Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 259

Sep16

Day 259 – Reading – Daniel 10 – 12

Read the Scriptures.  

Daniel 10.

Here is another of the “end-time” prophesies that is hard to understand.  At least it seemed that Daniel understood some of it.

“In the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia, a word was REVEALED to Daniel.  And the word was true, and it was a great conflict.  And he UNDERSTOOD the word and had understanding of the vision.”

(This is now two years after the first decree was made to let Israel return to their land.)  Daniel had been mourning and waiting for three weeks concerning the visions he’d already seen. He was on the beach of the Tigris River when he saw a man (a vision?)  He describes this man much the way John described the risen/exalted Jesus in Revelation 1:13-14. Could this have been a Pre-Christ “Christophany?”  Also, Daniel’s reaction (He fell to the ground with no strength) was like John’s. Rev. 1:17.

(HOWEVER, many believe this “being” was again the angel Gabriel.)

A hand touched Daniel and “set him trembling on his hands and knees,” and the being said the sweetest words. “O Daniel, man much loved…”  Daniel stood, still trembling to hear the words, “From the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of them.”

Then the holy being explained a bit of invisible warfare that you and I are mostly unaware of. “The prince (demonic ruler) of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.”

He now tells Daniel why he is there.  He has come to “make Daniel understand what is to happen to Israel in the latter days.”  At this, the being had to once again strengthen Daniel,

“O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage. 

I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth.”

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Daniel 11.

The being first confirms that Darius has been tasked to show kindness towards Israel in helping them return to their land.

Then, as in chapter 8:3-26, “a great huge chunk” of future events is retold. There will be conflict among the world nations, which will follow each other in conquest and power up to Antiochus Epiphanes and the desecration of the Temple. (Only a preview of what will happen later with the Antichrist. see Dan. 11:36) 

(This account is so accurate in history that critics think that it was written 400 years AFTER Daniel.  But, hey, we know that GOD knows all things from eternity past to eternity future, and He simply let Daniel in on a few items.)

The account continues with great persecution for the Jews until the “time of the end.”  The evil antichrist will reign until the Lord Jesus Christ returns in power and defeats him once and for all.  “He shall come to his end, with none to help him.”

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Daniel 12.

Encouragement is now given to Daniel and Daniel’s people, Israel. When that great evil antichrist is in power, the archangel Michael (keeper of Israel) will arise to help.

“And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people (Israel) SHALL BE DELIVERED, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.  MANY of those who sleep … shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And THOSE who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above.  THOSE who turn many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.”

Then, Daniel is told to “shut of the words and seal the book” until the time of the end, when many will run to and fro and knowledge shall increase.  (WOW, DOESN’T THAT SEEM LIKE THESE DAYS, TODAY?)

Then Daniel looked and heard someone call out, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”

And the being (Christ?) who was above the waters of the stream (Tigris) raised both hands to heaven, and swore, cryptically … “It will be for a time…times…and half a time. When the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end … all these things will be FINISHED.

Daniel: “I heard, but I did not understand.”  (You are not alone, Daniel.)

The being said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and “the abomination” that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.  Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.”

Then He assures Daniel that he will “rest” (die) and “shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”   

(Oh, YES!  In eternity, Daniel will be there in his allotted place, and we will get to meet him.)

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(LORD, I surely do not understand much of this.  Like Daniel I have many questions. But I will trust YOU to put me where I’m to be, and at Your perfect time.  Oh, help me to be faithful!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 258.

Sep15

Day 258 – Reading – Daniel 7 – 9

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophet is saying.

Day 258.  Daniel 7.

In the following three (6) giantchapters are the prophetic visions that Daniel had of the near and distant future. They are hard to understand, but with some help, we can gain a little knowledge.

This prophetic vision backtracks to the time of Belshazzar, the Babylonian king.  This time, Daniel had a dream, and in the morning, he wrote down the dream and the “sum” of it.

He saw four huge beasts emerge from the sea. 

