Podcasts about chaldeans

Habakkuk 1:1-17 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. 5 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. 6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. 7 They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. 9 They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. 10 At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. 12They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. 11 Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!” 12 Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. 13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? 14 You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. 15 He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. 16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. 17 Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?

When crisis strikes, how do we respond—and what does it reveal about us? This week we'll explore the contrasting responses of Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldeans, and Daniel, and discover the unshakable hope found in the God who reigns over every kingdom.Daniel 2Andy Kvernen

2025 June 15 | This week, Pastor Evan starts a new sermon series Exiles where we will look at the stories of Daniel and Esther and discover how God's people can remain faithful to his Word, develop wisdom and perseverance, and rely on his providence—even when he seems absent. He begins in Daniel 1:1-21, preaching on how God is steadfast and preserves us in a changing cultural landscape and one that is often hostile to Christianity. Daniel 1:1-21 Daniel Taken to Babylon 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family[a] and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. Daniel's Faithfulness 8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. 17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Garth Heckman The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com      3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.   NOTE…  They took the best of the best… not dummies. THATS WHY I WOULD BE SAFE… THATS A JOKE They would entertain them, feed them the best, meet their every need and put them with others who were also captured… take the best and the brightest, give them elite instructors, privileged education, New network and friends, New authorities over them, re-naming them… wearing them down. Many probably thought… … I deserve this …everyone is doing it … God has forgotten me … I will go back to God later … This is so much better than my previous life NOW IN A CULTURE THAT SERVED BAAL AND ASHERAH.   THE GOD OF MONEY and POWER AND SEX   - THEY ARE TEENAGERS!!!!   This sounds a lot like our universities.. take the best and the brightest, give them elite instructors, privileged education, New network and friends, New authorities over them, re-naming them…    V. 6 But even out of the best of Judah, only 4 boys are mentioned. Only four stood the test.    Remember… 3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.   The others must have caved. V.6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who stood out   Train them for 3 years. Give them a royal role for service.   NOTE: The Assyrian nation dominated by fear and intimidation. They would skin their enemies alive and wall paper their houses with their skin…   BUT THE BABYLONIANS… They were far more subtle… Change your surroundings Change your diet - the best to eat Change your friends Change your role - you are important Change your name - identity Change your education - mindset FEED THE FLESHLY DESIRES FOR  3 YEARS   Be careful for the enemy prowls…. Seeking whom he may devour…. Prowling is sneaky… and then WHAM. You are dinner. Are you allowing satan to pull your strings subtly? 

