gave me a very good one. In my dream, there was a woman whose name was Delilah (meaning “weakened, uprooted or impoverished”) who had lost her son. (She was weakened and uprooted because she lost her spiritual man or fruit of the womb of her heart, as in the parable of the sower. How can we lose our spiritual man or fruit? We are shown in Jude 12 Twice dead plucked up by the roots. Jesus said in Joh.15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away.) Some Christians gathered to pray about finding the boy. (Praying for her to find her fruit again.) They were waiting for me to finish washing my teeth. Son.6:6 Thy teeth are like a flock of ewes, Which are come up from the washing; Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them. Each tooth has its opposite so that a person may be well fed spiritually. Gen.49:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, And his teeth white with milk. The teeth must be washed with the milk of the Word. In this way, clean teeth mean partaking of clean spiritual food of the Word.) My son began to pray a mellow prayer and I felt that prayer wouldn't do it. I started to pray with power and faith. We finished and went on the search. I think the boy's name was Elijah (Meaning “my God is YHWH”) and his father's was Onesimus, a carpenter, who was a very good father. (Onesimus was the runaway slave who met Paul and became “profitable or helpful”, as his name means, when he brought forth the fruit of the spiritual man, his son.) I found an old man who was attaching a boy to a pallet. (The “old man” had taken the spiritual man captive. It's called walking in the flesh. A pallet is for moving merchandise around. So the old man makes merchandise of the spiritual man, much like false ministers do.) I went over to him and took the boy off and grabbed him. I put the old man on my side like carrying a baby. (We must take the old man where he would not go, as Jesus said to Peter.) I asked him, “Where is the boy and who do you work for?” He wouldn't say. I said with a firm determination, “I will win”; then he said, “You already won”. (Through Jesus, we have already won against the old man, who works for the flesh and the devil. Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. And in 5:24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.) While still carrying the old man, I noticed the empty packaging of what he had been using to attach the boy and I picked it up. I read the label, hoping to trace it to the kidnappers. The price tag read, “Humble Oct. 6-11”. (The Lord paid the price to set us free from bondage above. And the old man will pay a terrible price for taking authority over the spiritual man. What is “Humble Oct.6-11”? This is the opposite of and solution for what happened above when the old man took authority over the spiritual man. This symbolizes the 10th month or book, 6th chapter, 11th verse, which is 2Sa.6:11 And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house. A Gittite is a Philistine of the city of Gath. This is the old man of the flesh that dwells in the land. When the flesh is “Humble”ed, as Obed was under David, and serves the spiritual man, who is the ark of God's presence, he is blessed. The very next verse says that the ark was taken to the city of David, which is Zion, the Bride. 12 And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. It is the most joyful thing for the ark of God's presence to rest in the Holy of Holies of our spiritual man in the Holy City. In the time of Eli, the ark was taken captive under the authority of the Philistines or fleshly man in 1 Samuel 4-6 and it brought a curse to all their cities so much that they returned it under the authority of the spiritual man, Israel. So when we walk in the flesh, we bring these curses on us but when the spiritual man is in the lead, we are blessed. The moral of the story is so perfectly written in Rom.8:12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: 13 for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. This warfare against the gods that rule over the flesh man and seek to bring the spiritual man under subjection is spoken of in the New Testament text given in this dream, 10th book, 6th chapter, 11th verse: Eph.6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].     Burn the Wood, Hay and Stubble B. A. - 12/22/2012 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was in a dark chamber of some sort. It was so dark I could only make out very faint shadows of something all around me. I decided to light a match so I could see better. As soon as I lit the match, I could see piles and piles of large stacks of wood, hay and stubble (worthless, no spiritual value) all around me. I thought to myself, “Wow! Look at all the useless junk in this place. I had better put this match out or this dry, worthless stuff is going to ignite like a torch!” Just as I was about to extinguish the match, I heard a voice from Heaven say, “ Throw the lit match on the wood, hay and stubble”. Zec.13:9 And I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, Jehovah is my God. 1Pe.1:7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ: Job23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take; When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Eph.5:26 that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word. (In the midst of the fiery trial, when we reject our own thoughts and works to save ourselves, we cooperate with Father in burning up the wood, hay and stubble that represents fleshly things. Therefore, the command to set them on fire represents this. These works will not survive the test of time and trial, if we reject them.) Suddenly, I realized where I was. I was inside my own heart and this was my wood, hay and stubble. I said, “Yes, Lord, I will set this awful stuff on fire right now!” Pro.17:3 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; But Jehovah trieth the hearts. Psa.139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts. As soon as I threw the match onto the largest pile, it immediately shot fiery flames all the way to the top of the chamber. In what appeared like mere seconds, all these piles of useless garbage in the chamber were burning. I thought to myself, “This is the best fire ever!” I just stood, looking all around me, as these beautiful flames were burning off all this worthless junk that had attached itself to the ceiling, walls and floor of my chamber. 1Co.3:12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire. (We are sanctified by the burning up of our fleshly man.) After the flames had subsided, a beautiful, brilliant bright light engulfed my entire chamber and I saw Jesus standing in my chamber with me. Oh, praise the Lord! Jesus had a white garment with Him. He came over to me and put the beautiful, white garment on me Himself. I was so happy because I knew this was a bridal garment and Jesus Himself was giving it to me. Thank you, Jesus!     Tribulations: Tests of Obedience Judy Gregerson - 04/02/2010 (David's notes in red) I was walking around with someone and this great wind storm whipped up. (Walking with the Lord as the tribulation arises. Winds of false doctrine and tribulation are coming to test the saints in whether or not they are obeying the Word. We see here that after knowledge comes testing to see who has built on the Rock of obedience.) Mat.7:24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. 26 And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: 27 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. ... Eph.4:14 that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error.) I was around these huge, old trees and branches started breaking off in the wind. This old growth was not strong; in fact, it looked rotten in these old trees. (The old churches, denominations and ministries that refuse the new growth of the reformation message will die, being revealed as rotten and corrupt by the winds and storms of tribulation now whipping up in the world. Judgments in finances, politics, life, weather, earthquakes, wind, earth, fires and heaven changes, etc. Joh.15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If these old churches were of God, they would bring forth God's fruit as the nature, character and authority of Jesus. But even though they appear great in the eyes of man; inside they are rotten and dead.) And I kept walking and, finally, two or three small pieces of branches came flying at me. (Representing people from the churches who come against us, especially their leaders, just as they persecuted Jesus and His disciples.) One piece about two feet long hit me, but I felt no pain and wasn't hurt. But huge branches were falling all around on other things. (God's judgment on big church leaders and ministries as they FALL in tribulations.) I was amazed about the old growth. I was looking up in these trees and I knew that this old growth (Christians walking in old traditions and error) was all going to be blown off these trees and hurt a lot of things on the ground, but it couldn't hurt me, even when it came FLYING at me with great power. (The Christians living close to the world will suffer as their false, apostate leadership is broken off and exposed. The falling branches of Christianity will come against and persecute the elect. Act.8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church.) Weird, huh? (No, God gives strange dreams so we remember them. He told a brother that one time when he asked Him.)     The Foundation Is Death of the Old Man Jon Knowles - 10/20/2007 (David's notes in red) In a dream, David Eells and I were working on his house and as we did, I began to discover dead, decayed bodies embedded in the floorboards and such. They were old and dry -- skeletal. He didn't seem surprised or concerned. (The foundation of our new house is the death of the old house.) We were pulling something like old cardboard off of the bodies and he was pointing them out to me. For some reason, I actually pulled some of this cardboard off with my teeth and the dust of the dead bodies went into my mouth and I started to spit it out. We went outside into the yard and as I was working on a windowsill and removing some old weather stripping, David pointed out another dead body that was kind of stuffed into an old discarded couch -- strange. As he showed it to me, a police detective drove up in order to question him about the bodies and in the dream I was beginning to wonder if he was a serial killer! He calmly greeted him and started to answer his questions. End of the dream. The foundation of our house is that the old man has to die and be under our feet. Without this there can be no house of God. As the outer man is decaying the inner man is being renewed. We must lose our old life to gain our new life. The true Word should be bringing death to all who make up this house. So, yes, I am a serial killer. :o) All who rest in the Lord's promises (as on the couch) are putting their old life to death. We must spit the old man out and not allow him in the words that we say.     Martyrdom Dream T.M. - 10/04/2007 (David's notes in red) There was a group of us fellowshipping in a room when we were approached by a few people, telling us that we had to come with them and that we were going to be “martyred”. We happily complied and everyone was joyful. They led us out of the room to a table, where we each told our names and were given a card with a number on it. We then were led into another room where tables had been set up around the outside edges of the room. Above each table was a number, for example (2, 3, 16, 23...all the way up to 50). My wife, son, and I had the number 50, which was the largest number available. (I believe the numbers in the dream represent percentages, but I'm unsure what this means.) We all went to our tables within the room, and everyone was happily fellowshipping. End of dream. For many years I have taught what the Lord showed me about this. Jesus taught us that we have to lose our old life to gain our new life. If we lose our self-life before the end, we will not have to die for we are counted already dead. Unless Christians bear enough fruit of Christ before that time they will have to enter life by losing their physical life. This is the first time where I have heard of any percentage put upon this. It appears that unless one reaches above 50% fruit of the 30-, 60-, 100-fold Jesus spoke of, he will have to enter life through physical death. Martyrs who repent should be happy. It is an honor to enter into the presence of the Lord, something only a small percentage of planet Earth does.     Spirit Man in the Image of Christ Cornelius Bosch - 10/25/2007 (David's notes in red) I dreamt of a baby being carried by an invisible man. (The baby is the fruit of Christ in you, manifested in the spiritual man who is invisible.) With them also walked a normal man of flesh and bone who seemed to know the invisible man. They spoke to each other. (They are part of the same body and communicate constantly.) The baby was very comfortable being carried around by this invisible man. The baby had a small round mirror in his hand and when he looked into the mirror, he could see the face of the man who carried him, and they smiled at each other. The spiritual man is coming into the image of Christ as he sees by faith that we no longer live but Christ lives in us.  2Co.3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. At one point there seemed to be a struggle between the man of flesh and bone and the invisible man. (The flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.) The invisible man had a long axe in his hand and hit the man of flesh in the middle of his chest and he died. (The sword of the spirit, the Word of God, will put to death the carnal man so that only the spiritual man becomes known in our bodies.) He then seemed to just “step over” and become the same as the invisible man and they were joined by a lot of the same invisible people. (When the old man dies there is nothing to be seen in us by this world but the spiritual man who is then in the image of Christ but walks in the body of the carnal man taking his land.) I also had the distinct feeling that all the other invisible people that I saw in the end were Jews, pointing to the “All Israel” in Romans 11. (Yes, the spiritual New Testament Jews are those who are circumcised in heart and their flesh is cut off.) Those who walk by faith are in this process of Christ coming in the spiritual man through the death of the old self-life.     Cutting Off the Flesh Missy Pollock - 04/14/2012 (David's notes in red) The day that I had this dream was the birthday of my oldest son (representing the firstborn of the flesh who needs to die) who is now 25 years old. (The first-born of Egypt were killed in the Passover, just like our baptism.) He surely was born of the flesh because I got pregnant with him before I was married. When he was in his early teens, he really drove me crazy because of his tongue. I was complaining to the Lord about it and the Lord got my attention and showed me the meaning of his names. Matthew means “gift of God”. The book of Matthew is about the Kingdom and Jesus being our King and Savior. Matthew's middle name is Ryan, which means “little king”. What the Lord showed me is that He gave Matt to me as a gift to save me! I married his father and through a bad marriage, the Lord turned my heart to Him (we are no longer married). His birthday is on the 14th, which means “SALVATION”! (The 14th day of the first month is Passover, when the Lamb was slayed for us -- Exodus 12:2,6.) Also, I believe the main thing that the Lord is showing me in this dream is how my tongue is the cause of so many of my problems. Isn't that so sovereign of God to do that?! I was listening to Power of the Tongue and David said that if you don't let your tongue speak, it corrects your thoughts. This is so true. I've been learning this. Only Jesus in us can bridle the tongue. In the dream, I was in a school, running a race on a track against a boy (boy refers to immaturity because of the flesh). The track was a small circle in a room. (Israel in the wilderness was going around and around the mountain in their flesh and immaturity.) 2Co.4:8 [we are] pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair. And 2Co.7:5 ... our flesh had no relief, but [we were] afflicted on every side; without [were] fightings, within [were] fears. Toward the end of the race, the boy tried to cut me off but I cut him off (cutting off of the flesh. Gal.5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh... And Rom.8:13 ... but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 1Co.9:24 Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. I thought I'd better run some extra laps because I didn't want to be disqualified after cutting him off. Jas.1:3 knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. 1Co.9:27 but I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected. (God said they went around and around to make sure all the men who sinned died in the wilderness, so their fruit, their children, could go into the Promised Land.) These laps weren't in a circle, though. I ran back and forth between two points of about 10 feet (divine order). (Obeying the Law of 10 Commandments and running a straight line in the race to bear fruit.) But I couldn't see after I cut him off. As I was running those extra laps, I wondered where the boy was because I couldn't hear him either (not being able to see or hear in the flesh is walking by faith and not by sight). When I finished the laps, I could see (having received spiritual eyes) to run out of the room and into a gym (a place where you can move about freely; freedom from the flesh). (A place to exercise and build our spiritual strength.) There were other people there (exercising to win the race; those who have loved His appearing in them). I asked a man who was keeping a tally of everyone's time a question (Jesus, the righteous judge). 2Ti.4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith:8 henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day; and not to me only, but also to all them that have loved his appearing. I asked him, “What was my time?” He said, “Five minutes”. (Five is the number of grace.) I said, “I didn't think I could run that long”. (By the grace of God we have the endurance. Mat.24:13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.) Then I saw the boy I ran the race against and asked him, “What happened to you after I cut you off?” He didn't answer because he was humiliated. Jas.4:6 God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. I said to him, “I'm not trying to boast”. 1Co.15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. But he wouldn't answer. (The old man is dead; he can't speak. Praise the Lord! Our Father sees us already completely reconciled to Him, but we need to work this out by faith, seeing the end from the beginning. The old man needs to be replaced with the new man, Christ. The new man overcomes the old man until all that's left is Jesus! Amen!) I flipped open my Bible and put my finger down twice and these are the verses the Lord gave me to go with the dream. I've been doing this quite a bit and it never ceases to amaze me the verses that the Lord gives me, whether it be for a dream or to confirm something to me. How encouraging this is! If you believe, it surely does work! 2Ki.3:27 Then he took his eldest son (first-born, the flesh) that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall... (The first-born would reign in our stead, instead of the spiritual man, if not sacrificed on the altar of fiery trials. Esau was the first-born of the flesh who lost his position as head of the house to Jacob, the second-born of the spirit. Ishmael was the first-born of the flesh who lost his position as head of the house to Isaac, the second-born of the Spirit. Saul was the first-born of the flesh who lost his position as head of the house to David, the second-born of the Spirit. If we don't lose our old life, we will not have the new life, as Jesus taught.) And the second verse is: Mal.3:10 Bring ye the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food (Jesus as the Word) in my house (through abiding in Christ, we are God's house), and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, (latter rain anointing) that there shall not be room enough [to receive it]. (The Israelites had to bring the first fruits of their increase and offer it to the Lord, just like the first verse given. This was like the boy, her son, being offered up. This is when Jesus taught, and we begin to receive the abundant life blessings.) This verse I found as a cross-reference to the above verse: Neh.13:11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? (Contending with the first-born rulers of the flesh.) And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. (Put them in their place under our feet.) 12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain (then the spiritual man brought forth fruit to offer to God) and the new wine (life of Jesus) and the oil (the Spirit) unto the treasuries. Parables are the language of the spirit, God's code speak, that the proud fakes cannot hear or understand Jesus said in Luk.10:21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes: yea, Father; for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight.     Cut Off the Mind of the Flesh Eve Brast - 06/29/2012 (David's notes in red) I had a dream this morning that really concerns me. I don't ever have violent, bloody dreams like this! I prayed Philippians 4:7, just like I do every night over myself and for my brethren. I fell asleep to the Book of Hebrews on my iPod, too. When I woke up, I was thinking about what this dream could mean. I will try to share all the things I can remember from it. I dreamed that I was standing next to a fireplace on my right that had gone out. My dog, Curtis, was lying on the burned-out coals on his left side, next to my grandmother's Dachshund, Penny. (The dog in us must be sacrificed on the altar of the fiery trial. This is the death of self.) Suddenly, a white, plastic lettuce knife that is used to cut heads of lettuce appeared in my right hand. (In real life, a local UBM brother's wife, named Kelly, which means “war-like”, had shown me this lettuce knife the last time we had a fellowship at their house. I had never seen a knife like that before and she was showing me how nice they were to cut lettuce with.) Heads of lettuce actually grow on the ground and would represent the earthly mind of flesh. (which must be cut off to save our heavenly life) (I heard a dream recently about lettuce heads being people's heads and the key interpretation was pointed out in that dream which was “let us”, as a play on words. Self rules in many lives through the mind of flesh. It's a “we will do it, Lord” attitude that we must war against and cut off with the lettuce knife of the Spirit, the Word of God. In the Spirit, taking down the old life and raising up the new is violent warfare against the self-life, as Jesus said. It is bringing the true Kingdom of God in us and those around us. Luk.16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 16 The law and the prophets [were] until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it.) Then, in the dream, I fell into a trance (i.e., in the spirit) and went over to Curtis and cut his neck with the lettuce knife, and saw the blood soak his fur around his neck. (We are to help ourselves and others to lose their carnal life in order to save their eternal life.) Then I moved on to my next target which was a demon-possessed man with a very large head who was addicted to playing violent video games. I hated what he was doing and took the lettuce knife and cut his neck within an inch of severing it completely and stood there watching the blood pool on the ground. His head then slid and twisted off, just hanging by the inch of skin that was left. Then the ugly, green alien-looking demon left his body. It was very angry at me for killing its fleshly host! (We have to get rid of the mind of flesh with the sword of the Word, which is also the renewed mind of Christ. Rom.8:5 For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: 7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be: 8 and they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.) I then moved on to my next target which was my mother. But she looked nothing like my mother. She was a small, thin woman with a mushroom-style hairdo that was dirty blonde in color. (The flesh alone looks nothing like our body but is like the dog.) I also cut her neck all the way through at an angle and her head fell completely off. I then moved on to another target but can't remember those details. Luk.14:26 If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. [We must hate the soulish life of the mind of the flesh in ourselves and our families if we are to save them.] 27 Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have [wherewith] to complete it? [The cost to build the house is cutting off of the old head.] 29 Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him, 30 saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Jesus said, everyone has a house but He has no place to lay HIS HEAD. His house must have His head.) After this, I snapped out of the trance (or came out of the spirit) and was very remorseful when I realized what I had done! I had been watching myself from the inside doing these things but everything about me was taken over and I didn't feel remorse or stop it until I came out of the trance. (When in the Spirit, we fight against the old man in us and others, although we do it guided by wisdom and grace. When in the flesh, we pity the old man and have mercy on him but we must lose our life to gain our life, as Jesus said. “The mind of the flesh is enmity against God”. Gal.5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would.) My 'mother' came back to life as her head reattached itself to her body. I went crying to her and telling her what I had done. (If you don't cut the mind of flesh all the way off, it can grow back. Have no mercy on this enemy of God and your life. But when dealing with it in others, we must be weak to the weak. We must do it for love of their eternal soul.) She immediately started announcing to everyone around, including two army soldiers who were shady and dishonest, “I've just done something. I'm the one who did it!” (Those in the flesh will be the Judases of God's people. The flesh often takes credit for what the spiritual man does. The militant enforcers are those who agree with and encourage the flesh to take credit.) (One of them looked like a carnal person I knew but his teeth were all rotten.) She then went over to a tree and started to dig up an idol that looked like a wooden or mummified Frankenstein that was about a foot tall, and a skull, and placed them on a wooden railing. (Frankenstein's monster was the dead man who was brought back to life through man's evil ingenuity, symbolized by “let us”. This is the idol of self.) Then, as she was still announcing this and claiming responsibility for these actions that I had done, behind me she was skipping and waving a white handkerchief between her index and middle fingers in each hand. (This is “self”, glorifying self. Taking credit for her change. We must humble the flesh or it will destroy the works of God through us because He will not share His glory with the flesh.) When I turned around to look at her following behind me along with the two army soldiers, I saw that she had the lettuce knife in her hand and she was making a stabbing motion at my back, with an ugly face. (The flesh often misuses scripture to attack the spirit man or the righteous, in general.) I then came back over to the fireplace that had gone out where Curtis was still lying and I was so sad for what I had done to him while in that trance! (Sometimes the flesh in us makes us feel guilty and so we mistakenly have pity on the flesh to ease the suffering and let it live.) I got on my knees and petted him, crying and trying to see if he was still alive. One of the army men said, “Look, he is still alive”. The knife had barely cut his neck and he lifted his head to lick my tears. (Those who have pity on the flesh want desperately to see the “old you” come back.) I then got up and went over to an outdoor pavilion with picnic tables. As I was approaching it, the angry alien-looking demon that had possessed the video game addict was slouching on the railing around the pavilion and glaring at me, full of hatred! My 'mother' and the two shady army men then started to come up with a plan to cover up what I had done. The one who looked like my carnal friend was smiling a rotten-toothed smile as he was saying, “No one will ever find out!” (No one will find out that God, through the spiritual man, cut off the mind of flesh, if the carnal man brings one back under submission. Those who go back into the world are just like it.) I asked the Father for a verse for what this dream meant and when I put my finger down, I noticed that my Bible was upside down and my finger was on Luk.17:23 And they shall say to you, Lo, there! or Lo, here! go not away nor follow after them ... (In the context, we are being warned not to follow fleshly men claiming to be the anointed of God with their flesh saving doctrines.) I asked for a second verse and my finger was on 1Co.10:28 But if anyone say to you, This hath been offered in sacrifice, eat not, for his sake who showed it, and for conscience ... (We are not to partake of fleshly offerings sacrificed to idols of self.)     God's Bug Detector B. A. - 10/20/2011 (David's notes in red) In a dream, I saw an ad in a magazine I was reading called, God's Daily. The ad was for a “bug detector”. The ad read God's Bug Detector. Don't need a money-back guarantee, because the suit is free. One size fits all. No batteries or electrical outlets required. Works solely by your thoughts. Try it on and see what happens! I thought, hey, why not? What do I have to lose? So I sent off for this “Bug Detector Suit” The day came and I got the suit. This suit was totally complete. It came with an attachable helmet and face mask to cover the head; it had gloves and boots that attached to cover the feet. Once the suit was on, it conformed to the body and became invisible to the world. I couldn't wait to try the suit out to see if it really worked like the ad said it would. I was shopping in the grocery store when I looked and I saw this woman talking about me. She was pointing her finger at me and murmuring something to another woman standing beside her. I thought, Is she saying something bad about me? All of a sudden, my helmet lit up and the white lights all around the helmet started flashing and I heard, “BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT. Push the BIG BUTTON in the center of your chest”. So I pushed the button and it said, “In the name of Jesus, I bind this evil thought and cast it into the pit of hell where it belongs. Thank you, Lord. AMEN!” WOW, I thought, this really does work! On the way home, I was driving along when a truck came from nowhere and cut me off. I thought, Good grief! Is that guy trying to kill us both?! All of a sudden, my helmet lit up and the white lights all around the helmet started flashing and I heard, “BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT, BUG ALERT. Push the BIG BUTTON in the center of your chest”. So again I pushed the button and it said, “In the name of Jesus, I bind this evil thought and cast it into the pit of hell where it belongs. Thank you, Lord. AMEN!” I couldn't wait to witness to people and tell them what this suit had done for me and tell them how they too could get a suit like this. (Well, this “Bug Detector” is also for any thoughts that we would have that are contrary to the Truth and would allow the flesh to live, or listen to and receive any of those fiery darts from the devil against the knowledge of the truth.)     God's Army Is Dressed for Success B. A. - 01/03/2013 (David's notes in red) I dreamt I was in an army barracks (specialized buildings for permanent military accommodations. We, as God's spiritual warriors, represent these specialized barracks. We are specialized temples made without man's hands, as we have been molded and shaped by the Father's hand and hand-picked by the Father Himself for our position in this army.) I was resting on my bunk (resting and abiding in Jesus) with several of my comrades (fellow believers in Christ Jesus). Rom.15:6 that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, all of a sudden, the Commander's voice (Jesus, the Word) came across the intercom. (An intercom, talkback or door phone is a standalone voice communications system for use within a building. Jesus, the Word of God, is the door phone in our building. Joh.10:7 Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 9 I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.) The Commander said, “We are under attack. This is an order: suit up and put on your full armor”. Eph.6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. The Commander continues, “Before leaving the barracks, check each other's armor”. (We need to help each other to spiritually prepare for this battle, as we are one in the body of Christ. As David Eells has told us, the Lord said to him when he needed help, “David had an army”. Joh.13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 1Jn.3:16 Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.) So, I submitted to the Commander's order and jumped off my bunk and suited up quickly. (Submit in the Greek is hupeiko, which means “to yield, be weak, to surrender; submit self”. 1Sa.15:22 And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.) As I was waiting for the rest of my comrades to suit up, I noticed a soldier heading for the door, and I noticed that he had a crack along the back of his armor (he could not see nor discern that his armor was flawed). I cried out for him to stop and that he had a crack in his armor, but he just grumbled under his breath and ignored me and kept heading for the door. (He was too full of pride and ego to take correction; there's no place in the armor of God for pride and ego.) He hadn't taken but just a few steps outside the door when he was taken out by sniper fire right to the head. Pro.16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. 8:13 The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate. 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame; But with the lowly is wisdom. Ecc.4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. WOW! I thought he didn't stand a chance with that big crack in his armor. The Commander knew what He was talking about when He ordered us to check each other's armor. So we all very earnestly started checking each other's armor for any cracks (flaws in our spiritual walk) and thanking and praising the Commander for insisting we obey this order. Obey in the Greek is hupakouo, which means “to listen attentively; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority, hearken, be obedient, to obey”. Deu.15:5 if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. 6 For Jehovah thy God will bless thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. 28:2 and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God. After we had inspected each other's armor and all was well, we headed out the door to face the enemy. We could see the enemy all around the outer perimeter of our barracks. They immediately started firing upon us, but their bullets (or their fiery darts) just bounced off our armor and fell to the ground; their weapons had no effect on us. When they saw that their weapons had no effect, they retreated. Jas.4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Eph.4:27 neither give place to the devil. 1Pe.5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. 8 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, (9) whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world. As we were turning around to go back to the barracks, I caught a glimpse of a movement over my shoulder. I swung back around just in time to see that evil sniper aim his weapon and lock his red laser beam (evil thoughts) onto my heart. Well, that was a BIG mistake! You see, my armor had already been inspected by order or decree from the Commander, so I knew the sniper couldn't take me out! I fired my weapon right into his laser beam and it drove the red beam (his evil thoughts) from his weapon back at him and took him out! (Gal.6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.) We all began to cheer and praise the Lord for the victory, “HALLELUJAH!” As we were walking back to the barracks, we heard the Commander over the intercom say, “Well done, good and faithful servants”. Mat.25:25 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. WOW! I can't wait to hear those words! Thank You, Father, and thank You, Jesus! A few weeks ago, I had a vision that I believe goes with this dream: I saw the Father sitting at His potter's wheel. He reached down to the ground and gathered a handful of clay and placed it on His wheel and then added some water and started to form a new vessel. As I was standing there observing the Father, I heard the Holy Spirit tell me that this new vessel was my vessel. I was so excited to receive this wonderful news. Suddenly, directly in front of the Father, I started to see the faces of all the believers I knew from UBM; they were all suspended there in front of the Father. Then I saw the Father reach out with His right hand gather all the faces and place them into my vessel. The Holy Spirit told me the reason why the Father did this. He said, “All of these saints had a part in shaping and molding you into a vessel of honor for the Father's kingdom”. WOW! I was so humbled and blessed by this vision; how very true.     Defending Yourself with the Word Bethany Mize - 07/30/2015 (David's notes in red) Last night in service, the Lord gave me a vision. In this vision, I saw myself standing in a deep valley, alone. The ground and sides of the valley were clay-like substances, murky and cracked. As a shofar blew, the Lion of the tribe of Judah walked to the edge of the cliff and kept His gaze upon me. His eyes were so full of love. I was humbled and still in His presence. As I looked into His eyes, the tears began to roll down my face. I bowed my knees to Him. In doing so, the Word of God lay before me and I began to devour it. Beneath the Word was rich, thick green grass but nowhere else but where the Word of God lay. (Peter said, “All flesh is as grass”. Obeying the Word is health and life to our body. Pro.4:20 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh. When judgments are coming, we need a clear conscience and faith in His provision of protection.) (The name Bethany has a couple of meanings: “house of God” or “house of figs”, which have a very similar spiritual meaning: the true people of God.) As I digested the seed of the Word, small pieces of metal armor began to attach themselves to my shoulders, down my back, and around my arms, until I was completely covered in armor. I knew I was in a time of preparation; it was not to be taken lightly. (Major judgments are coming and many are not prepared to escape for lack of the armor. We must pray for them now.) I stood to my feet, keeping my eyes on the Lion, with no words spoken, but just a knowing, He told me to wave my right arm across the ground. As I did, green grass began to grow wherever the shadow of my hand stretched above it. (With the armor of God's Word on, we have the authority to protect this body.) In the natural, we began to sing in service, “Our sons and daughters shall prophecy”. As I sang this, my three-year-old daughter appeared to my left in the vision, fully armed. I was filled with joy that she rose from her knees, armed, as did I. (Children need to be taught this, too.) Then, in the last verse, we sang, “Let the rivers flow down”. In singing this, I knew it was time to stand firm. Then a large wave of moving water rushed toward us from the right. I grabbed my daughter's hand with my left hand and lifted up my right arm toward the water, like a shield. Then, as I bent my elbow back, the water went over us and crashed all around us but never touched us. My armor (the Word of God) is what kept us in that secret place of the Most High. We were not fearful but full of boldness toward the oncoming water. It was a wonderful sight! (The Lord has had me move my hand in a sweeping motion like a knife to cut off the rain as it stopped immediately.) Later in the service, Jonathan spoke, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will raise up a standard.” Just wanted to encourage the brethren with what the Lord used to encourage me. The seed of God that goes into us is what will preserve us. The Lord is coming manifested by Word and the latter rain, as He said in Hosea 6:1-3. He will be manifested in His Man-child ministry at the beginning of the tribulation. The story is in Ezekiel 34 where He will cut off the evil shepherds and will come to feed His flock with His David / Man-children. The Bible says of the Lord's coming in judgment that His recompense will be before Him at least twice. I received this one yesterday: Isa.40:10 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young. This is seen again in 62:11 Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. It appears the recompense is mentioned just below this concerning the Lord's judgment of Edom, the son of Abraham who persecuted his brother Israel as a type of the Church. 63:1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment.     Confess Your Sins One to Another Anonymous - 04/28/2011 (David's notes in red) I got a word from the Lord for the body. Please discern. The Spirit of the Lord speaks: Confess your sins to one another. You have confessed them before me but now I'm telling you to confess them to one another. If you refuse, I will come to you and rip your skirts from off of you and the shame of your nakedness will be exposed to the world. You have sought to preserve face by keeping your sins private. Job 31:33-34 If like Adam I have covered my transgressions, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom, 34 Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door-- Jas.5:16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. Pro.28:13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. You have confessed them before me but now, even now, I tell you confess them one to another. (This is humbling to the ego and makes us think twice about sinning again.) Psa 32:1-6 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. (Confessing our sins will preserve us through judgment.) The Spirit of the Lord has spoken.