  • One was like a lion with wings.  The wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up to stand on two feet. It was given the mind of a man.
  • The second beast was like a bear. It had three ribs in its mouth.  It was told to go and devour much flesh.
  • The third beast was like a leopard with four wings on its back.  It also had four heads. Dominion was given to it.
  • Then, Daniel saw a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong.  It had great iron teeth, and it devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped what was left with its feet.  It had ten horns. Then a little horn grew up and plucked out three of the horns by the roots.  And this little horn had the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Whoa!

These four beasts represent the same empires that Nebuchadnezzar’s dream-statue portrayed. The “sea” that they emerged from is the Mediterranean Sea (area).

  • The lion with wings represents Babylon. (Images of these were carved into the city gates.)
  • The bear is Medo-Persia, with the ribs representing all its vanquished nations.
  • The leopard represents Greece. The four heads represent the four generals who divided the kingdom after Alexander the Great died. (Macedonia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt)
  • The fourth beast represents the Roman Empire. Its dominion fell apart, but it will be revived and returned to greatness near Christ’s second coming. It will consist of 10 parts ruled by 10 kings, then a final 11th king who will be Antichrist.

Daniel’s vision then goes forward to when the Ancient of Days will give judgment on him, and Christ will destroy him.  And glory and dominion will then be given to the King of Kings.

More details are then given about these end times, including the 3.5 years of great tribulation.

And Daniel?  Whoa. His thoughts greatly alarmed him, he paled, but he kept the matter in his heart.

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Daniel 8.

The next dream that Daniel had was while Belshazzar was still king. 

He saw a ram on the bank of a Canal. It had two tall horns, but one was taller.  He charged westward, northward, and southward. No beast could stand before him. He did as he pleased and became great.

Then a male goat came from the west across the face of the earth, without touching the ground.  It had a prominent horn between its eyes.  It came to the ram on the bank of the canal and ran at it.  The goat struck and broke the ram’s two horns, so it had no more power. The goat trampled the ram, and it died.  The goat then became exceedingly great.

But when it was great, the big horn was broken, and there came up four smaller horns facing the four winds. ONE of the horns grew really great, even to the stars. It faced “the Glorious Land.” And the burnt offerings and sanctuary were given to him for 2,300 days.

Okay, whoa again.

Then he heard a voice from heaven. “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”  And Gabriel told Daniel that this vision was for the time of the End, and Daniel was told to “seal it up.” 

First came the ram (Persia) and the goat (Greece) and the divided parts, one of whose leaders became Antiochus Epiphanes, who was then mirrored in the Antichrist, who would be in power for 6 1/3 years: the tribulation and Great Tribulation.

 “I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision, and did not understand it.”   (We didn’t either, Daniel!)

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Daniel 9.

Now we jump forward until after the defeat of Babylon, in the first year that Darius is reigning as king over the Chaldeans.

Daniel was reading in the books of Israel, and read in the book of the prophet Jeremiah, that 70 years would pass after the destruction of Jerusalem for Judah to be in exile.  The end of those 70 years was near, so Daniel began to pray.

Such a long, heart-felt prayer of confession, and adoration, and petition!!  (Oh, read the whole prayer several times!)

O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keeps His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from Your commandments and rules.

We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name …  To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame … because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  To us, O LORD belongs open shame … because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. 

And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us… by bringing about this great calamity.

Yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our god. We have not turned from our iniquities and gained insight by your truth. We have not obeyed… We have sinned, we have done wickedly.

O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your Holy hill, because, for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers. Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us!

Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for Your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.

O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by Your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive, O Lord, pay attention and act.

Delay not, for Your own sake, O my God, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.

And while he was praying, confessing his sin and the sin of his people Israel, and presenting his plea before the LORD for the holy hill of God… while he was speaking, the man, Gabriel came to him. 

“O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. 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) understanding of the vision.

It was not just 70 years, but 470 years about the people and the holy city, when God would put an end to sin and atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness. 

And he gives Danial more specific amounts of time until “the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

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(WOW. What a prayer. Oh, to pray that way for myself and others, my fellow believers and the unsaved!!)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 257

Sep15

Day 257 – Reading – Daniel 4 – 6

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophet is saying.

Day 257.  Daniel 4. 