Our Redemption (1) (audio) David Eells – 6/8/25 I want to encourage you today with a teaching on Redemption because it's so important we understand what Jesus has paid to give us, and it helps us in our faith and our spiritual growth. When we consider what God has given us through knowledge of the promises and then being tried to see if we're going to really be faithful to what they provide. We are tried to see if we will act on what the redemption provides. Let's start in 1Co 6:19-20 Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body. And some of you know that the KJV adds there, ‘and in your spirit, which are gods'.  You have nothing to do with the glorifying God in your spirit. God himself lives in your spirit. But you do have something to do, and it's a in that speaks that we should glorify God therefore in our body. This has the numeric pattern  but the added part has no numeric pattern, and it has no place in the Bible; it was added by men. He said you were bought with a price and the word bought there is agorazō and it means redeemed. You were redeemed with a price. And the word agorazō is translated in various ways in the Bible. One way is “bought”. It's translated bought because it actually means that, however, “bought” doesn't cover the whole meaning of the word agorazō or redeemed; it means to purchase a slave with an eye towards setting them free. Well, obviously from that little type and shadow, you can tell that we were all slaves. And we were slaves to sin, slaves to corruption, and slaves to the curse. We were slaves to the devil and slaves to the flesh. And redemption is all about God paying the price for us to be set free from that slavery. And so this word “bought” is the word redeemed. It's mentioned again a little further down in Chapter 7. Let's read 1Co 7:22 For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant (or a slave), is the Lord's freedman: That's interesting. So that's a really good description of what redemption is all about. “Purchasing a slave in order to set him free.” We were a slave to the world, to the flesh, to the devil, to sin on and on and on. So, when the Lord buys you, He buys you out, and you're no longer a slave to these things. You are free in Christ! This redemption was accomplished at the cross already. It doesn't matter what you're in slavery to; whether it has to do with this world in regards to sin or the curse, or the devil, or anything else, the Lord set you free! That's what redemption was all about. He already accomplished this redemption. And of course, if you apply faith to this, it is the solution and he goes on to say in this text …likewise he that was called being free, is Christ's bondservant. Meaning, you were free in regard to righteousness. You were free in regard to serving God. You were free in regard to walking in the spirit, but now you're a slave to Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul called himself a slave to Jesus Christ. We are called to serve Him, and as we know, obedience to His word is how we build this house upon the Rock. Everything else is going to get wiped out. Every Christian who hears His Words and disobeys them is building his house on the shifting sands of man's ideas, and it just won't last, because everything that can be shaken is about to be shaken. It's all going to get wiped out. You know, there are so many churches out there that put no premium on obedience. But the Lord saved us so we could obey. In fact, they think for some reason that's works. And of course, it's the work of God. Obedience to Him is the work of God. I mean, we are walking in the steps of Jesus, and He gave us those commands so we could follow in His steps, and He redeemed us so we would have the ability to walk in His steps. And verse 23 says 1Co 7:23 Ye were bought with a price; become not bondservants of men. There's the same word agorazō also, and it means we've been delivered from slavery now. … become not bondservants of men. Does this still happen? Of course, there are many Christians who are bondservants of men. They won't obey the Word, because men told them they didn't have to, or men gave them convenient doctrines so they didn't have to obey. So this redemption is the price that has been paid. We can look in Hebrews Chapter 9 and see that the price has been paid by Jesus Christ. And it is paid through His blood. Let's read that. Heb 9:11 But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, 12 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. Now this word redemption comes from the Greek word lutrōsis. There's also a word apolutrōsis, which is a strengthened form of lutrōsis, and it's slightly different, but it has a really neat meaning. It means “the release on receipt of a ransom.” Well, you say, a ransom; we had to be ransomed? Yes, the devil was holding us captive legally, because of our sins. Why is that? Because God made statements all through the Bible, and the Bible says God cannot lie, and the devil holds Him to that. It's not that God wants to lie, He can't, but the devil holds Him to what He says. The Bible says, when you do such and such a sin, this is going to happen to you. This is the penalty that you pay for. Then God has spoken a legal word there that the devil will hold it up in His face. And so we had all these penalties stacked up against us for our sins. And we were being held ransom, and the Lord paid the ransom in full. He paid the price for us to be set free from the penalty for our sins. And you know, the devil loves to make sure that we pay the penalty for our sins. But the great thing is, the Lord ransomed us; He delivered us out of the power of darkness. So as we read on here, we'll see this. I'm going to back up just a little bit so you can catch this word, redemption again, verse 12 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? This is awesome! You know you can actually walk without sin and walk without a consciousness of sin. You couldn't do that under the law. You had to keep searching out these rules and regulations and see where you did this wrong and did that wrong. But God redeemed us from the law too. And that's what the scripture says, and we'll look at that. So look, He cleanses your conscience from dead works. You are able to have fellowship with God because you don't have a consciousness of sin. But you know, even if you do sin, you go to Him as it says in 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And you believe the Word of God, so you know you're cleansed and you know you can have fellowship with God. So in that way, God has given us a covering and He has redeemed us. And in this case, lutrōsis; meaning, God has released us on receipt of the ransom. Jesus paid the ransom with His blood. Praise God! And Galatians chapter 4:4-5 is just awesome, like all the rest of God's words; Don't you love God's Word? Gal 4:4 but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 that he might redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. So redemption has also provided for us adoption. We are adopted sons of God, and it also set us free from the law, or here, it set the Galatians free from the law. And you know, we don't have to go back under the law because the law was made with the Jews; it wasn't made with the Gentiles. He made the New Covenant with the Gentiles. But to know that you're not under that law is awesome because the law itself is a curse, and you can't convince a lot of people of that because they love self-righteousness. Because the righteousness that comes from the law is self-righteousness. It says, “Look what I'm doing.” “I can do this and I can do that, therefore I'm holy.” No, you're only holy because of what Jesus did when He bought you at the cross. But He says in Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them. So if you want to be justified by the law, you've got to keep them all, and nobody's ever been able to do it. First of all, you would have to be a pretty sharp lawyer and you have to have an awfully good memory to remember all those rules and regulations. Thank God we don't have to live like that! Saints, we can live freely by trusting in what Jesus did as far as paying that penalty, and verse 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. That is the penalty for being contrary to the law. He redeemed us. Now this is the word exagorazō is a strengthened form of Agorazo, and it means, to buy out a slave with an eye to set him free. Exagorazō is translated redeemed. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. That is the penalty for not keeping the law and here is what God did about it. …having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Are you in Christ Jesus? We've talked about that; are you abiding in Jesus Christ through faith in His shed blood? Well, then you're not under the law, and that's great, because if you go back and read Deuteronomy 28 and you look at the penalties for breaking the law, these are the curses that are upon the whole world. All over the world, this curse is upon mankind, and actually the only way you can come out from under that is to exercise faith in the redemption that Jesus accomplished. This is an awesome thing, Saints! Now look, you can't get out from under a curse if you're walking in willful disobedience. There's nothing you can do about the curse because there's no sacrifice for a person who walks in willful disobedience as it says in Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries. In other words, if you're willfully rebellious, you need a whipping, and God will give it to you. But if you're not willfully in rebellion and you're walking by faith in Christ, then He's got a blood covering, and He has redeemed you from the curse that comes from breaking all that law. Praise God that we're under grace and not under the law! And if you, as a Christian, go back under the law, then He tells you in Gal 4:30 Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. That is, you don't inherit the same blessings, the same eternal life, and everything that goes with that. And Gal 5:1 For freedom did Christ set us free: stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage. Speaking about going under certain parts of the law, and keeping the Feasts, somebody asked me, “Do we have to keep these Feasts?” No, they're a parable, and we do have to fulfill the feasts. For instance, we keep the Feast of the Passover by eating the Lamb, Jesus Christ and the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 5 that our Passover has already been sacrificed. It's all over. All you need to do is eat the Lamb now. And no, it doesn't make any difference whether you eat physical lamb or not. It means you have to eat the Word of God who is Jesus the Lamb of God. So we're told here in Gal 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that, if ye receive circumcision, or you can add these other things in there too; all these commands of the law, such as the tithe, the Sabbath, and so forth, we have to fulfill those. These are spiritual types, and they're fulfilled spiritually. But if you go back under the law, you are going to be separated from Christ. He continues to say, Christ will profit you nothing. That's if you go back under these laws in the letter. 3 Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. You are righteous by faith in your redemption and cannot be justified by keeping the law. See if you break the law in just one point, you are a sinner. If you just break it in one point, you have broken the law. Now you are a sinner and now you cannot go to heaven. Do you understand that? So no matter what you do, you must have a redemption, and that's been accomplished by the Lord if you won't seek to be self-justified by keeping some work of the law so you can say, “Hey, I made it! I've attained to it”. No, it won't work. It's a stench in God's nostrils. Again, Paul says, 3 Yea, I testify again to every man that receiveth circumcision, that 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. You're not seeking it by grace, you're seeking it by works and it won't work. God won't accept it, and you'll find nothing but failure in your life if you try it. Now let's go to Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; (There's that obedience to the teaching, building your house on the Rock.) whereunto ye were delivered; You were servants of sin. The word there is bondservants. You were a slave; you were a slave to sin. But you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto you were delivered and being made free from sin. This is the redemption right here. 18 And being made free from sin, you became servants of righteousness. So now you are a servant of righteousness. You're a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith will give you power from God by grace, which is unmerited favor. Now let's go down to verse 22 But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. Notice that not everybody who says unto the Lord, “Lord, Lord”, is going to have eternal life. It's those who are being made free from sin. They're bearing the fruit of their redemption that was given to them in Christ. When you walk by faith in Jesus, He's going to set you free. He is going to fulfill the redemption in you. You're going to be set free. There's no two ways about it. If it's not faith, it won't work. But if it is faith in Christ, it will work. Faith has fruit, right? And another good example is in Psa 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. Now here He's talking only about of redemption of the soul from the power of death. He's not talking about the body, but it says “he will receive me”. The Lord receives all of those who die in Christ. And He has redeemed their soul. That means He has bought their soul from the penalty of the curse. They will be in the rapture or resurrection. Both of these fulfill the redemption that Jesus spoke about the deliverance from the curse. And Psa 56:13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: Hast thou not delivered my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living? Psa 25:22 Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all of his troubles. That sounds good, doesn't it? That kind of covers an awful lot, doesn't it? I like these kinds of promises. The Lord is going to redeem us from all of our troubles. How does He do that? Well, we believe that He bought us as slaves, as we were in the beginning; we were slaves to sin, slaves to the curse, slaves to the devil, and slaves to the flesh. He bought us out of all of our troubles from the curse that stems from that. But He redeemed us from all of our troubles. And Psa 130:8 And he will redeem Israel From all his iniquities. Now, the way He's speaking of Israel here, He's speaking of Israel the man, but also Israel, the body. He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Do we really want that? Obviously, we do have a part to play here. If we do confess our sins, we're forgiven and cleansed. If we justify our sins, we don't have any of this and there's nothing promised to us. But if we confess our sins, He says He's faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us of unrighteousness. (1Jn1:9) But He wants to deliver us from all iniquity. He wants to redeem us from being a slave to iniquities or to sin. In other words, He accomplished this at the cross. We have been redeemed at the cross, but there is also a manifestation of that redemption when we walk by faith in it. Do you really believe that the Lord took away all of your sins, all of your iniquities? Do you really believe that? How about the ones you're doing right now? You know the ones you're failing in right now; the Lord redeemed you from that. He bought you as a slave to sin, in order to set you free from all that. That's His plan and that's what He's going to do. Now let's look at Tit 2:11-14 For the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men,… Well, that's not quite right. You know why? Because in Greek, you can get some words in front of others rather easily, and there is a perfect sequence here according to the Numerics. And what this verse actually says is, …he hath appeared to all men bringing salvation. He didn't appear, bringing salvation to all men, because then all men would have salvation, but he did appear to all men bringing salvation. That's not to say that every one of them accepts it, or can they accept it because they can't. Only those who have a gift of faith and repentance can accept it. So in other words, He's offered it and the people who can partake of it are the people who have that gift of repentance and faith. Tit 2:12 instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world; Wow! So we can really live godly or godlike. He's making a statement here that I would say most of Christianity doesn't consider possible. According to these people, “We're always going to be sinners saved by grace”, but that's not according to God's plan and not according to His redemption. His redemption has no power in the minds of these people; it has no power to save. He redeemed us! He bought us as slaves and He paid the price. He paid the ransom so that we could be set free from bondage to the devil and the curse! And His purpose was so that we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world. Not in the next world; in this present world. Tit 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; You know it's Christ in you, the hope of glory, (Col.1:27). So we're looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory. Where is this ‘appearing of the glory'? Well, the word there appearing is the word epiphania, and it means “a shining forth, or upon, to shine forth, the shining forth” of the glory out of God's people is what he's talking about. So we're looking for this epiphany of the glory of the great God in our savior Jesus Christ; 14 who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, Praise the Lord! What replaces “all iniquity”? The glory of God! Iniquity is your old nature, the nature of the old man, and the glory is the nature of the new man, Jesus Christ; Christ in you, the hope of glory. So, you looking for the epiphany of Jesus shining in you and from you. This is a result of the redemption that He has worked for you. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity. And I guess some people think that God is rather foolish, that He makes a promise that He never really plans to bring to pass. That's ridiculous. He is speaking the truth here about His plan for Christians. This is the truth and what you've heard about people being “a sinner saved by grace the rest of their life” is a lie. That's an “Antichrist gospel.” This is the “Christ Gospel” here; that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works. How about that? In other words, the people who are redeemed will be zealous of good works. They're going to love to do the works of Jesus. And no, they're not working their way to heaven. This is the fruit of their redemption. Our faith in this redemption has good works, right? This is what people who are redeemed look like. They love good works and they love to walk in righteousness. Just like it's a sport for a fool to do wrong, it's a sport for God's people to do right. They love to do right. They love to be pleasing unto God. They love the feeling they get when they're pleasing unto God. They desire to please their Father as they serve Him in His kingdom. They're not trying to earn their way to heaven. The Lord already did that. They just love to be obedient, and they love to hear the Words of God and act on those Words to build their house on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ. So His redemption was so that we would be delivered of all iniquity and if you believe it, God is big enough to do it. It's not as though we have to do it, He's already done it. And we're just believing Him. Praise God! That's the Good News! Praise God! Thank you, Father! Thank you, Jesus, for what You've done for us in delivering us and giving us your glory. And I think a good example of this is Genesis 48, where we read how Jacob is blessing Joseph and his sons. In verse Gen 48:16 the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them,... Think about all the stuff that Jacob went through with Laban; who plundered him and was trying to rip him off. And how he kept changing his wages time after time. Then later, when Jacob saw Esau, he was so worried. He was thinking that he was going to wipe him and his whole family out when he saw all the abundance he had gained when he had gone and worked for Leban. And just think about what he said, the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads… Have we been redeemed from all evil? Yes, absolutely. We are like Jacob; we were all like a supplanter. We were unsavory, really, to say the least, but he was shown the salvation of God. He was the Israel of God, and Israel means, “he shall rule as God.” Isn't that neat? He went from Jacob to Israel. “He shall rule as God” because God lives in the person who is redeemed. And He does His works through the person who is redeemed. And we are the body of Christ, Who is God. So God lives in us, and He can do His will in a person who has a renewed mind and has been redeemed from the curse. We can praise the Lord for His great plan. Now, let's go to 1Pe 1:15 but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; 16 because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. Now, if we are His seed through the Word in us we are to be holy too. That is, if the Word is being manifested in us, we also should be holy. Verse 17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear: 18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers… Let's go back and look at verse 15, he says, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; So we were redeemed from that vain manner of life that was handed down from our fathers. A worthless and useless life. You can see how the world acts; there's no real eternal value in things that people think and do. The Lord is very practical; if we follow Him as disciples, we're going to be very practical too, because the things we are doing will be most valuable in that they have an eternal result. Now we're here for a very good purpose that ends up in eternal life and perfect holiness, which is separation from the world unto God. And yet we know there are a lot of fruitless things people do. For one thing, they don't redeem the time. They don't act like we have only a certain amount of time here to bear the fruit of Jesus Christ. We're running against the clock here; there is a race going on, as the apostle Paul said, and so he buffeted his body, and he brought it under submission as he served God. He was a bondservant of the Lord. He was a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is quite a happy thing to be! As a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, you receive fruit and have the joy and the peace of serving Him. So again, you're redeemed from a vain manner of life, that is, a fruitless life. It's a life of just pleasing “self”. It's a life that really doesn't have any eternal reward. You remember the things that you used to do in the world just to please yourself, to entertain yourself, to make yourself happy and to keep your mind occupied with things that have no reward. Perhaps you're caught up in sports or caught up in fishing. Now I'm not making a law that you can't do this. But I'm trying to make a point here that if these things aren't an end in themselves, and they're a big habit and distract you from serving the Lord, then you probably need to break them because there are so many more important things to do. Yeah, and a lot of this “vain manner of life” is a life that has no eternal foundation, and you receive no eternal reward for it. If you look at the life of the disciples, the apostles, and Jesus, you will see a self-sacrificial life, not a life of materialism and pleasing “self”. They lived lives of sacrifice joyfully for others. This was anything but a “vain manner of life.” Most people live, whether in peace and prosperity or not, a “vain manner of life,” given over to the corruption of the world. They strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel (Mat.23:24), making little things big and big things little. The truly important things are not important to them. Going on in verse 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ: So we were redeemed with something that is totally and perfectly valuable. And what God is saying is, don't waste it. The Lord has redeemed us from a fruitless life, a worthless life which is quite common even for many Christians. You know, they ‘accept Jesus as a personal Savior' and then they carry on with their vain life ignoring the Great Commission that was so important to Jesus. Their life doesn't reflect being a bondservant of the Lord, serving Him in the important things. Look at Psa 106:10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11 And the waters covered their adversaries; There was not one of them left. So, you can see here that the enemy that He has redeemed us from is the old man of the flesh that went down in the waters of the Red Sea representing our baptism. We are redeemed from the flesh and the demons that use it, and the people who make themselves our enemy. How we hate serving the flesh when we would really enjoy serving God. Well, He redeemed us out of the hand of the old man when we went down in baptism. And guess what? That old man doesn't exist anymore. You were crucified with Christ, and now the One Who lives in you is Jesus Christ. The new man is the only one left. Gal 2:20  I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth 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.  Now, there's no doubt you can use Psa 106:10-11 and apply it to our spiritual enemies who use the old man; the principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness, or even the physical enemies that are used by the devil to tempt us, and to try to bring us back into bondage to fleshly principles. There's no doubt you can use this verse to mean that too. And Psa 107:2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say [so], Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary, Sometimes we lose track, or we forget to claim this redemption from the adversary. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! We need to confess our redemption. We need to confess it before men. We need to confess it before the principalities and powers, otherwise they're going to take total advantage of you. We were redeemed from all of our enemies! We were set free! We need to confess that we have all of Christ. He was given to us as a gift. He now lives in us and we no longer live as in Galatians 2:20. And the devil takes on flesh sometimes. He's not just a spirit, he takes on the flesh of people around us to persecute us and to try us in our faith, and to try to drag us back into the world and do the things of the world. But the Lord has redeemed us from all of our enemies, spiritual and physical; He has set us free! (Psa.107:2) Let the redeemed of the Lord say [so]…. When we get into a situation involving a curse (something which most of Christianity considers to be quite normal), we know that the normal Christian life is a life delivered from the power of the curse of sin. The Gospel says that the Lord paid for our sins, we've been forgiven; therefore, we are no longer under the curse. Jesus bore that curse for us. We're not supposed to bear it, and it doesn't please the Father that we bear it, yet we will bear it, if we do not confess our redemption. Gal 3:13  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  Gal 3:14  that upon the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.  Now let's go to Luke chapter 1. One of my favorite verses is so encouraging, where he speaks about our redemption. Verse 68 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, It's a past tense thing; it's already accomplished. You don't even have to talk God into it, and you don't have to beg Him. He's already redeemed you from the enemy, whether it's the flesh, whether it's the devil, or whether it's sin, it makes no difference. He's redeemed you from all of your enemies, and He goes on to say, 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of his servant David. This is primarily Jesus Christ. And 70 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old), 71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; Redemption brings salvation from our enemies. We're saved from our enemies already. 72 To show mercy towards our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. So we're redeemed so that we can have a good life. Jesus said in Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. We can serve Him without fear of our enemies because of our redemption. This is what God paid for! Oh, glory to God! Now, let's go to Hos 13:11 I have given thee a king in mine anger, and have taken him away in my wrath. 12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is laid up in store. God is holding something against Ephraim here. I've shared before that the Lord showed me that Ephraim is a type of the church because Ephraim was the second-born son of Joseph, whom Israel laid his right hand upon to impart the double portion inheritance. And Ephraim was called “the fullness of nations,” so Ephraim represents the church, and the church is in big trouble right now. That is, the overwhelming majority of the church are going on about their business, just like they're serving God and they're not. And they don't even know what Christianity is all about. But God is going to show mercy in these days. 12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is laid up in store. In other words, you don't want to reap what Ephraim has sown. You know what the church has sown; if they reap it, they're in big trouble. Well, the thing is, the Lord's going to reap it. Verse 13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: (You recognize that from Revelation 12?) … he is an unwise son; for it is time he should not tarry in the place of the breaking forth of children. In other words, they should have already been bearing fruit, but instead they've had a fruitless life, and they've already come up to the tribulation period, and the Man-child is born, and thank God for that, because the Man-child reformer ministries are going to lead them through the wilderness to learn faith. And he says in verse 14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; You've heard about their covenant with death, that God said He was going to break their covenant with death? So much of the church has a covenant with death because they're in agreement with something besides God. They've made covenants, but it's the wrong covenant and it's not under the Lord. But He says I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death: O death, where are thy plagues? O Sheol, where is thy destruction? repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. So the Lord is not going to change His mind. He is going to redeem His people. He is going to lead that woman through the wilderness and He's going to bear fruit through them. They are going to bring forth fruit in the days ahead and that is wonderful news! Oh, thank You, Father. And Psalm 103:3 and 4. You probably know it by heart. Psa 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; The Lord's benefits are obviously His method of redeeming our life from destruction. God will bring to pass this redemption in our lives! This is great news! And another one of my favorite texts is in Isa 35:8-10 And a highway shall be there, (He's talking about a highway through the wilderness in verse 6, the Tribulation that's coming upon us.) and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for the redeemed: the wayfaring men, yea fools, shall not err therein. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon (God is showing us here that the only safe way to avoid the beast and fools is to walk in holiness to Zion. Holiness means separation from the world unto God.); they shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 10 and the ransomed (That is, those who believe their debt has been paid so that they can be free of their captors so..) The ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; This reminds you of Ephraim. God's mercy that He gave to Ephraim so that they could find this redemption. They didn't find it in religion, and now they're facing the tribulation. And it won't be as they thought and hoped, because they didn't fly away in the rapture. So basically, God is going to have mercy. Well, I'm not saying some of them won't fall away because the Bible says that many will fall away. But the Lord is going to have mercy upon His true Church, His “called out ones.”) and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. More good news! Hallelujah! Let me go on with some more scriptures of our redemption in Christ. (Col.1:14) In whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. The word “redemption” as we've seen, means “a release on payment of a ransom.” We owed a debt we couldn't pay, and Jesus paid a debt He didn't owe. A ransom is a price that is paid to release someone who is in bondage. We've been in bondage to the curse, the old man, the devil, the world, sickness and all the bad things that go along with the curse. Yet, Jesus paid the price to set us free; He paid a ransom so the devil would no longer have authority over us because we have the forgiveness of our sins. Praise God! Eph 1:5 having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: (Notice our grace is in Christ, where we are to abide by faith in the blood.) 7 in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 12 to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: 13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,--in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, (All should be sealed by receiving the Holy Spirit) 14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of his glory. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of the eternal Spirit filled life. God will redeem from earth those who have born His fruit. Eph 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption. Pro 23:10-11 Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless: 11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee. Those who remove the boundaries will be judged. Isa 43:14-17 Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: (The true Church, the Israel of God.) For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their rejoicing. (He is doing it.) 15 I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. 16 Thus saith Jehovah, who maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; 17 who bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick): (DS Babylon) Isa 44:21-28 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. 22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. 23 Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel. 24 Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb: I am Jehovah, that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth (who is with me?). 25 that frustrateth the signs of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; 26 that confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited; and of the cities of Judah, They shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; 27 that saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers; 28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (I was told our Cyrus would be Trump before he became president the first time. He is helping to restore the people of God's Kingdom at the expense of DS Babylon just as Cyrus did. He discovered the hidden treasures of darkness just as Cyrus did.) Isa 59:14-21 And justice is turned away backward, and righteousness standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. 15 Yea, truth is lacking; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. (A good description of the rule of DS Babylon.) And Jehovah saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it upheld him. 17 And he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a mantle. 18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense. (Yes, He has brought down these Edomites.) 19 So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Jehovah driveth. 20 And a Redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, (His redemption is moving among His Man-child reformers and His Bride.) saith Jehovah. 21 And as for me, this is my covenant with them, saith Jehovah: my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed, saith Jehovah, from henceforth and for ever. (The Word will go forth from these reformers.) Mic 4:6 In that day, saith Jehovah, will I assemble that which is lame, and I will gather that which is driven away, and that which I have afflicted; 7 and I will make that which was lame a remnant, and that which was cast far off a strong nation: and Jehovah will reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth even for ever. 8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, (The spiritual Bride city and her David Man-childs will be redeemed.)  the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? Is there no king in thee, is thy counsellor perished, that pangs have taken hold of thee as of a woman in travail? (With the Man-child ministries of Rev.12.)  10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and shalt dwell in the field, and shalt come even unto Babylon: there shalt thou be rescued; there will Jehovah redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. (And it will be so.) Luk 21:28 But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh. Now I'd like to share a few testimonies from our site about how God is faithful to answer whatever need we may have because of the redeeming work of Christ.     A Leap of Faith Peter - 10/03/2009 For the past couple of months, I have been weighed down by many things. Through ignorance and confusion, I had neglected a lot of matters that I believe the Lord was placing in my heart. Of primary concern, one of these matters was unconfessed willful sin that I had committed at the end of July; the confusion and my passivity held me in bondage to much reasoning. For months, the conviction lingered in the background and refused to subside. I didn't know how to deal with it; praying and reading dwindled tremendously. I was depressed and discouraged to the point where I began to think I was reprobated. However, I still had the unquenchable desire to serve the Lord. After speaking with a couple of brethren and listening to some UBM teachings on authority and dealing with the cause, I came to the conclusion that the conviction in my heart was coming from the Spirit. On September 30th, I confessed my sin to the Lord and to some brethren. On that same day, I saw the Lord's “unbelievable” grace and mercy upon my grandmother and me. While listening to the Bible study, I was interrupted by my grandmother's cry for help. She had her hands clenched against her chest, trying to bear an extremely sharp, throbbing pain (the pain was coming from the right side of her stomach). The pain had travelled to the right side of her face and head, causing a lack of sensation or numbness. At this point, I didn't “feel” any power or authority to command a healing upon her. Thoughts of condemnation, for my forgiven willful sin, flooded my mind. Yet, all I could rely on was God and His Word; it's all I knew. I remember what I had recently learned about authority over the curse and demons. Having reminded my grandmother about the Gospel, I laid my hands on her chest and thanked God for forgiving me for my unconfessed sin earlier in the day. I confessed the good report and reminded my grandmother of Philippians 4:4-8 and Mark 11:24. (Php.4:4) Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice (5) Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. (6) In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. After commanding the pain to leave, I continued to praise and thank the Lord for His grace, coming against doubtful and fearful thoughts. I eventually reached a point of complete boldness. Only a few minutes later, the pain left. God is faithful and His Word is always true. All the glory to Him! I would like to mention that my grandmother has been disturbed by arthritis pain, a few times, in the middle of the night. She has called out to the Lord and every time she's been comforted.     From Death to Life Gary and Robin Florence 11/2/23 I wanted to share with you a power of prayer story. On August 3, 2022, my wife, Robin, suffered a brain aneurysm, while in the ER she fell into a coma and was flown by helicopter 62 miles away. As I was driving there I received a phone call that said, “We are in a fatal situation and are doing everything we can to keep your wife alive on the OR table.” I still had about a 45-minute drive, when something, or should I say someone (Holy Spirit) rose up on the inside of me and this authority came over me and I said out loud, “In the name of Jesus I command the spirit of death to leave that OR room now.” Through prayer and the grace of God my wife survived. The surgeon said they go by a severity chart of 1-5 with 5 being the most severe. He said your wife was at the top of a 5. The next day one of the team members came in and said, “That lady should not be lying there, it was that bad. It truly is a miracle.” She spent the next 42 days in hospitals, 23 in ICU, on and off life support, in and out of comas. I did not sit at my wife's bedside begging, pleading and making deals with God. I sat as a son co-laboring, partnering with my Father, calling those things that be not as if they are. I watched with my own eyes, my wife go from death to life. I saw miracle after miracle take place in her body. I watched all the “But God” moments, the “suddenly of God” take place in her throughout her journey. November 7th she went back to work part-time and even drove herself and then on December 1st she went back full-time. I am so proud of my wife. She never bellyached, ‘Woe is me', or ‘Why did God allow this to happen to me?' Her faith grew stronger and became more resolved. Not only is she my wife and companion but she is my best friend, and I am honored to be her husband. So we know the power of prayer. Thank you for reading this email; may it encourage everyone and lift you and stir your faith to believe in the supernatural interventions of God. Also the 700 Club did a taping that aired 7/14/2023. She had a follow-up visit with her surgeon in May and he said as bad as she was, the death rate is 90%, and in most cases, he is transitioning the individual from life to death, basically making them as comfortable as he can till they pass. He said in Robin's case it was nothing short of miraculous.     Jesus Heals the Mute I am writing to share the story that eventually led to this wonderful testimony for my son, Romeo. The backstory: Romeo had been showing “signs” of autism from around 18 months of age. He had essentially regressed in his speech, and all the words he had learnt, he slowly stopped speaking. Romeo had no understanding of social cues, was not responding to his name and from the frustration of being unable to communicate, was throwing a multitude of tantrums throughout the day. When I first noticed the speech regression, I contacted speech therapists and was quoted an awful amount of money to start him so that he could catch up and decided I would wait it out to allow him time to do his own thing. But not too long after, my close friends and in-laws began to notice and began to observe him and make comments regarding his inability to speak. Calling him a mute etc. On the same day I had spoken to my sister-in-law who had been “observing” my son since he was only sixteen months old. I received a call back from a speech therapist whom I had left a message for weeks prior. Her prices were much cheaper, and she had availability, she was very close to home, and could start Romeo immediately. I took up the opportunity, and he began his speech therapy, which he loves! In the interim, Romeo was going back and forth with hearing tests for fluid that was building up and clearing constantly for a few months straight, which was inhibiting him from hearing properly. We made the decision to book him in to have grommets inserted to clear the fluid. The date was set for 19 November 2024. On to the good news! Eventually, my husband and I decided to go down the path of obtaining a diagnosis, where Romeo received a diagnosis of level 2 Autism Spectrum Disorder, requiring “substantial support” (weekly speech therapy and occupational therapy to catch up). The night we received the diagnosis, I woke around 2:00 am to feed my baby girl, Grace and felt very strongly that the Holy Spirit was prompting me to find stories in the New Testament regarding deliverances. I spent an hour reading up on the stories where Jesus removed demons who made people mute (Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 11:14), scripture where Paul had cast out a demon (Acts 16:18), scripture about being unable to cast out a demon, where Jesus advised the disciples the demon could only be cast out by prayer and fasting (Mark 9:28-29), and also the story of where the disciples were trying to stop a person who was not in the group from casting down spirits, but Jesus advised them to leave the man alone etc. (Mark 9:38-41). After reading, I prayed, and I immediately fell into a deep sleep where the Lord gave me a prophetic dream. In the dream, it was Romeo and I looking directly into each other's eyes. I could see that behind his eyes, there was something that was not entirely him. He had been spiritually oppressed by a demon. I immediately quoted Paul and said to my son, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out!” In that moment, my son, for the first time in his life, spoke a full sentence. He said, “Mummy can you help me? There is ringing in my ears!” I knew there was more to do to help my son, and the Lord woke me from my sleep. I called my mum, Josie, after I had woken to tell her of what the Lord had shown me through the scriptures and the dream. Mum said the best thing to do was to have elders David and Michael deliver Romeo, and praise the Lord, we booked the deliverance date, which occurred around early to mid-October 2024. From there, we all stood in faith for the miracle waiting to happen. A reversal of this diagnosis. A son who was no longer mute. At the end of October/start of November, I came across a video on Instagram from a prophetess that really stuck out to me. She was discussing a 25-day fast she was doing with the ministry to remove bloodline curses, and discussed the scripture I had read about where Jesus advised that particular demons could only come out through prayer and fasting. I immediately decided to join this fast and speak to my husband about it. My husband, who is yet to commit himself fully to God, instantly agreed and stuck out the fast in its entirety (6:00 am to 3:00 pm, no food, only water, for 25 days). We began this fast on 2 November 2024. From here, it felt like everything had kicked into gear. My son began saying a few words here and there, and he began responding to his name more, and his tantrums were reducing. Here it was! Our miracle made manifest! Praise the Lord for the process!! We did decide to go ahead with the grommet insertion, which was based on my husband's decision from hearing about my dream where Romeo had said, “Mummy can you help me? There is ringing in my ears!” Romeo is saying not only one word, but up to three or four words at a time. He is responding at all times to his name. He can hear and he can speak! Before he would just stare at people, but now, even if he doesn't have the right words, he will babble nonstop. He is ALWAYS speaking, even if it doesn't make sense to us. No one will be able to call this boy of ours a mute again. He outspeaks even my niece, of the sister-in-law who made the comments regarding his development. Romeo has excelled exceptionally, and we know it will only get better from here. We stand in faith and in gratitude. Romeo is the head, and not the tail. He is ahead and never behind, in Jesus' name. Praise the Lord! Thank you for your faith and encouragement. We are grateful that where we fail, we have committed elders and a faithful God to help us along the way. Our family is very grateful.     Our Heart's Desires Doris Zambrano - April 2007 I had been telling my daughters that we were so blessed indeed, as we all had been noticing that our prayers were being answered recently, often times with just a thought and not actually praying and making a formal request to our wonderful Father. We were just so awestruck and happy that He was so faithful and loved us so much. These prayers were often just little thoughts but big in our hearts. As I was fellowshipping with the brethren in the UBBS room on Paltalk (Paltalk was an interactive platform we used at that time for the brethren to join the UBBS “live”) after communion on a Sunday in April, I felt saddened that I would not be able to spend as much time as I would like with my sisters and brothers. I look forward to communion on Sundays and to spending time with everyone in fellowship! I had so much to do since I have 3 acres of grass, with only a regular lawn mower to mow, and much glorious rain had made tall, beautiful grass everywhere. I knew that if I did not get it done that weekend, it would be even harder with the rain forecast for the whole next six days. As I walked away from the computer for a drink, I thought, “Father, do angels mow grass?” Well, I just smiled and went on about fellowshipping for a bit. Not 30 minutes passed, and I heard a knock on my door, which does not seem so strange except that my 16 acres sat 6 miles from one town and 11 from the other, and there standing at my door were three boys. I opened the door and the tallest one asked, “Would you want us to mow your grass?” “YES!” I exclaimed. I hired them on the spot. Offering praise to our wonderful Father, I ran back to my computer to tell the brethren of this awesome miracle! Everyone joined me in praising our Lord, who loves us so much that He would make a way for us to spend time with one another, just because it was a desire of the heart! YAY! I praise you, Abba, thank you soooooo much! Amen!