Romans 11:25-26 Isaiah 66:8 Hebrews 12:22 The Return to the Land and All Israel shall be saved. Fritz Berggren, PhD www.bloodandfaith.com  

Jesus provided salvation, but will Israel be saved? In Romans 11, Paul affirms that Israel has not been permanently set aside. God's promises to them are still sure. In God's plan, He will keep His promises to Israel and offer salvation to the world. We are humbled, grateful, and amazed by God's mercy. He keeps his promises generously. All Israel will be saved. Everyone who believes will be saved.

Water is... Living or Unstable? Or Both? All throughout scripture YHWH's Word & Y'shua are compared to 'Living Water'.  All Israel after coming out of Egypt (i.e. bondage in the world) starts out in the desert heading someplace.  They are not just standing still. They are moving along following YHWH's Word when they were heading in the right direction but going around in circles once they disobeyed and quit trusting YHWH's Word.  In any case the ultimate destination was YHWH's Kingdom in the Promised Land.  They were supposed to be MOVING forward toward that destination but would only arrive if they were following YHWH's instructions or His Living/Moving Word like a flowing stream they were heading somewhere, to a land flowing with milk and honey, a promised place of rest.  All of this regarding YHWH's Word, Y'shua and Living Water probably makes really good sense scripturally and is metaphorically straightforward right?  Now I will throw you are curve ball...