This is an interesting chapter. It’s told by Nebuchadnezzar himself.  It’s his “testimony.” He prefaces his story with praise to God, then, after telling the story of his sin of pride and its consequences, he ends the chapter praising the LORD God again.

So far, the Babylonian king has praised Daniel’s God only after seeing a couple of miracles.

  1. After Daniel revealed the king’s dream and it’s meaning, Nebuchadnezzar said to Daniel, “Truly YOUR God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mystery.”
  2. Then, after Daniel’s three friends thrived in the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed, “Blessed be THE GOD OF Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…..”  “for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.”

Now the king praises God for what He has done for him, personally.  “It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done FOR ME.”

And he begins his story …

I was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace, when I saw a dream that made me afraid.

The king tells Belteshazzar (Daniel’s Babylonian name) the dream that scared him, and Daniel tells the meaning.

This is no golden statue with the king as the head.  It’s about a great fallen tree with only a stump left, and a man turned into a beast for seven years.  Daniel tells the king that he is BOTH. And this will happen to the king UNTIL HE KNOWS … that the LORD God is Sovereign over all the earth and the kings that rule there.

Daniel cautioned king Nebuchadnezzar to change his ways, that maybe God would delay the curse.

But no.  A year later, old Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his royal palace…

(Wow, don’t kings get into trouble by doing that! Think of David.)

… and he looked around at the great city of Babylon 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?”

While he was speaking these words, a Voice from Heaven threw down that curse. He would become a beast out in the field. He will eat grass like an ox, “UNTIL YOU KNOW THAT THE MOST HIGH RULES THE KINGDOM OF MEN AND GIVES IT TO WHOM HE WILL.”

And for seven years, the great king Nebuchadnezzar was driven out of the dwelling of men and ate grass like an ox. His hair grew as long as eagle feathers, and his nails were like a bird’s claws.   YIKES!!

(Definitely, PRIDE goes before a FALL!)

Then King Nebuchadnezzar resumes his story….

“At the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned. I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him who lives forever…. for 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 ask Him, ‘What have you done?'”

And, when his reason returned to him, so did the glory of his kingdom and his majesty and splendor. His counsellors and lords sought him as before, and his kingdom was established again.

But there was ONE difference.

“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.”  (Just ask me!)

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Daniel 5.

This chapter takes place OVER 20 YEARS LATER, after King Nebuchadnezzar died.  His grandson, Belshazzar (similar to Daniel’s Babylonian name), is now king.  He has NOT learned the lesson of God’s sovereignty, but is about to.

The armies of the Medo-Persians have Babylon under siege. The Babylonian Empire (like Jerusalem long ago) is about to END.  Belshazzar is holding a great feast as a morale builder for a thousand of his lords (officials).  They are drinking wine as if there is no tomorrow … which there isn’t for them all.

Then, in his debauchery, Belshazzar calls for the holy gold and silver vessels that Nebuchadnezzar stole from the Temple of the LORD.  He passes them among all his officials, his wives, and his concubines to drink from. And as they drank from them, Belshazzar praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Immediately, THE FINGERS OF A HUMAN HAND began writing on the plaster of the wall … right in front of the king.  “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.”

The king saw it!  The blood left his face.  His limbs gave way.  His knees knocked together.

‘BRING THE ENCHANTERS AND THE ASTROLOGERS,” he shouted. “I will reward greatly anyone who can read and interpret the writing.  But none could.

Then the queen reminded the king of Daniel, and Belshazzar called for him.

Daniel does not like this king. He doesn’t greet him with the normal “O King live forever.”  Instead, he abruptly says, “I don’t want your gifts. But I WILL read the writing and tell you what it means.”

But first, Daniel reminds him of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and fall and eventual acknowledgment of the LORD Most High, which Belshazzar has NOT done.  Instead, this wicked king has praised false gods, and has not honored “the God in whose hand IS YOUR BREATH.”

“The words on the wall mean that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.  You have been “weighed in the balances” and found wanting.  Your kingdom now is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

THAT VERY NIGHT, October 16, 539 BC, Belshazzar was killed.

And Darius, the Mede, received the kingdom.

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Daniel 6. 

Darius arranged his kingdom, not with lords and wise men, but with three presidents (one was Daniel) and under them, 120 satraps to manage the kingdom, so the king would suffer no loss.