Na'hum. (consolation). Nahum, called "the Elkoshite," is the seventh, in order, of the Minor Prophets. His personal history is quite unknownThe name refers back to Yahweh's compassion connected with Jonah's mission eighty-seven years before. The name Nahum is an abbreviated form of the name Nehemiah, which means “Comfort of Yahweh.”Before I get into this study, I continue with our study on what the Capital Building is all about. Was the Capital design to be a Temple set up by the founders of the New World Order?  In this study, I continue into the insight of the artist of the Capital Dome, Constantino BrumidiBeginning with this Chapter 2 and in this Chapter 3 we now read of Nineveh's destruction2:1 - 3:19. DESTRUCTION OF NINEVEH   2:1-2. Yahweh's. = challenge to fight.   2:3-10. Judgment. = Invasion.   2:11-13; 3:1-7. Causes. = Hostility.  3:8-10. Examples. = Citation.   3:11-13. Examples. = Application.   3:14. Yahweh's. = challenge to fight.   3:15-17. Judgment. = Devastation.   3:18-19. Causes. = Hostility We, as Christians realize that the world is filled with stories of dark heavy sins.  Be warned, this passage we will look at involves some dark and heavy sins.  And from this we know that Yahweh condemns them and He is one day going to have a day of reckoning for those who commit vile sins.So what is the Purpose: We need to know three condemnations Yahweh bring against Nineveh and its result so that we desire to see Yahweh's deliverance and also destruction of the wicked?Be warned that Yahweh condemn Nineveh's violation of the second table of the Ten Commandments (v.1)Be warned that Yahweh condemn Nineveh's militarism (v.2-3)Be warned that Yahweh condemn Nineveh's human trafficking (v.4)We need to know that Yahweh's punishment of Nineveh and its outcome (v.5-7)1      Woe = Woe warns of something terrible that is about to happenbloody city = city of great bloodshedAll of it is (built on) lies (deceit) = A government wanting to hide truth comes against those who try to expose their lies, corruption and deceitRobbery =peh'-rek means to disassembledeparteth not = will not be lacking2   The noise, &c. = Between verses: 1-2 supply the logical Ellipsis (Other words El-lip´-sis. This is the Greek word ἔλλειψις, a leaving in, from ἐν (en) in, and λείπειν (leipein) to leave'The figure is so called, because some gap is left in the sentence, which means that a word or words are left out or omitted3  The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear, .... = Or, "the flame of the sword and the glittering spear"; he rides with a drawn sword, bright = gleamingglittering = flashing and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcasses; = of dead men lying in the streets, pierced and slain with the bright sword and glittering spear of the Medes and Chaldeansupon = over and there is none end of their corpses; the number of them could not be told; they lay so thick in all parts of the city, that there was no telling them They = i.e. the slayers. Hebrew text margin, with some codices, and four early printed editions, reads "so that they stumble", they stumble upon their corpses; = the Ninevites in fleeing, and endeavoring to make their escape, and the Medes and Chaldeans pursuing themHave any questions? Feel free to email me; keitner2024@outlook.com 

April 25, 2025 - Equipped 2025 - Day 2 - 3:30PM Session   Rick addresses the ability of Isaiah to predict events in the future to significant detail while being a significant number of years (700) before the events would come to pass.   Isaiah 48-53 - Israel Refined for God's Glory 48 “Hear this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel, And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah; Who swear by the name of the Lord, And make mention of the God of Israel, But not in truth or in righteousness; 2 For they call themselves after the holy city, And lean on the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is His name: 3 “I have declared the former things from the beginning; They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. 4 Because I knew that you were obstinate, And your neck was an iron sinew, And your brow bronze, 5 Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.' 6 “You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them. 7 They are created now and not from the beginning; And before this day you have not heard them, Lest you should say, ‘Of course I knew them.' 8 Surely you did not hear, Surely you did not know; Surely from long ago your ear was not opened. For I knew that you would deal very treacherously, And were called a transgressor from the womb. 9 “For My name's sake I will defer My anger, And for My praise I will restrain it from you, So that I do not cut you off. 10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. 11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another. God's Ancient Plan to Redeem Israel 12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. 13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together. 14 “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. 15 I, even I, have spoken; Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. 16 “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord God and His Spirit Have sent Me.” 17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. 18 Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. 19 Your descendants also would have been like the sand, And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand; His name would not have been cut off Nor destroyed from before Me.” 20 Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, “The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!” 21 And they did not thirst When He led them through the deserts; He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them; He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out. 22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.” The Servant, the Light to the Gentiles 49 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. 2 And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.” 3 “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.' 4 Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord, And my work with my God.' ” 5 “And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength), 6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.' ” 7 Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen You.” 8 Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,' To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.' “They shall feed along the roads, And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights. 10 They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them. 11 I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated. 12 Surely these shall come from afar; Look! Those from the north and the west, And these from the land of Sinim.” 13 Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted. God Will Remember Zion 14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me. 17 Your sons shall make haste; Your destroyers and those who laid you waste Shall go away from you. 18 Lift up your eyes, look around and see; All these gather together and come to you. As I live,” says the Lord, “You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, And bind them on you as a bride does. 19 “For your waste and desolate places, And the land of your destruction, Will even now be too small for the inhabitants; And those who swallowed you up will be far away. 20 The children you will have, After you have lost the others, Will say again in your ears, ‘The place is too small for me; Give me a place where I may dwell.' 21 Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me, Since I have lost my children and am desolate, A captive, and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?' ” 22 Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, And set up My standard for the peoples; They shall bring your sons in their arms, And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders; 23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.” 24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? 25 But thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children. 26 I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know That I, the Lord, am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” The Servant, Israel's Hope 50 Thus says the Lord: “Where is the certificate of your mother's divorce, Whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, And for your transgressions your mother has been put away. 2 Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer? Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink because there is no water, And die of thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering.” 4 “The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. 5 The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away. 6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. 7 “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. 8 He is near who justifies Me; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me. 9 Surely the Lord God will help Me; Who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; The moth will eat them up. 10 “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God. 11 Look, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled— This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment. The Lord Comforts Zion 51 “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” 3 For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. 4 “Listen to Me, My people; And give ear to Me, O My nation: For law will proceed from Me, And I will make My justice rest As a light of the peoples. 5 My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The coastlands will wait upon Me, And on My arm they will trust. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished. 7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. 8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation from generation to generation.” 9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord! Awake as in the ancient days, In the generations of old. Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart, And wounded the serpent? 10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; That made the depths of the sea a road For the redeemed to cross over? 11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; Sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And of the son of a man who will be made like grass? 13 And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the fury of the oppressor, When he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? 14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed, That he should not die in the pit, And that his bread should not fail. 15 But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared— The Lord of hosts is His name. 16 And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.' ” God's Fury Removed 17 Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, And drained it out. 18 There is no one to guide her Among all the sons she has brought forth; Nor is there any who takes her by the hand Among all the sons she has brought up. 19 These two things have come to you; Who will be sorry for you?— Desolation and destruction, famine and sword— By whom will I comfort you? 20 Your sons have fainted, They lie at the head of all the streets, Like an antelope in a net; They are full of the fury of the Lord, The rebuke of your God. 21 Therefore please hear this, you afflicted, And drunk but not with wine. 22 Thus says your Lord, The Lord and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. 23 But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.' And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.” God Redeems Jerusalem 52 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. 2 Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! 3 For thus says the Lord: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.” 4 For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at first Into Egypt to dwell there; Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. 5 Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail,” says the Lord, “And My name is blasphemed continually every day. 6 Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: ‘Behold, it is I.' ” 7 How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 8 Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the Lord brings back Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see The salvation of our God. 11 Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the Lord. 12 For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. The Sin-Bearing Servant 13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. 14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men; 15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider. The Sin-Bearing Messiah 53 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnGl00h-CJo   Duration 37:06

April 25, 2025 - Equipped 2025 - Day 2 - 2:30PM Session   Caleb leads a bible study over Isaiah 13-23.   Isaiah 13-19 - Proclamation Against Babylon 13 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 “Lift up a banner on the high mountain, Raise your voice to them; Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles. 3 I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger— Those who rejoice in My exaltation.” 4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts musters The army for battle. 5 They come from a far country, From the end of heaven— The Lord and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land. 6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man's heart will melt, 8 And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames. 9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. 11 “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the Lord of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger. 14 It shall be as the hunted gazelle, And as a sheep that no man takes up; Every man will turn to his own people, And everyone will flee to his own land. 15 Everyone who is found will be thrust through, And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. 16 Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished. 17 “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. 18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It will never be inhabited, Nor will it be settled from generation to generation; Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there. 21 But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild goats will caper there. 22 The hyenas will howl in their citadels, And jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, And her days will not be prolonged.” Mercy on Jacob 14 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. 2 Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors. Fall of the King of Babylon 3 It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, 4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: “How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased! 5 The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the rulers; 6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders. 7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. 8 Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you, And the cedars of Lebanon, Saying, ‘Since you were cut down, No woodsman has come up against us.' 9 “Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. 10 They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? 11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.' The Fall of Lucifer 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?' 18 “All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house; 19 But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot. 20 You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land And slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named. 21 Prepare slaughter for his children Because of the iniquity of their fathers, Lest they rise up and possess the land, And fill the face of the world with cities.” Babylon Destroyed 22 “For I will rise up against them,” says the Lord of hosts, “And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, And offspring and posterity,” says the Lord. 23 “I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, And marshes of muddy water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the Lord of hosts. Assyria Destroyed 24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: 25 That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 27 For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?” Philistia Destroyed 28 This is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died. 29 “Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, Because the rod that struck you is broken; For out of the serpent's roots will come forth a viper, And its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent. 30 The firstborn of the poor will feed, And the needy will lie down in safety; I will kill your roots with famine, And it will slay your remnant. 31 Wail, O gate! Cry, O city! All you of Philistia are dissolved; For smoke will come from the north, And no one will be alone in his appointed times.” 32 What will they answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, And the poor of His people shall take refuge in it. Proclamation Against Moab 15 The burden against Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste And destroyed, Because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste And destroyed, 2 He has gone up to the temple and Dibon, To the high places to weep. Moab will wail over Nebo and over Medeba; On all their heads will be baldness, And every beard cut off. 3 In their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth; On the tops of their houses And in their streets Everyone will wail, weeping bitterly. 4 Heshbon and Elealeh will cry out, Their voice shall be heard as far as Jahaz; Therefore the armed soldiers of Moab will cry out; His life will be burdensome to him. 5 “My heart will cry out for Moab; His fugitives shall flee to Zoar, Like a three-year-old heifer. For by the Ascent of Luhith They will go up with weeping; For in the way of Horonaim They will raise up a cry of destruction, 6 For the waters of Nimrim will be desolate, For the green grass has withered away; The grass fails, there is nothing green. 7 Therefore the abundance they have gained, And what they have laid up, They will carry away to the Brook of the Willows. 8 For the cry has gone all around the borders of Moab, Its wailing to Eglaim And its wailing to Beer Elim. 9 For the waters of Dimon will be full of blood; Because I will bring more upon Dimon, Lions upon him who escapes from Moab, And on the remnant of the land.” Moab Destroyed 16 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, From Sela to the wilderness, To the mount of the daughter of Zion. 2 For it shall be as a wandering bird thrown out of the nest; So shall be the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. 3 “Take counsel, execute judgment; Make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day; Hide the outcasts, Do not betray him who escapes. 4 Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab; Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler. For the extortioner is at an end, Devastation ceases, The oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 In mercy the throne will be established; And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.” 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab— He is very proud— Of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath; But his lies shall not be so. 7 Therefore Moab shall wail for Moab; Everyone shall wail. For the foundations of Kir Hareseth you shall mourn; Surely they are stricken. 8 For the fields of Heshbon languish, And the vine of Sibmah; The lords of the nations have broken down its choice plants, Which have reached to Jazer And wandered through the wilderness. Her branches are stretched out, They are gone over the sea. 9 Therefore I will bewail the vine of Sibmah, With the weeping of Jazer; I will drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; For battle cries have fallen Over your summer fruits and your harvest. 10 Gladness is taken away, And joy from the plentiful field; In the vineyards there will be no singing, Nor will there be shouting; No treaders will tread out wine in the presses; I have made their shouting cease. 11 Therefore my heart shall resound like a harp for Moab, And my inner being for Kir Heres. 12 And it shall come to pass, When it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, That he will come to his sanctuary to pray; But he will not prevail. 13 This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning Moab since that time. 14 But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as the years of a hired man, the glory of Moab will be despised with all that great multitude, and the remnant will be very small and feeble.” Proclamation Against Syria and Israel 17 The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap. 2 The cities of Aroer are forsaken; They will be for flocks Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid. 3 The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, The kingdom from Damascus, And the remnant of Syria; They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,” Says the Lord of hosts. 4 “In that day it shall come to pass That the glory of Jacob will wane, And the fatness of his flesh grow lean. 5 It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain, And reaps the heads with his arm; It shall be as he who gathers heads of grain In the Valley of Rephaim. 6 Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it, Like the shaking of an olive tree, Two or three olives at the top of the uppermost bough, Four or five in its most fruitful branches,” Says the Lord God of Israel. 7 In that day a man will look to his Maker, And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. 8 He will not look to the altars, The work of his hands; He will not respect what his fingers have made, Nor the wooden images nor the incense altars. 9 In that day his strong cities will be as a forsaken bough And an uppermost branch, Which they left because of the children of Israel; And there will be desolation. 10 Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, Therefore you will plant pleasant plants And set out foreign seedlings; 11 In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins In the day of grief and desperate sorrow. 12 Woe to the multitude of many people Who make a noise like the roar of the seas, And to the rushing of nations That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away, And be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, Like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. 14 Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, And the lot of those who rob us. Proclamation Against Ethiopia 18 Woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings, Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, 2 Which sends ambassadors by sea, Even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying, “Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin, To a people terrible from their beginning onward, A nation powerful and treading down, Whose land the rivers divide.” 3 All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth: When he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; And when he blows a trumpet, you hear it. 4 For so the Lord said to me, “I will take My rest, And I will look from My dwelling place Like clear heat in sunshine, Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” 5 For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect And the sour grape is ripening in the flower, He will both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks And take away and cut down the branches. 6 They will be left together for the mountain birds of prey And for the beasts of the earth; The birds of prey will summer on them, And all the beasts of the earth will winter on them. 7 In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts From a people tall and smooth of skin, And from a people terrible from their beginning onward, A nation powerful and treading down, Whose land the rivers divide— To the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, To Mount Zion. Proclamation Against Egypt 19 The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. 2 “I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. 3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers. 4 And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,” Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. 5 The waters will fail from the sea, And the river will be wasted and dried up. 6 The rivers will turn foul; The brooks of defense will be emptied and dried up; The reeds and rushes will wither. 7 The papyrus reeds by the River, by the mouth of the River, And everything sown by the River, Will wither, be driven away, and be no more. 8 The fishermen also will mourn; All those will lament who cast hooks into the River, And they will languish who spread nets on the waters. 9 Moreover those who work in fine flax And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed; 10 And its foundations will be broken. All who make wages will be troubled of soul. 11 Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaoh's wise counselors give foolish counsel. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings?” 12 Where are they? Where are your wise men? Let them tell you now, And let them know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan have become fools; The princes of Noph are deceived; They have also deluded Egypt, Those who are the mainstay of its tribes. 14 The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; And they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, As a drunken man staggers in his vomit. 15 Neither will there be any work for Egypt, Which the head or tail, Palm branch or bulrush, may do. 16 In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He waves over it. 17 And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which He has determined against it. Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Blessed 18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. 19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border. 20 And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. 21 Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. 24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”     Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJxCvbZt-v0   Duration 41:11

April 25, 2025 - Equipped 2025 - Day 2 - 2:30PM Session   Looking at the life as a prophet, Ken reflects on how Isaiah wrote his inspired work.   Isaiah 20-23 -The Sign Against Egypt and Ethiopia 20 In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it, 2 at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3 Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, 4 so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 Then they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and Egypt their glory. 6 And the inhabitant of this territory will say in that day, ‘Surely such is our expectation, wherever we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape?' ” The Fall of Babylon Proclaimed 21 The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea. As whirlwinds in the South pass through, So it comes from the desert, from a terrible land. 2 A distressing vision is declared to me; The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, And the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All its sighing I have made to cease. 3 Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I was distressed when I heard it; I was dismayed when I saw it. 4 My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me; The night for which I longed He turned into fear for me. 5 Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes, Anoint the shield! 6 For thus has the Lord said to me: “Go, set a watchman, Let him declare what he sees.” 7 And he saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen, A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels, And he listened earnestly with great care. 8 Then he cried, “A lion, my Lord! I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime; I have sat at my post every night. 9 And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!” Then he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.” 10 Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor! That which I have heard from the Lord of hosts, The God of Israel, I have declared to you. Proclamation Against Edom 11 The burden against Dumah. He calls to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” 12 The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; Return! Come back!” Proclamation Against Arabia 13 The burden against Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge, O you traveling companies of Dedanites. 14 O inhabitants of the land of Tema, Bring water to him who is thirsty; With their bread they met him who fled. 15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, From the bent bow, and from the distress of war. 16 For thus the Lord has said to me: “Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of Kedar will fail; 17 and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the people of Kedar, will be diminished; for the Lord God of Israel has spoken it.” Proclamation Against Jerusalem 22 The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops, 2 You who are full of noise, A tumultuous city, a joyous city? Your slain men are not slain with the sword, Nor dead in battle. 3 All your rulers have fled together; They are captured by the archers. All who are found in you are bound together; They have fled from afar. 4 Therefore I said, “Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.” 5 For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity By the Lord God of hosts In the Valley of Vision— Breaking down the walls And of crying to the mountain. 6 Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield. 7 It shall come to pass that your choicest valleys Shall be full of chariots, And the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate. 8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; 9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. 11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago. 12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning, For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 14 Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts, “Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts. The Judgment on Shebna 15 Thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Go, proceed to this steward, To Shebna, who is over the house, and say: 16 ‘What have you here, and whom have you here, That you have hewn a sepulcher here, As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock? 17 Indeed, the Lord will throw you away violently, O mighty man, And will surely seize you. 18 He will surely turn violently and toss you like a ball Into a large country; There you shall die, and there your glorious chariots Shall be the shame of your master's house. 19 So I will drive you out of your office, And from your position he will pull you down. 20 ‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah; 21 I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah. 22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open. 23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, And he will become a glorious throne to his father's house. 24 ‘They will hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. 25 In that day,' says the Lord of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the Lord has spoken.' ” Proclamation Against Tyre 23 The burden against Tyre. Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For it is laid waste, So that there is no house, no harbor; From the land of Cyprus it is revealed to them. 2 Be still, you inhabitants of the coastland, You merchants of Sidon, Whom those who cross the sea have filled. 3 And on great waters the grain of Shihor, The harvest of the River, is her revenue; And she is a marketplace for the nations. 4 Be ashamed, O Sidon; For the sea has spoken, The strength of the sea, saying, “I do not labor, nor bring forth children; Neither do I rear young men, Nor bring up virgins.” 5 When the report reaches Egypt, They also will be in agony at the report of Tyre. 6 Cross over to Tarshish; Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland! 7 Is this your joyous city, Whose antiquity is from ancient days, Whose feet carried her far off to dwell? 8 Who has taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, Whose merchants are princes, Whose traders are the honorable of the earth? 9 The Lord of hosts has purposed it, To bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth. 10 Overflow through your land like the River, O daughter of Tarshish; There is no more strength. 11 He stretched out His hand over the sea, He shook the kingdoms; The Lord has given a commandment against Canaan To destroy its strongholds. 12 And He said, “You will rejoice no more, O you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, cross over to Cyprus; There also you will have no rest.” 13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans, This people which was not; Assyria founded it for wild beasts of the desert. They set up its towers, They raised up its palaces, And brought it to ruin. 14 Wail, you ships of Tarshish! For your strength is laid waste. 15 Now it shall come to pass in that day that Tyre will be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the harlot: 16 “Take a harp, go about the city, You forgotten harlot; Make sweet melody, sing many songs, That you may be remembered.” 17 And it shall be, at the end of seventy years, that the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire, and commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18 Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the Lord; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing.   Isaiah 35-39 - The Future Glory of Zion 35 The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; 2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, The excellency of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. 7 The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Sennacherib Boasts Against the Lord 36 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field. 3 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. 4 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 6 Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,' is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar'?” ' 8 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 9 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Have I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.' ” 11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?” 13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ' 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern; 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?' ” 21 But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king's commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. Isaiah Assures Deliverance 37 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' ” 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ' ” Sennacherib's Threat and Hezekiah's Prayer 8 Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?' ” 14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: 16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men's hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib 21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him: “The virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back! 23 “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 24 By your servants you have reproached the Lord, And said, ‘By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I will enter its farthest height, To its fruitful forest. 25 I have dug and drunk water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense.' 26 “Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power; They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field And the green herb, As the grass on the housetops And grain blighted before it is grown. 28 “But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me. 29 Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came.” ' 30 “This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 33 “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,' Says the Lord. 35 ‘For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David's sake.' ” Sennacherib's Defeat and Death 36 Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. Hezekiah's Life Extended 38 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.' ” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying, 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years. 6 I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.” ' 7 And this is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing which He has spoken: 8 Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down. 9 This is the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness: 10 I said, “In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years.” 11 I said, “I shall not see Yah, The Lord in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world. 12 My life span is gone, Taken from me like a shepherd's tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me. 13 I have considered until morning— Like a lion, So He breaks all my bones; From day until night You make an end of me. 14 Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered; I mourned like a dove; My eyes fail from looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; Undertake for me! 15 “What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, And He Himself has done it. I shall walk carefully all my years In the bitterness of my soul. 16 O Lord, by these things men live; And in all these things is the life of my spirit; So You will restore me and make me live. 17 Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. 18 For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. 19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall make known Your truth to the children. 20 “The Lord was ready to save me; Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.” 21 Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.” 22 And Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?” The Babylonian Envoys 39 At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2 And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures—the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory—all that was found among his treasures. There was nothing in his house or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.” 4 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: 6 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the Lord. 7 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' ” 8 So Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good!” For he said, “At least there will be peace and truth in my days.”   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_459QS0jW0   Duration 34:07