Escaping Apostate Church Judgments (3) (audio) David Eells – 11/24/24 I'm going begin today by reading Hannah's prayer in 1Sa 2:1 And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. 2 There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God. 3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; For Jehovah is a God of knowledge, And by him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the mighty men are broken; And they that stumbled are girded with strength. 5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; And they that were hungry have ceased to hunger: Yea, the barren hath borne seven; And she that hath many children languisheth. So what did she mean, she had born seven? We know that Hannah had been barren. Well, we're talking about a Man-child here, but the Man-child is not an individual, is he? And why seven? When we read Mic 5:5 …When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. So we see that Micah prophesied that when the Lord returned to his people that He would raise up seven princes, “seven shepherds, and eight principal men,” or eight princes among men, to defend God's people from the Beast. It's seven because there are seven churches and God is raising up the leadership to go to the seven churches. The eighth is mentioned separately because He is the prince of Peace Jesus who is in the midst of the seven. 6 Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. 7 Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, he also lifteth up. 8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, And inherit the throne of glory: (This is her Man-child, that she brought forth to inherit the throne of glory.) For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, And he hath set the world upon them. 9 He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail. 10 They that strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces; Against them will he thunder in heaven: Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth; And he will give strength unto his king, And exalt the horn of his anointed. I believe this is talking about the Eli, Pharisee and Saul ministries, and a lot of ministers in our day who are going to resist and fight against the truth, as they have throughout history. In Jesus' day, the leadership over God's people fought with Jesus; they accused Jesus; they crucified Jesus. They did the same with His disciples, also. They strove with the Lord and He destroyed them. 1Sa 2:10 … And he will give strength unto his king, And exalt the horn of his anointed. Oh, praise God! Who is this king and His anointed? Well, in this case it was Samuel, but it was also Joseph, Moses, David and Jesus, all those good types. He will exalt the horn, the strength of His anointed. 11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest. 12 Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not the Lord. How could they have been the priests of Israel and not know the Lord? Well, honestly, it doesn't take very long to read the Word of God to find out that a lot of ministers nowadays don't know the Lord. They don't know the Lord but do they have some kind of association with religion? Yes. When you come into the Kingdom and you get a born-again spirit, you have a consciousness of God, but, quite frankly, if you don't obey that born-again spirit, it soon dies and you become what the Bible calls twice dead, plucked up by the roots (Jud.12). Who was Jude speaking about when he said that? The apostate ministers and many they train. And so you can be in the pulpit and be dead as a doornail. Saul died at the hands of the Philistines and I believe that it's talking about being dead in the spirit while he lived. We know that many of you have come out of churches after you realized they were dead. They were really not walking in the spirit; they were really not sharing the living Word of God. They were dead and you came out because of that. Praise God! 1Sa 2:13 And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand; 14 and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; all that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all Israel that came thither. Shiloh, of course, was the house of God in those days, so this is basically the ministers gathering up their tithe, but these people were abusing it. And it's a very good type of exactly what's happening today. They were abusing their position as priests of the Lord, as ministers of God's house, by plundering God's people. Now he's going to point out two main things here about the sons of Eli that are exactly the problems with the leadership of the church in our day and how they are plundering God's people. 1Sa 2:15 Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled flesh of thee, but raw. Of course, that wasn't according to their custom. 16 And if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. So here you have some ministers taking what they feel belonged to them, by force. The only thing was, this was a sacrifice. This was a sacrifice made by the person who was freely giving it, but they were taking it by force. That's an abuse of a sacrifice. Do you know that in the New Testament God has a sacrifice? It's a freewill offering. There is nothing in the New Testament about taking something by Law. Who is it who takes by Law? Well, you're looking at it right here. It's the apostate Eli ministry which is robbing and plundering God's people and taking from them by Law, taking from them because of their position. We don't have any such custom in the New Testament of demanding a tithe. Jesus said, So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple (Luk 14:33). He didn't say 10%; He said everything you have. And Jesus said in Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, Jesus said tithing was of the Law, not of grace. There's no commandment in the New Testament whatsoever for you to do this. Not one. And the rest of the verse says, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. Notice that Jesus spoke to the Jews of their Law as being in the past, Meaning the Old Covenant. He never commanded it in the New Covenant because it was “a shadow of the good things to come.” But here is what's commanded: 2Co 9:6 But this [I say,] He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. So it's just according to how much you give and that's really not according to the Law. The Law was 10% -- bring into the storehouse 10%. But now He's saying very plainly, “No, the more you give, the more you'll receive.” 2Co 9:7 [Let] each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart…. Well, that's certainly not the Law at all. That's not demanding it; that's a freewill offering. Do as you feel in your heart. This is a man's personal sacrifice to God and to the ministry, and, of course, the ministry today is abusing that because they are dragging people back under the Law, which is forbidden. The Law separates from Christ; it separates from grace and, if you seek to be justified by the Law, you have to keep the whole Law. Gal 5:3 … He is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. So it's not good for ministers to say you have to keep the tithe because you can't be saved that way. If you're seeking to be justified by the Law, then you have to keep the whole Law in order to be justified, but we're justified by grace and God says this is what God wants from His New Testament, born-again people. These are not people who are lost people, who are just following rules and regulations. These are people who have the grace of God in their heart. God expects more as He says in Luk 12:48 And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required…. Now, in the New Testament, when you're born again and you receive the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your newborn temple; therefore He expects more because you have God in you and you are the temple. You don't go to the temple, you are the temple of God. God's in us. Col 1:27 … Christ in you, the hope of glory. God is the One Who is living the Christian life in us, you see. That's the whole point. So you would expect more from someone like that. You don't have to force somebody like that to do something and, if you had to, they obviously don't have God in their heart. So what does the Lord say? 2Co 9:7 Let each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity … It's not even necessary as a law would be. Well, it's not going to be edifying to a person to not give because giving is the heart of God and giving is how, of course, God multiplies it back to us. 2Co 9:6 But this [I say,] He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. In other words, God wants to bless us and He's telling us that if it's in our heart to give, then good, do it. But He's not putting you under Law. It's not of necessity. Anybody who does put you under the Law is departing from the New Testament and they're doing exactly like Eli's sons, who were using the Law to force the giving. So he says, 2Co 9:7 … For God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work…. That's a powerful promise that covers everything, doesn't it? And it's just because a person gives out of the heart, not because they're under the Law. You know, sure, if you give under the Law, God will give back. When I first learned that the Lord wanted me to give, I did, and for a short time I went under the Law. But when I realized that it wasn't Scriptural, I started to give according to the Spirit because now I had the Holy Spirit to speak in my heart and tell me what to do. In the New Testament, that's why the Holy Spirit is given. You don't need a law because now we have …the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:2). You don't have need to have anybody to tell you, “You must do this.” Instead, you want to do it because God is working in you to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). That's what New Testament salvation is all about. God is putting it in your heart. That's the kind of person God wants. He doesn't want a person who has to be forced or they won't do it. What kind of a son is that? That's a servant, but it's not a son and God is creating sons. So if we look back in 1 Samuel 2, we see a problem with the overwhelming majority of apostate ministries nowadays. They want to force the people to give something that should be a sacrifice on the part of the giver. They should just want to give it out of their own heart. In other words, give them the freedom to make the sacrifice the way they see that they want to do it. But, in the apostate ministries, the giving is being forced and that's exactly what we're seeing here in 1 Samuel. But the priest's servant said, 1Sa 2:16 Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17 And the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord; for the men despised the offering of the Lord. See, the offering of the Lord is holy because it comes out of holy hearts, people who want to give. They see a need and they are meeting that need. And it may be the need of their brother. Jesus said, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, [even] these least, ye did it unto me (Mat.25:40). It may be a need of the brethren. It may not be bringing it into the storehouse, which is a church building or an organization, because the storehouse was not in the church. In the Old Testament, it was in the Temple and we are the Temple. God is going to judge His people by the way they treat His Temple, by what you do to the “least of these my brethren.” Did you feed them? Did you clothe them? Did you visit them in prison? See, that's how He judged the nations when He returned because that's His Temple. So it's very important that the sacrifice be a willing sacrifice in our covenant and not be demanded by Law. The people in ministry who force the giving are despising the offering of the Lord. Going on in 1Sa 2:27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt [in bondage] to Pharaoh's house? 28 and did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all of the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 Wherefore kick ye at mine sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? An Eli ministry gets fat from the offerings of God's people because they have departed from the Word of God; they are plundering God's people. It's not permitted and they will be judged for it, exactly like Eli's sons were being judged for it. You know, we are warned over and over in the Scriptures: Isa 56:9 All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea,] all ye beasts in the forest. 10 His watchmen are blind … Did you know, by the way, that Eli was blind? He became blind. 10 His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark (In other words, they do not know when the enemy's coming. They don't know how to warn God's people. They don't know that they are the enemy.); dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter. How many of God's people are supporting this debauchery in God's church? See, it's totally contrary to the Word of God. What you are supporting when you're doing that, is an Eli ministry. It's going down the drain fast at this particular moment. They're all dyeing. I'm not talking physically, I'm talking spiritually. If they're not dead already, they're going to die. They'd have to repent and come out of plundering God's people. There's nothing in the New Testament about being under the Law for giving. We are, of course, stewards of what belongs to God in the New Testament. Luk 14:33 So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. We are stewards; we're not owners. So, therefore, a person who tithes is a thief because he thinks the 90% belongs to him and the 10% belongs to God. Well, you just stole 90% because Jesus said the rest of that belongs to Him, too. So, if we're not a thief, then we listen to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit tells you what to do with your house, what to do with your car, and what to do with your money. He tells you not only what to give and how much, but where to give it and to whom to give it. He is the One. He is the Lord since you have the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, they did not have the Holy Spirit commonly, so they needed a rule and regulation to tell them what to do. It's not so now. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made you free from the law of sin and death, so you're free from that law and now you're under the law of the Spirit. And the Spirit is the One Who knows your brethren, He knows the needs; He knows exactly what He wants to do and how much He wants to do, so we have to follow the Holy Spirit with everything. The Sabbath is no longer one day; it's every day. We cease from our works and enter into His rest every day. Now, what about the tithe? It's the same thing. See, when Jesus came, He multiplied the Law. Did you notice that in Matthew 5? Everything about the Law He multiplied, He made it bigger, because now God works in us from the inside out to do His Will. He works a desire in us to do what before we were fighting against with our carnal nature. It's a wonderful thing. But the Eli ministries are greedy dogs; they can never have enough. It is astounding how they can see so many people in need, even in their own assemblies, and yet don't lift a finger to help them. Meanwhile, they're flying their personal jet planes and doing all these things. Going on again in 1Sa 2:29 … Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me…. Wow! Did you know God could do that? Have you ever heard that doctrine of unconditional eternal security? Look at that big “but now” in the middle of that verse. Because God's promises are conditional and we have to have faith in Him. Our part is faith; His part is to supply the power. God can drop us like a rock any time. He can empower you to walk in His steps or He can give you up to this world and I'll tell you what: there is no promise for those who don't bear fruit. God is looking for the fruit of Jesus Christ. 1Sa 2:30 … But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Obviously, He's talking about these preachers who were plundering His people and abusing them, and taking an offering from them. You don't “take” an “offering.” That's an oxymoron. 1Sa 2:31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 32 And thou shalt behold the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which [God] shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas…. Do you know what “Hophni” and “Phinehas” mean? “Hophni” means “stiff-necked, self-willed,” and “Phinehas,” I understand, means “a trustworthy face, but the mouth of a serpent.” Isn't that interesting? You know, a lot of people see what they see standing in their pulpit, but that's all they see. They see what they're supposed to see and they see what they are permitted to see, but they don't know what's really going on there. You may remember how I shared with you about one of the first churches I was invited to preach in Pensacola, while I was there I did a lot of teaching. The pastor of that particular church was an Eli pastor and, no doubt about it, he was doing everything that these guys were doing and more. There was a man who came in and he got saved; he came in totally drunk and he got sobered up. Shortly after that, God gave him a vision of the pastor as a serpent standing up behind the pulpit, speaking through a microphone. He did not understand it and he brought it to me and I told him, “Well, it means just what it says, you know.” And that pastor's last name meant “dragon.” He was the dragon, the old serpent. Well, “Phinehas” means “a trustworthy face, but the mouth of a serpent.” 1Sa 2:34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. I'm going to back up a little bit here. 1Sa 2:22 Now, Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. Do we ever hear of that happening nowadays? Yes, quite often, don't we? Evidently, sex and money seem to get hold of an awful lot of people who put themselves in a position of ultimate power over God's people. It seems like men who are not full of God cannot stand too much power, too much authority, too much money, too much esteem of the people, before they begin to take advantage of it. What it's saying is that a person shouldn't seek a position in God's Kingdom unless God puts them there. You know how God puts them there? He prepares them first. They are overcomers. Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. Nowadays, “You can just go to Bible school and you pay for that certificate and now you're a preacher.” You can do this, but you're in trouble because there is not the nature of Jesus Christ there. After all, you have not overcome by going through trials yourself. And so what happens when you get out there and you get all this temptation? Because the Nicolaitan error is a great temptation. Putting a man in a position that is not Biblical is a great temptation that most people cannot stand. And the proof is showing up. I mean, they are lying with the women who do the service of the door of the Tent of Meeting. They're doing it now. The money, the women, the power, the abuse of their power, it's still the problem. We know God never designed a Nicolaitan ministry, anyway. He called for a five-fold ministry. That's what He called for. He distributed the authority among the five-fold ministry. That's His way of doing things. God's going to raise up the five-fold ministry. Remember, Jesus the Man-child raised up the apostles who raised up the five-fold ministry. The apostles ordained the five-fold ministers. They are the ones who started that. Once again, history is going to repeat in these days because the Man-child is going to raise up apostles who are going to raise up the five-fold ministry. He is going to restore the real five-fold ministry this time. I'm talking about people who have overcome, who are given a position by God, who were ordained to that position by God. In the Bible, it was apostles who ordained the five-fold ministry, but nowadays Bible schools can do it, so we have gone astray. We've fallen into what the Bible calls the “Nicolaitan error” (Revelation 2:6). We've gone far, far astray, and the ministers who put themselves in that position, and the people who put the ministers in that position, are not doing them a favor because they really can't hold up to that. God has to do this. God is the One Who ordains ministers, not men, not organizations and not religions. And so we've ended up with quite a lot of the Eli ministry out there. In Jesus' day, how many of the Pharisees, who were Eli ministers, how many of them recognized Him and obeyed Him when God sent His Son? Well, God is doing it again and they're going to do the same thing. The Lord told me that this is where we are right now, in the midst of a Pharisee, Saul and Eli ministry. But coming right down the road is this Man-child reformer ministry led by the Holy Spirit. Looking at the news concerning the church and the pastors and teachers and prophets and so on, we can see the great falling away going on around us. We know that it's happening again and we can tell where we are. God has pronounced judgment upon the Eli ministry and what's going to happen to it. 1Sa 2:31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm (this is speaking of Eli and his household), and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house. 32 And thou shalt behold the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which [God] shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever. 33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. 35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind…. Oh, praise the Lord! This is what we have coming, folks: faithful priests “that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind.” That's not a small statement there. God will give grace. He will send new leadership. Of course, we know that this priest represents a corporate body in our day, spread throughout the earth, that God is sending to restore His people. 1Sa 2:35 … And I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. Oh, praise the Lord! What do you think that means? Well, most people think it means he'll walk before the Lord. I think that's true, no doubt that this new, faithful ministry will walk before the Lord, but I believe that there's something deeper than that here. Let's turn to the New Testament. 2Co 1:21 Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God. Stop and think about that. God establishes us in Christ and anoints us. You know, the word “Christ” means “the anointed.” And Christ was the anointed, but Jesus left an individual body to come back in a corporate body in order to be able to do all over the world what He did in that first body, so the body of Christ is to be anointed. 2Co 1:22 Who also sealed us, and gave [us] the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. The “anointing” is “to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” I dare say most of the church is not filled with the Spirit but, then, most of the church is not anointed. The Lord told me years ago that if we get what the apostles got, we'll do what they did. Read the book of Acts and find out what they had. When Jesus was ministering to the disciples, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (Joh 20:22) and there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind Act 2:2 and… they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues 4, etc. Now, if you get that, you'll do what they did. Most of the church today is very dead because they feel that they have been anointed but they haven't. It's just words, you know. So, if you don't want what they have, you won't do what they did. So “he … establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us.” Why does God anoint us? It's so that we can walk in the steps of Christ, so that Christ can live through us to the world. We need to be anointed. We have to have this anointing, you see. What it said about Samuel was that, “He shall walk before mine anointed forever.” In other words, in this case we're talking about him being the leadership of God's anointed body that God is sending in the earth. He's walking before them as the leader of His anointed body to do His works. The Man-child, in whom Jesus lives, will be a leader of the anointed body of Christ in our day, just as Jesus was in His day. 1Sa 2:36 And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left in thy house…. What does “left in” mean? Well, we haven't gotten that far yet, but his house was wiped out and the people who followed his house were wiped out, at the hand of the Philistines. We know the Philistine represents the old man who lives in the land. There's a war going on between our spiritual man, who is an Israelite and the old man, who is a Philistine, and the war is for the land, which Hebrews 6 tells us is this physical life; this life is that land. Now when he says here, “everyone that is left in thy house,” it means, in other words, there are some people who are going to repent of the Saul ministry and not only of the ministry, but of following the Saul ministry. They're no longer going to be a part of that house and they're going to survive because their old man is not going to conquer them. 1Sa 2:36 And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread. We are the priests of God. As we sacrifice unto the Lord, as we make this burnt offering of flesh to the Lord, each one of us presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, we are the priests of God. You're not sacrificing your life unto the Saul ministry. That's the whole problem; the Saul ministry refused to sacrifice the old man and, therefore, died at the hands of the old man. Now we're seeing the same thing about Eli. And so if we want to be priests, we have to be following the Samuels. There are people who are going to come out from under the Eli and Saul ministries and follow the David and Samuel ministry, and they will be priests of the Lord. Notice how this sounds very much like Joseph. Remember how, after selling Joseph into bondage, his own brothers came into the kingdom and it was he who kept them alive during the seven years of famine? He fed them. They came to him. All Israel, as a matter of fact, came to Joseph because the sons of Jacob, or Israel, all came to him in Egypt and Joseph served them; he met their needs. And we saw, also, that as soon as Saul died on Gilboa, along with the part of Israel that followed him, all the rest of Israel followed David. 1Ch 11:1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Wow, they're actually saying they're the body of David! And so we see that this is about to repeat, folks. These people are dying; not physically, but spiritually they are dying. They're dying at the hands of the old man because they've refused to make war against the old man. 1Sa 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious (or “rare”) in those days; there was no frequent vision. It's the same today. There is “no frequent vision” from the Lord. Yes, many people have visions and the frequency of the vision of the Lord is something that the prophetic office is supposed to be sending forth, but it's all been polluted. 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see). Notice that when Samuel arrives, the Word begins to speak about Eli's eyesight being poor and it seems to get worse and worse the longer that Samuel is on the scene. There's a reason for that and we'll look at it. But what does it mean for his eyes to begin “to wax dim, so that he could not see”? Well, I think this is talking about a lack of perception, a lack of discernment. As Jesus said, Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Mat.13:13). They lost their eyesight in the days of the coming of Jesus and now it's speaking about the Eli ministry losing their spiritual eyesight. 1Sa 3:3 And the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down [to sleep,] in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. So here's Samuel in the presence of the Lord and here's Eli losing his spiritual eyesight, meaning his prophetic gift. Now if we go back to one of the verses we read earlier, it says, and the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar (1Sa 2:33). We see that there are some people who are “under” the Saul ministry who are not going to be “of” the Saul ministry because they're going to repent. There's a multitude of God's people who are going to come out of these apostate churches and follow the David ministry, follow the Samuel ministry, and we praise God for that. This is going to be a reformation that's coming. Those who stay will die. There's no doubt about it. If they continue to follow that which is not the leading of the Holy Spirit, not ordained of God, not the Word of God, they will die. 1Sa 2:33 And the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart; and all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age. Remember, David was raised up under the Saul ministry, but he was David; he continued to grow. And here Samuel is raised up under the Eli ministry. This seems to be a parallel all the way through the Scriptures. So he's saying that there are people who are of that house, who will not be cut off from God's altar, but they will be “to consume thine eyes.” Why is this? How could it be that somebody who is righteous and who is going to outgrow that ministry, and who is going to repent, how could it be that these people will consume the eyes of the Eli ministry? Well, believe it or not, Jesus made a statement like that. Of course, we know Jesus was the Samuel, was the man-child of His day. Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world, that they that see not may see; and they that see may become blind. So here's the Samuel ministry coming upon the scene and suddenly somebody's becoming blind. Joh 9:40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said unto him, Are we also blind? 41 And Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye would have no sin: but now ye say, We see: your sin remaineth. In our day, those people who say they see are becoming blind, but the people who don't claim to have the understanding, the perception, or the discernment, they're the ones like the kind of people whom Jesus gathered around Him. It was those fishermen, those tax collectors, those harlots, those sinners, it was they who became His staunch disciples and they didn't say that they could see. They didn't claim to be theologians, they didn't claim to know everything about God, but the people who did were becoming blind. In John 9 there's a really neat story about a blind man who's blind from birth and whom Jesus healed of his blindness. Jesus made mud, He smeared it on his eyes, sent him into the pool of Siloam and the blind man came back seeing. When the Pharisees heard of this, they basically called the healed man on the carpet and wanted to know who it was who had done this. So he said it was the one called Jesus. Then they wanted to know how it was that he was healed, so he related the whole story. Of course, they were just trying to pick holes in the story because these were the jealous Eli ministry that really didn't want anybody coming in and taking away their position, their kingdom. Jesus spoke of their ministry in Matthew 21 through the parable of God sending His Son and then those people who wanted the vineyard for themselves killing the Son. Well, it's pretty neat how this man rebuked those Pharisees. After they asked him a couple of times in a row, “How did he do this?” he said, “I told you already. You weren't listening. Why didn't you hear?” And they said, “We know this man's a sinner, that he couldn't possibly be from God.” To which the healed man replied, Joh 9:30 Why, herein is the marvel, that ye know not whence he is, and [yet] he opened mine eyes. 31 We know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and do his will, him he heareth. 32 Since the world began it was never heard that any one opened the eyes of a man born blind. And how is it that these people didn't know that this man was from God? The healed man told them, “We know that God doesn't hear sinners, but he opened my eyes.” So this man, who didn't say he was a theologian, didn't say he knew everything about God, had a lot more wisdom than these people who were going against the Word of God in trying to justify themselves. This man who was under their ministry, under this Saul-Pharisee-Eli ministry, was now being delivered and it was making them angry. Actually, they excommunicated him; they threw him out of the church, basically because he told the truth, but they didn't want to hear the truth. There are some of you today who are coming out from among them. Like the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon, you have tried to bring this Jesus Whom you've found back to your “mother” and some of them really don't want to hear about it (Song of Solomon 3:4). You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, every time that you come out from under those ministries and you bring back the truth to them and they reject that truth, they become a little bit more blind, a little bit more blind. Jesus the Man-child came so that these people would become blind. When Samuel came on the scene, the anointed of God, the Man-child of that day, born of Hannah, then we begin reading over and over that the Eli ministry's becoming blind. You see, in this day, folks, notice that God says, 1Sa 2:33 and the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart. You know how grieving it is to those ministries when you go back and try to share truth with them, simple truth from the Word of God, and they don't want to hear it? And when they deny the Word that you bring to them they become more blind every time. It's interesting, you know, when the man who was healed mildly rebuked the Pharisees, they answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out (Joh.9:34). Who's not born in sin, right? But they're obviously pointing out that if he was blind from birth, his blindness was because of sin. Blindness from birth was quite common in those days. But they wouldn't let anybody teach them, they didn't want to hear from somebody who was not educated, not puffed up because of their religious system, or not somebody who went through their theological training. They don't want to hear anything from those people. You can bring them simple, simple truth; every time they deny it, they get more and more blind. They lose perception and discernment, just as this verse says: 1Sa 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to wax dim, so that he could not see), 3 and the lamp of God was not yet gone out. Now the “lamp of God” here, in a sense, means his prophetic ministry to the people of God, or it could also be talking about the lamp of the eye, as Jesus spoke about it (Matthew 6:22). But, either way, we know, for instance, in Zechariah, that God is going to raise up a foolish shepherd in the land Zec 11:15, 16. God has done it in every generation and in every cycle. Zec 11:15 And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet again the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 16 For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those that are cut off, neither will seek those that are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound…. Of course, we need to be fed the unleavened bread because that's the Seed of God that brings forth Christ in us, which is the only kind of fruit that God is interested in. 16 … Nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat [sheep]…. Once again, we see the plundering of the sheep, living off the sheep, getting fat off the sheep. 16 … And will tear their hoofs in pieces. The Lord pointed out to me one time so eloquently that hooves are what separate sheep from the world. This represents sanctification, which means separation from the world, and separation unto God. God wants us separate from the world, but connected to Him. When Moses went up on the mountain to meet God, He told him, “Hey, take your shoes off, Moses. You're standing on holy ground” (Exodus 3:2). In other words, God didn't want Moses separated from that holy ground. “Holy” and “sanctified” is the same word, right? God did not want Moses separate from holy ground, but out there in the world, God wanted Moses to keep his shoes on because we want to be separate from the world, we want to be sanctified. Well, when you take the foolish shepherd who is breaking the hooves off of the sheep, that means they're doing anything but sanctifying them from this world. Instead, they're making them worldly. Now, I'd like to share a few revelations with you.     The Church Emerging from Religion Servant - 12/30/2010 I see a huge iron structure --mountain-like. It is smooth and brown with bronze tones; smooth, glossy, shiny. It is warm and strong in appearance. Underneath and in the ground a little shoot cries, “Oh, Father, we desire Your presence!” Over and over the little shoot cries, “Oh, Father, we desire Your presence!” SUDDENLY their cry is heard of the Father. He sits forward on the throne. His eyebrows are shaped in a “V” as He looks at the mountain of religion preventing the little shoot. All the balconies of Heaven stand at attention. The earth begins to move to and fro. The mountain begins to sway as the shoot emerges from under the mountain by the power of God. GOD STANDS UP! Shaking, reeling such as never seen before! Then, with a mighty noise, the mountain reels, rips in half and falls in two pieces. The earth shakes: Destruction! Shaking! Such loud noise! Darkness; then all is still. The shoot, the true Church, emerges from the ground. God's glory -- bright, white, brilliant -- covers the shoot and the true refreshing begins. Joy! Strength! Power! The shoot rapidly grows in strength and power. Arms form, much like a mustard tree. This is the true refreshing; this is the power, glory, joy of the Lord. The earth will see and the earth will marvel at the strength, power and glory of the end-time Church. All this must be fulfilled. The Church is arrayed and ready for Jesus. Amen.   Destruction Comes for Apostate Leadership B.A. - 06/23/2015 (David's notes in red) I dreamed that I found myself in Jerusalem, back in Jesus' day, and I was looking up at the temple (a temple made by man's hands which God does not inhabit). Act 17:24 The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: 28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. 30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commanded men that they should all everywhere repent: 31 inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. There were stone steps leading down from the temple and the steps were being occupied by Pharisees and Sadducees. I was standing with a crowd of people in an open area a little ways from the temple and the stone steps, and just as I was looking around me in this crowd of people, I saw a man come forward out of the crowd who began to sternly address the men who were standing up (or exalting themselves) on the stone steps of the temple. I knew that the man speaking was Jesus. Pro 25:6 Put not thyself forward in the presence of the king, And stand not in the place of great men: 7 For better is it that it be said unto thee, Come up hither, Than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, Whom thine eyes have seen. And Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. As Jesus began to speak, I began to recognize the “Word” He was speaking to these men, since I had heard these same words before. Here is what I heard: Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves. When Jesus spoke the first “Woe”, I heard a loud pop-like sound and what sounded like a crackling sound. I looked down upon the stone steps of the temple that these Pharisees and Sadducees were standing on and I noticed a large, deep crack had gone right up through the middle of those stone steps, and they were beginning to crack and crumble. I noticed that the deep crack was between the feet of a rather large and extremely overweight man. (This is the apostate leadership overcome by their flesh.) 16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. Then, when Jesus spoke the second “Woe”, I heard another much louder pop-like sound and more of the crackling sound. I looked around to see where this sound was coming from and I saw that a large, deep crack had gone all around the temple foundation and it was cracking up and crumbling as well. 17 Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. 19 Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel! 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Just as Jesus had finished His Words to these men, the stone steps gave way and all of those men standing on the crumbling stone steps fell down into a deep pit that had opened up under the stone steps. And just after that happened, the entire temple came crashing down on top of them and covered them up. I noticed that from Matthew 23:15 through verse 39, there are “six” woes – “six” being the number of man. Also, I found it interesting that there is a “Woe” in Mathew 23:23 and the date of this dream is the 23rd and 23 means “death.” (This is clearly a reprobation of the apostate leadership and their fake temples, as Jesus pronounced in His day, and now we see a repeat of history in our day.)     Apostate Leaders Fleecing the Sheep B.A.- 04/01/2012 (David's notes in red) I dreamed I was in some type of city. It was strange because there were no people on the sidewalks or cars on the streets. There were these strange-looking brick buildings (buildings made by the flesh) everywhere I looked. (Sounds like the people of God slaving to make bricks for Pharaoh's buildings.) I decided to go inside one of these buildings. Once inside, I saw a familiar female TV preacher who was hosting an event. I also recognized several other female preachers as well, and others whose faces I recognized but could not remember their names. (Father said, 1Ti 2:12 But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. Read Word, Women and Authority.) There were elaborate tables set up with all kinds of party food and they were all playing games. Each time the hostess presented a new game, she would have on a different outfit. I watched this for a while, then I decided to leave and go see what was going on inside one of the other buildings. Once back out on the street, I saw a long, rectangular, brick building so I decided to go check it out. It was very dimly lit; I could barely see where I was going. This building was huge inside and it appeared to be some kind of art gallery. There were statues on the floor and statues mounted on the walls. Further on up ahead, I saw some people standing around a picture on the wall, so I went to see what they were looking at. As I got closer, all of these people were dressed up like pilots and they were looking and admiring a picture of various airplanes. Some were elaborate jets and some were small Cessna-type planes. I recognized some of these people to be leaders in the apostate church. (Big time prosperity preachers can't fly with us common folks. They have to have at least one private jet. Poor Jesus, He walked or rode a donkey.) Further on up ahead, I saw another group of people standing around a picture on the wall. As I got closer to these people, they were all dressed up like gladiators and they were looking at a picture of a large coliseum (I believe this to be representative of megachurches) and bragging about their own personal coliseum. (The competitive spirit is always trying to best those who are also a part of the body to see who is the greatest, as Jesus rebuked the disciples for.) Then, all the way to the back of the art gallery, I saw several rows of people seated and listening to a man standing at a podium. Behind this man was a large mural of TV and radio stations (the apostate leadership use the media to steal from God's people). He was teaching these people how to successfully get more money from their viewers and God's people in general. (Representing, using mass media to make mass money and live in luxury while not doing the works of the kingdom. Jesus said, Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give.) As I stood there listening to this, I cried out to the Lord, “Do you see what they are doing? They are scheming and preparing a plan on how they are going to fleece your sheep during tough economic times!” Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Don't be concerned; their days are numbered.” Then I woke up. (Their greed, debt and sins against God's people will take them out.)     Last House Cleaning Shelly Lynch - 06/23/2013 (David's notes in red) I had a short dream this morning. I saw myself taking a speck out of the corner of my eye. Mat 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Then I saw myself cleaning the corners of a building (Representing cleaning up the last hidden places of leaven), removing the last scraps of spoiled dog food (leaven of false teaching) from the building with a white paper towel (representing the pure Word). Php 3:2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the concision: (This could be the Bride's last cleansing before the anointing! And the Bride's ministry of removing the speck out of their brother's eye (which can only happen when she has the speck out of her own). Hallelujah!) (However, for Israel, which is a type of the Church and is not cleaned up at the beginning of the tribulation but through the tribulation, this text was given as a warning of coming tribulation.) Eze 7:1-10 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me saying, And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel, 'An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. 'Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will know that I am the LORD!' Thus says the Lord GOD, 'A disaster, unique disaster, behold it is coming! 'An end is coming; the end has come! It has awakened against you; behold, it has come! Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come, the day is near-tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will shortly pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. 'My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the LORD, do the smiting. Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your doom has gone forth; the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. (Chastening will bring the elect to righteousness. Isa 26:10-11  Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah.  11  Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see thy zeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries. Including their flesh. (The persecution from the apostate Church toward the faithful in the Lord can be seen here.) Act 5:28-29 Saying Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, 'We ought to obey God rather than men'. And verses 40-42 And to him (Gamaliel) they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Considering these two paths, it would be good for the disciples of Jesus to heed our instructions to be spotless and blemishless in the Bride company.) 2Pe 3:14 Wherefore, beloved seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 1Th 3:13 To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. Eph 5:27 that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (speck); but that it should be holy and without blemish. And 2Co 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Sandy Shaw shared at this same time while in prayer she heard, “This is the last cleaning”, and we all believed this would be the cleaning of the Bride of the Lord before the tribulation. She then asked for a word and got by random: 2Ch 29:15 And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah. 16 And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron. 17 Now they began on the first [day] of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end. 18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within [the palace], and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof. 19 Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah. 20 Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah. Hezekiah, as a type of the Man-child, “went up to the house of the Lord on the third day” and this was after the failed Senacherib Beast attack on the Bride when they were smitten. She then got by random, “into the ark” in Gen 7:13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; and we read back in verse 9 there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.

PA539 Psalm 115:9-116:19 mp3 In this message, we continue Psalm 115, a psalm celebrating the reality of Israel’s God over the emptiness of idols. All Israel is called on to extol Yehovah, since He is the One Who is ever mindful of them, and will exalt and increase them. He owns the heavens, but has […]

Teaching Text - Daniel 9In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, who was of Median descent and who had been appointed king over the Babylonian empire— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, came to understand from the sacred books that the number of years for the fulfilling of the desolation of Jerusalem, which had come as the Lord's message to the prophet Jeremiah, would be 70 years. 3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God, confessing in this way:“O Lord, great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards. 6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, and to all the inhabitants of the land as well.7 “You are righteous, O Lord, but we are humiliated this day—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you. 8 O Lord, we have been humiliated—our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors—because we have sinned against you. 9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the Lord our God by living according to his laws that he set before us through his servants the prophets.11 “All Israel has broken your law and turned away by not obeying you. Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you. 12 He has carried out his threats against us and our rulers who were over us by bringing great calamity on us—what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven! 13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, so all this calamity has come on us. Still we have not tried to pacify the Lord our God by turning back from our sin and by seeking wisdom from your reliable moral standards. 14 The Lord was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the Lord our God is just in all he has done, and we have not obeyed him.15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with great power and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day—we have sinned and behaved wickedly. 16 O Lord, according to all your justice, please turn your raging anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our neighbors.17 “So now, our God, accept the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor to your devastated sanctuary for your own sake. 18 Listen attentively, my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins and the city called by your name. For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, but because your compassion is abundant. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don't delay, for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your name.”20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the Lord my God concerning his holy mountain— 21 yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the time of the evening offering. 22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows: “Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you. 23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God's sight. Therefore consider the message and understand the vision:24 “Seventy weeks have been determinedconcerning your people and your holy cityto put an end to rebellion,to bring sin to completion,to atone for iniquity,to bring in perpetual righteousness,to seal up the prophetic vision,and to anoint a Most Holy Place.25 So know and understand:From the issuing of the command to restore and rebuildJerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives,there will be a period of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.It will again be built, with plaza and moat,but in distressful times.26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing.As for the city and the sanctuary,the people of the coming prince will destroy them.But his end will come speedily like a flood.Until the end of the war that has been decreedthere will be destruction.27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week.But in the middle of that weekhe will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys,until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”

Romans 11:25-29 The post All Israel will be Safe appeared first on Upper Room Christian Fellowship.

Who Will Persevere? Elect Israel Confession: Canons of Dort V, Rejection of the Errors I Scripture: Romans 4:13-17, Romans 11 Preacher: Rev. David Inks   Sermon Outline: Introduction The Covenant Olive Tree Olive Tree = Israel The Meaning of “All Israel” in 11:26 Are You a True Israelite? Conclusion   Sermon Video: https://youtu.be/n6EKZrCKxd4   Canons […] The post Who Will Persevere? Elect Israel appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

1 Chronicles – Defeat and Death of Saul and His Sons, Jabesh-gilead's Tribute to Saul, David Made King over All Israel, Jerusalem, Capital City, David's Mighty Men, David's Supporters in Ziklag, Jeroham of Gedor 1 Corinthians – Take Care with Your Liberty

There are few sections in the Bible more controversial than Romans 9-11. What does Paul mean when he says that “All Israel will be saved?” And why does he apply passages of the Bible reserved for the reunification of the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel to the Gentiles? And how does this affect the way we understand Israel today? Jason Staples tackles these questions head on in this episode. We're going to talk about the difference between being an Israelite and a being a Jew, the overlooked details in Hosea's prophecies, and the mind-bending way God purposes even the disobedience of his people for their good.  Show Notes Jason's books: Paul and the Resurrection of Israel  The Idea of Israel Jason's Website: https://www.jasonstaples.com/ Jason's FSU Seminoles Podcast: https://www.unconqueredpodcast.com/

Just like Hosea buying back his wife from slavery and a prostitution scandal, All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said “We are your own flesh and blood” you will become their ruler.