But the two presidents and the satraps were jealous of the Hebrew “exile” and sought ways to trap him and end his life. They convinced the king to make a law that people could only worship HIM for a month. The busy king agreed, not knowing this would endanger his favorite president.

The law went into force. Daniel continued to pray to God three times each day.  The satraps tattled on him.  The king was distressed, but his law was firm, and sadly, he allowed Daniel to be led to the LIONS’ DEN.

“May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” he called after Daniel.  Then the king went into his palace and FASTED all night.

At dawn, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den.  “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions????”

“O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him. And  also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

The king was exceedingly glad.  He took Daniel out, and threw those men who accused him into the den (with their wives and children!).  Before they reached the bottom, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones to pieces (eating them).

And Darius sent out a notice to “all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell on the earth.”  “Peace to you. I make a decree that in all my royal dominion, people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for He is the living God, enduring forever;

His kingdom shall never be destroyed,

And His dominion shall be to the end.

He delivers and rescues;

He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.”

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius the Mede and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 

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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 256

Sep13

Day 256 – Reading – Daniel 1 – 3.

Read Today’s Scriptures.  What do you see in Daniel that is new?

Daniel.

The book of Daniel covers the life of the prophet, from a teenager to an old man, and bridges the entire 70 years of captivity.  Daniel was taken captive from Jerusalem (along with his three friends) in Nebuchadnezzar’s first deportation. (Ezekiel went in the second.) (Ezekiel calls Daniel both righteous and wise.)  He was a prophet of God through two world empires. (Babylon, Medo-Persia) 

God, through Daniel, revealed to kings the meaning of their visions and dreams, even showing world powers way beyond their years.  What Revelation is to the New Testament, Daniel is to the Old Testament.

Daniel 1.

Daniel is taken to Babylon (the land of Shinar) along with “SOME of the vessels of the Temple.” (Do you remember King Hezekiah showing off all the treasures of the Temple to emissaries from Babylon, in Isaiah 39:1-6?  Nebuchadnezzar will take all of them in his second siege, and will even melt the precious metal from the Temple to take away in the final siege.)  These golden vessels were placed in the temple treasury of the Babylonian god, Bel, or Marduk. 

Next, Nebuchadnezzar designated some young men of the royal and noble Jewish families to be trained to work in his courts. He sent the chief of the eunuchs** to train them in the wisdom and learning of Babylon, deportment in royal ways, informed of the literature and language of the Chaldeans. They must also be without blemish, handsome, and healthy looking.

Among the ones chosen were Daniel and his three friends.  The chief of the eunuchs** was tasked to train them for three years. First, he changed their Jewish names to Babylonian ones.

**Does this mean Daniel and the others were made eunuchs?

Daniel resolved to keep himself from being defiled by pagan foods.  He requested of the chief of the eunuch to be able to eat only Kosher food. The man gave him (and his friends) ten days.  At the end, they were more healthy-looking than all the others, so he allowed them to continue with that diet.

God also gave them extra learning and skill in literature and wisdom.  And Daniel had special understanding of all visions and dreams.   (He reminds me of Joseph, in Genesis.)

At then end of the 3-year training, they all were brought before Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel and his friends were shown to be the “top of the class.,” better even than the older court magicians and enchanters!

(God honors those who honor Him!)

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Daniel 2.

Then came a test.  King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. (No, not like Martin Luther King Jr.)  It bothered him terribly.  He called all  his magicians, enchanters, and sorcerers to TELL him his dream and then INTERPRET his dream.

Of course none of those imposters could tell the King what he dreamed.  They were used to HIM telling THEM the dream, and they’d make up an interpretation.  

  1. Wise men: We can’t tell you YOUR dream, O King.  Tell it to us and we’ll tell you what it means.
  2. King Neb.:  NO!  You must tell me my dream, or…or… or you are imposters!!  And if so, you are dead men!
  3. Wise men: But, we can’t!
  4. King Neb.:  GRRRRRRR!!  LET ALL THE WISE MEN OF BABYLON BE DESTROYED!!