April 25, 2025 - Equipped 2025 - Day 2 - 1:30PM Session   Bud leads a bible study reflecting on Isaiah. As an inspired profit of God, Isaiah would be aware of coming savior and the potential eternal punishment for those who have rejected God.   Isaiah 40-45 - God's People Are Comforted 40 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord's hand Double for all her sins.” 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” 9 O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. 17 All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. 18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 19 The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains. 20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter. 21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. 24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. 25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Israel Assured of God's Help 41 “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands, And let the people renew their strength! Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come near together for judgment. 2 “Who raised up one from the east? Who in righteousness called him to His feet? Who gave the nations before him, And made him rule over kings? Who gave them as the dust to his sword, As driven stubble to his bow? 3 Who pursued them, and passed safely By the way that he had not gone with his feet? 4 Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first; And with the last I am He.' ” 5 The coastlands saw it and feared, The ends of the earth were afraid; They drew near and came. 6 Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, “Be of good courage!” 7 So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith; He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil, Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”; Then he fastened it with pegs, That it might not totter. 8 “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: 10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' 11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. 12 You shall seek them and not find them— Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. 13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.' 14 “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 15 “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, And make the hills like chaff. 16 You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them; You shall rejoice in the Lord, And glory in the Holy One of Israel. 17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will open rivers in desolate heights, And fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, And the dry land springs of water. 19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, The myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine And the box tree together, 20 That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it. The Futility of Idols 21 “Present your case,” says the Lord. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob. 22 “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us things to come. 23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. 24 Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination. 25 “I have raised up one from the north, And he shall come; From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name; And he shall come against princes as though mortar, As the potter treads clay. 26 Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know? And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous'? Surely there is no one who shows, Surely there is no one who declares, Surely there is no one who hears your words. 27 The first time I said to Zion, ‘Look, there they are!' And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings. 28 For I looked, and there was no man; I looked among them, but there was no counselor, Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word. 29 Indeed they are all worthless; Their works are nothing; Their molded images are wind and confusion. The Servant of the Lord 42 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. 4 He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.” 5 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house. 8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” Praise to the Lord 10 Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! 11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord, And declare His praise in the coastlands. 13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. Promise of the Lord's Help 14 “I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once. 15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands, And I will dry up the pools. 16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, They shall be greatly ashamed, Who trust in carved images, Who say to the molded images, ‘You are our gods.' 18 “Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see. 19 Who is blind but My servant, Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who is perfect, And blind as the Lord's servant? 20 Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.” Israel's Obstinate Disobedience 21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness' sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable. 22 But this is a people robbed and plundered; All of them are snared in holes, And they are hidden in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!” 23 Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come? 24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, Nor were they obedient to His law. 25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger And the strength of battle; It has set him on fire all around, Yet he did not know; And it burned him, Yet he did not take it to heart. The Redeemer of Israel 43 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!' And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” 8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears. 9 Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.” 10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. 12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God. 13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?” 14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon, And bring them all down as fugitives— The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.” 16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters, 17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): 18 “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise. Pleading with Unfaithful Israel 22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel. 23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense. 24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities. 25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. 26 Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted. 27 Your first father sinned, And your mediators have transgressed against Me. 28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary; I will give Jacob to the curse, And Israel to reproaches. God's Blessing on Israel 44 “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen. 2 Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; 4 They will spring up among the grass Like willows by the watercourses.' 5 One will say, ‘I am the Lord's'; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ‘The Lord's,' And name himself by the name of Israel. There Is No Other God 6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. 7 And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. 8 Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.' ” Idolatry Is Foolishness 9 Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. 10 Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing? 11 Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together. 12 The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals, Fashions it with hammers, And works it with the strength of his arms. Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint. 13 The craftsman stretches out his rule, He marks one out with chalk; He fashions it with a plane, He marks it out with the compass, And makes it like the figure of a man, According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house. 14 He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it. 16 He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!” 18 They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Israel Is Not Forgotten 21 “Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! 22 I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” 23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel. Judah Will Be Restored 24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; 25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; 26 Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,' To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,' And I will raise up her waste places; 27 Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers'; 28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ' Cyrus, God's Instrument 45 “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 ‘I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. 5 I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.' 8 “Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, And let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it. 9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?' Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands'? 10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?' ” 11 Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. 12 I have made the earth, And created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded. 13 I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,” Says the Lord of hosts. The Lord, the Only Savior 14 Thus says the Lord: “The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.' ” 15 Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! 16 They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols. 17 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. 18 For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other. 19 I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain'; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. 20 “Assemble yourselves and come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save. 21 Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. 22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. 24 He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. 25 In the Lord all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, and shall glory.' ”   Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrvkBVo1Cd4 Duration 35:38

What happens when the "great Australian dream" turns into a nightmare? This sermon tackles the age-old question of suffering, not from a philosophical standpoint, but through the raw and practical lens of the Book of Job. Join us as speaker Andy Prideaux unpacks the opening chapters of Job, exploring how a man who was "blameless and upright" faced unimaginable loss. Discover the heavenly drama behind Job's trials and Satan's cynical challenge: "Does Job fear God for nothing?". Learn from Job's profound initial responses of worship amidst devastation and his unwavering integrity even when urged to "curse God and die". This message encourages us to consider how we respond to suffering and reminds us that even in our darkest moments, we can move towards God, who is in control and working for our ultimate good. To catch up on the latest sermons from Deep Creek, go to iTunes, Spotify ordeepcreekanglican.comand check out the website for more info about whats happening. We are a welcoming and growing multigenerational church in Doncaster East in Melbourne with refreshing faith in Jesus Christ. We think that looks like being life-giving to the believer, surprising to the world, and strengthening to the weary and doubting. Transcription Bible Reading: Job 1:1 - 2:10 Bible reading today comes from Job chapter one, verse one through to chapter two, verse ten. In the land of us there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright. He feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of fasting or feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning, he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them. Thinking perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. This was Job's regular custom. One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, where have you come from? Satan answered. Satan answered the Lord from roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it. Then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright. A man who fears God and shuns evil. Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied, have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. The Lord said to Satan, very well then, everything he has is in your power. But on the man himself do not lay a finger. Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. One day, when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabines attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, the fire of God fell from heaven, and burnt up the sheep and the servants. And I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said that the Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels, and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them, and they are dead. And I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. At this Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, naked, I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. In all this Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. On another day, the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, where have you come from? Satan answered the Lord from roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it. Then the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright. A man who fears God and shuns evil, and he still maintains his integrity. Though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason. Skin for skin. Satan replied, A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face. The Lord said to Satan, very well, then, he is in your hands, but you must spare his life. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die. He replied, you're talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble? In all this Job did not sin in what he said. This is the word of the Lord. Introduction to the Sermon and the Book of Job If someone else is going to do the clicking. If I did it, we'd end up. I'd be putting the news on or something. It'd be. It'd be very awkward. my name is Andy Prideaux. And thank you for your invitation. Or at least for Megan's invitation to come and begin the series that you're going to be doing on the Book of Job. This really challenging, confronting, but I think ultimately encouraging and helpful book in the Old Testament. it's so wonderful to be able to share with you today. I'm really encouraged seeing the reading up in three different languages. I work with international students at Melbourne Uni, with the Christian Union, and, I they would be if they were here now, they'd be very excited to see their language, up on the screen as, as the scriptures are read. I went to a wedding recently. One of the women in our team, a Chinese woman, I said, oh, will there be any translation in the service? And she said, yes, it will be translated from Mandarin into Cantonese, which neither of which helped me. But the English was up on the screen. But it was a good reminder that that's what it feels like for a lot of the students coming along. You know, I got to feel what it's like for my language not to be the main one. I think that was a really good thing. but I'm always encouraged because God is bringing people from every tribe, language and nation into his family. And, just it's like a small reminder of that, I think, which is great. one of the reasons, or maybe the reason that Megan invited me to come and speak is because I recently had a commentary published on The Book of Job. It's my latest book. It's my only book, actually. and I'll be coming back at the end of the series to do a QA on Job after you've heard Megan and other people teaching. and I'll bring some books there to sell. So hopefully you'll have so many questions. You want to buy a copy? If on the off chance you have to be a salesman, if on the off chance you want to buy one today, I can give you one for the special discounted price of $25. They're usually $30. So yeah, what can you do? anyway, I won't be offended if you don't buy today because it's early days. But just put a little planting the seed, planting the seed. but more importantly, let's actually come to God's word, to Job and the opening section of this book. I'll pray as we do that. Father God, we thank you for your amazing love for us in Jesus that we've already been reminded of today, in our prayers and in the reading and in the songs, in everything that's happened. I thank you, Lord God, that the Lord Jesus has been glorified, that he has been lifted up. Father, as we grapple with your Word today in a very challenging part of your word, help us to learn more of your all sufficient love for us so that when we struggle and when people around us struggle, we keep going. We keep looking to to you, holding on to you, knowing that you are the one who holds on to us. And we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. The Great Australian Dream vs. Life's Realities Well in the not so recent federal elections, not the other election. the made both of the major parties promised to deliver us from our worst nightmares, didn't they? And deliver the great Australian dream. What is what is at the heart of the great Australian dream? Home ownership. But I wonder what is. What is living the dream look like in our lucky country? Maybe we could take a, like a progressive sort of look at that. Maybe it starts with the right birth plan, then the right preschool or kinder, then the the right school, then the right course after school, then the right job, then you find the right spouse, and then you get the right car and you get the home, and then you get the better car, that new car smell. Maybe you even get to enjoy that. You experience overseas travel. You improve your health. Like me. You get to middle age. You realize you haven't done any exercise in the last 20 years. Maybe I should have a look at that. Then you get the better car, then you get the super. Then you got to improve the health again. Then you get the final car. Maybe then you get the retirement, then maybe some more travel, then protect the health. Then you get the right burial plot. That last one, I believe it or not, I was reminded of almost every day when I came into Melbourne Uni because you got on College Crescent, as it's called, you got all the residential colleges and then literally on the other side you've got the Melbourne Cemetery and there was this big fancy sign at one stage up near the sort of gatehouse of the cemetery. what did it say? It said premium spaces available. Reserve your spot now. That's what it said. I kid you not. It was like my FOMO was being fed even as I thought about my own mortality. Now there's nothing inherently wrong, I think, with the great Australian Dream as I've described it there. We actually need education. Having good health is a good thing. Holidays refresh us. Most of us are going to need a car. All of us are going to need somewhere to live. And if we live long enough, yes, we're going to need some kind of plan for retirement. Of course. And as Christians, we actually have something good to say about these things we can say, because it's true that we receive all of them with thanksgiving from God. They all come from the hand of God. We can receive them with an open hand, rather than sort of just clutching them to ourselves and to our families. We can receive them with thanksgiving rather than turning them into helpless little idols like our lifestyle TV shows do. We can worship God with the whole of our life and in every stage of our life. When Plans Are Interrupted: The Question of Suffering But as God's children. What will we do when some of those plans, or maybe even all of those plans, are interrupted in some way? No one plans for suffering in their five year outlook. Maybe we do in terms of insurance, but I certainly did it when I had a very difficult year in terms of mental illness. I didn't sort of say, well, I'm going to work for a couple of years, then I'll have some holidays, and then in about six months I'll have a mental health crisis and spend some time in hospital. I did sort of plan for that to happen. What do we do when God doesn't give us the gifts that I choose, or the gifts that other people around me seem to be enjoying? What about when God chooses to bring other things into our life? Maybe an old car to drive. Maybe a place to rent instead of to own. Maybe a different job to my dream job. Maybe singleness, maybe childlessness, maybe a broken marriage, maybe chronic illness. The philosopher asks if there is a good God and an all powerful God. Why is there suffering in the world? That's the question of theodicy, and it's a good question to ponder. But the question the book of Job asks is actually a practical one. The question the Book of Job asks is, what will I do when I suffer? And how will I respond to the suffering of other people around me? The short answer to that question is that we will either move towards God or away from him. Job's Story: An Unfolding Narrative of Pain and Faith Now, Job was a man who suffered greatly throughout his life. That's probably a little bit of an understatement. And in the prologue, that is the opening two chapters that have just been read. We see him at the beginning of his pain, I guess, and as the narrative, as the story unfolds, Job's words are going to get more and more emotional. They're going to get more and more passionate, more and more confused, more and more raw. Sometimes you're going to wonder, why on earth did God choose to preserve these words? In the Bible, there should be like a Netflix censorship label sort of warning you for what's what you're about to read. But all of these words, these words of lament are words of faith. They're words of hope in God. They're prayers, actually, that God does answer in Job's lifetime, but ultimately he answers them, like with the lament Psalms, if you like in The Suffering Servant, when the Lord Jesus comes into the world. Job is a poetry sandwich. So the meat in the middle. Most of the book is written in a poetic style. Takes a while to get used to that. You sort of got to go with the flow of it. But like reading the Psalms and the bread on either side is written in prose, which just means normal sentence style narrative kind of a thing. So the prologue that we've just heard and which sets up the story and the epilogue which brings it to a close, is written in prose, and the prologue unfolds in five scenes. And we're going to be looking at the first four of those, because the fifth one is a bit like a hinge into the rest of the book. Scene 1: Job Living the Dream And the first scene, I think. Yes. Megan's on the clicker. Thank you. The first scene is we see Job living the dream. and it makes, I think, the great Australian dream look a bit pale compared to Job's life at this point. Interestingly, this guy is a Gentile. He wasn't a member of Israel, and yet he lives a life that is spiritually described here as blameless and upright. He fears God. He shuns evil. That is, his life was consistent in the way that he loved God and loved his neighbor. Maybe we'd we'd sort of describe it in that way. He was a complete man. He was like the whole package. And he lived a complete life. So the number ten or or or multiples of ten keep coming up. That's the number of wholeness. He had ten children, which it was good to have lots of children back then. Ten children. Thumbs up. He had tens of thousands of livestock. He had a great reputation that seemed to be earned when when people looked at him, they said, here is the greatest man in all the East. Great in wisdom, great in faith, great in wealth, great in life. He was concerned for the spiritual health of his family. He offered sacrifices on their behalf. Like like the patriarchs of old. A kind of a priestly thing. He was. He was concerned not just for appearances being religious, but they might have sinned in their hearts. We need to talk to God about this. He lived consistently. Everyone who looked at him would say he is the blessed person. And and we. We read later on, if you read chapter 29 of Job, it fills out the picture that we just get a glimpse of in the first five verses. So if you want to flesh it out a bit over lunch today, you could read chapter 29. And, it was clear that, yeah, everyone sought out his counsel. they they saw him as a wise man, a compassionate man, a godly man who looked after those people who were in need. But how would these same people, how would his friends view him when all these outward blessings were taken away? Will they stick with him? Will they sit with him? Will they pray for him? Will they care for him? Now this picture, this ideal picture is really important for reading the rest of the book, because you're going to hear in the chapters that follow the his friends who come to comfort him. At first, they're like that song you say at best when you say nothing at all. As soon as they open their mouths, it all goes downhill and they're going to see his suffering as evidence of God's judgment. He must have done something wrong. Nobody suffers that much. If they're a good person, he must have sinned. He suffers because he sins. And then they're going to say. And when he complains he's singing his speech, he's still sinning in the way that he speaks to us about God. But that's not true. The narrator says, the Lord says, we'll hear it again. No, he suffers because he is good, because he is righteous. At the end of the book. In chapter 42, the Lord will say his words, unlike the friends, were words of faith. Even his laments, even his angry outbursts, had faith running through them. Back to the prologue. Scene 2: The Lord's Boast and Satan's Lies We're into season two now. The Lord's boast and Satan's lies. Have a look. Let's have a look at verse six. One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, where have you come from? Satan answered, sorry. Satan answered the Lord from roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it. Now we need to remember. And I mean, this is going to become very clear as the book unfolds and certainly in the last few chapters, but it comes up again and again that God is a creator and sustainer of all that is, he is the sovereign ruler, the King over all that he is. And what we discover here is that that includes even the unseen spiritual realm, the realm of angels and demons. Nothing happens that is outside God's direction and control, and that includes even the actions of Satan. So you have this throne room scene. The angels report to him. Satan also comes into their midst. God asks Satan, what have you been doing? And he gives an evasive answer, going to and fro throughout the earth. More accurately, what he's been doing is what we hear in one Peter five and verse eight, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Satan is prowling around and Job is on the menu on this occasion. And the Lord does something that seems strange at first. In verse eight, he draws Satan's attention to Job. The Lord instigates the action of this chapter. He said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There's no one on earth like him. He is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. There's that description again. But then Satan replies, Does Jo fear God for nothing? Haven't you put a hedge around him in his household? Everything he has. You've blessed the work of his hands so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. It's important to see here the Lord's initiative and the Lord's ultimate control. He brings up the question of Job. Whatever will happen to Job, whatever Satan thinks that he can achieve. It's caught up into God's larger plan, and it has to do with something to do with God proving the reality of Job's faith. The devil cannot escape God's sovereign will. And I want you to hear how much the Lord loves Job. He's. He's gushing over Job. There's no one like him in all the earth, he says. Which is what God does with his people before heavenly beings. Before the universe, if you like. The Lord boasts of his people. He celebrates his church. He writes their names in his book of life. So that so that anyone in the universe can can see it. When one sinner repents. Jesus says he throws a heavenly party. And Zephaniah tells us that God sings over his people. It's extraordinary. We've been singing to God this morning. Listen to Zephaniah 317. The Lord your God will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you by his love. He will exalt over you with loud singing. That's extraordinary. The kind of love that God has for his people. We need to remember that whatever happens to Job and whatever happens to us, we are actually in the palm of God's hand. Suffering will happen, but it will not be the last word. But of course, Satan is the ultimate cynic. He sees through it all. God, you're deluded. And Job. He's a phony. He's only in it for the money. Come on. He's only in it for the health, the wealth, the blessing. Take all that away. He'll spit in your face. He'll curse you. See, Satan's not only confronting Job at this point, he's confronting God. He's calling into question the possibility that God and a human being could actually have a relationship like this. Satan's deluded, though, isn't he? We know that he's defeated. God will vindicate himself. And his servant and their relationship before these lies. But a key question in Satan's challenge is raised in verse nine of chapter one. Does Job fear God for nothing? Well, the law will allow Job's many blessings to be taken away so that nothing is left. Because he's confident that what will be left is his faith in God by God. Let me say it again will remain entirely in control. Satan only acts with God's permission. Verse 12, the Lord said to Satan, very well, then, everything he has is in your power. But on the man himself do not lay a finger. Scene 3: Job's Life Interrupted Scene three Job's life interrupted. Well, we've heard of. We've seen Job live in the dream. But now we see Job's life painfully, I guess. Dismantled. Pulled apart piece by piece. Each of the material blessings he enjoyed are taken away from him. These foreign invaders have come in and decimated his property, his livestock, everything that he owns. There's a sole survivor left after each disaster, but it's almost like they're only spared so that they can bring more bad news until the worst news of all. Verse 18, when he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine in the oldest brother's house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them, and they are dead. And I am the only one who has escaped to tell you. Job woke up that morning, as he always did. To pray to offer sacrifices on behalf of his children. Completely unaware of the tragedy awaiting him and his wife. By the end of that same day, their seven sons and three daughters were dead. I think it's easy to get used to stories and descriptions in the Bible, so we get used to knowing them really well. Like when people encounter Jesus and their lives are changed around. We're so used to, you know, we don't sort of think about what it would mean to be blind from birth and then be healed. Like, yeah, Jesus healed the blind man. Okay, what's the next thing? Kind of a thing? I think it's the same thing with the weight of what's going on here. And it came back to me at least about a week ago. I was watching the news and more bad news from Gaza. There was a family, a husband and wife, both doctors, ten children, just like Joe and his wife. The wife was working at the hospital at the time. A bomb struck the building where the family was. The building came down and nine of the ten children died, and the husband and the remaining child were in a critical condition. Bodies were taken to the hospital, and it was the mother who was one of the first people attending. Who. These are my. These are my kids. What do you do? What can you do? How do you make sense of it? How do you respond? We need to remember. The Job knows nothing of the conversation. And the heavenly throne room. Stuff's happening on Earth that's affected by what happens in heaven. But he doesn't get to overhear that. And we don't get to overhear those conversations either, do we? We have more information than Joe because Jesus has come into the world. But still we don't. We're not privy to. We don't sort of have God explaining, okay, now all these things are happening, but don't worry, because tomorrow it doesn't work like that. And it didn't work like that for Joe. All he knows is that one day everything was going well, the next day. It's like everything's turned upside down. How do you respond? Well, how did Job respond? Well, the rest of the book will continue to unpack that response, but this is the initial response in verse 20. He got up, tore his robe, shaved his head, fell to the ground in worship, and said, naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised, literally blessed. In all, this Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. What does he do? He mourns. Of course he mourns. He tears his robe. He shaves his head. He falls to the ground. And he worships God by acknowledging the reality of who God is and what his life is. No one chooses to be born. Not one person in this room chose to be born. Life is a gift given by God, and God chooses when our life will end, which seems obvious. But in practice, I think even as believers, we sometimes act as if we make ourselves that we answer to ourselves, that we're in control. You know, if I get this situation sorted out and avoid that person and have this experience and adopt this exercise regime, then things, everything should work out. We're in denial of our fragility, our utter dependence upon God, and we're shocked when death interrupts. He'd only just retired. He was going to travel the world. But Job is right. His words are words of faith. Whoever we think we are, whatever we have achieved, whatever others think of us. The truest thing about us is that all that we are and all that we have, and all that we will be, lies in the hands of our maker. It's a famous verse, isn't it? We bring nothing into the world. You take nothing with you naked little screaming, fragile, wrinkly little babies coming into the world, dusty, frail, naked human beings going out of the world. We are really like little babies screaming out into the darkness of the universe in the hands of our maker, who is free. But as the rest of this book will show ultimately, and the rest of the Bible will show is also good, and we owe him our complete worship the Lord gave. The Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. Scene 4: Suffering Intensifies - "Skin for Skin" Well, the optimists amongst us, I'm afraid to say I'm a pessimist a lot of the time, but the optimists amongst us might be saying, well, as long as you've got your health, dear, that's the main thing. Well, suffering came down on Job's wealth, even his children. But now it hits his health. It hits his body, it hits his mind. Opening verses of chapter two. It's familiar territory. The heavenly court is again in session. Angelic beings report to God. Satan intrudes. God questions him. Once again, the Lord draws Satan's attention to Job. Once again, the Lord delights in Job and here exposes the failure of Satan's plans. Job still holds fast his integrity. Although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason. What a Job! Say blessed be the name of the Lord. He didn't curse God. He blessed God. But Satan's never satisfied. He's always despising God's good word about his servants. Skin for skin. It's one thing to lose your staff, even your loved ones. But what happens if you feel trapped in the pain of your own mind and body, when your experience is so painful? You just want it to end. Well again, Job's faith will be proven. God's purposes will be vindicated. God allows this terrible interruption to Job's life. The most painful test. But again, notice he's in control. Satan has to answer to God. Verse six of chapter two. Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life. And then we hear something of Job's experience. Verse seven Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it. As he sat among the ashes. The ash heap, the rubbish dump. It's some kind of terrible skin disease that covers his body. He's in constant pain and discomfort. He smells. Even his wife finds it hard to be near him again. Others around him increasingly see him as unclean and cursed. Even children make fun of him. A huge thing in that culture. He has insomnia. His mind, his emotions are in turmoil. And I'm getting that from other little snippets where he describes his situation. So chapter seven, verse five. My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt. My skin hardens, then breaks out of fresh. Chapter 19, verse 17. My breath is offensive to my wife. I'm a stench to the children of my own mother. Chapter 30, verse 17. The night racks my bones. The pain that gnaws me takes no rest. Chapter 30, verse 30. My skin turns black and falls from me. And my bones burn with heat. And spiritually in his relationship to God. It feels like God's just moved further and further away, so we don't hear Job's voice from after the prologue until we get to the to the theophany, the appearance of God in chapter 38. And it's a very long book. That's a very long silence. So Job's going to keep calling out. He's going to keep saying, I can't, I can't feel you. Please speak to me. Why can't I hear your voice? Please show me that you love me. Almost the worst pain for Job, actually, than his physical pain is actually his pain in relationship with God. Because he knows that if he doesn't have God, in the end he doesn't have anything. What he wants most of all is to know that God is for him. Understandably, Job's wife is deeply upset, and I think we need to sit with Job's wife. We don't hear a lot about her, but I think we need to understand that it's her life that's been destroyed as well, isn't it? She bore these children that have died, and this is her husband that she has to watch powerless going through this suffering. And later, as she sits and listens to everyone, just continually throw these, shoot these arrows at Job, she has to hear her, the name of her husband denigrated, and all these terrible things being said about him. I think he or she is speaking out of her pain. She wants it to be over. It's just too much. But we also need to recognize that without knowing it, because she hasn't heard the conversation either. She's echoing the words of Satan when in verse nine she says, are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die. How does Joy respond this time? The last verse we're looking at, you're talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble? In all this Job did not see in him what he said. Behind the word accept. There shall we not accept the good and the bad is the meaning. Shall we not make use of? Shall we not profit from not just the good stuff, but shall we not make use of the hard stuff as well? He's trusting in God. He recognizes the good things, and the hard things come from God's hand. They might not fit into our plans, our five year plans, but thankfully everything fits into God's plans for his people. Personal Reflection: God is For You So my illness meant that I was not working for a year I wasn't able to see. People did church online. and I was very grateful for, a handful of Christian friends who were very careful in the way that they rang up to to pray for me or just listen to me, or just sort of to be there. And I remember very clearly a much older mentor who rang up on one occasion and he said, after a very long conversation, said very carefully. He said, do you know, Andy, that, if if God thought that what was happening to you would lead to your eternal damage, he would not let it happen? Andy, God is for you. And that's not just for me, is it? That's for all of us. What does Romans 828 say in all things? Not just the good things, not just the happy things, but the difficult things, the things that other people around us don't understand and aren't sure what to say. In all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose, not my purpose. My purpose is often interruption, interrupted and frustrated, which I think is probably a good thing. But God's purpose is not frustrated by these things. God doesn't say, well, I don't know what to do with that. I don't know what to do with Andy. I guess just taking too long. Is this too. It's just too complicated. His life's too messy. No, he never did that. He never does that. In God's hands, our suffering is not meaningless. In God's hands, nothing is wasted. God is good. Moving Towards God in Suffering When Job suffered and he starts doing it here and he'll keep doing it through the book. Even as he's screaming out of God, he's moving towards God like a little child screaming out in the supermarket. Their parents aren't there. They're doing the right thing. Everyone else is a bit embarrassed how that little child screaming like that in the supermarket had never happened with my children. Rubbish. But anyway. But God, God, he's the best parent, isn't he? He's the perfect father. And Job knew that all, all the thing to do was to run to him. And his words weren't pretty or polite. It's like the kid just screams out. They don't sort of work out this script of how I can be polite to my mum in the supermarket, you know what I mean? His words are passionate. They're angry, they're confused. But in all these prayers, he's crying out to the right person because he's crying out to the one who's in control. He's crying out to the one whose purpose for Job and for his world is good. And we know now. Something the Job didn't know that all those prayers were ultimately going to be answered in Jesus. That in Jesus we see the suffering servant and we discover that in Jesus God has entered into our suffering with us, not metaphorically, but literally. Sharing our tears, sharing our pain. God moves towards us in our suffering. That's the thing that underlies our faith. Before we make any kind of movement towards God, God has already made the first move. Not that we love God, but that he loved us and gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. In Christ. God forgives us all our sins. He takes away all our guilt, all our shame, and will finally heal and transform and restore us when Jesus comes again. But right now, maybe for a long time, it won't feel like it. But we need to remember that God is good and he's working for your good, and he's working for the glory of his name in all the earth. Closing Prayer So my prayer for you and for myself, actually, is that as we hold on to Jesus, as we cry out to our loving Heavenly Father who's not embarrassed, not embarrassed even when we can't say anything at all. Actually, when there are only tears that as we do that we know that he is the one who is holding on to us. And whatever happens, he will never let us go. And when we look to the Lord Jesus and what he has done for us and who he is for us, now we know, don't we, that that is true. Let's pray. Heavenly father, we do thank you that you are the most perfect and patient and kind and holy and loving. Heavenly father, we thank you that you did so loved the world that you gave your son, that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. We thank you that you do walk beside us in our suffering, and that you do catch our suffering up into your purposes for our lives and for your world. We thank you that nothing is wasted in your hands. Lord God, please help us to keep keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, remembering that your eternal hands hold us up now and forever. That we have nothing to fear because your love is true and strong and good. Please sustain us. Please strengthen us. Please help us just to keep going. And we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.