Talk 35   Mark 11:11-33 (continued)       The Cursing of the Fig Tree Welcome to Talk 35 in our series on Mark's Gospel. Today we're continuing to look at Mark 11:11-33. As we said last time, there are two interrelated stories interwoven in this passage – the cursing of the fig tree and the so-called ‘cleansing' of the temple. I suggested that Jesus' actions were not really a cleansing (i.e. to make it fit for purpose), but rather an enacted parable declaring the beginning of the end of worship in the temple which was soon to be destroyed. It was to be replaced by a new temple, not one made with human hands, but a living temple made up of God's people the church. If you have not already heard that talk, I encourage you to do so, as it is closely connected with this one.   Today we'll be considering the significance of Jesus' cursing of the fig tree and I'm going to suggest that this too was an enacted parable. So let's begin by reading Mark 11, starting at verse 11.   Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve. 12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.   Then we have the story of Jesus clearing out the temple, so now, jumping to verse 20:   20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" 22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."   So what can we learn from this story? I'm going to deal with this under three headings: ·      Lessons about Israel ·      Lessons about Jesus ·      Lessons about us. The subject of Israel and its future is one over which Christians are often disagreed. I hesitate to deal with it because of the strong opinions held on the subject. But I'm going to address it,   (1)   because I want to be faithful to the text of Scripture, (2)   because of what's going on in Israel at the moment, (3)   because so many Christians are preoccupied with that.     Lessons about Israel If I am right in saying that Jesus' actions in clearing the temple were a kind of enacted parable declaring the end of temple worship, the question naturally arises, is the cursing of the fig tree also an enacted parable signifying God's rejection of Israel? I'm going to give you three reasons why I think it is:   1 God himself likens Israel to a fig tree (Hosea 9:10) When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree (something exceptional and wonderful). But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol...   In Mark 11 Jesus is looking for early fruit on a fig tree but finding none. So he curses it. In Hosea, God is saying that at the beginning Israel had been a delight to him, something rare and precious, like grapes in the desert or like early fruit on a fig tree, but now they had forsaken him and had followed idols. (Compare v1 where he calls them Unfaithful).   2 Jesus' parables clearly indicate God's rejection of Israel In Mark 12:1-12, (the very next chapter) Jesus tells the parable of the tenants. A man plants a vineyard and rents it to some farmers and then goes on a journey. At harvest time he sends a servant to get some fruit from the vineyard. The tenants seize him and send him away empty-handed. He sends other servants, but they are all badly treated. Eventually he sends his son, and they kill his son. As a result, Jesus says, the owner of the vineyard will kill the tenants and give the vineyard to others.   This reminds us of Isaiah 5:1-7, where God describes Israel as a vineyard he has planted which only produces bad fruit and so will be destroyed. All this strongly suggests that the cursing of the fig tree is a picture of Israel's failure to please God by producing the fruit he is seeking. (Cf. also the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9).   3 The overall teaching of the New Testament. Paul teaches that the true Jew is not a person physically descended from Abraham, but anyone, whether Jew or Gentile, who has believed as Abraham believed. Consequently, it is not the Jewish nation, the state of Israel, that are the people of God, but the company of those who believe, the church, the body of Christ, whose members are, as we saw last time:    …a spiritual house …a holy priesthood …a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God …who are now the people of God (1 Peter 2:5, 9-10).   But where does that leave the nation of Israel today? Doesn't God still have a plan for Israel as a nation? Well, it all depends on how you interpret Romans, chapters 9-11. These chapters teach five things:     1. Not all Jews are God's children (9:6-8, 10:16) It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring.   But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" (10:16)   2. It's only the believing remnant who are (9:27) Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.   Paul will say more about the remnant in chapter 11. But why aren't all Jews God's children? Because, whether we be Jew or Gentile, salvation is by faith.   3. Salvation is by faith (10:30-32) 30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works.   That's why he says in 10:1 that   4. The Israelites need to be saved (10:1) Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. It's not that they haven't heard the message. In verse 19 Paul says: Did they not hear? Of course they did   But sadly, Israel are a disobedient and obstinate people (21).   However, despite all this, Paul says that   5. God did not reject his people (11:1-2) I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew…   But what does Paul mean by God's people? (11:2-7)         But what does Paul mean by God's people? (11:2-7) From what follows in verses 2-7 it seems that's he's talking about what he calls a remnant. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah – how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? 4 And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened…   (You may remember what Paul said in 9:27 – only the remnant will be saved.)   So, Paul begins by saying that God has not rejected his people (vv1-2). But who are his people? He refers to the story of Elijah where, despite the apostate condition of Israel as a whole, God had reserved for himself a remnant who had not bowed the knee to Baal. It's the believing remnant that are the true Israel. But what about the rest? Paul says that those who have fallen are not beyond recovery (v11). He hopes that by his ministry he may save some of them (14). He compares Israel to an olive tree and some of the branches (the unbelieving Jews) have been broken off, so that the Gentiles, a wild olive, might be grafted in. But God is able to graft the Jews in again if they do not persist in unbelief (v23). So, in the context, it is the Jews who believe who are God's people. The true Israel was never, not even in the Old Testament, the entire state of Israel, but the remnant chosen by grace who have not bowed the knee to Baal (11:1-10). So how does keep his promises to the Jewish nation? By grafting them back into the olive tree (which now contains Gentile branches) if they come to faith in Christ. In doing so, they become part of the true and much larger Israel, the people of God from every tribe and tongue and nation, who have trusted Christ in whom alone is salvation. So what does Paul mean when he says that All Israel shall be saved? (11:25-26) 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.   In the light of all that Paul has said again and again about the true Israel not being the physical descendants of Abraham but those who believe as Abraham believed, he cannot possibly mean that all Jews will be saved simply because they are Jewish. In my view, to be consistent with the clear teaching in the rest of the New Testament, God will fulfil his promises to Israel through the salvation of the believing remnant of the Jews along with the believing Gentiles who together comprise the true Israel. However, I acknowledge that many Christians believe that at some point in the (maybe not too distant) future, when the full number of the Gentiles has come in, many of the Jews will come to faith in Christ, through whom alone is salvation. But even if that is correct, it does not mean that at present Jewish people, or the nation of Israel are God's people. The true Israel is the company of all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile. So ultimately, All Israel will be saved finds its fulfilment in the fact that all those who believe in Jesus, and only those who believe in Jesus, whether Jews or Gentiles, will find salvation in him. These chapters do not teach that the citizens of the modern state of Israel are God's chosen people, and it's wrong to talk of them as though they were. But does this amount to antisemitism? Certainly not. Holding this view is no excuse for hatred of the Jews or for the terrible events of the holocaust. As Christians we are called to love the Jews, not because of the mistaken view that they are still God's chosen people, but because they, like us, are sinners for whom Christ died. But we should not love them any more than we love the Africans, the Americans, the Australians, or the Arabs for that matter. God loves the world… and so should we. So I encourage you to think on these things in the light of Scripture and not on the basis of preconceived ideas taught so dogmatically on some of the God channels. Lessons about Jesus   His humanity The first thing we notice in our passage is that Jesus was hungry (v12). This speaks to us of his humanity. As a man Jesus was subject to all the problems that we as humans face. He was God. He had created the universe. But he was hungry! In becoming one of us Jesus put himself in the position that he, the Creator, became dependent on his creation! What humility! What condescension!    And we find another aspect of his humanity in verse 13 where he went to find out if the fig tree had any fruit. Now it was early spring, at the time of the Passover. Mark tells us that he didn't find any because it was not yet the season for figs. However, it was in leaf and the figs would soon be appearing. In fact, as we've already seen from Hosea 9:10, sometimes there would be early fruit on a fig tree. And no doubt that's what Jesus was looking for. But he did not know if there would be any or not. He went to find out. Again, this speaks of the humanity of Jesus.   Although he was God – and God knows everything – when he came to earth he laid aside the use of his divine attributes. By limiting himself to a human body he could not possibly be omnipresent. Neither was he omniscient. He became as one of us. And yet he was still God! And our passage indicates that too.   His deity Yes, we see his deity as well as his humanity in this passage. This is revealed, not as you might expect, in the fact that he was able to wither the fig tree, but in his reason for doing so. Like Israel, it was failing to produce the fruit God was looking for. The miracle itself did not indicate his deity, because he tells his disciples in verse 23 that anyone who has faith can do the same. But Paul says in Colossians 1 that Christ is the ruler over all creation. All things were created by him and for him. The fig tree was created by Jesus and for Jesus, and if it wasn't bearing fruit for its Creator, there was no point to its existence!   Lessons about us   A lesson on fruitbearing Now, putting together what we've been saying so far, it follows that as the true Israel is the church, made up of all believing Jews and Gentiles, then God expects to find fruit in our lives too. This is a clear biblical principle. God expects the things he has created to fulfil the purpose for which he has created them.   This is what Jesus is teaching in the Parable of the Fig Tree, to which I referred earlier:   A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' (Luke 13:6-9).   And the same truth is illustrated in John 15 in the Parable of the Vine. The branches that don't bear fruit he cuts off (v2). And the fruit he is looking for is the fruit of the Spirit, especially love. If we're not bearing fruit for Jesus, there really is no point to our existence!   A lesson on faith It's interesting that the disciples didn't notice that the fig tree had withered until the day after Jesus had cursed it. And we don't know exactly when it withered. Obviously it was some time during that 24 hour period. Surely if it had happened immediately they would have noticed it.   In a way, it doesn't matter, because once Jesus had spoken the word, the tree was dead. The leaves, the symptoms of life, may have taken 24 hours to wither. This may be true of the problems we face too – the symptoms don't always vanish immediately. The proof of the power of Jesus' words may not have been evident at first, but Jesus himself doesn't even look to see if has withered. He has faith to believe that what he has said will come to pass, because he was always hearing what his Father had to say (John 5:19).   And he even says that we can do the same: Have faith in God, he says, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.   Wow! What a promise! Is Jesus really saying that whatever you say will happen as long as you have faith and do not doubt? At first sight it certainly looks like it. But before we jump to that conclusion, we need to consider verse 25:   25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.   This seems to suggest that the promise about putting mountains in the sea is conditional on our right standing with God. If you're not prepared to forgive people, you're not in right standing with God. And if you're not, you won't have the faith that brings the answer to your prayers. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me (Psalm 66:18). Consider what Jesus says in the parable of the vine in John 15. The condition of answered prayer is our abiding in him.   And in 1 John 3:21-22 we're told: If our hearts do not condemn us we have confidence before God and receive anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.   But, returning to the promise in our passage, we need also to ask if it has ever been literally fulfilled in 2000 years of church history. And if not, why not? Has no one had enough faith? Or could it just be that God who put the mountains where they are doesn't want them put into the sea?   But if the promise has never been literally fulfilled, there are many testimonies of metaphorical mountains that he been put into the sea. And every time someone puts their trust in Christ as their saviour, the mountain of sin that separated them from God has been removed and buried in the deepest sea. So, a promise that has possibly never been fulfilled literally has been fulfilled millions of times spiritually. But that brings us to our final lesson:   A Lesson on God's Love We need to remember that all this took place a few days before Jesus died. He was about to face an enormous mountain – the mountain of our sins, of the sins of the whole world. He didn't have to face it. One word from him and Mount Calvary would be destroyed. And he was about to face another tree – the cross on which he died. He could have destroyed that too. He could have withered it like the fig tree. But instead of cursing it he chose to embrace it, and in the words of Galatians 3:13, to redeem us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. And why did he do it? Because he loved us. And that's why he has the right to expect to find fruit in our lives. Are we really living for the purpose he created us? I know I want to be. Do you?

The obligation of Kiddush on Shabbat applies equally to men and women. On Friday night, both men and women are required by Torah law to recite or hear Kiddush. The Misva of Kiddush is exceptional in this regard, as women are generally exempt from "Misvot Aseh She'ha'zman Gerama" – affirmative Biblical commands that apply only at certain times. Kiddush, of course, applies only on Shabbat, and we might have therefore assumed that women are exempt from this obligation. The reason why women are included in the Misva of Kiddush stems from the Talmud's comment that the two basic commands of Shabbat – "Zachor" ("Remember") and "Shamor" ("Guard") – were proclaimed together. "Zachor" refers to declaring the sanctity of Shabbat (Kiddush), while "Shamor" commands us to observe the Shabbat prohibitions. Since "Zachor" and "Shamor" were stated together, the Talmud comments, anybody included in the command of "Shamor" is likewise included in the command of "Zachor." Therefore, since women are bound by the command of "Shamor," the prohibitions of Melacha (forbidden activity) on Shabbat, they are similarly included in the obligation of Kiddush, which is derived from "Zachor." Since men and women are equally bound by the obligation of Kiddush, a woman may, strictly speaking, recite Kiddush on behalf of a man. Of course, it is not customary for women to recite Kiddush on behalf of men, but if a man, for whatever reason, cannot recite Kiddush, such as in a case of illness, Heaven forbid, a woman may recite Kiddush for him. This applies even if the woman had already recited or heard Kiddush, and has thus fulfilled her obligation; she may still recite Kiddush on behalf of others, including men. The basis for this Halacha is the famous concept of "Arbut." The principle of "Kol Yisrael Arebim Ze La'ze," or "All Israel are responsible for one another," establishes that even after a Jew has fulfilled a Misva, he has not completely satisfied his obligation so long as there are Jews who have not fulfilled that Misva. Therefore, for example, a person who already heard the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah can nevertheless blow the Shofar for somebody else who has not heard the Shofar. Even if a person has blown the Shofar a hundred times on Rosh Hashanah, he may still blow the Shofar again for somebody else, who fulfills his obligation through that blowing. The same is true of Megilat Esther; a person can read the Megila dozens on times on Purim on behalf of others. Even though he has already fulfilled the Misva, his fulfillment is incomplete until all other Jews have also fulfilled the Misva. He is therefore qualified to read the Megila for others, no matter how many times he has already read it. This applies to Kiddush, as well: a person can recite Kiddush on behalf of another person even though he has already fulfilled his obligation, because of the concept of Arbut. Hacham Ovadia Yosef rules that Arbut includes both men and women, and therefore a woman may recite Kiddush for a man even though she has already fulfilled her obligation. Thus, for example, if a husband is sick and incapable of reciting Kiddush, and his wife recited Kiddush herself while he slept, she may recite Kiddush again for him when he awakens. By the same token, a person who recited Arbit on Friday night may recite Kiddush on behalf of somebody who had not recited Arbit. In the Arbit recitation, we recite the Beracha of "Mekadesh Ha'Shabbat," which fulfills the Torah obligation of Kiddush. The additional requirement to recite Kiddush over a cup of wine applies only on the level of Rabbinic enactment. Therefore, a person who recited Arbit has a lower level of obligation to recite Kiddush than somebody who has not recited Arbit. Nevertheless, one who recited Arbit can recite Kiddush on behalf of somebody who had not recited Arbit. Just as a person who recited Kiddush and fulfilled his obligation can still recite Kiddush on behalf of somebody else, similarly, and all the more so, a person who prayed Arbit and now bears only the Rabbinic obligation of Kiddush may recite Kiddush on behalf of somebody who bears a Torah obligation. As mentioned, it is not customary for women to recite Kiddush on behalf of men. Nevertheless, this Halacha underscores the fact that women are no less obligated in Kiddush than men. Some women mistakenly approach Kiddush as a "man's Misva" and do not make a point of listening attentively while the husband recites Kiddush. Both men and women are equally bound by this Misva, and both must ensure to fulfill this obligation properly. Summary: The Misva of Kiddush on Shabbat applies equally to men and women. Strictly speaking, a woman may recite Kiddush for a man, though this is not customarily done. It is generally the husband who recites Kiddush, but the wife must ensure to listen attentively to each word.

2 When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' 5 “Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. 7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 8 “And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.' 9 But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.” 10 Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11 He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established. 13 Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?” He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” 14 Then he added, “I have something to say to you.” “You may say it,” she replied. 15 “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. 16 Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.” “You may make it,” she said. 17 So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.” 18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.” 19 When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king's mother, and she sat down at his right hand. 20 “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.” The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.” 21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother—yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!” 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! 24 And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised—Adonijah shall be put to death today!”25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died. 26 To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father's hardships.” 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli. 28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!” 30 So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!'” But he answered, “No, I will die here.” Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.” 31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. 32 The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed,because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasason of Jether, commander of Judah's army—were better men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord's peace forever.” 34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest. 36 Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37 The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.” 38 Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time. 39 But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran off to Achish son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” 40 At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die'? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.'43 Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?” 44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will remain secure before the Lordforever.” 46 Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and he died. The kingdom was now established in Solomon's hands.

THE STORY OF JOSEPH - lesson 17 ALL ISRAEL BEFORE JOSEPH 144,000 BEFORE JESUS Joseph - the prototype of Jesus   This can't be!  No way!  Is there a possible connection in the saga of Joseph where his father Jacob comes to Egypt - all Israel before Joseph - and the events in Revelation 7?  Could be?  Just as "all" Israel (Jacob's name) and his entire family is delivered from the terrible 7 years of famine) so too will ALL Israel be delivered and saved in the days of the return of Messiah.  The saga of Joseph is so timely and has so much for us today in the 21st century. In this podcast, as in part 1, I provide four valuable links to study the amazing connections between Joseph and Jesus. The first is a short video that is a great introduction to this topic.  Here's the link ...  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQKadh0fVCo The second resource is an article at the excellent website "Hebrew4Christians."  The article goes deeper into the connections between Joseph and Jesus providing over 60 indisputable connections solidly based upon scripture and not opinion or speculation.  Here's link to the article ...    https://hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Mashiach_ben_Yosef/mashiach_ben_yosef.html A third resource you must have access to is a scholarly paper written by my graduate studies advisor, Dr. Ron Mosely.   In his paper Dr. Mosely discusses Joseph as a prototype of the the suffering Messiah just like David is a prototype of the conquering Messiah - https://www.academia.edu/3796976/Twice_Rejected_Mashiach_Ben_Joseph The final link is to Netivyah (The Way of the Lord) ministries in Jerusalem.  This is a Messianic Jewish ministry founded by Joseph Shulam, an amazing Jewish scholar who helps us reconnect to our Jewish roots of our faith.  This link is to a book written by one of their resident scholars, Elhanan ben Avraham, "Moshiach ben Yosef (Messiah the Son Of Joseph)".  I highly recommend you get this book and all the books you can buy from this ministry - https://netivyah.org/product/mashiach-ben-yoseph/ Another thing we studied in part 1 and it carries over into this podcast is what is a disciple?  A disciple in Jesus' day is one who follows a rabbi and wants more than anything else to be just like the rabbi; a disciple wants to live a life so that they are a reflection of their rabbi.  Here's the links I promised that are the vidcasts (videos) I did on the topic of Disciples and Apostles.  The video is in two parts. Part1 - Disciples and Apostles - https://lightofmenorah.podbean./e/truth-nugget-28-lesson-2-part-1-disciples-and-apostles/ Part2 - Disciples and Apostles - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nugget-28-lesson-2-part-2-disciples-and-apostles/ Here's a link to an excellent article on what a disciple was in the 1st century by Ray Vander Laan - https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/rabbi-and-talmidim Ray has also done audio sessions on the concept of disciples of a rabbi in Jesus' day.  I will link you to the audio library and it is easy to slide down to the studies regarding disciples.  Check out the "Age of a Disciple" and the sessions entitled "Disciples Parts 1, 2, and 3" and the audio sessions "The Dust of the Rabbi." Here's the link - https://www.thattheworldmayknow.com/category/Audio In this podcast I again mention that Bible study is a requirement for us as true followers of Jesus.  Matter of fact there is a renowned Messianic Gentile scholar, Dwight Pryor, who suggests that a church must provide Bible study and classes in order to obey Jesus to make disciples. As one studies what it really means to be a disciple of our rabbi, our Lord and Savior, our Yeshua, we find that as our "rabbi" was sent to teach so too His disciples are called to be sent by Him to teach.  But, to teach means we need to learn and thus we need to do Bible study.  That's for all believers in the church and just a select few. What is interesting, for those of us focused on the Jewish roots of our faith and our Hebrew heritage, is that the study of the Bible in Jesus' day was considered the highest form of worship!  Not prayer.  Not speaking in tongues.  Not singing and music.  No.  None of these.  The study of God's word by the young and the old in Jesus' day was considered at the top of the list for true followers of the Lord.  Below are two links to two excellent articles discussing this.  The first is written by Dwight Pryor - a highly credible and well known Gentile Messianic Christian Bible scholar and the second is written by Professor WA Liebenberg, a Messianic Jewish scholar at the Hebraic Roots Teaching Institute in Pretoria South Africa.  These are a must read to understand that to be true disciples of Adonai yeshua requires Bible study and not just Bible reading.  Check them out at these links ... Dwight Pryor's article - https://www.scribd.com/document/52577969/The-Highest-Form-of-Worship WA Liebenberg's article - https://se1490ea64a00a596.jimcontent.com/download/version/1685034709/module/12434580160/name/The%20Highest%20Form%20of%20Worship%20Is%20Studying%20The%20Word.pdf As we studied we encountered the contradiction between Gen. 46:27 where it says 70 came to Egypt and in Acts 7:14 it says 75.  I mentioned I would provide you with the text of the Septuagint for Genesis 46 to show it was changed!  The rabbis changed it.  Shown below is Genesis 46 of the Septuagint. Finally, I mentioned the links to study THE JEWISH RAPTURE.  These are videos of my personal study of the rapture and how I found it to be already in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament.  It is a totally Jewish concept and since we are "grafted in" as joint heirs with Israel it includes all of us as disciples of Adonai Yeshua.  Here's the link to the videos. Video 1 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-27-episode-1-part-1-the-rapture-restored/ Video 2 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-27-episode-1-part-2-historical-context-of-matt-2429-31/ Video 3 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-27-the-rapture-restored-lesson-2-part-1/ Video 4 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-27-the-rapture-restored-episode-2-part-2/ Video 5 - https://lightofmenorah.podbean.com/e/truth-nuggets-27-rapture-restored-episode-2-part-3/ Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0  

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. 7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. 15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” Daniel 9:4-19

The Lubavitcher Rebbe's discourse Kol Yisrael begins with the Mishnah that is recited before the study of Pirkei Avos stating: "All Israel has a portion in the world to come." In this lesson, covering chapters 1-2 of the maamar, we question why even those souls that reside in the highest levels of heaven will need to come back down to the physical world in order to experience resurrection after the coming of Moshiach.