Wise men, Daniel and his friends, heard the decree to kill all of them. He went to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, and inquired with prudence and discretion what the hoop-la was about.  After he was told, Daniel requested an appointment with the King, that HE might show the King HIS dream.

THEN, Daniel (wise man that he was) asked his three friends to pray with him all night that God would show him the mystery of the king’s dream.   

AND THE MYSTERY WAS REVEALED TO DANIEL IN A VISION.

Next morning, Daniel went to King Nebuchadnezzar and calmly told him the dream and the interpretation, after first telling the pagan king that it was the JEWISH GOD who’d revealed it to him.

  • You saw a great image and it was scary.
  • From top to bottom, it was made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and iron mixed with clay.
  • A stone struck the image on its feet and broke them to pieces, then the whole thing fell and the wind carried it all away.
  • The stone became an unstoppable Kingdom forever.

Yes, cried the king. That’s right.  What does it mean?

And Daniel prophetically told him of the coming world empires after Babylon, represented by the golden head:  silver chest and arms = Medo-Persian, bronze middle and thighs = Greece, iron legs = Rome, and mixed iron and clay = revived Rome. And the stone?   Christ destroying the fourth empire and establishing the Millennian. 

King Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed by Daniel’s God telling the future.  And he gave Daniel gifts and made him ruler over the whole province, and became chief prefect over all the king’s men.  He also placed Daniel’s three friends in high places.

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Daniel 3.

Perhaps the king got so enamored with himself as the “head of gold,” that he had a huge 90-foot golden statue made in his likeness.  Not just the head, but the whole thing was gold.  He had a dedication party where he invited everybody who was somebody to it.  When the music began to play, they all would fall down and worship the image.

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?  Um, no. As obedient Jews, they would not worship the king’s golden statue.  (Their ancestors had worshiped a few golden calves, and see what happened. Other idols in Jerusalem had caused the fall of that great city and the ruin of the magnificent Temple of God!  Bow to a golden statue?  NO WAY!)

  • The jealous ministers tattled on them.
  • Nebuchadnezzar gave them a second chance, and started up the music.
  • The three stood firm shaking their heads.
  • Then the infuriated king threw the miscreants into the blazing, hot furnace.  So there!
  • But wait. 
  • The three walked around in the furnace as if it were a Yogurt Land.  Their ropes were gone.  And… a fourth person was with them looking very much like “the Son of God.”

Nebuchadnezzar ordered them out, and quizzed them.  After all not a thread or hair was scorched, and they didn’t even smell of smoke.

“Our faithful God kept us.”

Now it was the king to stand in awe. “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has delivered his servants, who trusted Him and disobeyed the king’s command, and yielded up their lives rather than worship him. 

So King Nebuchadnezzar made a NEW law than anyone who speaks against their God, would be killed and their houses ruined.   And once again, the three were promoted.

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 255

Sep12

Day 255 – Reading – Joel 1 – 3

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophet JOEL is saying.

Joel 1.

Joel’s message is timeless and applicable to any age. God judges sin, no matter what kind, or when. Joel calls for repentance, as in “rend your hearts and not your garments.”  Joel refers often to “the Day of the LORD.” which speaks of God’s wrath and judgment on sin anywhere and in any time.   

In this chapter, it’s probably wise to see the invasion of locusts as ACTUAL locusts, rather than invading armies.  And drought is another calamity Israel is facing. Not only do these affect the people personally, but there there is no grain for the Priests to offer.  Both vines and fig trees are affected – the very last things that locusts will eat. 

Joel calls for a fast to the LORD. This horrendous agricultural devastation is just a hint of the “Day of the LORD” to come in the future.

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Joel 2.

Joel uses the locust plague and the drought as a metaphor of the coming invasion of Judah, and even farther, the future Day of the LORD. 

“…the day of the LORD is coming: it is near. A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been seen, nor will be again…”

God is so gracious!  Even in the coming invasion, He gives Judah (and us) a chance to repent! 

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your HEARTS and not your garments.”

“Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.  WHO KNOWS? He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him.”

(No, the people did not repent, and yes, the LORD did send destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. But after the time He designated, God wanted to “restore” them.)

“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given the early rain for you vindication; He has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.”