On today's episode of Theology Simply Profound, Rob and Bob continue to walk through the Book of Daniel. We see the great challenge Nebuchadnezzar places upon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans of the land by insisting that they reveal his dream to him before the interpretation. What are Daniel and his friends to do? Trust the Lord; he will provide.

Send us a textActs 7:1-8And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” And Stephen said:“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.' Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.' And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.Support the show

Daniel Taken to Babylon Dan 1:1  In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. Dan 1:2  And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. Dan 1:3  And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; Dan 1:4  Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. Dan 1:5  And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. Dan 1:6  Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Dan 1:7  Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. Daniel's Faithfulness Dan 1:8  But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Dan 1:9  Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. Dan 1:10  And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make meendanger my head to the king. Dan 1:11  Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

SCRIPTURE: Daniel 2 SHOW NOTES: We invite you to visit our ministry website, Discover God's Truth, to find more resources to support your spiritual journey.Daniel was a man of fervent prayer. He was taken captive to Babylon and served there for over 60 years. In this first historical episode, he learns that the king had a dream and wants to know both the dream and its interpretation. The wise men of the court cannot reveal this information to the king. The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” Daniel 2:10-11Daniel learns of the king's harsh order—kill all the wise men—and requests time to find a solution to the king's dilemma. He returns to his house, calls his friends—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—and asks them to join him in prayer. "He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon." Daniel 2:18 They asked for God's compassion to manifest through a revelation of the king's dream and its interpretation to Daniel. God revealed the secret mystery to Daniel. He believed this vision was an answer to their fervent prayers. “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter.” Daniel 2:20-23SONG: Perfect Wisdom of Our God - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSnzYnOe6kI

Sermon Series: I Am FreeSunday morning sermon with Pastor Gary Clouse from Valley Community Church in El Monte, CA.Note: This message is available in both audio and video formats on our website. Notes are also available in PDF format.

Sermon Series: I Am Free Sunday morning sermon with Pastor Gary Clouse from Valley Community Church in El Monte, CA. Note: This message is available in both audio and video formats on our website. Notes are also available in PDF format.

“True Wisdom and Power” Daniel 2:1-24 May 4, 2025 Pastor John Choi  Sermon Application [file]   ----more---- Daniel 2:9b Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 11 The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” 12 Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 13 So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. 14 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15 He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king. 17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. 23 To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter.”      True wisdom and power belong to God, and He reveals them to us for His glory and our good.            I.  The Search for Wisdom and Power (1-16)           II.  The Source of Wisdom and Power (17-20)            III.  Wisdom and Power shown (21-24)

The Isaiah Blueprint: A Prophetic Parallel for the Hour We're In • Friday Service If you'd like to support the ministry, please visit: www.ToddCoconato.com/give Learn more at: www.PastorTodd.org 1. Isaiah 45:1 (NKJV) “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut:”   2. Isaiah 45:4-5 (NKJV) “For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me.”   3. Isaiah 46:1-2 (NKJV) “Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity.”   4. Isaiah 46:9-10 (NKJV) “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.'”   5. Isaiah 47:1 (NKJV) “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called Tender and delicate.”   6. Isaiah 47:10 (NKJV) “For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me'; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.'”   7. Ezra 1:2 (NKJV) “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.'”   8. Revelation 13:16-17 (NKJV) “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”   9. Revelation 18:4 (NKJV) “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.'”   10. Matthew 24:44 (NKJV) “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” CCLI: 21943673

Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. - Daniel 1:3-4

Is Trump Building the Third Temple? • The Todd Coconato Show If you'd like to support the ministry, please visit: www.ToddCoconato.com/give Learn more at: www.PastorTodd.org Today, I want to take you on a journey through Isaiah 45, 46, and 47 — three powerful chapters that I believe prophetically mirror the times we're living in. In my recent study, the Lord began to show me something profound: could President Donald Trump be walking in a modern-day Cyrus mantle? Could we be in the middle of a divine setup — one where God is shaking the nations, exposing Babylon, and preparing the way for the next chapter in prophetic fulfillment, including the building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem? Point 1: Isaiah 45 – God Calls Cyrus (The 45th President?) Isaiah 45:1 (NKJV) “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—To subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut:” Point 2: Isaiah 45:4-5 – God Uses Him Even Without Full Knowledge Isaiah 45:4-5 (NKJV) “For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.”   Point 3: Isaiah 46 – Babylon's Burden (The Biden Administration Era) Isaiah 46:1-2 (NKJV) “Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity.”   Point 4: Isaiah 46:9-10 – God Declares the End from the Beginning Isaiah 46:9-10 (NKJV) “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done…”   Point 5: Isaiah 47 – The Fall of Babylon Isaiah 47:1 (NKJV) “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate.”   Point 6: Isaiah 47:6 – God Allows Captivity, But Also Brings Deliverance Isaiah 47:6 (NKJV) “I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, and given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy…”   Point 7: The Connection to the Third Temple Ezra 1:1-2 (NKJV) “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia… the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia… saying, 'All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah.'”   We are living in Isaiah 45, 46, and 47 times. We've seen the Cyrus anointing (Isaiah 45), we've endured the Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 46), and now, we are entering the moment where Babylon falls and deliverance begins (Isaiah 47). This isn't about idolizing a man — this is about recognizing the sovereignty of God to use whomever He chooses to fulfill His prophetic timeline. Could Donald Trump be used by God to open the way for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem — just as Cyrus did? Only time will tell — but one thing is clear: God is moving. Prophecy is unfolding. And the people of God must be awake, prepared, and watching.

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

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.

Chris Sallade teaches on how God was present with the prophet Jeremiah, even when he was thrown into a cistern and left to die. The story comes from Jeremiah 37:11-38:13 and here are the verses from chapter 38:"Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people: 2 “Thus says the Lord: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. 3 Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” 4 Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” 5 King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud."When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— 8 Ebed-melech went from the king's house and said to the king, 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. 13 Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

“Faithful in Exile” Daniel 1:1-14 March 23, 2025 Pastor John Choi  Sermon Application [file]   ----more---- Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. [2] And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. [3] Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, [4] youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. [5] The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. [6] Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. [7] And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. [8] But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. [9] And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, [10] and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” [11] Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, [12] “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. [13] Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” [14] So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days.  God's people in exile fulfill His kingdom purposes by devoting themselves to His kingship and resisting worldly deception.     I.  The Exilic Experience of God's People    II.  The Context of Babylonian Exile (1-2)   III.  The World's Methods of Deception (3-7)   IV.  The Believer's Response to Worldly Deception (8-14)

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

Sequence Hymn #455 O Love of God, How Strong and TrueOffertory Anthem "Pie Jesu" from Requiem (Rutter) Lawren Casagrande, soloistCommunion Hymn #571 All Who Love and Serve Your CityPost-Communion Hymn #150 Forty Days and Forty NightsTHE COLLECT OF THE DAYO God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from thy ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ thy Son; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.FIRST READING Genesis 15:1-12,17-18Reader A reading from the Book of Genesis.The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”ReaderThe Word of the Lord.PeopleThanks be to God.PSALM Psalm...