We Have Not Obeyed His Voice Daniel 9:1-27 by William Klock Last week we looked at the resurrection story in John 20 as it continued into the evening that first Easter Sunday—as Jesus appeared to his disciples while they were hiding, as he breathed new life into them through the Holy Spirit, and as he commissioned them with those words, “Even as the Father sent me, I am sending you.”  With those actions, with those words, with that little group of disciples hiding in Jerusalem Jesus began the renewal of Israel.  That was the beginning of a new people called to be light in the darkness and sent out to boldly proclaim the good news and the coming of God's kingdom.  At its core it was the same mission that the people of God had had since Abraham: to be light in the darkness, to make the one, true God known to the nations.  But now, recentred in Jesus, this people would go out—as I said—as prophets, priests, and kings.  As prophets, calling first Judah, then the nations to repentance.  As priests, mediating, proclaiming the good news about Jesus who has died, who has risen, and who is now the world's true Lord—it's King.  And as kings, as we make real Jesus' kingdom in practical ways in the world, anticipating that day when we will reign with him. And the New Testament tells us how those disciples went out into the world as prophets, priests, and kings.  We read of their faithfulness.  We read how they were opposed and persecuted and even killed.  And yet we also see the seeds of what would come as little churches popped up all over the Roman Empire—even right under the nose of Caesar himself in Rome.  And history shows us how the gospel continued to conquer and transform the world, until even mighty Caesar submitted himself and his empire to Jesus.  The gospel did its work.  The old gods were defeated and their temples torn down—even turned into churches.  The perverted sexual ethics of the Greeks and Romans faded away.  The brutal gladiatorial games were outlawed.  Slavery became a thing of the past.  Women and children came to be valued and abortion and infanticide were done away with.  The gospel taught the world about grace and mercy.  It wasn't perfect by any means, but I think most of us really have very little grasp just how much the power of the gospel transformed Western Civilisation for the better and in ways that displayed the life of the Spirit, that honoured Jesus, and that glorified God. But what happened to all that?  Christendom has fallen.  The world around us is retreating back into darkness.  Anti-gospel philosophies are taking over.  Sexual immorality has become rampant in just a few short decades.  We're back to murdering our children before they're born.  The church has fallen out of favour.  Christians are mocked.  And while the gospel is still active, gone are those days when it captured whole peoples and radically transformed their societies.  Instead, it's become a regular thing to hear of prominent Christians apostatising.  Whole churches forsake the gospel.  Even our covenant children are turning away in troubling numbers. Again, what happened?  Could it be that we can learn something from Israel's story of discipline and exile?  That's what got me thinking about preaching through the book of Daniel.  The church today in the West seems to be in a sort of exile and Daniel offers us timely wisdom—showing us how to be faithful in an alien land and how to be light in a darkness that does its best to snuff us out.  And I think a part of that wisdom that Daniel offers also addresses the question of “Why?”  Why did this happen?  If anything is clear in Daniel, it is that God is sovereign and that even the raging beasts of empire ultimately serve his purposes.  And so as we find ourselves in exile, the story of Israel's exile helps to answer why—if we have the humility to see it.  And, I think, Daniel 9 exhorts us to just that sort of humility.  It exhorts us to see the hand of God at work to fulfil his purposes in even the fall of Christendom and the demise of the church.  God's people don't just happen to experience defeat and they aren't dragged into exile by random chance.  Israel's story reminds us that God has always had a purpose for his people—in the old covenant and in the new—and that he will do whatever it takes to make us the holy people, the light-in-the-darkness people he needs us to be.  And that includes refining us to remove the dross, like gold in a crucible, when we've failed.  There's no Old Testament prophecy foretelling our current situation, but I think Israel's story should prompt us to ask with great humility how we have failed in our prophetic, priestly, and kingly roles.  It should prompt us to confess our sins, and to pray for the Lord's gracious and merciful renewal.  So let's look at Daniel 9, starting with verses 1 and 2: In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.   We're back in the space between Chapters 5 and 6.  Babylon has fallen to the Persians.  Israel's great enemy is gone.  But Israel is still in exile.  When will it end?  When will the people return to Jerusalem?  What does Daniel do?  He turns to scripture.  Daniel would not have had the Bible or even the Old Testament as we know it, but he did have both the Law and the Prophets in some form.  And so Daniel goes to the Prophets and specifically to the Prophet Jeremiah.  Jeremiah had spoken of the exile lasting seventy years and as Daniel calculates it that seventy years is nearly up. Before we go on, this is the first hint we get here that even if context allows us to line up Daniel's chronology with historical events, the numbers are first and foremost symbolic.  What comes later in this chapter has been the basis for countless eschatological speculations, some reasonable and some completely crazy. Our modern brains see numbers like this and want to think in terms of literal chronology.  Seventy years means seventy years.  And yet no matter how we try to line up the numbers of Daniel 9 with historical events, nothing is ever an exact fit.  And that's because the numbers are symbolic—because that's how their brains worked—and what we have is more of a chronography than a chronology.  It's a symbolic or stylised sketch meant to make sense of historical events.  So the first vital thing to see with these numbers is the connection with the idea of the jubilee.  Just as every seventh day was a sabbath, so every seventh year was a jubilee—a sort of year-long sabbath.  The land was to have rest from planting and harvesting, debts were forgiven, land was returned to its owners, slaves were set free.  It was very impractical from a human standpoint, but like the sabbath it showed the people's trust in the Lord to provide.  It reminded them that it was his land and he had given it to them.  They had not dug the wells or planted the vineyards.  Both they and the land belonged to him.  You can image that if people struggled to keep the sabbath, they'd really struggle to keep the jubilee.  And they didn't.  At best, only very, very rarely was the jubilee observed.  And this became symbolic of Israel's failure to keep God's law.  And so the Prophets spoke of Israel's exile in terms of the land finally having its rest—but one jubilee wasn't enough, so Jeremiah spoke of the exile as seventy years—ten jubilee cycles—to make up for Israel's long history of unfaithfulness.  But, too, and this is the second part of the symbolism, seventy years is roughly a lifetime and the idea is that the exile would remove a full generation from the land—kind of like the forty years in the wilderness of Sinai.  A full generation of exile gave time for a new generation to grow up, a generation that would be repentant, would return to the land, and would live in faithfulness.  A new generation that would appreciate the Lord's presence and provision.  So that's the idea behind this figure of seventy years.  Keep that in the back of your mind for when we come to the final verses of the chapter and remember that the numbers here in Chapter 9 aren't the important thing, what Daniel does in response to Jeremiah's prophecy is what's really important. So Daniel sees that things are changing around him.  The Babylonians that took his people into exile have been defeated—just as the Prophets had said they would.  A generation has passed.  He's now an old man.  When will the Lord fulfil his promise to return his people to Jerusalem?  When will he fulfil his promise to return to the temple?  Again: Daniel goes to the scriptures, to God's words.  Brothers and Sisters, if you want to hear from God, go to his word.  Don't look for special revelation.  Don't try to divine his will.  Go to his word.  And go to his word responsibly.  Daniel knew that Jeremiah had prophesied the exile and so that's where he went.  Because Jeremiah didn't just say that the exile would happen, through him the Lord explained why.  It was because of the unfaithfulness of the people.  It was because of his covenant with them.  He would be their God and they would be his people.  And he committed himself to them and, back at Sinai, they had committed themselves to him.  He'd given them his law.  That was their end of the covenant.  Now, to be clear.  They didn't earn their special place as God's people.  That was grace.  That was mercy.  And they didn't earn anything by keeping the law.  They kept the law because it was what identified them as God's people and made them different, made them light in the darkness.  They kept the law because they loved him.  Being faithful to God's law was their response to his loving-kindness. But in the covenant, the Lord had also warned that if they were unfaithful—like a cheating spouse—they would be exiled from the land, they'd no longer be permitted to live in his presence.  And Jeremiah, on the eve of the exile, had enumerated the many sins of the people.  That was the reason for the exile.  And through Jeremiah, the Lord had also promised that when the exile was over, he would restore his people to the land and to himself and they would be faithful again. And so Daniel goes to God's word and he reads all of this and he's moved to confession—not just for himself, because everything we've read so far would indicate that Daniel has been personally faithful—Daniel confesses on behalf of his people.  This is the main section of Chapter 9.  Let's read through the whole thing from verse 3 to 19: Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.   “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Daniels confession is a long one, but at the heart of it is the recognition that his people were in a covenant relationship with the Lord and that they had broken it.  In chapter after chapter, Jeremiah enumerates the plethora of ways that Israel had sinned, that she's failed to keep the covenant, and that she's failed to trust in and to be faithful to the Lord.  He had called and redeemed this people so that they could make him known to the nations, to be light in the darkness, but instead Israel had brought shame on the Lord.  Because of Israel, the nations mocked the Lord rather than giving him glory.  Jeremiah recognised that the exile was his discipline.  The Lord was not merely casting his people away in anger.  Through Isaiah the Lord had said to his people, “you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you…Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you…bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”  No, the exile wasn't a casting away.  It was an act of loving discipline and when the time was right—Jeremiah's seventy years—the Lord would restore his people to Jerusalem and return to his temple. And so knowing that, Daniel fell to his knees and confessed.  And notice how he confesses the sins of his people.  Occasionally, someone will say something to me about the confession in our liturgy.  “I don't feel like I need to pray that this week.”  “Why do we repeat it.  Why do we confess ours sins, hear the absolution, and yet again confess our unworthiness when we come to the Table and then when we leave?”  Brothers and Sisters, it's not just about you or me as individuals.  We are a people united in a covenant with the Lord and with each other.  We're responsible as individuals, but we're also responsible as a community.  When one of us sins, it affects all of us.  Think about Israel.  The righteous were carried away with the wicked in the exile.  The righteous suffered with and because of the wicked.  And yet we don't hear them crying out, “Why me?  I didn't do anything wrong!  This isn't fair!”  Just the opposite, like Daniel, they threw ashes on their heads, put on sackcloth, knelt before the Lord, and confessed the sins of the people, and prayed for the Lord's mercy and grace. I think we can learn something from that.  The church today is in a mess.  It's divided.  Parts are preaching heresy.  Parts are sold out to the world and its ways.  Parts are consumed with materialism and greed and selfishness.  Some have shallow and man-centred preaching and some have shallow and man-centred worship.  Some have no concern for holiness.  Some trust in Caesar or Mammon or horses and chariots more than they trust in the Lord.  And some of us can be very prideful, look down our noses, and as much as our criticisms may be good and right and true—and even needed—we become very self-righteous.  We're blind to our own sins and shortcomings.  And it never occurs to us that perhaps we're all in this together and this current “exile” in which the church finds herself and this collapse of Christendom is because we have failed in our collective witness—because instead of being kings and priests and prophets proclaiming and displaying the glories of the Lord, we have like Israel, brought shame on his name.  Maybe others bear more guilt than we do, but notice that that was never Daniel's concern.  Instead, he got down on his knees and repented and prayed “we” and “us” and begged for the Lord's mercy on the whole people.  We have all in our own ways sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. In response to Daniel's prayer, we read in verses 20-23, that the Lord sent his angel, Gabriel, to show Daniel a vision—to give him insight and understanding, because the Lord had heard him and because the Lord greatly loved him.  We'll finish with verses 24-27: “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”   Sadly, this is the part of Daniel 9 that often gets all the attention—and then not even for the right reasons.  People want to know the future and an unbelievable number of bizarre and downright silly explanations have been given to explain what's really a very simple passage.  This is usually because people try to apply this to events in their future, while overlooking the context.  Chapter 8 is clear in pointing to the years around the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabean Revolt and so is the vision of Chapters 10-12.  That's what Gabriel is pointing towards here.  Instead of Israel's time of discipline ending completely after seventy years, the end of the exile will be more like the beginning of the end.  Instead of seventy years, it will be seventy sevens—seventy being symbolic of a lifetime multiplied by the sevenfold chastisement of Leviticus 26.  God's people will return to Jerusalem, they will rebuild the temple, but that won't be the end of their trials and tribulations.  The first “week” of years will lead into sixty-two weeks of years, which will bring them to the reign of Antiochus, and that final week of years represents his reign over Judea, beginning with the murder of the high priest, leading in the middle to his desecration of the temple, and finally to his death and the deliverance of Judah. This is a reminder, once again, of the sovereignty and faithfulness of the God of Israel.  That's one of Daniel's major themes.  When everything is wrong with the world and God's people are suffering, Daniel reminds us that all these things are serving God's purposes, that he is sovereign, and that he is faithful.  He hasn't cast us aside in anger and left us to be.  Instead, our trials, his discipline, refine us as gold in the crucible, so that when these days are over, we will give him glory before the eyes of the watching world. Again, there's no Old Testament prophecy (or New Testament prophecy, for that matter) that points to our current situation and tells us precisely what is happening the way Jeremiah pointed to Daniel's day.  In a sense we have to do what the author of Daniel did in those days of the Second Century as his people experienced the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes.  We have to go back to the story of God and his people.  We need to remember that he has brought us into covenant with himself—in our case, through Jesus and the Spirit—and that he has made us prophets, priests, and kings for the sake of the kingdom of his son, for the sake of making him known, for the sake of transforming this world with the power of the gospel.  He has made us to be light in the darkness.  And, just as he did with Israel, he will take that light away if instead of bringing glory to his name, we bring shame. And lest we think that is some old covenant thing that doesn't apply to us, we have Jesus' words to those seven churches under John's care, the one's John writes to in Revelation.  Again, those words were written to them about their situation, about the trials and tribulations they were about to face, but their calling to be light in the darkness is our calling too.  And Jesus warned them that if they would not repent of their sins and failures, if they refused to be faithful in their duties as prophets, priests, and kings, that the Lord would take away their lamps. I had planned to preach on Daniel 9 to close out the season of Lent, but our Sunday snowpocalypse back in March pushed it forward.  It's a somber theme for Eastertide, but I don't think it's entirely inappropriate.  Brother and Sisters, we are called to be a people shaped by the events and the message of Easter, but the things happening around us practically shout at us of our failure to do that.  Maybe you and I aren't the worst offenders.  Maybe our church isn't the worst offender.  And so many of the failures of the church and of Christendom happened before any of us were even born and, like Daniel, we're experiencing exile largely because of the failure of previous generations.  But you and I are reminded that we are joined in a covenant with all of our brothers and sisters.  And so being Easter people right now means humbling ourselves, examining ourselves and our church and our churches in light of the scriptures, repenting, confessing, and praying for the church and for the kingdom as a whole and asking the Lord to show us his mercy and grace.  And if those Jewish saints living through those dark days two centuries before Jesus could trust that the Lord would deliver them, you and I can hope and trust in the Lord even more.  That, too, is part of Easter.  As we proclaim in the Lord's Supper: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.  He will come again, someday, and he will come when his church has fulfilled the mission he has given.  And that is reason to trust that he will never abandon us and it is reason to hope for that day when he has made his bride spotlessly perfect. Let us pray: Almighty God, who gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of godly life: Give us grace that we may always receive with thankfulness the immesasurable benefit of his sacrifice, and daily endeavour to follow in the blessed steps of his most holy life, who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, for evermore.  Amen.

Today we sit down with Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, to discuss the historical evidence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, what Christians should think about Israel, the Trinity, the inerrancy of Scripture, and more. Johnston is a New Testament scholar, author, pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church and dean of spiritual development at Prestonwood Christian Academy. His new Bible Study, Body of Proof, includes four topics and reasons to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. --- Timecodes: (01:00) The resurrection / resurrection sites (05:50) Biblical significance of Israel (13:59) “All Israel will be saved” (20:50) Why is the Bible trustworthy? (26:25) Canon of the Bible (31:20) Does the Bible contain errors? (34:52) How to explain the Trinity (39:29) Why do we pray? --- Today's Sponsors: A'Del — go to adelnaturalcosmetics.com and enter promo code "ALLIE" for 25% off your first order! Patriot Mobile — go to PatriotMobile.com/ALLIE or call 972-PATRIOT and use promo code 'ALLIE' for free activation! Focus on the Family — the new podcast, "Practice Makes Parent" brings you real, practical, and biblical advice. Tune in every Wednesday on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting platform.  --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 784 | Did the Resurrection Really Happen? | Guest: Jeremiah Johnston https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000607756837 Ep 974 | Candace Owens, 'Christ is King' & the True Gospel https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-974-candace-owens-christ-is-king-the-true-gospel/id1359249098?i=1000650527935 Ep 905 | What's Really Going on in Israel? | Guest: Josh Hammer https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000634310661 --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year we are considering the theme ‘All Israel shall be saved'. In full awareness of the tragedy of the 7th Oct Terrorist attack inside Israel, our 3 presenters will be dealing with what God has planned for his chosen people and those who have embraced the Hope of Israel. It is sure to be an awesome event reminding us all that ‘his matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/christadelphians-talk/message

I. Holy Hades - She'ol, or, The UnderworldGenesis 37:35(35) And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said: ‘I will go down to She'ol, to my son mourning.' And his father wept for him.Numbers 16:32-34(32) [...] and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all Korah's people and all their possessions. (33) They went down alive into She'ol, with all that belonged to them; the earth closed over them and they vanished from the midst of the congregation. (34) All Israel around them fled at their shrieks, for they said, “The earth might swallow us!”Isaiah 38:18(18) For Sh'eol cannot praise You, death cannot celebrate You; They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Your truth.Job 7:9As a cloud fades away, so one that goes down to She'ol shall not come up.  II. Back from the Dead - ResurrectionEzekiel 37:11-12(11) Then God said unto me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off. (12) Therefore prophesy, and say unto them: Thus says the Lord, God: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.Isaiah 26:19(19) Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise— Awake and sing, you that dwell in the dust— For your dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the spirits.Daniel 12:2(2) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and to everlasting abhorrence.Sifrei Devarim 306:35 [2nd-3rd Century CE]R. Simai [said]: There is no section in the Torah that does not deal with the resurrection, but we lack the strength to expound it.Talmud Bavli Ketubot 111a:1-27 [4th-6th Century CE]Rabbi El'azar said: The dead of the lands outside of Eretz Yisrael will not come alive and be resurrected in the future, as it is stated: “And I will set glory [tzvi] in the land of the living” (Ezekiel 26:20). This teaches that with regard to a land which contains ‘My desire' [tzivyoni], its dead will come alive; however, with regard to a land which does not contain Tziyyon, i.e., outside of Eretz Yisrael, its dead will not come alive. [...] The Gemara asks: And according to the opinion of Rabbi El'azar, will the righteous outside of Eretz Yisrael not come alive at the time of the resurrection of the dead? Rabbi Ile'a said: They will be resurrected by means of rolling, i.e., they will roll until they reach Eretz Yisrael, where they will be brought back to life. Rabbi Abba Salla Rava strongly objects to this: Rolling is an ordeal that entails suffering for the righteous! Abayé said: Tunnels are prepared for them in the ground, through which they pass to Eretz Yisrael.  III. Gan Eden / Gei Hinnom - Heaven & HellTosefta Sanhedrin 13:3 [1st-2nd Century CE]Beit Shammai taught: There are three groups– one is destined for eternal life, another consigned to eternal ignominy and eternal abhorrence, while those whose deeds are balanced will go down to Gei Hinnom, but when they scream they will ascend from there and be healed.Talmud Bavli Berakhot 57b:10 [4th-6th Century CE]Three things are microcosms of the World-that-Is-Coming, and they are: Shabbat, a sunny day, and sexual intercourseTalmud Bavli Berakhot 17a:12 [4th-6th Century CE]Rav was wont to say: The World-that-Is-Coming is not like this world. In the World-that-Is-Coming there is no eating, no drinking, no procreation, no business negotiations, no jealousy, no hatred, and no competition. Rather, the righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads, enjoying the splendor of the Divine Presence.Talmud Bavli Shabbat 152b:8 [4th-6th Century CE]Rabba said to Rav Naḥman: What happens to the souls of mediocre people, who are neither righteous nor wicked? Rav Naḥman said to him: It is good that you asked me this question, for even if I were dead I would not have been able to tell you that! Sh'muel said as follows: These and those, the souls of the wicked and of the mediocre people, are handed over to Dumah, the angel in charge of spirits. But these, the souls of the mediocre people, have rest, and these, the souls of the wicked, do not have rest.  IV. Soul (Re)Cycling - ReincarnationR' Sa'adiah Gaon, Book of Beliefs and Opinions, vi. 8 [9th Century CE]I have found certain people, who call themselves Jews, professing the doctrine of ... ‘transmigration of souls.' Many of them would even go so far as to assert that the spirit of a human being might enter into the body of a beast or that of a beast into the body of a human being, and other such nonsense and stupidities!Zohar I:186b [11th-12th Century CE]As long as a person is unsuccessful in their purpose in this world, the Holy One, blessed be God, uproots them and replants them over and over again.Zohar III:99b [11th-12th Century CE]Truly, all souls, must undergo transmigration; but humanity does not perceive the ways of the Holy One, how the revolving scale is set up and people are judged every day at all time, and how they are brought up before the Tribunal, before they enter into this world and after they leave it. They do not even perceive the many transmigrations and the many mysterious works which the Holy One accomplishes with many naked souls, and how many naked spirits roam about, in the other world, without being able to enter within the veil of the King's Palace R' Hayyim Vital, Sha'ar HaGilgulim, 8 [16th Century CE]Regarding reincarnation of souls, why do souls reincarnate? There are various reasons why souls reincarnate: a) they have transgressed on a particular commandment of the Torah; b) To correct a commandment that was neglected and is lacking by them; and c) For the sake of others, to guide them and help them to correct. R' Moshe Hayyim Luzzato, Derekh Hashem, 2:10 [18th Century CE]There is a core principle which guides all the ways of the world - and this is that which the highest wisdom has arranged in order to increase [the chance of] success, as I have explained. For a single soul will come to this world many different times in many different bodies. Through this one is able to repair at one point that which was corrupted at another point - or to complete that which was left unfinished. And only at the end of all these transmigrations will the future judgement occur, and thus the soul will be judged on all that which transpired during all the incarnations in which it was transmigrated and all the circumstances of each.