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter. My great army, which I sent among you.  You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the Name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.”

Then, he gives a marvelous prophecy that Peter later picks up in his sermon at Pentecost.

“And it shall come to pass AFTERWARD that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.  EVEN on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit.”

“And it shall come to pass that EVERYONE who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

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Joel 3.

Joel writes of the time when the nation of Israel will be regathered to the Land.  And He will gather the other nations to a final confrontation at the battle of Armageddon.  God will judge the nations.

“Let all the men of war draw near; let them come up. Beat your plows into sword, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I AM A WARRIOR.”

“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.  Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. (See Rev. 14:20)  The vats overflow, for their evil is great.  Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LRD is near in the valley of decision.”

“The LORD ROARS from Zion, and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake.

“But the LORD is a refuge to His people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.

“And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; AND A FOUNTAIN SHALL COME FORTH FROM THE HOUSE OF THE LORD AND WATER THE VALLEY OF SHITTIM.” (See Ezekiel 47)

“Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations.”

Amen!

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(Thank You, LORD, for Joel, and the promises of restoration that reach even to our day: the time of the Gentiles. And, O, may MY heart repent of my sins, and be softened toward You.)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 254

Sep11

Day 254 – Reading – EZEKIEL 46 – 48

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophet is saying.

EZEKIEL 46.

New/old rules for worship and offerings are covered here. The priest will offer the sacrifices and grain offering to the LORD as always, but the prince will have a part too (such as supplying some of the offerings). He shall enter the vestibule (inner court) in front of the Temple, do his thing, and leave by the same way. All the others who come to worship will enter one gate and leave by another. 

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Ezekiel 47.

Ezekiel, in his vision, is now brought to the door of the temple. He sees water leaking from below the threshold, south of the altar. (???)  Ezekiel is led out of the NORTH gate and is walked around the outside of the Temple compound to the SOUTH side.  There, flowing eastward, he sees the trickling water. 

The measuring man measures out 1,000 cubits (approx. 1,500 feet), and the water is “ankle deep.”  Another 1,000 cubits, and the water flowing out is now “knee deep.”  And 1,000 cubits more, and the water is “waist-deep.” After 1,000 more cubits, it was a river he could not walk though and deep enough to swim in. (Can you picture that?)

Then amazing words from the measuring man, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah (ravine), and enters the sea (Dead Sea): when the water flows into the sea, the water will become FRESH! And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be many fish!  And fishermen will cast nets! (But there will be marshes for salt.) Fruit trees will grow there!   The fruit will be for food, and the leaves for healing!  WOW!

Then the man gives the boundaries of the Millennial Israel.  Damascus, the East side of the Sea, the Brook of Egypt, and the Great Sea (Mediterranean).   See the map below.

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Ezekiel 48.

A Map of how the tribal lands will be divided during the Millennial Kingdom. 

Seven of the tribes will be located in the north, followed by the “holy portion” in the middle with the Temple.  Finally, the five remaining tribes will have their land in the south.

On the walls of the CITY in the middle (not the Temple compound), there will be three gates facing north with the names of 3 tribes (Reuben, Judah, and Levi). 

On the east side of the city, the three gates are named Joseph, Benjamin, and Dan.

The three south-facing gates of the city will be named Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun.

And on the west side of the city, the gates are named Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.

NOTE:  All the unconditional promises that God had made to Israel in 1) the Abrahamic Covenant; 2) the Priestly Covenant, 3) the Davidic Covenant, and 4) the New Covenant have here been fulfilled

The departed glory has returned, and God is dwelling again in the midst of His people.  And the name of THIS city, from that time on, shall be YHWH Shammah, “The LORD is there.”  

Amen!

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(And then, the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, also with twelve gates with the tribes’ names. But that final city will have NO Temple, because the LORD GOD and the LAMB are the temple. See Revelation 21:10-20.)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 253

Sep10

Day 253 – Reading – EZEKIEL 43 – 45

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophet is saying.

EZEKIEL 43.

Another glorious vision! 

Just like Ezekiel saw by the Chebar canal when God called him. 

Just like he saw in the other vision, when God left the temple and the city.