Second Sunday in Lent Old Testament Genesis 15:1-12,17-18 The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. Then he said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess." But he said, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates." The Psalm Psalm 27 Dominus illuminatio 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, * it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who  stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army should encamp against me, * yet my heart shall not be afraid; 4 And though war should rise up against me, * yet will I put my trust in him. 5 One thing have I asked of the Lord; one thing I seek; * that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; 6 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord * and to seek him in his temple. 7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe  in his shelter; * he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high upon a rock. 8 Even now he lifts up my head * above my enemies round about me. 9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with sounds of great gladness; * I will sing and make music to the Lord. 10 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; * have mercy on me and answer me. 11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." * Your face, Lord, will I seek. 12 Hide not your face from me, * nor turn away your servant in displeasure. 13 You have been my helper;  cast me not away; * do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. 14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, * the Lord will sustain me. 15 Show me your way, O Lord; * lead me on a level path, because of my enemies. 16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *  for false witnesses have risen up against me,  and also those who speak malice. 17 What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the Lord * in the land of the living! 18 O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; * wait patiently for the Lord. The Epistle Philippians 3:17-4:1 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. The Gospel Luke 13:31-35 Some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

Sometimes, we can be walking in the promises of God, and things start getting tough.  Opposition.  Battles.  What's going on?  Is it time to give up? What happened to all those promises?   THE SPIRITUAL BATTLEFIELD Well over these last weeks on the program we've been looking at the fact that it's time to take the Promised Land. God makes so many promises of peace and of joy and His protection and forgiveness and eternal life, the list goes on and on and you know you and I can come up with so many excuses in our lives as to why those promises couldn't possibly ever be for us. It's true, we do. In a sense those excuses are completely natural and understandable. There was a young woman who wrote recently in response to a program, I want to share with you what she wrote because it's kind of a road we all travel sometimes, this is what she said: For a while now I've been getting negative thoughts and saying negative things, I know the devil's doing it and not God but it won't stop. I want so much to do Gods will and to walk in His ways, am I going mad? Will this wreck my relationship with God? I so much want to do His will for His glory and not mine. I want to be a serving and faithful servant for Him. I have all these problems; I say bad and negative things. I can say things without thinking, I tell lies and other unchristian things, what does it mean for me? Is it going to ruin my relationship with God? See this young woman is struggling with the realities of life. She wants to live in that Promised Land but somehow she's just, she just can't see how it's for her, she just can't seem to get there. We all struggle with these things, we struggle with doubt, we struggle with our failings, will this wreck everything with God? We go over that over and over again. Listen to me, it is time to take the Promised land. Over the last three weeks on the program we've been looking at Israel. God promised to Abraham, the father of Israel, this land of the Canaanites, the Promised Land. And centuries later, centuries, after Israel had grown into a large and mighty nation in slavery in Egypt God brought Moses and through a series of miracles he brought the nation of Israel, His chosen people, out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and they wandered in the desert for forty years as God purified them. And then one day under the leadership of Joshua because Moses had just died, they're standing on the banks of the Jordan River and finally ready to cross into the Promised Land. And what they discover is that there's already a whole bunch of other people living there, the Canaanites and the Jebusites and the Amorites and all those other little vegemites were already there. And even though this was Gods Promised Land it wasn't going to be delivered to them on a platter like a pizza, they had to go out and take it, they were on a war footing. They had to fight battle after battle beginning with Jericho, they went through a lot of battles to take the Promised Land. You know something, it's the same with you and with me and with that young woman, we live on a spiritual battlefield. That is the reality of life. And the moment we step out and we believe in Jesus, the moment we step out and say, "Lord, I'm going to follow you in your promises", we step onto that spiritual battlefield. John Eldridge in his book Waking The Dead makes this powerful statement, he says: Things are not what they seem, this is a world at war. And then he goes on to explain what he means, he writes this: The world in which we live is a combat zone. A violent clash of kingdoms, a bitter struggle unto the death. You were born into a world at war and you will live all your days in the midst of a great battle involving all the forces of heaven and hell and played out here on earth. Until we come to terms with that war as the context of our days, we simply will not understand life. See this is why over the last few weeks we've been working our way through this series in the Book of Joshua called, "It's Time To Take The Promised Land" because the context is war. The devil is not going to hand us God's promises on a silver platter. In fact, he is going to try to rob us of Gods promises at every turn. We'd like to think, particularly those of us who live in the affluent west that being a Christian means living in the blessings of God and having a comfortable life and having plenty of money and taking it easy. Well I don't know if you've noticed but life is not like that especially when we step onto the spiritual battlefield by giving our lives to Jesus Christ. The moment we do that all the forces of hell are unleashed against us. That's the reality, we shouldn't be surprised. I think that the surprise element is what makes it worse. We have these expectations of an easy and comfortable life and when satan unleashes all his devils against us, of temptation, of doubt, failure and opposition and trials and on and on and on, over and over and over, we start thinking 'wow there must be something wrong with me'. Au contraire! Inevitably when we decide to take hold of the promises of God in our lives there will be a battle involved. Don't be surprised by this, it's in the Bible. C S Lewis in his book Mere Christianity put it like this: One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament, seriously, was that it talked so much about a dark power in the universe. A mighty evil spirit who was held to be the power behind death and disease and sin. This universe (writes Lewis) is at war. Wake up! The world is at war. The context of our lives following after Jesus Christ is a spiritual battlefield. See Israel was promised this land through Abraham centuries before they even got there. Do you think when God made that beautiful promise to Abraham that he expected battles and wars and stuff? Listen again just briefly to this beautiful promise to an old man, this impossible promise in Genesis chapter 15. The word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision. He said 'don't be afraid, I'm your shield and your very great reward'. But Abraham said, 'O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus.' Abraham said, 'you have given me no children so a servant in my household will become my heir. And then the word of the Lord came to Abraham, 'this man will not be your heir but a son who comes from your own body will be your heir' and God took Abraham outside of the tent and said, 'look up at the heavens and count the stars if indeed you can count them' and then He said , 'so shall your offspring be. And Abraham believed the Lord and God credited it to him as righteousness. And God also said to him, 'I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.' But Abraham said, 'O Sovereign Lord how can I know that I will gain possession of it? So the Lord said to him, 'bring me a heifer and a goat and a ram, each three years old along with a dove and a young pigeon'. Abraham did that he brought all of those things and cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other. The birds however he did not cut in half. And then the birds of prey came down on the carcasses but Abraham drove them away and as the sun was setting Abraham fell into a deep sleep and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him and then the Lord said to him, 'know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and they will be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years but I will punish the nation they serve as slaves and afterwards they will come out with great possessions. You however will go to your father's in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure. And when the sun had set and the darkness had fallen, the smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham and said, "To your descendants I give this land. From the river of Egypt to the river of the Euphrates. The land of the Kenites and the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites and the Rephaites and Amorites and Canaanites and the Girgashites and the Jebushites. This was a serious promise, who would have ever had expected that is would involve battle after battle after battle after battle.   IT'S TIME So let's go from that promise of God to Abraham centuries before into the midst of the taking of the Promised Land. Israel, under the leadership of Joshua, crossed over, they fought battle after battle, they'd taken Jericho and city after city has fallen before them. Why? Because that's what God promised and we're going to pick up the story in Joshua chapter 18, they're not quite half way through taking this Promised Land. There are twelve tribes in Israel, five tribes have their land and seven are left to go, seven have yet to get their Promised Land. It must have seemed like an eternity. You know when you face battle after battle, we're tempted to pull over and stop, to take a breather that kind of turns into a lunch break that turns into a holiday that turns into long service leave and before you know it we haven't got what it takes to keep going again. I tell you, in my life in this ministry Christianityworks, I've been involved now for just on three years and the call on my heart as I took over to start producing radio programs again we weren't on any stations three years ago and today we're on over seven hundred stations in eighty countries around the world. I have to tell you it was hard work, battle after battle after battle. Sometimes there were not enough funds and people said they'd help but then they realised how hard it was to do this work and they just didn't deliver and they fell by the wayside. And people criticised and people didn't understand, you know what I'm talking about and you get tired, you get exhausted. It would have been so easy just to pull up, to slow down, to give up, what a temptation. And yet there was this promise of God in my heart that He'd called me to do this. But we're all tempted to give up half way. You know the only reason I haven't is because along the way I've had some great teaching on this subject from a wonderful teacher called Joyce Meyer and there was just one message and God wrote this stuff on my heart, 'to keep going' and that's my prayer for you today, just this one message that in these few moments we spend together that He will write His word on your heart to keep on pressing forward into the promises of God. Whether we're struggling with fear or sin or addiction or a tough relationship and we hear about Gods promises so we set out on that journey of faith but after a while, oh it's hard work and there is opposition and there are battles and we want to give up, you know what I mean. In fact my hunch is you know exactly what I mean. And it was the same with Israel, they were almost half way into taking the Promised Land, if you've got a Bible open it up, lets listen to Joshua chapter 18. The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up there the Tent of the Meeting. The country was subdued before them but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance. So Joshua said to the Israelites, 'how long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers has given you. Appoint three men from each tribe, I will send them out to make a survey of the land to write a description of it according to the inheritance of each then you will return to me. You are to divide the land into seven parts. Judah is to remain in its territory on the south and the House of Joseph in it's territory on the north. After you have written the descriptions of the seven parts of the land bring them here to me and I will cast lots for you in the presence of the Lord. The Levites however do not get a portion among you because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance and Gad and Rueben and the half tribe of Manassah have already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan, Moses the servant of the Lord gave it to them. As the men started on their way to map out the land Joshua instructed them, 'go and make a survey of the land, write a description of it then return to me and I will cast lots for you here at Shiloh in the presence of the Lord'. So the men left, they went through the land, they wrote its description on a scroll, town by town, in seven parts and returned to Joshua in the camp of Shiloh. Joshua then cast lots for them in Shiloh in the presence of the Lord and there he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their tribal divisions. I love this passage because they're almost half way through and it begins by saying, "the whole land, the whole country was subdued before them". See so much of the work had already been done , God had done so many things, they were so far down the track and sometimes when we're tired of the battle after battle we lose sight of how far we've come. We look back and then, then we see the mighty hand of God at work in the victories. Isn't it the same in our lives? You get tired and you think, "argh Lord this is too hard". It's time to just take a quick look back and see all the mighty things that God has done in our lives. I get such great courage from just looking back, even over these last three years in the ministry of Christianityworks and I think, "man, look at what God has done." And once they've looked back Joshua asks the sixty four million dollar question. Joshua said to the Israelites: How long will you wait before you take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers has already given you? How long will you wait? See you're almost half way there. You take a breather, you pull over, you stop, you get set in your ways, you can't go any further, you lose heart, what are you people doing, how long will you wait? What came next? There was work to be done. They sent the men out, they looked forward, they divided up the land into seven portions. See God always, ALWAYS involves us in what's going on, He never lets us become spiritual couch potatoes, He sent three men from each tribe out to survey the land, to record the land and to choose the seven divisions. And next they came back to Joshua and in the presence of the Lord Joshua cast lots. Really what Joshua was saying there is, "we're going to leave this up to God, we've got some work to do but God is in charge. We're going to cast lots for this land between the seven tribes in front of God and we will let God choose through the lots who gets what land." See there's a message for us here. If we're a people thats pressing forward into the promises of God don't stop, don't pull over, don't give up. If it's a tough relationship that you've been praying over and the Lords has been leading you to do good things, to serve and to support, to humble yourself and you're tired and you want to take a breather and you think, "augh, it's just not going to happen" and get to thinking, "this isn't working, it's not going anywhere, it's time to give up". Or God's called you to something, a ministry or a job or whatever it is that somehow, as you look back you can see all the good things He's done. But the promises seem like such a long way off. Whatever the situation, how long will you hang around here before you take the land that God has already given to you. Come on! Get up and do the things you know you have to do, do them under God and, and what? Do you think God is going to fail you? Do you think God is just leading you up the garden path? Do you think that God has put you up the creek in a barbed wire canoe without a paddle? Are His promises faithful, are they worth following, are they worth it?   THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD Well are the promises of God real? In a sense in theory we can all answer, "sure, I mean if God is God and He makes a promise then it has to be real". But you know something, the theory and the reality can be two different things. I shared a little before about the battles over the last three years that I've travelled through in taking this ministry from, I guess, pretty much nothing to reaching millions of people each week. Now I don't want any of that to seem remarkable because it's nothing that we did, God opened door after door and performed miracle after miracle to do that and it's what God's called me to do, He's called you to something different. So let's not compare as I share my story, hear what God is saying to you today about your story. Now I'm someone who knows the theory of God's promises as well as anyone. I mean a big part of my job is to study God's Word to put together these programs. So I'm "in the theory" if you like all the time but the reality has been that it's been lots of hard work and there have been disappointments and setbacks. And one of the hardest things has been often the people closest to us, people in our own Church, who haven't understood what we do or supported us or encouraged us, there's so many times the finances looked critical. It's still something that happens now and I find myself thinking, "why is it that the people in our own Church don't even support us?" Or one station where we've had a huge audience for a number of years was talking about taking our program off air and we've had to pray and pray and pray and then finally see God's victory. And sometimes I think, "God why can't it be easier than this? God why does there have to be so many battles along the way?" And you know what Gods answer has been to me, so that you my child would discover my faithfulness for yourself. See God wants us to experience his faithfulness, not in theory but in practice and you know something, I know so much more today about the faithfulness of God than ever have simply by travelling through battle after battle and seeing the victories that God has brought along the way. And there is such an intense satisfaction as I look back on that and I can truly say, "yes Lord, it's been hard work but all the glory goes to you and not to me because I could never have done this". The Book of Joshua that we've been travelling through these last weeks is about Israel's battles on the journey of taking the Promised Land. And when finally all the land is taken and allocated to all the tribes have a listen to what God's Word says, if you've got a Bible open it at Joshua chapter 21 beginning at verse 43. So the Lord gave Israel all the land that He had sworn to give their forefathers and they took possession of it and settled there and the Lord gave them rest on every side just as He had sworn to their forefathers, not one of their enemies withstood them, the Lord handed all their enemies over to them, not one of all the Lord's good promises to the House of Israel failed, every one was fulfilled. WOW! Let's just let that sink in for a minute. Not one of all the Lords good promises to the House of Israel failed, every one was fulfilled. When God makes a promise he never ever fails to deliver. When Jesus promised that He came that we would have life in all its abundance, that is a promise of God and it's a promise He intends to keep in your life and in mine. And as we travel through battle after battle and hang close to Him and just let those promises of God glow in our hearts and we hang on to them through this spiritual battlefield the devil comes after you with a meat cleaver and you fail some days and you stumble and you remember Jesus on that cross, you remember He purchased that life for you, we can know in our hearts that now, now it's time to take the Promised Land. And not one of all the Lord's good promises to you or to me will fail; every one of them will be fulfilled. It is time to take the Promised Land.

Explorers are looking for ______________ while settlers are looking for ______________. [Genesis 11:31] One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram's wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran's child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah settled before he reached the _______________ ___________. Don't settle for __________ than God's __________! [Philippians 3:12-14] I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Don't settle for a life dictated by ___________________ and previous experiences. [Galatians 6:9] So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Don't spend the night in a rest area when you have a _________ _______________ waiting for you. If the devil can't get you to __________ he will get you to ________________. I'm not gonna settle for something ___________ when God's got something ____________. [1 Peter 5:10] In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

"For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel." - Jeremiah 51:5

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

Ezekiel 1–3 (Listen) Ezekiel in Babylon 1:1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.1 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the LORD was upon him there. The Glory of the Lord 4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal.2 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit3 would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning. 15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.4 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directions5 without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures6 was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire;7 and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.8 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. Ezekiel's Call 2:1 And he said to me, “Son of man,

Sermon Note: During this message, Phil inadvertently mentioned the events occurring in 537 BC a few times. The correct year for these events is 539 BC.5:1 King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 5 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 6 Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 7 The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. 10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 12 because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” Daniel Interprets the Handwriting13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. 14 I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. 16 But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. 24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Da 5:1–31.