As we look ahead to Christ's second coming, all we have is the permanence of his words recorded in Scripture. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - In this world that we're living in, it's right for us to ask what is permanent and what is temporary. This is a world of constant change. The older you get, the more you see that. Things just fade away, pass away. We've had significant events even in our culture with 9/11 in which the Twin Towers just melted away in a matter of hours and gone forever, or we also saw in the pandemic a number of businesses or patterns of life that ended, and we had a sense of the fragility of our life and of our society. I feel the older I get, the more I see how temporal is everything around me. What is permanent? One answer commonly given is the ground beneath our feet is permanent. It says in Psalm 104:5, "God set the earth on its foundations. It can never be moved." But my family and I had the experience when we were missionaries in Japan of an earthquake. It's something most people don't actually live through, but I felt the ground beneath my feet shaking. I felt the entire house we were living in shaking. We were not at the epicenter, but we weren't far from it. The epicenter was in Awaji Island just off the coast of the major city of Kobe, 7.3 on the Richter scale, resulting in over 6,000 deaths in the city of Kobe. It was a devastating earthquake. The elevated Hanshin Expressway, which is a technological marvel, toppled over. Reinforced concrete and all that just fell over because the ground on which it was supported, cracked open. A number of months later, my family and I went to Kobe and we saw the rift or one of the rifts in the ground. There were still some tremors and aftershocks months later. We also saw some very sobering sites. As I walked around with my brother-in-law, Bill, we saw huge piles of rubble that, of course, still hadn't been cleared away. I saw one particular office building, a six-story, very modern office building, a steel and glass structure in which one of the floors had collapsed, the fourth floor; it went from three to five and that floor just collapsed. It was gone, some kind of structural weakness there. It was strange because you could see the Venetian blind sticking out, straight out from that now missing floor, and the entire building was slanted over about 20 degrees. Earthquakes are terrifying because they're a sign of impermanence of even the ground beneath our feet. In our text today, Jesus spoke of the impermanence of every created thing in the universe, but He also spoke of the one permanent thing on which we can build our lives and our souls. Look at verse 31, Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." That's an incredible statement. What is a word? What is that? It seems like the most evanescent temporary thing they could ever be. It's a sound that goes out into the air like the whisper of the wind that floats through the air and then it disappears like faint echo in a cavern. It seems like nothing could be more fleeting, more temporary, more of a shadow of reality, more like nothing than a word. For many of us, words are the very picture of impermanent, something that lasts only as long as it causes the eardrum to vibrate. But Jesus said His words will last forever and heaven and earth won't. The context of this statement couldn't be more dramatic and more powerful. Jesus has predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem to His disciples. Verse 2, "Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one of them will be thrown down." But Jesus is saying in Verse 31, "Not just the temple, not just the city of Jerusalem, everything you see with your eyes is temporary.” The disciples when they heard of the prediction of the destruction came to Him on the Mount of Olives and asked Him that three-part question. "Tell us when will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? What are the signs by which we can see that final day approaching?” By this time in Mark as we're walking through Mark 13, Jesus has already traced out some amazing aspects of the future. In verses 5-13 of Mark 13, He describes in general, but striking terms, how life in this sin-cursed world will progress between the First and Second Comings of Christ, "There will be wars and rumors or wars," and He said, "famines and indeed earthquakes in various places." There would also be the special and ongoing vicious persecution of the church. They'll be brought before tribunals and they would suffer in their witness concerning Him. There would also be a constant and escalating apostasy of believers, of people that claim to be believers, under the pressure of that persecution. Therefore, the call, he who stands firm to the end will be saved, the need for perseverance. But more than anything, the measurable sign of the progress between the First and Second Coming is the preaching of the gospel in all nations, a testimony in all nations. We can see measurable progress being made between the First and Second Coming of the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem through Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the earth. Then He turns the corner in Mark 13 and gives us the special “abomination of desolation” teaching. That's something that's unique to that specific generation. Indeed, I argued, to the final generation as well, “abomination of desolation." First the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 AD. Then I believe the foretelling “as it was, so it will be.” As it was, so it'll be at the end of the antichrist setting himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God [2 Thessalonians 2]. At that time, both in the year, but then again, at the end of the world, the need to run for your lives, the tremendous urgency of Christians who run for their lives. Then as we saw last week, the description of the actual Second Coming. Look at verses 24-27, "In those days following that distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, men will see the sun of man coming in clouds with great power and glory, and He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." We looked at that last week. Now the sending out of the angels to gather the Elect is what's commonly known as the Rapture, the rescue of the Elect from the surface of the earth to be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thessalonians 1 teases that very, very plainly. The things that the Jews thought were permanent, the Temple, the city of Jerusalem, Jesus revealed actually were going to be destroyed, "Not one stone left on another." Jesus's disciples were stunned and they wanted to ask more questions. When would it happen and what signs can we see as it approaches? That's what we're going to look at today. Then deeper, I think the question is, "If all of this is impermanent, what is permanent? What can I build my life on that won't move? What can I establish my life and my soul on that will not be cast away?" He answers that, and He gives the sense of when this will happen. The answer He gives for the rest of this discourse, both in Mark 13, but even in more detail in Matthew 24:25, "Look for the signs for these things that happen.” Add up those signs. "Know that the Lord will come," it says, "like a thief in the night, suddenly and unexpectedly." So you need to be ready at any moment. You need to be ready and be faithful. But concerning what's permanent, what can I build my life upon? The unifying theme of this sermon today is the word of Christ. The word of Christ, the trustworthiness of Christ's words. We're going to look at aspects of the words of Christ. It's clarity, it's immediacy, it's difficulty, and then it's permanence. In the end, all we have as we look ahead to the Second Coming of Christ is this. We have the words of scripture and no other source of information. It's going to come from here, it'll come from nowhere else. Everything comes down in the end to Christ's word. I. Clarity: The Parable of the Fig Tree Let's start initially with clarity, the clarity of Christ's words, and the fact that we will be able to perceive certain things if we understand both the Scripture and the signs of the times. With eschatology, it's a combination of the two. We're going to see in the Scripture specific things laid out. We've already seen them, but we're going to keep seeing them, and then we're going to see current events. He said, "When you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, when you see that, put it together, you'll know what to do." To get at this clarity, He gives a parable, the parable of the fig tree. Look at verse 28-29 and learn this lesson from the fig tree. "As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near right at the door." Jesus gives this parable of the fig tree. A parable is a common everyday story that has a spiritual lesson, a spiritual point in which you take common things that we're used to seeing, frequently agricultural, but not always. If you have the interpretive key, the insider information, it makes everything clear. If you don't, it makes things worse. Jesus told His disciples that they were the insiders, and He said in Mark 4:11, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but not to them. To those on the outside, they get everything in parables." What He means there is unexplained parables, parables don't make any sense if you don't get the interpretive key if you don't have them. I've said before, all you have to do is just go to some public place, like a mall, whatever, and go up and just tell them one of Jesus' parables with no explanation and see what they say. If they're not a church person, not a Christian, they will look at you like you're nuts, and that's the way it is with parables. It doesn't make anything clear if you don't understand it. But if you understand it, it makes everything clear. So we have this parable of the fig tree. The thing with all of Jesus's agricultural parables in particular is it takes time to develop. You get a seed planted and then it springs up and grows and develops. You got this idea of patience and of things developing and growing. We're familiar with that. The point Jesus makes here with eschatology and end times things, the lesson of the fig tree is just like what happens with the seasons, if you're trying to understand the seasons, you can look at the trees. There's certain trees that bud at certain times and you look at that, and until you see that, you don't think that summer is near, even though you have ridiculous 68 degree weather in the middle of January. What in the world? I came out on Wednesday night, and it was 68, but I didn't think summer was near because I was looking at the trees. I knew I was going to preach this parable, so I figured I'd give that illustration. No, summer's not near, even though it's 68 degrees, just weather's weird because it was 17 degrees a few days before that. But you know as soon as the twigs get tender and its leaves come out, that summer is near. When you see these things, you know that the coming of Christ is imminent. So despite the fact that there's an essential mystery to the timing of the Second Coming, the signs leading up to it mean that we're not in the dark. We can see things developing. We can see things coming. There needs to be, as I've been saying, a combination of the word of God rightly understood and current events rightly understood when you see those things come together. Jesus says, "When you see all these things, the signs that I've been giving…” Now, of course, there are those vague, nondescript signs. By that I mean they're not unique to any generation or any era such as wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes. That's just a sign that we're not in the new heaven and new earth yet. We're still in the sin era. We're in the misery era. It's just good to know that. Wars, rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes just shows we're in convulsions now, and that's good to know. But then you've got, as I said, that measurable progress of the gospel in Mark 13:10, "The gospel preached in the whole world as a testament in all nations." That wasn't true a week after Jesus ascended to heaven or a year after Jesus sent to heaven. It had only begun, that process had only begun. But now we've had 20 centuries of progress of the gospel. Then we've got the teaching and the "abomination of desolation", which we'll walk through what that is, Gentile power—taking a holy space, a sacred space, taking it over, blaspheming, claiming that he's God, demanding the worship as God, all of that stuff predicted in the Book of Daniel — the “abomination of desolation”, and then that whole running for your life, the great tribulation. If those days have not been cut short, no one would survive. We have much more information about this, not just in Matthew 24. There's more detail in Matthew, but even more in the Book of Revelation. If you look at the Book of Revelation, we have the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. The Holy Spirit knew very well He was going to give His people subsequent to the time of the apostles, based on their testimony, 66 books, indeed, 27 books in the New Testament, and so there's a division of labor. There's more information than just in Mark 13 here. There's more signs that we can look at in the Book of Revelation. He knew very well that He was going to inspire John to give us that information. If you go to Revelation 8 and you look at the ecological disasters that are described there that I think, and when I preach through the Book of Revelation, cannot be symbolic of anything. A third of the sea turning to blood and a third of the living creatures in the sea dying and a third of the drinking water on earth, undrinkable, what is that? The green grass burning up, the trees burning up, a third of the trees, burning all that. What is that? Ecological disaster such as the world has never seen. We've never seen anything like that. If you were to argue, "Well, Revelation's a apocalyptic, symbolic book," I can find it. What's it a symbol of? What is a third of the sea turning into blood and a third of the living creatures in the sea dying a symbol of? I think it's going to happen. I think it's the consummation of the terrible effect of human sin on the ecology of earth, just like happened with Adam's sin and the ground was cursed because of him and it produced thorns and thistles. That's just the end of that journey. So when you see those ecological disasters happening and you see people unable to drink water where they live and you see forming a one-world government and you start seeing a particular leader rising, when you see those things, you know the end is near. I think that's what He's saying. Now, the fig tree, some people say the fig tree is Israel. Maybe you've heard that, maybe you haven't. I'm going to spend a lot of time on this. But I remember back in 1988 a former missionary wrote a book, 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988. I sure hope it wasn’t, because I definitely was left behind at that point. One of his reasons had to do with the formation of the nation of Israel in 1948, May 14, 1948, and that within one generation 40 years after that, the end would come. Pastor Chuck Smith preached this kind of thing as well, so there's a number of people. I don't look at that it's been a lot more than one generation since Israel was formed in 1948. It's been 76 years. However, I do think it is right for us to combine current events and scripture and look at that. That's what I think the idea is of the budding of the fig tree. II. Immediacy: Near…Right at the Door Secondly, the immediacy of the word of God. He says “it's right at the door, it's near, right at the door.” Verse 29, "Even so when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door." What is near? His coming. The Second Coming is near. There will be believers on earth, Bible believers filled with the Spirit who will know that the end is near, it's imminent because they see these things, but it hasn't happened yet. That's the sense of immediacy of something that hasn't happened yet because we believe that the Bible is a supernatural book and does, in fact, predict the future. We believe in the predictions of the future. We've seen the track record of prophecy, things that were predicted and have now been fulfilled, and we're waiting for unfulfilled things yet to come, such as the Second Coming. There is a sense of the immediacy of an event that hasn't come yet, but based on the word of God, for us, it's immediate. We know it's coming. As it says in another place, we're not in the dark, so this day shouldn't surprise us, we've been instructed. You're being instructed right now. You've been instructed before, and so you hear this. It's a sense of immediacy, and that's important. But I want to say something more than this. I don't think I'm spiritualizing by saying this. There's another sense of immediacy which is important for me. There is by faith in the Word of God the ability to have an immediate encounter with invisible spiritual realities by faith. We are able to come right into the presence of an invisible God by the ministry of the Word. We are able to have a sense of an invisible God speaking directly to us by the Word of God. This is vital. This is the immediacy of the word. It's how we have a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is by His Word, by His Spirit that we have that relational immediacy. I thought about verses that teach, probably the strongest for me, that teach us is in Hebrews 3 where the author to Hebrews in verse 9, quoting a very old scripture, Psalm 95, introduces it with these words: "So as the Holy Spirit says, today, if you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts." "We believe that the Bible is a supernatural book and does, in fact, predict the future. We believe in the predictions of the future. We've seen the track record of prophecy, things that were predicted and have now been fulfilled, and we're waiting for unfulfilled things yet to come, such as the Second Coming." Do you realize the importance of that statement? Let me intensify the present tense. As the Holy Spirit is saying right now in Psalm 95, "Today, if you hear His voice, don't harden your hearts." That makes even the most ancient Psalm written 1000 years before Christ, alive, it's living and active for us. The Holy Spirit is saying something to us right now, and what is He saying? "If you hear Me speaking in the word, don't harden your heart." Speaking about what? Anything the Spirit is speaking in the Word. Don't harden your heart but yield to it. That's a sense of the immediacy of the Word of God. Then with the idea of a door, look at verse 29, "Even so when you see these things happening, you know that it is near right at the door," meaning the door hasn't opened yet. Christ hasn't come yet, but He's at the door. It made me think about Revelation 3:20, which is a very powerful verse. In Revelation 3:20, Christ says this, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.” O. Hallesby, in his book Prayer, made that the central text of a healthy prayer life. We frequently hear Revelation 3:20 connected with evangelism; Christ knocking on the door of your heart and that's fine. I don't have a problem with that, but I think it would be wrong for even mature Christians to cast aside the power of that verse. Jesus is knocking at the door, He wants you to open it and He wants to have a meal with you. He wants to sit down and eat with you and you with Him. The redoubling of the language says this is an intense, intimate relationship we have with Christ through the ministry of the word. What I get, putting all this together is, I can and should experience the Second Coming day now by faith, even though I know it can't come imminently. I'll tell you more about that in a second. But I should experience now by faith, reading the word of God, rightly dividing it, what that day will be like. The final day of human history, and I should experience that right now. That's the immediacy of the word of God. Now what do I mean by saying it can't happen today? You've been listening to what I've said about Revelation 8. Do you see the ocean, a third of the ocean turning to blood and a third of the living creatures dying? No. Let’s get very specific. Let's go to 2 Thessalonians 2. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul's writing to the Thessalonians who had a very aggressive and even realized eschatology. They had been lied to. They had been told that they had missed the day of the Lord. Furthermore, reading between the lines with Thessalonians, it seems like some of them weren't working and they had quit their jobs. There wasn't a need to hold down a job because Jesus is coming, like today, and he's pumping the brakes and all that in 2 Thessalonians 2 saying, “Stop! That day cannot occur until X happens." If you rightly divide that, you're like, "All right, I can't think the Second Coming can happen until the events listed in 2 Thessalonians to occur," and that's all the stuff in the “abomination of desolation” sermon. I already preached that. When you see all that, then you know that box has been checked where it's imminent. You're like, "Pastor, am I supposed to expect the Second Coming any day or not?" Well, yes and no. I told you the word's complex. I'm trying to feel the weight of 2 Thessalonians 2, the “pump the brakes” passage to say it can't happen until the Man of Sin sets himself up in God's temple proclaiming himself to be God. However, I'm not going to trust my own view of Jesus and deny the clear repeated teaching by Jesus that I need to be ready anytime for the Second Coming. Like the five wise and five foolish virgins, I need to be ready now. I need to buy my own now. I need to be ready now. So this much I do know, there is a personal eschatology for you called the day of your death. That's when it all ends for you. Do you know when that day is? You don't. The same preparation you do for the Second Coming, you have to do for your own death, and since you don't know that day it's going to end up the same. In the end, I'm not going to steal the thunder of sermons yet to come, but it basically comes down to two things with the Second Coming: be ready and be faithful. Be faithful means do the work God has entrusted you to do. Don't quit your jobs. Don't whatever. Farmers need to keep sowing and reaping and they need to keep doing things. We need to keep doing work. We need to keep doing evangelism and church work and all that until that day comes. To be faithful with the job given to us, we also need to be ready. For me as a Bible teacher, I'm already thinking, "I'm not so sure about my eschatology, but I'm sure Jesus is coming back and I'm sure He told me to be ready anytime. That much I do know." That's how I put all of that together. We need to keep watch and be ready at any hour. That's the immediacy of Christ's word. III. Difficulty: Who Is “This Generation” That Will Not Pass Away? Thirdly, the difficulty. We already covered some of the difficulty. That was difficult, and there's more difficulty yet to come. Verse 30, "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." Let me read it again. "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." Do you see any difficulty in that verse? It's like, “that's why I'm glad you're the pastor and I'm not." Many of Christ's words are difficult. The scripture's difficult. We don't expect all of it to be easy. Many times He taught, and they didn't understand what He was saying, it happened a lot. Mark 9:32, “they did not understand.” Luke 18:34, “they did not understand.” This is a hotly-debated passage. This is a solemn declaration Jesus gives. The way I approach difficult passages is I talk about things that cannot be the answer. I actually identify them and say, "It can't be this, it can't be this, it can't be this." I think it's helpful. The word “generation” in this verse cannot refer to the human race generally. In other words, "The human race will not be extinct before I come back." What's the point in saying that? That's good to know. It tells you nothing. Neither does it mean that the church would not be extinct before He comes back. We'll set that aside. Here's another thing that it seems like it does mean, but it doesn't. The generation of people who are alive right now when I'm speaking these words will still be alive when all of the events I've just described such as the sun, the moon and the stars ending, and Jesus coming in the clouds with power and great glory and all the angels sent out, that is not what that means. How do I know that? Because it didn't happen. That would mean that Jesus was wrong. So can we all agree to not do that because if Jesus is wrong about that, there's no point in guessing at where He is wrong somewhere else. This is the doctrine of an errancy. There's no mistake here. Now what do we do? We try to come up with the best description of what this could mean. Even though you don't feel great about it, you end up saying, "I'm going to move on," and I've done my best to explain this verse. I'm not throwing out an errancy, and I'm certainly not throwing out the Bible, just because I can't fully understand every aspect of it. There are some reasonable explanations. The first is that Jesus is really only speaking about the fall of Jerusalem at this point and saying at this point in verse 30, "The not one stone left on another, the destruction of the temple and indeed of the city of Jerusalem will happen within one generation of this present moment," and that is true. That is a significant prophecy actually if you think about it. It is a significant prophecy. Jerusalem went centuries between being sacked, so that validates you as a prophet if that's what He meant, that the destruction of Jerusalem would be within one generation, and it was. In support of that approach, that's the most common use of the word “generation,” like the people alive today, people alive within this room. That makes you feel good about the word “generation”, and then you're like, "All right." The problem is the full statement. Look again at verse 30, "I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until," what? "All these things have happened." All what things? We'll go back a few verses or remember last week's sermon, it's like, all that? That didn't happen. That's the very thing that didn't happen. What do you do with the phrase all these things? That's a challenge. "The sun will be dark and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken, and at that time, men will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." That's hard. Another possibility is that the word “generation” is mistranslated and it could refer to this race. He's specifically talking about the Jewish people, and that's another conservative interpretation of this, that the Jews will not become extinct before the end of the world. It fits the context because obviously the Romans came in with a great intention of slaughter and they killed, Josephus tells us, over a million-and-a half Jews by the edge of the sword. There was a rage that went to heaven when they pulled down every stone one from another. They would've loved to obliterate the Jewish race at that point, and this is actually no small promise on Jesus' part. The Jews have been consistently hated in every generation. Again and again, there has been anti-Semitism and genocidal attacks on the Jewish people, right in the Bible, the Book of Esther, remember? Haman, that was a plot of genocide to exterminate the Jews entirely from the Persian Empire, and God averted it. There's long history, and I've laid out here in my sermon, the crusaders that were anti-Semitic and sought to wipe out the Jews, first crusade, 1096. During Black Death, the Jews were blamed for the Black Death, and there were tremendous reprisals on the Jewish people. Muslims consistently wiped out communities of Jews in various lands, in Morocco in the 8th century, in North Africa in the 12th century, Tunisia, Libya, other place in the 16th, 17th century. Moorish Spain saw a terrible massacre of Jews in Grenada, 1066. In Czarist Russia in the 19th century, there were terrible attempts at genocide in Russia. The story “Fiddler on the Roof” has that as one of its significant themes. The 20th century, of course, saw the greatest most organized attack on the Jews of all time under the Nazis, and then later, again, under the Communists, the Holocaust from the Nazis, and then the Communists. Therefore, Jesus' prediction that Jews would not be exterminated is amazing, and also that they would not be absorbed into the surrounding Gentile world as many peoples have. People become extinct, like the Last of the Mohicans, they're out. Moabites and Amorites, they're gone. We don't know where they are, maybe some people who have great, great, great ancestors who were Ammonites or Moabites, but we don't know them as such. Those peoples are gone, but the Jews are still here. I believe Romans 9 through 11 teaches why, because God's gifts and his purposes toward them are irrevocable. He has a final chapter to tell. I believe when it says in Romans 11, "All Israel will be saved," He's talking about that final generation of Jews. There's going to be a mass revival. The deliverable will come from Zion. He will turn godlessness away from Jacob, "And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." That's going to be a tremendous final act of redemptive history, so I think that's what it means. IV. Eternity: Christ’s Words More Permanent Than the Universe Let's move on to eternity. In verse 31-32 Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away." First of all, Jesus asserts that this physical universe itself is temporary. The physical universe is temporary and many verses assert this. Hebrews 1:10-12 says, "In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens of the work of Your hands. They will perish, but you remain. They will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe, like a garment, they will be changed, but you'll remain the same and your years will never end.” 2 Peter 3:10 says, "The day the Lord will come like a thief, the heavens will disappear with a roar. The elements will be destroyed by fire and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." There is nothing you see with your eyes or hear with your ears, you touch with your hands, nothing physical in the universe is eternal. The physical universe will someday pass away. But the second half of the statement, even more amazing, "Christ's words will never pass away.” Christ's words are eternal. They will last forever. In the new heavens and the new earth, Christ's words will be established and will be delighted in and celebrated and studied forever. We'll be feeding on them and resting on them and relying on them and pondering them, probing their depths forever. You must see this as a claim to deity. Only God, Almighty God could make such a statement, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words, the words I speak will last forever." This is the very statement Jesus had made about the Old Testament, the laws of Moses and the prophets. He said in Matthew 5, "Do not think that I've come to abolish the law of the prophets. I've not come to abolish them, but fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished." God's Word, the Old Testament and New Testament, is eternal. It's eternal. He's equating His own words to the words of the Bible. This assertion has proven true so far, and it reaches beyond the end of the world. Christ's word will stand forever as Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Let me say something, it's not in my sermon, but I want to mention it. About the earth, I do not believe that the new earth will be created “ex nihilo”, “out of nothing”. I believe it will be this present earth, but in some sense, resurrected. I think there must be a continuity between the present earth and the new earth or else the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 13, "Walk through the land, go through the breadth of it. Look and see, I will give this land to you, Abraham, and to your descendants forever." That promise would be null and void. It didn't happen. Hebrews 11 said they died not having received the promise. There's an outstanding promise of the land still made to the patriarchs. I believe that the new earth will be this earth resurrected, just like Abraham's new body will be his old body resurrected, so there's continuity and difference. That's what I believe about the earth. "God's Word, the Old Testament and New Testament, is eternal. It's eternal. He's equating His own words to the words of the Bible. This assertion has proven true so far, and it reaches beyond the end of the world." The purpose of Jesus' assertion is our faith and confidence. The most intensely wrenching circumstances in human history are described in this chapter, horrendous suffering, famines, earthquakes, wars, rumors of wars, attacks on the church, destruction of Jerusalem, a tribulation so great that no one would survive if those days that not been cut short. The events are so immense and so stupendous even to the shaking of the heavenly beings at the return of Christ, all of this tends to make us say, "Where can I stand? Where can I put my feet that won't move?" The answer is the word of God. Trust in the words of Christ. Rest securely on the foundation. V. Application That's the application I'm taking from this. Let's rest securely on the word of God, first and foremost, for your own salvation. In John 5:24 Jesus said, "Whoever hears my words and believes him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He's crossed over from death to life." What a beautiful statement that is. Has that happened to you? Have you heard Christ's words about your sinfulness, your violation of the laws of God, the corruption that comes up from your inner nature that defiles you and all of us, the ways you violated God's commands, the fact that there is no remedy, no works that could ever be done, but that Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many and that if we believe our sins will be forgiven, like the paralyzed man? When He saw their faith, He said, "Take heart, son, your sins are forgiven." Has that happened to you? If Jesus declares, your sins are forgiven, they are forgiven. The question is, has that happened to you? The foundation of your life, the word of God. Concerning the clarity, immediacy, difficulty, and eternity of God's word, first clarity. Come to Christ, trust in Him and then He will give you the Holy Spirit to illuminate the word of God, and it will become increasingly clear to you by the power of the Spirit as you study it, clarity. What about immediacy? Go back to Revelation 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." He does that by the word of God and by the Spirit. Open the door, and He'll come in and eat with you and you with Him. Intimate fellowship with Christ is available, immediacy. Again, Hebrews 3, as the Holy Spirit is saying to you right now, "Today, if you hear His voice, don't harden your heart." What does that go to? Anything covered in the Bible, any topic in the Bible. If He's telling you what sin is and you're convicted, repent and make changes in your life. If He's giving you wisdom or promises or giving you guidance, follow it. Today, if you hear his word, if you hear him speak, don't harden your heart. That's immediacy. Concerning the difficulty of the word of God, there are always going to be passages where you're not quite sure what it means. Doesn't that show you that the Bible came from a mind so infinitely greater than any of ours? "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways higher than our ways,” and God's words higher than our words," so expect difficulty. Finally, eternality. I think it's exciting to think that when we get to heaven, we will still be learning, studying and probing the extent and the dimensions of the words of Christ. To me, that's exciting. Close with me in prayer. Father, thank You for giving us a sure and certain foundation of our souls. We thank You that this foundation, the word of God, cannot be shaken. As Jesus said at the end of the Sermon of the Mount, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts him into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rains came down and the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock." Help us to build on the unshakeable foundation of the Word of God. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Daniel's Prayer Daniel 9:1-19   (Daniel 9:1-3) (1)In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes t (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— (2)in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. (3)So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.   DANIEL'S PRAYER WAS GUIDED BY SCRIPTURE   (Daniel 9:4–14) I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lordour God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.   DANIEL'S PRAYER INCLUDED A FULL AND HUMBLE CONFESSION   Confess = Agree   (Daniel 9:15-19) (15)“Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. (16)Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. (17)“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. (18)Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. (19)Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”   DANIEL'S PRAYER WAS GROUNDED IN GOD'S CHARACTER

This is a republished episode with Dr. Jason Staples. Staples recently published a new book called "Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites" (Cambridge University Press, 2023). In this episode, Jason shared many of the ideas that appear in the new book before it was published. Jason Staples is Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at NC State University. He's the author of two books, The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism, published with Cambridge University Press in 2021, and Paul and the Resurrection of Israel, which will come out next year, also with Cambridge University press. He also has worked in sports media for fifteen years, used to coach football, and does voiceover work to ensure his family can survive, and he will be launching the BiblePod podcast in the next few months. Jason discusses the difference between Ισραήλ (Israel) and Ἰουδαῖος (Jew) and how it relates to difficult texts like Romans 2:13, Romans 9:19-22, and Romans 11:25-26. Show notes: - "The Idea of Israel in Second Temple Judaism: A New Theory of People, Exile, and Israelite Identity" (Cambridge University Press, 2021): https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/idea-of-israel-in-second-temple-judaism/CB65E50538F8CC4E48C5294FDE445A58 - "Paul and the Resurrection of Israel: Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites" (Cambridge University Press, 2023): https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/paul-and-the-resurrection-of-israel/E88A324A84EB7F7533F23817E4FF17AD - "Vessels of Wrath and God's Pathos: Potter/Clay Imagery in Rom 9:20–23": https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/harvard-theological-review/article/vessels-of-wrath-and-gods-pathos-potterclay-imagery-in-rom-92023/10212C0E6F1B7E444E80CB3CDD58D106 - "What Do the Gentiles Have to Do with "All Israel"? A Fresh Look at Romans 11:25-27": https://static1.squarespace.com/static/569543b4bfe87360795306d6/t/5a4d463053450af960807100/1515013716367/12Staples.pdf As always, this episode is brought to you by Biblingo, the premier solution for learning, maintaining, and enjoying the biblical languages. Visit biblingo.org to learn more and start your 10-day free trial. If you enjoy this episode, be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and leave us a review. You can also follow Biblingo on social media @biblingoapp to discuss the episode with us and other listeners.