NOW, though, Ezekiel saw the GLORY OF THE LORD returning to the city through the Eastern gate, then, entering, and filling the Temple!

And God spoke to him, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever.”  

And then an assignment:  “As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities.  And if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them in detail…

  • the design of the temple,
  • its arrangement,
  • its exits and its entrances,
  • the whole design,
  • all its statutes and its whole design,
  • and all its laws.

Then God reveals the details of the new altar, how it is made, how it will be sanctified and consecrated, and then how He will accept them and their offerings.

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Chapter 44.

Now God takes Ezekiel in that vision back to the Eastern Gateway to the Temple (not the outer gate, see illustration in yesterday’s study), and shows him that it was now SHUT. This is because the GLORY of the LORD had passed through to enter the Temple.  Only the “prince” may sit in it to eat the bread before the LORD. 

NOTE: The “prince” mentioned here and in other chapters is NOT Jesus.  Our Savior is always portrayed as the King (or Lamb).  This person could be an administrator of the Millennial Kingdom, representing the King (the Lord Jesus Christ). He is not a priest as the Messiah will be.

NOTE: This “gateway” is NOT the sealed eastern gate of the modern city of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel fell on his face before the Glory of the LORD, and heard his instructions to tell to the rebellious Israelites back in Babylon. “Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning the statutes of the temple of the LORD and all its laws.”

“O house of Israel, enough of all your abominations, in admitting foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, into my sanctuary, profaning my temple. You have broken my covenant. You have not kept charge of my holy things. And the Levites, who went after idols, shall bear the punishment. They shall not come near me to serve me as priest or touch any of the holy things.  They shall only keep charge of the temple and its gates.”

God singled out only the Levitical Priests who were “sons of Zadok” (who was faithful to David and Solomon) to work with the holy things, and minister before Him in this Millennial Temple.

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Ezekiel 45.

During the Millennial Kingdom, the allotments of the land to the tribes will be different from those in Joshua’s time. It will be orderly, with horizontal bands of territory across the land from top to bottom. (We’ll see these in Chapter 48). Seven tribes will be located north of the central section, which is for the Temple, the prince, and the Levites. Five tribes will be located south of it.

(Yes, I know it’s different, but it’s orderly.)

God continues to tell Ezekiel what he is to relate to the people. He describes the prince’s property around the Temple and his duties. He cautions the civil leaders (princes) against their former sins of greed. He sets just weights and measurements for all their dealings, as well as for the offering amounts. And He describes to Ezekiel what to do for the various feasts.

In the Millennial Kingdom, only four “feasts” (instead of seven) will be celebrated. They are: the New Year, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Booths.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 252

Sep9

Day 252 – Reading – EZEKIEL 40 – 42

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophet is saying.

 

Illustration: Ezekiel’s Vision of the New “Millennial” Temple when “the Prince” (Jesus) will reign as King.

Ezekiel 40.

Ezekiel has this wondrous vision in the 25th year of his exile (14 years after Jerusalem fell), on the tenth day of the month, at the beginning of the Jewish year, when the preparations of Passover began.  God took Ezekiel, in a vision, to the land of Israel, to a high mountain (probably Mt. Zion, lifted up by that great earthquake (Ezek. 38:19). 

The LORD’s instructions to Ezekiel were:  “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, FOR YOU WERE BROUGHT HERE IN ORDER THAT I MIGHT SHOW IT ALL TO YOU. Declare ALL you see to the house of  Israel.”

Boy, I would have had to have the drawings, schematics, pens, and rulers, etc., to fulfill that task!  But it seems a “man like bronze” helped Ezekiel by measuring everything.  This was the Temple and the area around it (chambers, court, gates, walls).

NOTE: This is the MILLENNIAL (1,000-year) Temple when Jesus will reign on earth.  (It’s NOT Zerubbabel’s small temple built by the returned exiles, and later rebuilt by Herod (God’s presence was not in that one). It was NOT the “Eternal” temple in heaven, because the Lord and the Lamb are that Temple.)

Ezekiel 41.