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

The Sword or the Cross? (audio) David Eells 2/23/25 Please be patient with me and I will share something that just may save your physical and eternal life. If you are not willing to believe only what the scriptures say concerning your relationship to this evil world and its God-ordained plan in your life, you don't need to waste your time with this revelation. When Peter used the sword to keep Jesus from going to the cross, He said, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”. Even though the true saints will not agree with much that is about to happen in this world, they will not take “the sword” of man and break their covenant with God as the apostates and their leadership will. God's plan for His people is demonstrated by Jesus. (Joh.12:23) And Jesus answereth them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. (24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit. (25) He that loveth his life loseth it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. (Loseing our life is mostly losing our carnal self life to partake of the life of Christ.) (26) If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will the Father honor. As Jesus was a seed sown in the dirt of this earth, so must we be. The wicked of this world are the dirt that puts to death the fleshly husk of the seed so that the inner life may come forth and bear fruit. As a lamb does not struggle with a wolf, the seed does not struggle with the dirt but permits it to fulfill its purpose. (Luk.10:3)...I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. In God's plan wolves devour the flesh of the lambs. He uses the wicked to chasten His children. (2Sam.7:14) I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. (2Cor.4:11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (16) Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. (17) For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. The glory of God will be manifested in those who will “resist not him that is evil” but will “turn the other cheek” and permit the dirt to do its job. No one else can drive the nails, friend. You are unable to do it and other Christians shouldn't do it. It is God's plan to use the harlot and the beast to crucify our old man. (Act.2:23) Him (Jesus), being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay. (4:27) For of a truth in this city against thy holy Servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, (28) to do whatsoever thy hand and thy council foreordained to come to pass. Through death to self at their hands, the world will see Jesus in us and we will be enabled to fulfill the great commission. (1Pet.4:1) Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; (2) that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. In the days when God's people were ruled over by the Roman beast it was written: (Rom.13:1) Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the [powers] that be are ordained of God. (2) Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. Though Christians are forbidden to take the mark and image of the beast, they are also forbidden to take up arms against secular nations over them. This puts the people of God in a position of weakness like Jesus when He submitted to His cross instead of fighting. (Note: Some falsely say that the U.S. is not typed in the Scriptures. In Revelation, we see that Babylon is the Queen of the world, an end-time world superpower, a very rich nation that trades with the whole world. Both Revelation and Daniel say it is the head of all the nations and was called the “great eagle” in Ezekiel 17. Jeremiah 25 shows that it will bring destruction to the Middle East and then fall in what appears to be a nuclear attack from the nations. Revelation 18 says this will be in one hour of one day. Who, with common sense, would not see that this ancient eagle lives again in our day and has been secretly ruled by a satanic, corrupt, and perverted deep state? Most recently Babylon is being conquered by our modern day Cyrus who ruled in ancient times as Media-Persia. Using Babylon and her king as a type of the U.S. and her President, God warned his people to submit to her as far as secular matters go. (Jer.27:5) I have made the earth, the men and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it unto whom it seemeth right unto me. (6) And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant.... (7) And all the nations shall serve him.... (8) And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. This has happened. (9) But as for you (Christians), hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: (10) for they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.... (12) And I spake to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. (13) Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? The modern day apostate leadership has served Babylon turning against the Word of the Lord. And the rebels have been chastened by their “sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence”. (14) And hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon; for they prophesy a lie unto you. (15) For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that ye may perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. And these depopulationists have murdered the apostates who trust in man's vaccines rather than the clear Word. Also we will see that true Christians are not to take up arms in the worlds wars. Our kingdom is not of this world as Jesus said. That is not to say that God doesn't have mercy on ignorance. In this way God will cleanse His body of those that refuse to obey and go to their cross. We are now close to the beginning of the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation in Revelation 12 where the dragon/serpent chases the woman Church into their wilderness refuge to be taught of the Man-child. What brings us to our cross? Jesus said, “Love your enemies”, not shoot them, and “turn the other cheek”, not make war on them. God will chasten the Christians who “take the sword”. Our Lord said, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword”. I am certainly not excusing the government's actions in any of this but if David Koresh, the leader of the Davidians' stronghold in Waco, Texas, in early 1993 had not broken God's covenant and stored up that arsenal with the intent to use it against the government, he and his followers would still be alive. Bear witness that God did not defend them. God will bring the U.S. against His people and their apostate leaders because they have ignored His covenant. (Hos.8:1) [Set] the trumpet to thy mouth. As an eagle [he cometh] against the house of the Lord, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law. (2) They shall cry unto me, My God, we Israel know thee. (3) Israel hath cast off that which is good: the enemy shall pursue him. (4) They have set up kings, but not by me; they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. In the days of Jesus, the apostate people of God were in bondage to the Roman beast for their rebellion against the Word. These stiff-necked people of God were in constant revolution against the Romans and paying a great penalty for it. (Mar.15:6) Now at the feast he used to release unto them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. (7) And there was one called Barabbas, [lying] bound with them that had made insurrection (revolution), men who in the insurrection had committed murder. (8) And the multitude went up and began to ask him [to do] as he was wont to do unto them. (9) And Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? (10) For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up. (11) But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. (Jn.18:40) They cried out therefore again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Notice that Barabbas and many with him were in prison for making a revolution against the Romans. Jesus suffered in the place of this Jewish patriot. In like manner, the true body of Christ will suffer innocently because of “Christian” patriots who will revolt against the beast. In another type, Barabbas was chosen out of all the Jews that were in prison with him to be released. Barabbas means “son of the father”. Because Jesus went to the cross, a remnant of these people who truly are “sons of the Father” will be forgiven and saved. Militant patriots do not understand what the Holy Spirit showed in this text, that killing Romans or Americans is “murder” and that those who steal from them are “robbers”. Remember, God did not defend almost 1000 very religious patriots whom the Romans destroyed. In 66 A.D. when the Jews rebelled against the Romans, they captured this mountain 1000 meters above the Judean wilderness. In a well-supplied, seemingly impregnable fortress, the Jews attempted for seven years to hold out against the Roman beast. In a clear type, all but a remnant of seven committed suicide and brought an end to the worldly state of Israel. “Christian” rebels in our day will, in effect, commit suicide by fighting against the beast and bringing an end to the worldly state of the Church. The Timothy McVeigh's of this world are not patriots in God's kingdom. The real heroes are those who leave worldly governments up to God and choose their cross over rebelling against His Word. Like Jesus, Paul gives us a type of how innocent Christians in our day will be falsely accused as rebels and imprisoned or killed. In Acts 21:38, a chief captain said to him, “Art thou not then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?” Notice once again that an Egyptian, representing the old carnal man, was leading Jews to kill Romans. The “Christians” who are led of the old man today will fight against the beast. God will not tolerate those who call themselves patriots in order to rebel against governments and God's Word. (Rom.13:1) Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God.... (2) Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. Let our Cyrus do his job to take down Babylon while we preach the gospel to all, which is our job. Jesus gave us permission to “flee” like sheep before the wolves, but not to fight in the flesh as wolves. (Mat.10:16) Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (23) But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. Notice that this persecution will spread the Word through the cities of God's people and He will come. Praise His Name! While the carnal people of God were having their revolution against the government, Jesus and the disciples were having a spiritual revolution against their flesh. Jesus said, “Think not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword (the Word). For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law: and a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household” (Mat.10:34-36). Notice when you get saved they are often on the other side until they get saved. Tertullus, speaking against Paul's spiritual revolution, said, “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of insurrections (revolutions) among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). They always call us a sect or cult for obeying the Word. Jesus and Paul's revolution was to use the Word to separate the chosen from the carnal church of his day. Neither of them had anything to do with wrestling with a flesh and blood beast system. That was the harlot's revolution. We are to be patriots of the Lord's kingdom, not the U.S. Like Jesus, “My kingdom is not of this world”. Because they would not obey Jesus, the Jews were led by their deceiving leadership to their own destruction and that of their city in 70 A.D. This was also the cause of its destruction in other times. (Ezr.4:19) And I decreed, and search hath been made, and it is found that this city of old time hath made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made therein. (5:12) But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. Every beast kingdom was raised up by God to chasten and bring into bondage and crucifixion His rebellious people and so it is with the Babylon of our day. Our warfare is not with flesh and blood men but with the demon principalities and powers that rule them (Eph.6:12). (Mat.5:38) Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: (39) but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Jas.4:7)...resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Many will fight to keep from going into captivity but only God determines if one needs this for their maturing. (Rev.13:9) If any man hath an ear, let him hear. (10) If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Only God gives authority to the beast to bring His people into bondage or death. M. Cox relates a dream he had concerning these principles. I had a dream so real that every time I think about it, it becomes more vivid just as if I was there. I was sleeping in our small farmhouse with a few other people one night. Sometime in the dead of the night all of a sudden I heard the thunderous boom of these military helicopters and airplanes. Then this helicopter landed right beside our house. All the occupants of our house were rounded up and taken away by the helicopter, probably to prison work farms. I was just standing there amazed, thinking these people never resisted, or tried to run away. And they all acted like I wasn't there. I thought that they had forgotten me. Soon after they left, another helicopter came. They were probably told that they had forgotten one of the occupants. I was naturally scared so I hid under the bed, shaking like a leaf with my legs sticking out. The soldiers didn't have any U.N. symbol but were probably a makeshift multi-national army. A black and a white soldier had yellow torches and machine guns with them. They were looking and thrashing everywhere trying to look for me. The black soldier was looking under the bed I was under. The funny thing was I was right in front of him with my feet sticking out but it appeared he couldn't see me. Suddenly, it dawned on me that I was invisible to the soldiers. They couldn't see me. After a while, the soldiers left frustrated at not being able to find me. I must say that the fear and terror of the situation was unbelievable. A few days later this helicopter came and sprayed this chemical and the surrounding place turned all brown. They probably had been given orders to let no survivors that they couldn't find live. Anyway, even before they sprayed I noticed that the surrounding vegetation looked brownish, maybe from nuclear fallout. Miraculously, with all this happening I was still alive and the dream ended there. Notice that God's people did not resist and only those who needed captivity were taken. We should not put it beyond God's ability to supernaturally hide those who do not need more crucifixion. If He could translate me halfway around the world to preach, He can certainly make us invisible to the enemy. Bob Aicardi also had a dream like this. I found myself cautiously walking the floors of a very large government building, which was occupied by foreign troops, and I knew that as an American I was not supposed to be there. I was noticed by a worker, who set off an intruder alert. Down the corridor, the entrance doors slammed shut and locked. As I walked up to the doors they opened and I passed through to escape. Once outside, perimeter guards were alerted and were all about. I walked through them as invisible and saw another man doing the same thing. I said to him, “Isn't the blood of Jesus wonderful?” We see that not only can God protect those who are mature but He can also give rest to those who need to submit to their cross. (Joh.19:11) Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above. Like our Lord, we are to receive everything as from God and leave retaliation up to Him. (Rom.12:17) Render to no man evil for evil. Take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men. (18) If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. (19) Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath [of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord. (20) But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. (21) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Our old man wants to live by defending self and retaliating, but our obedience to these commands crucifies that carnal nature in us. Satan seeks through well-meaning people to keep us from this cross. (Mat.16:21) From that time began Jesus to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up. (22) And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee. (23) But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling-block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. Notice that Peter, by the spirit of Satan was a stumbling block by trying to dissuade Jesus from going to His cross. Peter later took the sword, to try to enforce his way and again met with rebuke. (24) Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (25) For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it. Even when we are at our best, the hidden carnal nature must be crucified. (1Pet.2:20) For what glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted [for it], ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. (21) For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps: (22) who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (23) who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously. What could be clearer? We are to follow in Jesus' steps by cooperating with God's process of using the harlot religious system and the beast kingdom to bring us to the cross. We are not to resist them by force. The laws of our kingdom do not permit us to fight in the flesh to escape captivity. (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. In the days leading up to a civil war in the midst of the One World Order, many will stand up against the U.S. as the king of the South. Included among these are some of God's people who will try to impose their vision of the kingdom of God in the U.S. by violent methods, but they will be killed. (Dan.11:14) And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the violent among thy people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they shall fall. God will not permit fleshly methods to have any success so that His people learn to walk in the Spirit. (12:7)...It shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of (self in) the holy people, all these things shall be finished. Notice that our temptation to use our own power must be crucified. (Zec.4:6)...Not by (our) might, nor by (our) power, but by my Spirit, saith Lord of hosts. War is of the world and is motivated by lust, not God. (Jas.4:1) Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members? (2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. Those who join with the world to make war on their enemies are enemies of the cross and of God. (4) Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. Those who preach peace and safety and refuse to cooperate with God in this process of falling to the earth to die will be cut off. (Amo.9:8) Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; save that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. (9) For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all the nations, like as [grain] is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least kernel fall upon the earth. (10) All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, The evil shall not overtake nor meet us. We are coming to the same tribulation days of sifting as it was with Peter. (Luk.22:31) Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: (32) but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not. Even though Peter initially denied the Lord, he got back up and became a strong leader who gave up his old life. Satan is ordained of the Lord to sift the disciples to get the husk that is his, so that God may have the pure fruit of Christ. Here is a prophecy through Thomas S. Gibson that relates the persecution the U.S. will bring against Christianity to separate the true saints from the tares. Thus says the Lord, repent and listen to the Word of God. Note that there shall be persecutions arising in all places, throughout the U.S. and Canada, and through Europe. These nations shall rise up in persecutions against My people. It shall purge the Church. Those of Mine, that are truly Mine, who walk in power and are committed to Me, they shall stand in this persecution no matter what it brings. But listen to Me, and heed Me. For thus saith the Lord, I am God, and I am allowing this, for it shall purge My Church. For there are many that shall quickly deny Me, shall quickly deny the truth, quickly revert to a world religion, shall quickly deny the power of the Word; they deny the truth of the Word. They shall quickly deny many things, and they shall become politically correct for the day and the age that they live. For they do not want to be in persecutions and they do not want to stand against the world. They love the world, and they are part of the world, and they were never part of Me. But they have a form of Godliness in the Church, and they were in the Church, shining as Christians and looking as Christians in outward appearance, but in their heart they were not of Me. This shall purge the Church and bring to pass what I have said; I will separate the sheep from the goats; that is, My people from the world. God is sovereign in the happenings of history in order to show us what will happen in the latter days, for, “That which hath been is that which shall be”. In the time of the tribulation of Christ's day, Rome had swallowed up the people of God. Through Babylon's type we see that the U.S. would swallow up the people of God before her fall. (Jer.51:34) Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath, like a monster, swallowed me up, he hath filled his maw with my delicacies; he hath cast me out. (35) The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. Because Babylonish U.S. tried to save herself by sacrificing God's lambs on the altar of religious unity and political correctness, God will take vengeance on her. (36) Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry. (37) And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling-place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant. ... (41) How is Sheshach taken! and the praise of the whole earth seized! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! (42) The sea (of men) is come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof. (43) Her cities are become a desolation. by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence Please also listen to the audio series Honor the king? and How Shall We Die? and read Torment to Those Who Fight Back.   The Militant Apostates Rebel God is raising up the beast kingdom of the tribulation to crucify us as their forefathers crucified our Master. At the same time, the beast will purge Christianity of those who refuse to go to their cross of death to self. At first you may think I am wrong about this but if you will bear with me you will be overwhelmed with proof from God's Word. This is God's M.O. Because Christians do not stick to their command of spreading the Great Commission a competition has raised up which is unhealthy for us. When God is fighting against our enemies with His angels we are seen as guiltless and there is no competition between us and the world, which ruins our witness. The devil is being permitted by God to stir up competition so that paranoid, disobedient Christians will fight this government in the flesh and be destroyed. The Lord said to me once that “Spirits of paranoia will stir up Christians to fight against this country. In this way I will cleanse my Church of those that refuse to obey and go to their cross.” Conspiracy addicts are the prime spreaders of this paranoia. But we are to fear nothing but God who “works all things after the counsel of His will.” (Isa.8:11) For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, (12) Say ye not, A conspiracy, concerning all whereof this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be in dread [thereof]. (13) The Lord of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. You ask, “But David, what about the Deep State Illuminati conspiracy that has taken over our government to bring war and their New World Order?” Fear “him who worketh all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph.1:11). The Deep State Illuminati are nothing without God's permission. They and many others like them are sent by God to deceive those who do not love truth and to judge those who need it. Therefore, we are not to wrestle with flesh and blood but principalities and powers. Physically we are to permit them to cleanse the body.  (2Th.2:9) [even he,] whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: (12) that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. “The lowest of men” are raised up to lead the beast to crucify rebellious Christians. We need them. (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (Hebrew: His own purpose); Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Some say, “But I know some of these conspiracies are real”. I do, too, but the flesh is stirred up to fight when we think on the conspiracies, rather than the promises and the way of the cross. We are taught to study Truth rather than the evil in conspiracies because Truth has power unto Godliness, which delivers from evil. (Rom.16:19)....I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto that which is evil. Those who are taught to recognize counterfeit bills don't study counterfeits because there are too many possibilities. They study the real bills. That way they can recognize all counterfeits. The Word gives us eyes to see all errors. Some waste all their time studying evil governments and have no faith. But what we bind on earth is bound in heaven and He has given us authority over all the power of the enemy. All secular governments are evil just as the one in Jesus' day but He stuck to the business of the Father, taught the Word, and let patriots like Barabbas fight with flesh and blood to their own destruction. I also know that the beast government will persecute and crucify the saints when the time comes. I say along with Jesus, “Not my will, but thine be done”. If we are not willing to give up our carnal life in order to be obedient to the Word, then we will not be counted worthy of a heavenly life. Any who stir up God's people to take the sword will be guilty of their blood when they die by the sword, as the Word says will surely happen. Antichristian militant “Christians” will not stand for their rights being taken away and will fight against their governments. What do you think they will do when world law is imposed and the mark of the beast is inevitable? Civil war. States are seeing their Constitutional authority undermined by the socialistic moves of the past Obama and Biden administrations and the Deep State shadow government. Also, a litany of leftist, global U.N. treaties that were resisted by more conservative administrations are waiting in the wings to give sovereignty to the U.N. beast over families, women, and children, opposing free trade, opposing democracy and Christian freedom, bringing intrusive emissions laws, etc. The last three leftist presidents were just the men to open the flood gates. But God through the saints confession has and will cast down the dominion of Satan. Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels;  8  and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9  And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10  And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 11  And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. Militia's of conservatives, including many of God's people, have already trained and armed to fight against the U.S. government but look what God can do! Satan, who starts wars is cast down. Presidential voting fraud fiascos revealed the underlying dangerous polarization between conservatives and liberals. Ammunition sales rose significantly as did talk of civil insurrection and state secession. Much of this was by conservatives. Congressmen were openly warning of civil violence. Ammunition and gun sales began to get worse when the Obama and Biden administrations took the country in a sharp left turn. Clearly, the fear of where we are going and the conspiracies are corrupting people's minds and taking away their peace. Whether you agree with their militant thinking or not, all Christians will be blamed for these excesses. The liberal news media, although wounded now, will gladly continue to sway popular opinion against their historic enemy, the conservative Christians. Left-wing harlot “Christianity” will, of course, join in this attack proclaiming to be the true heirs of Christ, while they sleep with the beast in their politically correct tolerance of other faiths. What happened to the Jews in WWII will happen to the Christians and, ultimately, what happened to Germany will happen in the world. The world will become more antichrist and increasingly hate, persecute, kill, and bring God's carnal people into bondage. Oh, because of the recent successes you don't believe this? Read Revelation 12 and 13, which speaks of persecution and leads to the mark of the beast, without which many will be put to death and go to heaven. Ezekiel, as a type of the Man-child, prophesied that the apostate leadership of God's people would be brought into bondage by the “great eagle”, as a type of the U.S. He also saw and warned that part of that leadership would lead part of God's people to rebel against the “great eagle” to their own destruction. (Eze.17:2) Son of man...speak a parable unto the house of Israel; (3)...A great eagle with great wings...came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar: (God's people were likened in Scripture to the tall cedar evergreens of Lebanon because of their properties of eternal life.) (4) he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof (the immature leadership of Christianity), and carried it unto a land of traffic (Babylon); he set it in a city of merchants (Babylon). The top apostate leadership of Christianity, typed by Zedekiah, was taken into bondage in Babylon and his sons were killed and his eyes were put out, and he was put to death. (5) He took also of the seed of the land (God's people), and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters.... God's people will be put “beside many waters”, which are the peoples of the world depicted by the “many waters” that the harlot sits upon in Revelation 17:1,15. Therefore the people of God, righteous or apostate, were taken into bondage and put under the authority of the religious harlot, as it was in Jesus' day. (6) And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature (the harlot cannot overcome to lift herself from the earthly), whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine. The false prophet leadership of the harlot will rule with the ten kings as the little horn among the ten horns in the U.N. beast under the “great eagle”. The Lord confirms this interpretation in the text. (12) Say now to the rebellious house... Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon. The nations with the “great eagle” at the head will confirm a covenant with this false prophet leadership of God's New Testament people, uniting them with the false religions in the U.N.. (13) And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land. Notice in these verses that the king and all of the princes of Israel were called “him” meaning they are a corporate False Prophet. This covenant will be hidden from the apostates and their leaders. They will fulfill the type of the Jews in Jesus' day, who didn't realize that they had made a covenant with the beast to crucify the saints. To keep the peace, the Roman beast gave the apostates authority over the saints. History repeats. The strong delusion of the letter of the Word has already convinced the false leadership of Christianity of a fairytale covenant between a man called the antichrist and the letter Jews. Meanwhile, the real covenant will be fulfilled in the spirit under their noses. To them this could not be the covenant because they have not yet been raptured and their antichrist hasn't shown up. This covenant with the beast will make God's apostate people preach an even more impotent gospel because it is a covenant of tolerance for all false religions and all sinners in a vain effort to bring peace to the world. (14) That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. The apostates will be permitted to stand in the world as the base kingdom of the religious harlot. We just saw the word “covenant” mentioned in verses thirteen and fourteen. It was at this point in my revelation that the Spirit said to me, “From the first mention of the word “covenant” in verse thirteen count. How many verses does the word “covenant” cover?” Thirteen is the number in Scripture that stands for apostasy and rebellion. Including verse thirteen, the word “covenant” covers seven verses (13-19). I was impressed that this represents the seven years of the covenant of the beast in the Tribulation. Then I heard, “How many times is the word “covenant” spoken in those verses?” “Covenant” is mentioned six times in these seven verses. Six is the number of man and of the beast. As we saw, the sixth book, sixth chapter, sixth verse and sixth word of the New Testament is “man” (Rom.6:6). It was at this point the Spirit directed me to count, “How many verses before the “covenant” is broken?” In the “midst” of the fourth verse the words “covenant he brake” are spoken. That makes 3 ½ verses or years before the break and 3 ½ verses or years after the break. The covenant is broken “in the midst of the seven” years. (16) As I live, saith the Lord, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he (the apostate leadership) brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. This also is in the “midst of the seven” verses, which is a quote from the Hebrew in Daniel 9:27. “And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one seven: and in the midst of the seven (Hebrew) he (beast) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease”. Notice in these two verses that the apostate rebel leadership of God's people will break the covenant so the beast will cause the “sacrifice” to cease. At the time when the crowns of authority will be taken from the seven heads and given to the ten horns, the beast will make the mark compulsive. This will be a vain attempt to enforce peace by identifying those who are in covenant with the beast and those who are enemies and/or commit crimes. This will cause both true Christians and militants to be enemies of the state. The U.S. already has created the literal mark and is exporting it to the world. The U.S. will use its persuasion over the beast kingdom to make the mark compulsive in the midst of the Tribulation. Many apostate Christians will take it and become reprobated. What is left of their life of submitting their “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” will cease as an “abomination that maketh desolate”. In this same text we see the nature of this rebellion which breaks the covenant of peace. (15) But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape? This covenant is broken when the rebellious people of God, who were told by God to submit to Babylon, as we shall see, instead went to another “great eagle with great wings”, Egypt, for strength to fight with arms against her. (Eze.17:7) There was also another great eagle with great wings and...this vine did bend its roots toward him. Notice that the same terminology is given to describe a second eagle. This is because both of these great eagles represent the U.S. Foolish Christians in the U.S. will go down to Egypt to fight with her when they see their rights being taken away or, for some when they see the mark coming. What does Egypt represent? God's people came out of Egypt and were baptized in the Red Sea where the Egyptians, representing the old man, died. To go back to Egypt spiritually is to trust in the strength of the old man, the arm of the flesh. (Isa.30:1) Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin, (2) that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt! (3) Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the refuge in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. Some of God's foolish people with a conservative patriotic faction of this nation will take up arms to fight against it. This pits the “great eagle” against the “great eagle”, or civil war. God asked the question in our seven verse text: “shall he break the covenant, and yet escape” (Eze.17:15)? God's answer to this question is that these rebels will be crushed: (17) Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war.... (18) For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape.... (21) And all his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and ye shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it. When Peter used the sword to keep Jesus from going to the cross, He said, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Mat.26:52). Even though the true saints will not obey the religious aspects of this peace covenant, they will not take “the sword” of man and break their covenant with God as the apostates and their leadership will. The last of the seven verses says this. (19) Therefore thus saith the Lord: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head. The righteous will keep God's covenant even if it costs them their physical life but the self-willed will rebel. Some religious people say the mark of God trumps the mark of the beast, and that because they believe in once saved always saved. After bringing apostate Israel as a type of the Christians under his dominion in the beginning of what we would call the tribulation, Nebuchadnezzar appointed the Zedekiah administration to rule over them. This is the “he” above who rebelled with a large portion of Israel. Jeremiah, who represented the Man-child, prophesied against these apostate rebels in the parable of the two baskets of figs. (Jer.24:8) And as the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus saith the Lord, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt, (9) I will even give them up to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. (10) And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. On the other, hand those who submitted to the Word of the Lord through the Man-child Jeremiah were the blessed of the Lord. (24:4) And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, (5) Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good. (Notice that this captivity is going to be “for good” to the “good figs” who obey the Word and refuse to rebel.) (6) For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land (Notice Father will bring them to the New Jerusalem and land because Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the former apostate Jerusalem and land.): and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. (7) And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. All we have to do is replace the church in the Ezekiel 17 parable of civil rebellion above with natural Israel and we see another more natural interpretation, which is being attempted now. The U.S., which is at the head of the nations, is pushing Israel hard to give up land and make a covenant with the nations around them. Israel's natural ally in the United States is the apostate Christians and Jews who militantly support her. Since this ultimately will be a political and religious covenant both of these interpretations are coming to pass at the same time. It is certainly true that the beast is forcing both Israel and the Christians to give up their land now. Beastly laws are forcing Christians out of the moral ground that they have held on to issues such as abortion, sexuality, schooling, displays of Christian heritage, etc. In the U.S., this holy ground has been held since the more Christian times of the founding fathers. Eventually Israel and the apostate Christians will rebel against this covenant and turn to the militant arm of flesh represented by the great eagle of Egypt. Then they will both find themselves a burdensome stone that have something in common; the ire of the nations. Perhaps this is God's plan to infuse more Christian influence into Israel so that the elect among them will be saved and come out. Now I would like to share a few revelations that warn of these things.   Survivalism Coming in Evil Times G.W. - 08/22/2012 (David's notes in red) I had a dream where David and I were sitting and talking in what I believe represented the world. As we talked, there was complete and utter chaos going on all around us. It appeared that the whole world was turned upside down and was shaking. Several major catastrophic events had occurred. (Eve saw seven major earthquakes go around the world. The shakings are coming now to prove what is not to be trusted in: governments, nationalism, personal strength, religion, money, people, etc. Heb.12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned [them] on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape] who turn away from him that [warneth] from heaven: (If we don't obey God's voice, we will be shaken and judged.) 26 whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. 27 And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: 29 for our God is a consuming fire. The people who were around us started to act completely insane. They were worse than animals because animals have some sense of control. These people were consumed by fear of the shaking that they were experiencing. It was almost like everything was falling apart all around and nothing was holding together. (Shakings like natural disasters, failed economy and incomes, loss of food and basic services, no health care, crime, martial law, war, terrorism, no fixes in sight, etc., will cause men's hearts to fail them. Luk.21:25 And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. David said, “I told you they would act like this”. As he said this, a hysterical young girl started to try and grab me (persecution from immature Christianity). It was apparent that she had no sense of sanity left. (She acted like a drowning person who would pull someone under to save herself.) (They will fall for the beast promises of a worldly fix, like a covenant with many.) It was apparent to me that the girl possessed no inward thoughts; her whole focus had become grabbing and groping (with the intent to destroy) everything around her. As the unfolding happened, I began to think about relationships I had when people would lose control when the pressure was too much, but it was nothing compared to this. Everywhere I went there was disorder. It was the basic breakdown of every fundamental element of society. I saw people on the floor shaking for excessive drunkenness and cliques forming that were full of evil and worldly behavior. (When domestic dogs lose the moral compass of a master, they revert back to the pack mentality to survive. It's us against them, guns and crime for survivalism.) One of the people looked like an old Popeye (I can't remember in the dream what he was doing). (Popeye was the worldly hero who was endowed with worldly strength to solve every problem.) I could discern before ever knowing the guy that things were not right with him. But I wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt and a chance. In the end, he proved just as corrupt as everyone else. (Those who are strong and righteous in the world's eyes will fail for not having the spiritual answer to their problems.) I thought to myself, I knew I shouldn't have been hanging out with that guy. What was I thinking? I knew he would do this. (Let us not be influenced by their ways of seeking help or solutions.) At the end of the dream, I remember tasting blood in my mouth and it was very painful. I took my hand to wipe my mouth of the blood and when I looked down on my hand, there were little white meat particles on my hand, instead of blood. (A warning to not devour one another, as the strong in the world will do to save themselves. Gal.5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.) These coming times are to separate the wheat from the tares. The wheat will not compromise their convictions and will endure the trial trusting in the Lord and holding to His Word. Mat.13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things (not numeric) that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, 42 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear. Don't be bribed by your need to break God's Word. He has given all authority to you to receive your needs by His Word. Php.4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Inflation and the War on the Saints Jerod Thomas - 10/22/2010 (David's notes in red) There was this dollar bill that was about the size of a small computer monitor, like a 17-inch screen. (Strangely enough I have an enlarged hundred dollar bill and I just measured it at 17 inches long.) And, interestingly enough, it had what looked like a screen because I could see images forming out of it. Words were forming out of it. I saw one of the words was “punishment”. I also saw this country (the U.S.) and the face of Benjamin Franklin. (Benjamin's face is on the $100 bill. Will the punishment of the U.S. be that what a dollar would buy would soon cost $100, as the value drops and they print more and more creating inflation?) Then I saw Cain, Abel's brother. Cain's eyes were bloodshot and he looked like a character from a western movie. He had shot his gun. (Cain, who “was of the evil one” [1Jn.3:12], slew the chosen seed, as it will be in these days.) He had a very strong spirit on his face. It was the spirit of murder and then his eyeballs disappeared and I was able to see inside of his eye sockets; it was as if I was staring into the very depths of his soul. It was pure darkness, literally. It was pitch black. Mat 6:22-23 The lamp of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness! And then I saw an image of Satan as that darkness. He was in an elevator, as in that “Devil” movie (2010) that just came out in theaters. (The seven-headed, ten-horned body of the dragon in Revelation 12 represents a corporate Cain, the body of all lost mankind inhabited by Satan. These will attempt to devour the woman Church.) It was the most awful, defiling presence I had ever felt from demons. Satan was trying to scare and consume me with that spirit of murder and through my fear I would have given in, but I didn't want to wake up out of my sleep and run because I felt the LORD was with me and I wanted to fight that devil. (Through murder, Satan will attempt to intimidate the saints into obedience to him, which is the spiritual mark of the beast.) My voice was different because I was in the middle of a war and that war was resisting the devil, and I spoke with a very aggressive and raspy voice, and I said to that devil, “God is greater!” Then that devil left. Jas.4:7 ... Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Luk.10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Praise God Almighty that I was able to experience this and triumph through Him. To Him be the glory and honor, dominion and power now and forevermore, in Jesus' name, Amen. What Is Inflation? A simple commonly used definition of the word inflation is simply “an increase in the price you pay for goods”. In other words, a decline in the purchasing power of your money”. But there is more to inflation than that. There is “Price Inflation” and “Monetary Inflation”. Technically, Price Inflation is when prices get higher or it takes more money to buy the same item. Monetary Inflation is an increase in the money supply which generally results in price inflation. This acts as a “hidden tax” on the consumers in that country. Monetary inflation is commonly referred to as the government “printing money” although the actual process is a bit more complex than just cranking up the printing presses the effects are essentially the same. As the money supply increases, the currency loses its purchasing power and the price of goods and services increases. This process usually takes 18 months to two years, so the government is able to spend the newly minted dollars at the old value before consumers realize that they have been cheated into accepting something that will purchase less than they originally thought it would. Summary: When inflation skyrockets and poverty is everywhere, men become desperate and crimes against humanity become rampant. Governments who are looking for scapegoats and want to cut someone out of their meager benefits will find that the god of this world, who has taken them over, will anoint them with reasons to blame and persecute the Christians. The dragon/beast is coming to make war on the saints. Make sure you have your armor on.