Opening Song: Here's My Heart (https://open.spotify.com/track/1m4hUSuv0IlccTAOOBRumJ?si=c1aabc4766584acc) by Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram, Louie Giglio, sung by Lauren Daigle Lyrics: Here's my heart Lord Here's my heart Lord Here's my heart Lord Speak what is true 'Cause I am found I am Yours I am loved I'm made pure I have life I can breathe I am healed I am free 'Cause You are strong You are sure You are life You endure You are good always true You are light breaking through Here's my heart Lord Here's my heart Lord Here's my heart Lord Speak what is true Here's my life Lord Here's my life Lord Here's my life Lord Speak what is true Speak what is true Speak what is true You are more than enough You are here You are love You are hope You are grace You're all I have You're everything Passage: The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli's presence. In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread. 2 One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing, was lying in his usual place. 3 Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was located. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “I didn't call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6 Once again the Lord called, “Samuel! ” Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “I didn't call, my son,” he replied. “Go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 He told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.' ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel! ” Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel that will cause everyone who hears about it to shudder. 12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end. 13 I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are cursing God, and he has not stopped them. 14 Therefore, I have sworn to Eli's family: The iniquity of Eli's family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering.” 15 Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord's house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” answered Samuel. 17 “What was the message he gave you? ” Eli asked. “Don't hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is good.” 19 Samuel grew. The Lord was with him, and he fulfilled everything Samuel prophesied. 20 All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel by his word. -- 1 Samuel 3:1-21 (CSB) Musical Reflection: I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (KINGSFOLD), English folk song from anthology by Lucy E. Broadwood and J. A. Fuller Maitland, harmonized by Ralph Vaughan Williams Reflection Notes: Famed English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams heard this tune from an English folk song anthology and harmonized it for the text by Horatius Bonar. The first and third sections of the song are primarily in e minor, while the middle section transitions to the relative major key. Prayer: Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us; for the sake of your Son our Savior. Amen. -Old Anglican Prayer

In this 'EPISODE 341 WHAT ROLE WILL ISRAEL PLAY IN THE END TIMES? WHY DID GOD SELECT ISRAEL TO BE HIS OWN SPECIAL TREASURE? WHAT DID HE PREDICT WOULD HAPPEN IF THEY WENT AFTER FOREIGN GODS? IS THAT PART OF WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY?' author--speaker and host Elbert Hardy answers these questions and more about our future from the prophecies in Matthew, Deuteronomy and Revelation. Expect some surprises!Go to itellwhy.com to read Elbert's books free of charge, no Ads and no requests for money or Email addresses. You can watch faith building YouTube Links to Videos and the listen to Elbert's Life of Christ Audio Book in 30 minute Episodes arranged and read by the author straight from the Bible, but rearranged in logical harmony of the Gospels, Revelation and other scriptures. All FREE of charge in the public interest.

The entire mission of Jesus follows this pattern: nothing visibly spectacular at first but growing to a level of majesty we can scarcely imagine. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Turn in your Bibles to Isaiah 49. Christmas probably is the biggest event of the calendar. Every year, I would say it's the biggest holiday there is. A Gallup poll in 2019 says that 93% of Americans, in some way, recognize or celebrate Christmas, and it's not just here in America, it's something that is a worldwide phenomenon. Over 2 billion people observe Christmas in some way worldwide, if not more. Christy and I were very surprised when we were missionaries in Japan to see Christmas decorations going up in the malls there in Tokushima. There's the green and red, and there's all the Christmas, jolly old St. Nicholas, and all that. Santa was everywhere. There it was, Christmas in Japan, where about 1% are evangelical, but there they were celebrating Christmas. I have a friend who lives in the Persian Gulf. We communicate via Zoom from time to time, and he told me that there are Christmas trees all over that Muslim nation. 99% of the people there are Muslim and they still have Christmas trees. If you look a little closer though, we realize Christmas isn't as big as it should be. 71% of Americans say they don't look on Christmas as a religious holiday at all. That's a huge percentage of people that see it in a secular sort of way, and we think that must be true of the billions around the world that stop working, gather to eat and to drink, and to celebrate in some way. We're aware of the fact that Christmas, however big it is, needs to be a lot bigger. That brings me to the text that we're studying today, Isaiah 49, in which it is said by God to Christ, "It is too small a thing..." I want to zero in on that concept and link it to Christmas. Christmas is too small, it's smaller than it should be, however big it is, it still too small. In the text, it is said, "It is too small a thing for you to save the Jews alone." Too small a thing. Now what an amazing achievement that would be, the salvation of the Jewish nation. When Jesus Christ finally achieves it, what a great achievement that would be at the end of human history, as I believe the mystery that Paul talks about in Romans 11, where he says, "All Israel will be saved." I believe that that will come, that will be a climax to the long, and torturous, and painful journey that Almighty God has been on with his chosen people, the Jewish nation, the descendants of Abraham. But however great that will be, God says in this text, "It is too small a thing." God intended a glory far greater than that, a multitude from every tribe, and language, and people in nation standing around the throne celebrating the salvation of God. The idea of my sermon today is captured in another place in Scripture. "O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his name together." To magnify means to make great or make greater. We cannot make an infinite God any greater than he is, but He does need to be greater in our own estimation. That's where He is too small. That's why Christmas is too small, in our own minds, in our own estimation, and the Word of God is the remedy. Look at the text again. Isaiah 49: 1-6, “Listen to me, you islands. Hear this, you distant nations. Before I was born, the Lord called me from my birth, He has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand, He hid me. He made me into a polished arrow, and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I'll display my splendor.’ But I said, ‘I have labored to no purpose. I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing, yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God.’ And now the Lord says, ‘He who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, where I'm honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength.’” He says, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the Earth." I believe that it is Christ speaking in this passage. He's summoning all nations to listen, look at verse 1, "Listen to me, you islands. Hear this, you distant nations." I've already made the assertion, but we need to ask, "Who is speaking in these words?" This person is speaking of himself and for himself, but He relates something He says that God says to him, the Lord says to him, "The Lord spoke to me." So who is the speaker in this ancient oracle? There are three possibilities. It is Isaiah the prophet himself speaking, or it is the nation of Israel collectively having a certain role to play, and that's home base of verse 3, where the speaker says the Lord calls him, "My servant Israel.” Or it could be the Messiah, the Christ, speaking through the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ, through the prophet Isaiah in the first person. If we look at verse 6, this is a key. He says, "It is too small or too light a thing for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I'll also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the Earth." The servant who's speaking here is someone who both restores the tribes of Israel and is also the light for the Gentiles. There's no way that can be the sinful nation of Israel. Israel can't bring Israel back, so that's eliminated. It's certainly not Isaiah the prophet, the man of unclean lips, he would never have arrogated to himself the statements made here. The New Testament solves this question for us directly by quoting this passage and ascribing it directly to Jesus. Shortly after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus to Jerusalem to be circumcised in fulfillment of the law of Moses. A prophet named Simeon was waiting for him. Moved by the Holy Spirit, he took the baby Jesus into his arms and said these amazing words in Luke 2, "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and for glory for your people Israel." So he calls him the light for the Gentiles or for the nations. So also Paul and Barnabas, when they're preaching in a synagogue in Pisidian, Antioch, quoted this and directly connected it to Jesus in Acts 13:47, "This is what the Lord has commanded us, I have made you," [singular,] "a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the Earth." Paul and Barnabas, didn't think that they were the light to the Gentiles, but they were there at Pisidian, Antioch on his behalf. The statement that had been made to Jesus, "I will make you a light for the Gentiles," they took as their marching orders, but it was Jesus that was the light for the Gentiles. Therefore, the speaker in Isaiah 49 is none other than Jesus speaking, long before He was incarnate by the Virgin Mary, speaking prophetically by the power of the Holy Spirit in the first person. This shouldn't surprise us because He does the same thing in His most famous quotation of Isaiah. At the beginning of His public ministry in Nazareth, He went to his hometown, Nazareth. He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, and He took the scroll of Isaiah, and He unrolled it to Isaiah 61. He read these words, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me," [first person] "because He has anointed me," [Messiah Christ means anointed one] "to preach good news to the poor." He went on and quoted more of Isaiah 61, then He rolled up the scroll and sat down, and He said, "Today in your hearing, this scripture is fulfilled." So “I am the Messiah, I am the anointed one, the spirit of the Lord is upon me.” But if you just read Isaiah 61, it's the same thing. It's an ancient oracle written in the first person. It's Jesus speaking prophetically long before He was born by the spirit of God. We have that same kind of pattern here, and this is one of a series of what's known as “servant songs,” the servant of the Lord. There are four of them, the four servant songs. Sometimes the text speaks about the servant of the Lord, and sometimes in the servant song, the servant speaks himself directly. These four servant songs give us a sense of the purpose of God in sending Jesus. This is the thing that's so amazing, Isaiah was written more than seven centuries before Jesus was born. Uzziah died in the year 733BC, a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. This is a long time before Jesus was born and it gives us great confidence, doesn't it? To know that the whole plan had been written out in detail in prophecy long before Jesus was born. We have these four servant songs. The first is in Isaiah 42, which depicts Jesus as a gentle Savior. Isaiah 42: 1-4, "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight." The speaker there is God, He's speaking about the servant of the Lord, Jesus. "I will put my spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout, or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. In faithfulness, He will bring forth justice. He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on the Earth, and in His law, the islands will put their hope." That's the first of the four servant songs, directly ascribed to Jesus in Matthew chapter 12. When it says, "The bruised reed He will not break, and the smoldering wick He will not snuff out,” it is speaking of Jesus's wonderful tenderness and skill in binding together broken-hearted sinners and saving them. He's a gentle and a loving Savior, and that's the first servant song. This servant song, Isaiah 49, is the second of the four, and we're going to walk through it this morning. The third is in Isaiah 50, again, it speaks in the first person. It speaks of the sufferings of the servant. And then the fourth, Isaiah 52 and 53, is the most famous of the four servant songs. Both of those last two, Isaiah 50 and Isaiah 52/53 speak of the suffering servant of the Lord, the intense sufferings of the servant of the Lord, culminating in the substitutionary, atoning death of Jesus. I. Christ Summons All Nations to Listen This servant song, Isaiah 49, will depict Jesus as a messenger for the glory of the Lord to the ends of the Earth. To take the greatness of God from small beginnings to a worldwide eternal kingdom, the glory of the Lord shining to the Gentiles, but it begins so powerfully as Jesus speaks in the text to the distant islands and nations to listen to His voice calling on all peoples, all over the world, across all time to listen to Him. Look at verse 1, "Listen to me, you islands. Hear this, you distant nations.” This verse shows the scope of God saving plans. Christ is calling to the ends of the Earth. Christ is the King of Kings. He is the Lord of Lords. All nations on Earth are His, for the Father has given them to Him. And He summons the islands, He summons the distant nations, the farthest places, the remotest locations. For example, the Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic, the semi-nomadic tribes, the cave dwellers of Papua New Guinea belong to Him. The blonde haired Norsemen, descendants of the Vikings, who now live in civilized and technologically advanced cities in Norway. The tall Dinka in South Sudan, perhaps the tallest tribe on Earth. All of these distant lands and all the others are summoned by Jesus Christ, the king of all the Earth, to listen to His voice, "Listen to me." II. God Called Jesus Before and After Birth He wants them to know the origin of His saving mission, it was by the call of the Father before He was born. God called Jesus before and after His birth. Look again in verse 1, "Before I was born, the Lord called me.” Jesus is unique in all of human history. He existed before He took on a human body. He's the only human being that chose to enter the world. He was called by His father, and Christ's mission was determined in the mind of God before the foundation of the worlds. Before God said, "Let there be light,” before God created the heavens and the Earth, this plan was established and determined in the mind of God. 1 Peter 1: 19-20 says, "We were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." This is no new plan thrown together hastily at the end, but it was planned in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8 also speaks of the lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. "Jesus is unique in all of human history. He existed before He took on a human body. He's the only human being that chose to enter the world. He was called by His father, and Christ's mission was determined in the mind of God before the foundation of the world." III. God Formed, Sharpened, Polished and Concealed Jesus It says in the text that God formed, sharpened, polished, and concealed Jesus. Look at verse 2, "He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me. He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver." God prepared His son, the Lord Jesus, and He prepared the world for the coming of Christ. He orchestrated all of these things. Before the foundation of the world, God the Father, shaped his plan for the world through the Son. Everything in the universe, visible and invisible, was created through the Son. John 1:3, "Through him all things were made. And without him, nothing was made that has been made." Colossians uses the same concept, the Word through Colossians 1:16, "For through him or by him, all things were created. Things in heaven and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or powers, or rulers, or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him.” So through Him, by Him, for Him. If that's true of the physical universe, how much more are the plans for the salvation of sinners, from every tribe, language, people and nation made through the Son, by the Father through the Son. God, the Father, agreed to save the Elect through the blood of his incarnate Son before God made anything at all. Ephesians 1 says, "For he chose us in him," that is in Christ, "before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace." His people were chosen in Christ, before the world began, to end up holy and blameless in heaven. That's all this preparation that was made before there even was a world, before Jesus was conceived and born, the preparation language was ascribed to the unfolding plan of God, and then history unfolded. The calling of Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, the birth of Isaac by a miracle, by the miracle power of God, and then of Jacob, and then of the 12 tribes, and then the bondage, the slavery in Egypt, all of that. The exodus through Moses, then all that subsequent history of the Jewish nation, and also the detailed history of the Gentile nations as well. God orchestrated all of these things according to His plan and His purpose. You look at the history of Israel recorded for us in the Old Testament, the history of Israel under the laws of Moses, and their tragic, consistent rebellion against God, and their consistent idolatry, and their consistent resistance of the Holy Spirit, and the messengers, the prophets, that came and they would not listen. Their subsequent exiles by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and God's graciousness and allowing a small remnant of them to return to the Promised Land under Gentile domination and rebuild their lives, rebuild the temple and the city. Then the subsequent history of that small dominated nation in the times of the Gentiles, dominated by Gentile powers, until the time of Christ. Then in the fullness of time we're told, Galatians 3, "At the right time, God sent his son Jesus Christ." At just the right time, everything had been prepared, everything had been shaped and prepared for that moment in time for Jesus to come, and so we see that preparation language. Then God prepared a body for Jesus. He prepared a body for him in the womb of the Virgin Mary, Jesus was a holy embryo. This is an infinite mystery, something we will never fully comprehend, but His body was prepared step by step. It was miraculously conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit came over the body of Mary. But then it unfolded, it seems, in the natural way like any other baby is knit together in his or her mother's womb. The Virgin Mary was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the angel said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you, and so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God." Mary said, "I'm a virgin, how can it be that I would have a baby?" That's how it happened, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the ordinary 23 chromosomes that would've come from a father, came from the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. Other than that, it seems his body was formed step-by-step as the child develops in the mother's womb. The text in Isaiah says that God made his mouth like a sharpened sword. Before his mouth could be a sharpened sword, He had to have a mouth at all. His physical mouth, and then the lungs that gave him breath so He could speak. Indeed, every bodily system needed for physical life, God willed to give him. By the power of the Holy Spirit, knitting his body together, but in the ordinary way it seems of human gestation. Psalm 139, "You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the Earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." That's David the psalmist talking about his own physical creation by God inside his mother's womb. But how much more is that true of Jesus? Again, Job spoke the same way of his own body being knit together. Job said to God, "Your hand shaped me and made me. Remember that you molded me like clay. Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? Did you not clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness." How amazing is that process anyway for every baby, but how much more significant is it for the incarnate son of God? All the days ordained for Jesus were written in God's book before one of them came to be. He was concealed, but this concealed son of God was revealed at the right time. "Hidden in the womb of the Virgin Mary like a polished arrow," it says, "concealed in the quiver, just as God's plan for the salvation of the world was hidden in the mind of God but then suddenly revealed when Jesus broke on the scene." Romans 16 speaks of the proclamation of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages pass but now revealed and made known. Ephesians 3:9 also, this mystery which for ages past was kept hidden in God who created all things. Colossians 1:26, "The mystery that had been kept hidden for ages and generations but is now disclosed to the saints." This mystery is Christ, the incarnate son of God, the Savior of the world, our hope for glory. Isaiah tells us that God concealed him in the shadow of his hand until the right time. The language here in Isaiah 49 is military. Jesus' mouth is likened to a sharpened sword, He is likened to a polished arrow. Jesus was unleashed by God the Father as a weapon to destroy Satan's dark kingdom, to smash it to bits, to destroy it, to bind the strong man, and to plunder his house, and to destroy him eternally in the lake of fire. By his own death, by Jesus' own death, to destroy him who held the power of death. In order to do this, God had to give Him a human soul, infinite mystery, and house it in a human body for that is what death is, the separation of the soul from the body. God gave Him blood, blood cells to course through His body, blood vessels to carry that blood, so that at the right time, He could shed His blood as an atonement for our sins. God gave Him bones as the frame of His body, but He ordained that not one of them would be broken when He died on the cross. God gave Him eyes to see the suffering of His afflicted sheep, He gave Him ears to hear their cries of pain, and all of this God prepared for His Son in the nine months that He was knitting Him together in His mother's womb. Then He hid Him once He was born, He hid Him from Herod's satanic attacks. Herod sent soldiers to hunt Him down and slaughter Him in Bethlehem, but God concealed Him and protected Him so that He would not die. The demons would've killed Him in the 30 years while He was growing up. He was getting ready to be revealed publicly to Israel, but they were held at bay. They would not be permitted to come after Him. They knew who He was, but He was protected and concealed, and He was concealed from public view until the right time came for Him to be manifested publicly to Israel. John the Baptist came as the forerunner, and he saw in the days of his baptism and the days of his preaching, John saw Jesus come. The only perfect man that has ever lived and he declared, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." John said, "I have seen and I testify that he is the son of God." John the Baptist said his central mission was the unveiling of the hidden son of God. In John 1:31, "The reason I came baptizing with water is that he might be unveiled or revealed Israel." The time of concealing was over, it was time for Him to be revealed. Think about the sharpened sword that was Jesus' mouth. How was Jesus' mouth like a sharpened sword with the awesome power of the words that He spoke? By His words, demons were driven out instantly. They were terrified of His word, they fled from Him, and no human weapon could ever bring terror to demons or to Satan. Satan has no fear of any weapon that we form, no weapon system. Remember when we were going through the book of Job and we talked about Leviathan, and I thought that he pictured Satan? For Leviathan in Job 41, it says, "The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart of the javelin. Iron he treats like straw, bronze like rotten wood. Arrows do not make him flee, slingstones are like chaff to him. A club seems to him but a piece of straw, he laughs at the rattling of the lance." There's no weapon that human beings could make, no sword that we could fashion that Satan would tremble at. But the demons were terrified of Jesus and they fled at His word. When the demoniac from the Gadarenes with 5,000 demons inside was confronted with Jesus, they ran to Him and fell on the ground before Him, begged Him that He would send them into the herd of pigs and not send them into the pit before they appointed time. He said one word in the Gospel of Matthew's account, "Go," and they fled. It was the power of the word of Jesus over the demonic forces. Jesus' sword is terrible, and swift, and unbreakable against all his enemies. At His second coming, He is depicted as having a sharp, double-edged sword coming out of his mouth. Revelation 19, "Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter, He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. And with His breath, He will slay the Antichrist, the most powerful and most wicked human being that will have ever lived in all of history." It says in 2 Thessalonians 2, "The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and the splendor of His coming." All He'll have to do with the Antichrist is say, "Be dead, go to hell,” and it'll be done. That's the power of the sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus. How much more terrifying when He speaks to His enemies on judgment day, when all the nations are gathered before Him and He sits on a glorious throne, and He separates the people, all of them, one from another, into two categories, and only two, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He's going to say to the goats, to the lost, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." That "depart from me" is His sharp sword cutting them off from Himself, and from life, and from everything good that there has ever been or ever will be. That's the terror of the sharp sword coming from the mouth of Jesus. Yet in an amazing way, his polished sharp sword heals us from our sins. Much like a surgeon's scalpel is able to cut out the tumor, it's able to take out the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any double-edged sword. It's able to penetrate, even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marriage, judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. At the day of Pentecost, the people heard the gospel and they were cut to the heart, they were pierced by it and saved, because of that sharp sword coming out of Jesus' mouth. IV. The Apparent Failure of Jesus’ Mission Now we come to a mystery and that is the apparent failure of Jesus's mission. If Isaiah 49:1-6 is indeed the pre-incarnate Christ speaking of his mission in the world, if it is, what do we make of this one statement in verse 4? "I said, 'I have labored to no purpose, I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.’" That sounds really discouraged, doesn't it? I put in all this time, I did all this labor, and nothing has come of it. If this is still Jesus speaking, and it must be because the text continues in the same pattern, how could it be? At what point would Jesus say something like this? The mystery of the incarnation, the entire mission of Jesus follows the same pattern. Nothing visibly spectacular at first, small, insignificant, not very glorious, and just getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Growing to a level we can scarcely imagine. Isaiah 53 speaks of this very thing in verse 2, "He grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” He's not impressive. When the King of Kings and Lord of Lords entered the world, it was in abject poverty and humility, born in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger. When the shepherds went and saw them, they saw a baby wrapped up in cloths, that was it. When the Magi came, having been led by the star, they just saw a normal human baby. He had no majesty, no glory. He was just simple, and so throughout His ministry. He had no outward majesty, no radiant glory shining around Him. He looked like an ordinary man, and a very poor one at that. He had no place to lay His head. He had to be supported by a group of women who supported Him out of their means. This culminated in His arrest, in weakness. He didn't fight, He just went like a sheep to the slaughter. His disciples all deserted Him and fled the moment that He was arrested. Jesus said they would do it, "This very night you will all fall away in account of me, for it is written. I'll strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." They're all gone. His closest, most trusted allies, disciples that he had poured into for three years, they're gone. And the time of His death, as He was dying on the cross and his blood was flowing out of His body, all He had to show at that moment, for a worldwide awesome movement in the kingdom that would last for all eternity, was His mother, some other women who were friends of the family, and one of the 12 apostles, John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, who was an eyewitness to His death. That was it. The only perfect ministry there's ever been, the only perfect teaching and perfect miracles, all of that perfect example, and that's it. But I said, "I have labored to no purpose. I've spent my strength in vain and for nothing." The seemingly gloomy statement shows how small the kingdom of Christ would've appeared at that moment. If any of us who are followers of Christ could be there at that moment, we would see what it looked like, and it didn't look like much. It certainly didn't look glorious, it certainly didn't look like it would conquer the world and last for all eternity. It started small, like Jesus' own body in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Microscopically small, so also the kingdom, which would one day conquer the whole Earth and last for all the eternity. But at that moment, all of those beautiful outcomes were in the hands of God. As He died, He said, "Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit." I think we could go beyond and say, "Into Your hands, I commend my kingdom. Do something with this.” That's why in Isaiah 49:4, it doesn't last long, this seemingly gloomy statement. "But I said, ‘I have labored to no purpose. I've spent my strength and a vain for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God.’" And God says, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. Ask of me, and I'm going to give you the nations as your inheritance.” You cannot measure the zeal that God the Father had to make much of what Christ did by dying on the cross, but at the moment of death it seemed like a failure. Therefore, like Jesus' body itself grew, Jesus' kingdom starts small also and moves out to its appropriate scope, and then we see the eternal glory of Jesus' kingdom. The text speaks of a glory too small for Christ. Look at verses 5-6, "Now the Lord says, ‘He who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I'm honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength.’ He says, ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I'll also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the Earth.’" This is Jesus speaking by the Spirit through the words of Isaiah that Isaiah wrote down. He talks of his formation in the womb, the incarnation, Jesus would say, "The same God who formed me, formed my body in the womb of the virgin has glorious plans for Me." Yes, the original mission was to the nation of Israel. Paul says plainly to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "Salvation is from the Jews." He said to the Syrophoenician woman, "I was sent only to the lost tribes of Israel." Now this text says Jesus' first mission was to bring Jacob back to God and gather Israel to himself, to restore Jacob and bring back the remnant, those of Israel that I have kept, that remnant. But that mission is too small. The Hebrew literally says it's too light, it's too trifling a thing. "I've got bigger plans than that for you, Jesus." Bigger plans than that, however great that is. That Jesus, the eternal son of God, would be the tribal savior of only one ethnic group on Earth, that is too small a thing. Why? Romans 3: 29-30 says, "Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too?" Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised through faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. One God for the entire world, one savior. So therefore it is too light a thing for Jesus to only be a Jewish savior. He has a worldwide plan, God does. "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the Earth." A light for the Gentiles, and that light directly equated with salvation. As Isaiah said earlier, in Isaiah 9:2, “The people walking in darkness have seen what a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” It says in the next verse, Isaiah 9:3, "You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy." So we're going to have a bigger nation. He says in Isaiah 54, "Lengthen the tent ropes and the stakes, and get a bigger tent, you're going to need a bigger tent, O Zion." So it's too small a thing for just the Jews, there are going to be some honorary members of the family of Abraham. By repentance and faith in Christ, they're going to be grafted into this incredible work. "One God for the entire world, one savior. So therefore it is too light a thing for Jesus to only be a Jewish savior. He has a worldwide plan, God does." It is too small a thing for it just to stay Jews only. They rejoice before you as those who rejoice at the harvest, as those who rejoice when dividing the plunder. It's a time of joy. Jesus is the light for the Gentiles, giving the light of truth, shining the light on yourself, the light of the truth about yourself, that you're a sinner who has violated the laws of God as I am, that you deserve hell. Death is coming. You see the light of yourself, and you come into the light because you're not afraid, because you know what you're going to find there is a savior who is gentle and humble, and you're going to find rest for your souls, and salvation for your souls. That light is shining on you, and you can see yourself clearly for the first time, but you can also see the light of the glory of God in Christ, and He's beautiful and attractive, and you want him. That's the light, as it says in “Amazing Grace.” "Amazing grace, how sweet this sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found was blind, but now I see." Jesus is the light for the Gentiles who would bring God's salvation to the ends of the Earth. And what is that but missions, friends. You may be wondering, "Why did you do Isaiah?" It's like, I want to get to missions. I want to talk about missions. "Well, Pastor, you did that last week." That's true, I want to do it this week too. It is important that we understand God's worldwide plan for the greatness of Jesus. Jesus is still too small, and His kingdom is still too small. It's bigger than it was yesterday, praise God, but it's still too small and it's going to get bigger and bigger. More and more people, and more and more conception of the greatness of Christ, and that process is going to go on for all eternity. Romans 15, "I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews, on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy, as it is written. ‘Therefore, I'll praise you among the Gentiles, I'll sing hymns to your name.’" Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." And again, "Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and sing praises to Him all you peoples." And again, Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations, and the Gentiles will hope in Him." V. Application This time of year, we collect money for missions through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. We have a greater focus on missions, our minds drift away throughout the year. We should be thinking about it daily throughout the year, but this is a good time for us to recommit and reconnect. Think about sacrificial financial giving. It is by offerings like this that missionaries are cared for, paid for, and able to stay on the field. Let's be sacrificial in our giving. We do this so that we may finally realize, God the Father's, determination in Isaiah 49:6, that Jesus would have the full glory of the salvation of the elect from every nation. As Revelation 7 says, "After this, I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne, and in front of the lamb. And they were wearing white robes, and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb.’" Isaiah 9 says, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he'll be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his kingdom and of peace, there will be no end." This kingdom is going to get bigger for all eternity, not more people, procreation will be done. But in your estimation of the greatness of Jesus, you're going to spend eternity learning just how infinitely glorious and great Jesus is. I'm looking forward to that, aren't you? Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank You for the time we've had to study. Lord, we thank You for the gospel and pray, oh Lord, that You would just be speaking very plainly. Like even now, oh Lord, be speaking. Speaking to people who have yet to cross over from death of life. Let them hear the truth, and let them know... They've heard the gospel multiple times this morning. Let them know that it is for them, that they would see in the light of the truth of the Word of God, that they need a savior, and that Jesus is that savior. And repenting and trusting in Him, find life in His name. And for all of us, oh Lord, help us to be committed to shining that light in many dark places in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Old Testament: Daniel 8–9 Daniel 8–9 (Listen) Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat 8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some1 of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,2 and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me,3 “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” The Interpretation of the Vision 15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat4 is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his5 nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” 27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,6 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,7 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks8 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.9 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again10 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its11 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,12 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Footnotes [1] 8:10 Or host, that is, some [2] 8:12 Or in an act of rebellion [3] 8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him [4] 8:21 Or the shaggy goat [5] 8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a [6] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [7] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [8] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [9] 9:24 Or thing, or one [10] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [11] 9:26 Or His [12] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 133 Psalm 133 (Listen) When Brothers Dwell in Unity A Song of Ascents. Of David. 133   Behold, how good and pleasant it is    when brothers dwell in unity!12   It is like the precious oil on the head,    running down on the beard,  on the beard of Aaron,    running down on the collar of his robes!3   It is like the dew of Hermon,    which falls on the mountains of Zion!  For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,    life forevermore. Footnotes [1] 133:1 Or dwell together (ESV) New Testament: Hebrews 12–13 Hebrews 12–13 (Listen) Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith 12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Do Not Grow Weary 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?   “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,    nor be weary when reproved by him.6   For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,    and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken 18 For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest 19 and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” 21 Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly1 of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire. Sacrifices Pleasing to God 13 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,   “The Lord is my helper;    I will not fear;  what can man do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent2 have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. Benediction 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us3 that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 22 I appeal to you, brothers,4 bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you. Footnotes [1] 12:23 Or church [2] 13:10 Or tabernacle [3] 13:21 Some manuscripts you [4] 13:22 Or brothers and sisters (ESV)