4 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. 13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from a man's, and let a beast's mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.' 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.” Daniel Interprets the Second Dream19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! 20 The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 21 whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. 23 And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,' 24 this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Nebuchadnezzar's Humiliation28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws. Nebuchadnezzar Restored34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; 35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” 36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Da 4:1–37.

"Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans." - Jeremiah 24:5

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

We continue our project of reading ALL of God's word for our listeners. The book of Daniel is a favorite because of its amazing stories and prophetic visions, but it is also rich in detail and historical context. It opens circa 605 BC, timestamped as "the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah." Jehoiakim, born as Eliakim, was the second-born son of the great reformer Josiah, who died in a rash attempt to prevent Pharoah Neco from passing through his kingdom to attack the Assyrians. The people of Judah (apparently) bypassed Jehoiakim for his younger brother, Jehoahaz (Jehovah his sustainer), who reigned only three months, and then Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt and placed Josiah's older brother, Eliakim (God will establish), on the throne, but renaming him Jehoiakim (Jehovah will establish). Jehoiakim would reign for eleven years. Confused? It only gets worse. But ... it is extremely important to "get" the historical details here if you want to understand the Bible as the historical book it claims to be. Life in this vale of tears is not neat, but it does follow interesting patterns at all levels of resolution. Two more kings of Judah will follow, Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiakim) and Zedekiah (born Mattaniah, the youngest son of Josiah, renamed by Nebuchadnezzar). Length of reigns? 3 months (Jehoiachin) and 11 years (Zedekiah). See the pattern? What does it mean? If you have ideas, please let us know! Jenny and I have learned that there are no mistakes or haphazard elements in God's word. Another interesting element of the timestamp is that the third year of Jehoiakim is the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign over Bablyon. He was apparently attacking Egypt when his father, Nabopolassar, died. He probably stopped - on his way back to Babylon to be crowned king - to ravage Jerusalem and take Daniel and the other members of the royal family and nobility of Judah captive to Babylon. This means that Daniel and his friends were only in the second year of their three year course of studies to be "wise men" of the Chaldeans when they interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter two! When we recognize this, these verses in chapter one takes on new meaning and significance: As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. Daniel 1:17–20 (ESV) God is indeed faithful to bless His people when they remain faithful to Him. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, says YHWH of hosts." As usual, here is a good summary of the Book of Daniel that we highly recommend: https://youtu.be/9cSC9uobtPM?si=7DfciDVCCpbmkb62 May the Lord add richly to your knowledge of Him as you study!

Istrouma en Español Jan 19 – 21, 2025 ========== 19 de Enero, 2025 Dios camina contigo en el fuego Daniel 3 ========== ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭30‬‬ El rey Nabucodonosor hizo una estatua de oro cuya altura era de sesenta codos, y su anchura de seis codos; la levantó en el campo de Dura, en la provincia de Babilonia. Y envió el rey Nabucodonosor a que se reuniesen los sátrapas, los magistrados y capitanes, oidores, tesoreros, consejeros, jueces, y todos los gobernadores de las provincias, para que viniesen a la dedicación de la estatua que el rey Nabucodonosor había levantado. Fueron, pues, reunidos los sátrapas, magistrados, capitanes, oidores, tesoreros, consejeros, jueces, y todos los gobernadores de las provincias, a la dedicación de la estatua que el rey Nabucodonosor había levantado; y estaban en pie delante de la estatua que había levantado el rey Nabucodonosor. Y el pregonero anunciaba en alta voz: Mándase a vosotros, oh pueblos, naciones y lenguas, que al oír el son de la bocina, de la flauta, del tamboril, del arpa, del salterio, de la zampoña y de todo instrumento de música, os postréis y adoréis la estatua de oro que el rey Nabucodonosor ha levantado; y cualquiera que no se postre y adore, inmediatamente será echado dentro de un horno de fuego ardiendo. Por lo cual, al oír todos los pueblos el son de la bocina, de la flauta, del tamboril, del arpa, del salterio, de la zampoña y de todo instrumento de música, todos los pueblos, naciones y lenguas se postraron y adoraron la estatua de oro que el rey Nabucodonosor había levantado. Por esto en aquel tiempo algunos varones caldeos vinieron y acusaron maliciosamente a los judíos. Hablaron y dijeron al rey Nabucodonosor: Rey, para siempre vive. Tú, oh rey, has dado una ley que todo hombre, al oír el son de la bocina, de la flauta, del tamboril, del arpa, del salterio, de la zampoña y de todo instrumento de música, se postre y adore la estatua de oro; y el que no se postre y adore, sea echado dentro de un horno de fuego ardiendo. Hay unos varones judíos, los cuales pusiste sobre los negocios de la provincia de Babilonia: Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego; estos varones, oh rey, no te han respetado; no adoran tus dioses, ni adoran la estatua de oro que has levantado. Entonces Nabucodonosor dijo con ira y con enojo que le trajesen a Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego. Al instante fueron traídos estos varones delante del rey. Habló Nabucodonosor y les dijo: ¿Es verdad, Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego, que vosotros no honráis a mi dios, ni adoráis la estatua de oro que he levantado? Ahora, pues, ¿estáis dispuestos para que al oír el son de la bocina, de la flauta, del tamboril, del arpa, del salterio, de la zampoña y de todo instrumento de música, os postréis y adoréis la estatua que he hecho? Porque si no la adorareis, en la misma hora seréis echados en medio de un horno de fuego ardiendo; ¿y qué dios será aquel que os libre de mis manos? Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego respondieron al rey Nabucodonosor, diciendo: No es necesario que te respondamos sobre este asunto. He aquí nuestro Dios a quien servimos puede librarnos del horno de fuego ardiendo; y de tu mano, oh rey, nos librará. Y si no, sepas, oh rey, que no serviremos a tus dioses, ni tampoco adoraremos la estatua que has levantado. Entonces Nabucodonosor se llenó de ira, y se demudó el aspecto de su rostro contra Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego, y ordenó que el horno se calentase siete veces más de lo acostumbrado. Y mandó a hombres muy vigorosos que tenía en su ejército, que atasen a Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego, para echarlos en el horno de fuego ardiendo. Entonces estos varones fueron atados con sus mantos, sus calzas, sus turbantes y sus vestidos, y fueron echados dentro del horno de fuego ardiendo. Y como la orden del rey era apremiante, y lo habían calentado mucho, la llama del fuego mató a aquellos que habían alzado a Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego. Y estos tres varones, Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego, cayeron atados dentro del horno de fuego ardiendo. Entonces el rey Nabucodonosor se espantó, y se levantó apresuradamente y dijo a los de su consejo: ¿No echaron a tres varones atados dentro del fuego? Ellos respondieron al rey: Es verdad, oh rey. Y él dijo: He aquí yo veo cuatro varones sueltos, que se pasean en medio del fuego sin sufrir ningún daño; y el aspecto del cuarto es semejante a hijo de los dioses. Entonces Nabucodonosor se acercó a la puerta del horno de fuego ardiendo, y dijo: Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego, siervos del Dios Altísimo, salid y venid. Entonces Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego salieron de en medio del fuego. Y se juntaron los sátrapas, los gobernadores, los capitanes y los consejeros del rey, para mirar a estos varones, cómo el fuego no había tenido poder alguno sobre sus cuerpos, ni aun el cabello de sus cabezas se había quemado; sus ropas estaban intactas, y ni siquiera olor de fuego tenían. Entonces Nabucodonosor dijo: Bendito sea el Dios de ellos, de Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego, que envió su ángel y libró a sus siervos que confiaron en él, y que no cumplieron el edicto del rey, y entregaron sus cuerpos antes que servir y adorar a otro dios que su Dios. Por lo tanto, decreto que todo pueblo, nación o lengua que dijere blasfemia contra el Dios de Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego, sea descuartizado, y su casa convertida en muladar; por cuanto no hay dios que pueda librar como este. Entonces el rey engrandeció a Sadrac, Mesac y Abed-nego en la provincia de Babilonia. 1. El Poder que oprime. (Daniel 3:1-7) 2. El Pacto que sostiene. (Daniel 3:16-18) 3. El Protector que salva. (Daniel 3:24-25) ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭30‬‬ King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. 1. The Power that oppresses. (Daniel 3:1-7) 2. The Covenant that Sustains.(Daniel 3:16-18) 3. The Protector who saves. (Daniel 3:24-25) [Image] https://imageproxy.youversionapi.com/640x640/https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mushroom-event-images-prod/117574509-1705700493680.jpg [Image] https://imageproxy.youversionapi.com/640x640/https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mushroom-event-images-prod/117574509-1697561260831.jpg Regístrate ¡Si es la primera vez que asistes te invitamos a que te registres utilizando el siguiente link! https://istrouma.org/nuevo Nuestro Facebook Link de nuestro facebook donde nuestros servicios estarán en vivo ¡Acompáñanos! https://www.facebook.com/IBCespanol/ Visita nuestra pagina oficial: ¡Te esperamos! https://istrouma.org/espanol

Istrouma Baptist Church (ASC) Jan 19, 2025 ========== January 19 - Daniel Welcome! We're glad you've joined us today for our Sunday morning worship service! For more information about Istrouma, go to istrouma.org or contact us at info@istrouma.org. We glorify God by making disciples of all nations. ========== Connection Card https://istrouma.org/myinfo Be Convicted & Be Courageous Daniel 3:1-6 ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭30‬‬ King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. 1. Forced idolatry 2. Scheming snitches 3. Convicted and courageous saints

Acts 7:1-16 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.' 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5 Yet He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. 6 And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. 7 ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,' said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship Me in this place.' 8And He gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 9 “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him 10 and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11 Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. 13 And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. 14 And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. 15 And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, 16 and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.   Key Words: Abraham, Promise, Inheritance, Possession, Affliction, Rescue Keystone Verse: Yet God gave Abraham no inheritance in the land, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. (Acts 7:5)   Download Bulletin

Today we talk about the governors Nergal-Erish and Mannu-ki-Mat-Assur as they play their part in building the Assyrian empire in a number of often unheralded and underappreciated ways. Then we look at important developments in Babylonia related to the Chaldeans and Itu'eans. Mannu-ki-Mat-Assur's archives: https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/atae?zoom=67&bkmk=P527340 If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially: Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/ or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.

For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.