Old Testament: Daniel 8–9 Daniel 8–9 (Listen) Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat 8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some1 of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,2 and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me,3 “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” The Interpretation of the Vision 15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat4 is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his5 nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” 27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,6 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,7 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks8 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.9 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again10 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its11 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,12 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Footnotes [1] 8:10 Or host, that is, some [2] 8:12 Or in an act of rebellion [3] 8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him [4] 8:21 Or the shaggy goat [5] 8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a [6] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [7] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [8] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [9] 9:24 Or thing, or one [10] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [11] 9:26 Or His [12] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse (ESV) New Testament: John 8:11–59 John 8:11–59 (Listen) 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”]] I Am the Light of the World 12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, “You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father1 who sent me. 17 In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come. 21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come'?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him. The Truth Will Set You Free 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free'?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave2 to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” You Are of Your Father the Devil 39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” Before Abraham Was, I Am 48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.' 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.'3 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”4 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. Footnotes [1] 8:16 Some manuscripts he [2] 8:34 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 35 [3] 8:54 Some manuscripts your God [4] 8:57 Some manuscripts has Abraham seen you? (ESV) Psalm: Psalm 133 Psalm 133 (Listen) When Brothers Dwell in Unity A Song of Ascents. Of David. 133   Behold, how good and pleasant it is    when brothers dwell in unity!12   It is like the precious oil on the head,    running down on the beard,  on the beard of Aaron,    running down on the collar of his robes!3   It is like the dew of Hermon,    which falls on the mountains of Zion!  For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,    life forevermore. Footnotes [1] 133:1 Or dwell together (ESV) Proverb: Proverbs 29:24–25 Proverbs 29:24–25 (Listen) 24   The partner of a thief hates his own life;    he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.25   The fear of man lays a snare,    but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. (ESV)

Morning: Daniel 9–10 Daniel 9–10 (Listen) Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,1 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,2 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks3 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.4 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again5 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its6 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,7 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Daniel's Terrifying Vision of a Man 10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict.8 And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) 5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed,9 and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. 10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.” 15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. 16 And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. 17 How can my lord's servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.” 18 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince. Footnotes [1] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [2] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [3] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [4] 9:24 Or thing, or one [5] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [6] 9:26 Or His [7] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse [8] 10:1 Or and it was about a great conflict [9] 10:8 Hebrew My splendor was changed to ruin (ESV) Evening: 2 John 2 John (Listen) Greeting 1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love. Walking in Truth and Love 4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we1 have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. Final Greetings 12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Footnotes [1] 1:8 Some manuscripts you (ESV)

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,[a] by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,[b] make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

With family: 2 Kings 5; 1 Timothy 2 2 Kings 5 (Listen) Naaman Healed of Leprosy 5 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.1 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels2 of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” 8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana3 and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean'?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Gehazi's Greed and Punishment 15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD. 18 In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.” 19 He said to him, “Go in peace.” But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.'” 23 And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi. 24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. 25 He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” 26 But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow. Footnotes [1] 5:1 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13 [2] 5:5 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms; a shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams [3] 5:12 Or Amana (ESV) 1 Timothy 2 (Listen) Pray for All People 2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man1 Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. Footnotes [1] 2:5 men and man render the same Greek word that is translated people in verses 1 and 4 (ESV) In private: Psalms 117–118; Daniel 9 Psalms 117–118 (Listen) The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever 117   Praise the LORD, all nations!    Extol him, all peoples!2   For great is his steadfast love toward us,    and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the LORD! His Steadfast Love Endures Forever 118   Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;    for his steadfast love endures forever! 2   Let Israel say,    “His steadfast love endures forever.”3   Let the house of Aaron say,    “His steadfast love endures forever.”4   Let those who fear the LORD say,    “His steadfast love endures forever.” 5   Out of my distress I called on the LORD;    the LORD answered me and set me free.6   The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.    What can man do to me?7   The LORD is on my side as my helper;    I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8   It is better to take refuge in the LORD    than to trust in man.9   It is better to take refuge in the LORD    than to trust in princes. 10   All nations surrounded me;    in the name of the LORD I cut them off!11   They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;    in the name of the LORD I cut them off!12   They surrounded me like bees;    they went out like a fire among thorns;    in the name of the LORD I cut them off!13   I was pushed hard,1 so that I was falling,    but the LORD helped me. 14   The LORD is my strength and my song;    he has become my salvation.15   Glad songs of salvation    are in the tents of the righteous:  “The right hand of the LORD does valiantly,16     the right hand of the LORD exalts,    the right hand of the LORD does valiantly!” 17   I shall not die, but I shall live,    and recount the deeds of the LORD.18   The LORD has disciplined me severely,    but he has not given me over to death. 19   Open to me the gates of righteousness,    that I may enter through them    and give thanks to the LORD.20   This is the gate of the LORD;    the righteous shall enter through it.21   I thank you that you have answered me    and have become my salvation.22   The stone that the builders rejected    has become the cornerstone.223   This is the LORD's doing;    it is marvelous in our eyes.24   This is the day that the LORD has made;    let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25   Save us, we pray, O LORD!    O LORD, we pray, give us success! 26   Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!    We bless you from the house of the LORD.27   The LORD is God,    and he has made his light to shine upon us.  Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,    up to the horns of the altar! 28   You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;    you are my God; I will extol you.29   Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;    for his steadfast love endures forever! Footnotes [1] 118:13 Hebrew You (that is, the enemy) pushed me hard [2] 118:22 Hebrew the head of the corner (ESV) Daniel 9 (Listen) Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,1 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,2 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks3 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.4 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again5 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its6 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,7 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Footnotes [1] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [2] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [3] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [4] 9:24 Or thing, or one [5] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [6] 9:26 Or His [7] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse (ESV)

The attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists was 9/11 and the Holocaust rolled into one! But, it portends even worse….Ever since Hamas, unquestionably a terrorist organization, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 in the most barbaric ways possible, the world has been thrown into chaos. We are still reeling from the images of beheaded babies, rapes, kidnapping of grannies and so much more. But, in addition to revealing the inhumanity of terrorists, it revealed the ignorance of the West. The inconvenient truth is that terrorists have been taught since they were toddlers to hate Israel and the Jews. The unspeakable images of hate are simply years of rage finally expressing itself. Does 'Today Israel, Tomorrow the World!' have a familiar ring? That's because it mirrors what Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf, referring to 'Today, Germany, Tomorrow the World'. It also mirrors a song from the Hitler Youth Songbook, “We shall keep marching on… For today Germany belongs to us, And tomorrow the whole world." Not coincidentally, ‘Mein Kampf' and ‘Jihad' both mean 'struggle'. Hitler's antisemitism came from his thinking that Jews were plotting to control the world, when he was actually projecting his own ambitions onto the Jews. This describes what's in the minds of terrorists, as well. You will hear highlights of the drumbeats around the worldsince the Hamas invasion, including the Obama/Biden White House barbecue held the day after - just like terrorists celebrated after 9/11. You will hear what the Hamas Chief said about Israel being only their first target and his quoting of the Prophet Muhammad to clarify that they won't stop until the entire planet is under the rule of Islam, on behalf of Allah. It's not just about Israel. We are ALL Israel and sitting on a powder keg….

As an employer, the story of Achan's sin in the book of Joshua has troubled me. Joshua didn't know that one of his soldiers had violated God's command, yet Joshua suffered the loss of thirty-six men in battle because of Achan.  All Israel suffered for one man's sin. But God didn't punish Israel, He withdrew ... The post Sin in Your Camp appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

On this episode, I spoke to Yossi Klein Halevi, an American Israeli, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem author, and a known Zionist speaker. In our conversation, we discussed his history, coming from supporting Meir Kahana and the Jewish Defence League(JDL) in the US to being one of the biggest opposers to Kahana and his ideology, which recently was legitimized by PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party. We also discussed the shifting relations between Israel, Israelis, and American Jewry, and finished with a powerful massage to All Israel lovers in the world - Stand up in support of the Pro-Israeli protest movement to keep Israel a vital Jewish and Democratic state. BTW - Yossi wrote a book about his memoirs as an Extremist. You can read more about it here -  https://www.yossikleinhalevi.com/ #YossiKleinHalevi #Zionism #Israel #IsraelDemocracy #Kahana #Netanyahu

Daniel 7–9 Daniel 7–9 (Listen) Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts 7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,1 “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.' 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. The Ancient of Days Reigns 9 “As I looked,   thrones were placed,    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;  his clothing was white as snow,    and the hair of his head like pure wool;  his throne was fiery flames;    its wheels were burning fire.10   A stream of fire issued    and came out from before him;  a thousand thousands served him,    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;  the court sat in judgment,    and the books were opened. 11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The Son of Man Is Given Dominion 13 “I saw in the night visions,   and behold, with the clouds of heaven    there came one like a son of man,  and he came to the Ancient of Days    and was presented before him.14   And to him was given dominion    and glory and a kingdom,  that all peoples, nations, and languages    should serve him;  his dominion is an everlasting dominion,    which shall not pass away,  and his kingdom one    that shall not be destroyed. Daniel's Vision Interpreted 15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me2 was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.' 19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,   there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,  and it shall devour the whole earth,    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.24   As for the ten horns,  out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,    and another shall arise after them;  he shall be different from the former ones,    and shall put down three kings.25   He shall speak words against the Most High,    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,    and shall think to change the times and the law;  and they shall be given into his hand    for a time, times, and half a time.26   But the court shall sit in judgment,    and his dominion shall be taken away,    to be consumed and destroyed to the end.27   And the kingdom and the dominion    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven    shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;  his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,    and all dominions shall serve and obey him.'3 28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat 8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some4 of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,5 and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me,6 “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” The Interpretation of the Vision 15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat7 is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his8 nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” 27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,9 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,10 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks11 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.12 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again13 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its14 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,15 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Footnotes [1] 7:2 Aramaic answered and said [2] 7:15 Aramaic within its sheath [3] 7:27 Or their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them [4] 8:10 Or host, that is, some [5] 8:12 Or in an act of rebellion [6] 8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him [7] 8:21 Or the shaggy goat [8] 8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a [9] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [10] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [11] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [12] 9:24 Or thing, or one [13] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [14] 9:26 Or His [15] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse (ESV)

Psalms and Wisdom: Psalm 37 Psalm 37 (Listen) He Will Not Forsake His Saints 1 Of David. 37   Fret not yourself because of evildoers;    be not envious of wrongdoers!2   For they will soon fade like the grass    and wither like the green herb. 3   Trust in the LORD, and do good;    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.24   Delight yourself in the LORD,    and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5   Commit your way to the LORD;    trust in him, and he will act.6   He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,    and your justice as the noonday. 7   Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,    over the man who carries out evil devices! 8   Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.9   For the evildoers shall be cut off,    but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 10   In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;    though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.11   But the meek shall inherit the land    and delight themselves in abundant peace. 12   The wicked plots against the righteous    and gnashes his teeth at him,13   but the Lord laughs at the wicked,    for he sees that his day is coming. 14   The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows    to bring down the poor and needy,    to slay those whose way is upright;15   their sword shall enter their own heart,    and their bows shall be broken. 16   Better is the little that the righteous has    than the abundance of many wicked.17   For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,    but the LORD upholds the righteous. 18   The LORD knows the days of the blameless,    and their heritage will remain forever;19   they are not put to shame in evil times;    in the days of famine they have abundance. 20   But the wicked will perish;    the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures;    they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21   The wicked borrows but does not pay back,    but the righteous is generous and gives;22   for those blessed by the LORD3 shall inherit the land,    but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23   The steps of a man are established by the LORD,    when he delights in his way;24   though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,    for the LORD upholds his hand. 25   I have been young, and now am old,    yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken    or his children begging for bread.26   He is ever lending generously,    and his children become a blessing. 27   Turn away from evil and do good;    so shall you dwell forever.28   For the LORD loves justice;    he will not forsake his saints.  They are preserved forever,    but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.29   The righteous shall inherit the land    and dwell upon it forever. 30   The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,    and his tongue speaks justice.31   The law of his God is in his heart;    his steps do not slip. 32   The wicked watches for the righteous    and seeks to put him to death.33   The LORD will not abandon him to his power    or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 34   Wait for the LORD and keep his way,    and he will exalt you to inherit the land;    you will look on when the wicked are cut off. 35   I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,    spreading himself like a green laurel tree.436   But he passed away,5 and behold, he was no more;    though I sought him, he could not be found. 37   Mark the blameless and behold the upright,    for there is a future for the man of peace.38   But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed;    the future of the wicked shall be cut off. 39   The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;    he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.40   The LORD helps them and delivers them;    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,    because they take refuge in him. Footnotes [1] 37:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each stanza beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet [2] 37:3 Or and feed on faithfulness, or and find safe pasture [3] 37:22 Hebrew by him [4] 37:35 The identity of this tree is uncertain [5] 37:36 Or But one passed by (ESV) Pentateuch and History: 1 Samuel 28 1 Samuel 28 (Listen) Saul and the Medium of En-dor 28 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.” 3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. 4 The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.” 8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” 10 But Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. 15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” 16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” 20 Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. 21 And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. 22 Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” 23 He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed. 24 Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it, 25 and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night. (ESV) Chronicles and Prophets: Daniel 9 Daniel 9 (Listen) Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,1 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,2 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks3 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.4 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again5 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its6 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,7 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Footnotes [1] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [2] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [3] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [4] 9:24 Or thing, or one [5] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [6] 9:26 Or His [7] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse (ESV) Gospels and Epistles: Luke 6:17–49 Luke 6:17–49 (Listen) Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude 17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. The Beatitudes 20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. Jesus Pronounces Woes 24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. Love Your Enemies 27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic1 either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judging Others 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” 39 He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. A Tree and Its Fruit 43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Build Your House on the Rock 46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.2 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Footnotes [1] 6:29 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin [2] 6:48 Some manuscripts founded upon the rock (ESV)

Daniel 7–9 Daniel 7–9 (Listen) Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts 7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared,1 “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.' 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. The Ancient of Days Reigns 9 “As I looked,   thrones were placed,    and the Ancient of Days took his seat;  his clothing was white as snow,    and the hair of his head like pure wool;  his throne was fiery flames;    its wheels were burning fire.10   A stream of fire issued    and came out from before him;  a thousand thousands served him,    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;  the court sat in judgment,    and the books were opened. 11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The Son of Man Is Given Dominion 13 “I saw in the night visions,   and behold, with the clouds of heaven    there came one like a son of man,  and he came to the Ancient of Days    and was presented before him.14   And to him was given dominion    and glory and a kingdom,  that all peoples, nations, and languages    should serve him;  his dominion is an everlasting dominion,    which shall not pass away,  and his kingdom one    that shall not be destroyed. Daniel's Vision Interpreted 15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me2 was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.' 19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,   there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,    which shall be different from all the kingdoms,  and it shall devour the whole earth,    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.24   As for the ten horns,  out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,    and another shall arise after them;  he shall be different from the former ones,    and shall put down three kings.25   He shall speak words against the Most High,    and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,    and shall think to change the times and the law;  and they shall be given into his hand    for a time, times, and half a time.26   But the court shall sit in judgment,    and his dominion shall be taken away,    to be consumed and destroyed to the end.27   And the kingdom and the dominion    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven    shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;  his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,    and all dominions shall serve and obey him.'3 28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat 8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some4 of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression,5 and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me,6 “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” The Interpretation of the Vision 15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” 18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat7 is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his8 nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” 27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel's Prayer for His People 9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us,9 by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,10 make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. The Seventy Weeks 24 “Seventy weeks11 are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.12 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again13 with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its14 end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,15 and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Footnotes [1] 7:2 Aramaic answered and said [2] 7:15 Aramaic within its sheath [3] 7:27 Or their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them [4] 8:10 Or host, that is, some [5] 8:12 Or in an act of rebellion [6] 8:14 Hebrew; Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate to him [7] 8:21 Or the shaggy goat [8] 8:22 Theodotion, Septuagint, Vulgate; Hebrew a [9] 9:12 Or our judges who judged us [10] 9:17 Hebrew for the Lord's sake [11] 9:24 Or sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26 [12] 9:24 Or thing, or one [13] 9:25 Or there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again [14] 9:26 Or His [15] 9:27 Or seven; twice in this verse (ESV)

All Israel will be saved (NLT) Romans 11 : 26

Chapter 14 of Paradise Restored is called "The Restoration of Israel" and deals with Romans 11 and God's future plans for Israelites and genetic Jews. All Israel will be saved, but this does not mean that every Jew will be saved. Listen now to learn more about this very important topic.