This describes the “nave” (Holy Place) and the Most Holy Place, which are of the exact measurements as Solomon’s temple (twice that of the Tabernacle).  There is a large building to the West of the Temple, which was probably a large storehouse for supplies. He describes a few things inside the “nave” (Holy Place), such as a wooden altar, like the “Altar of Incense.”  And it looks like wooden, hinged double doors separated the “nave” from the Most Holy Place (instead of a massive veil).  

NOTE: There is no mention of the Ark of the Covenant.

Ezekiel 42.

Next to the inner court where the Temple was, on both north and south sides, were large, 3-storey “Priest’s Chambers.”  In these, the priests would change into the priestly garments before entering the Temple area and where they would eat the “holy offerings.” 

The “bronze man” then took Ezekiel OUTSIDE the walls, through the Eastern Gate, and showed him the measurements of the wall.  They were approximately ONE MILE on each side.  (Yes, too large for Mt Moriah, but remember the changes to the area of Jerusalem during the Great Battle at the end of the Tribulation. See Zechariah 14).  This wall separated “the holy and the common.”

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I love how the Temple area is exactly square now. It reminds me of the New Jerusalem coming down (Revelation) which will be a 1,500 mile cube.  The LORD is a God of order. He has wonderful plans which He revealed to Ezekiel (and the other prophets, and to John) so His people will know He will forever take care of them.  I PRAISE YOU, O God!

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 250 & 251

Sep8

Sunday and Monday studies are posted TOGETHER on Monday.

Day 250 – Reading – EZEKIEL 34 – 36

Day 251 – Reading EZEKIEL – 37 – 39

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophets were saying. Check out the linked verses.

Day 250 – Ezekiel 34.

This chapter is about shepherds (good and bad), and sheep. Ezekiel 34:1-5 tells of the bad shepherds of Israel who mistreated, misused the ones in their care, and allowed wild beasts to get them. 

Ezekiel 34:11:16 reminds me of Psalm 23 (I will feed them with good pasture, vs14) and (They shall lie down in good grazing land, I myself will make them lie down, vs. 15).   

John 10:1-6 and Luke 15: 4-5 also tells of Jesus being a “good” shepherd, going after lost sheep, binding up the injured and carrying the weak. 

Matthew 25:31-46 tells about Jesus dividing the nations into sheep and goats and judging them on that final day, similar to Ezekiel 34: 17 and 20.

Read those verses in Psalms, Luke, John and Matthew, if you have time.

And the promise: One day, God will set over Israel ONE SHEPHERD, God’s servant, David, the “prince among them.”  And God will make a covenant of “Peace” with them.  And He will send down “showers of blessing” upon them and provide “renowned plantations” for them. “They will be His people, His sheep, human sheep of His pasture, and He will be their God.”

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Ezekiel 35.

This chapter is a prophecy against Mount Seir, or Edom, the people of Esau who was Jacob/Israel’s older twin brother. Animosity was between them… from the womb!

Now God is their enemy, and says he will cause desolation to them as well, their cities will be come a waste. This prediction came to pass, beginning with King Nebuchadnezzar. There is no trace of Edomites now, though their cities remain as ruins, such as Petra. 

There were multiple reasons for their destruction.

  1. “They cherished perpetual enmity against Israel,
  2. They killed and gave the people (who were escaping) back to the hands of Nebuchadnezzar,
  3. They planned to snatch the now vacant land of Israel and Judah as their own,
  4. They showed anger, envy, and hatred against Israel/Judah,
  5. They magnified themselves against God and multiplied their words against Him. (He heard it.)
  6. Their joy over Israel’s calamity.

So, God said to them, “You shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.”

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Ezekiel 36.

Next comes a chapter of blessing, on the LAND (mountains, hills, ravines, and valleys).  They will no longer be used by the surrounding nations as places of worship of their gods.  No longer shall they “devour God’s people and bereave the nation of their children. (worship of Moloch) and make them stumble. 

But now the mountains of Israel “shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home!”

God isn’t doing it for the Land’s sake, or for the sake of the people, but for His own Holy Name’s sake, which they had profaned among the nations. 

God will bring back his people and “sprinkle clean water on them to cleanse them from all uncleanness.”  He will give them a new heart, and a new spirit within them, and cause them to walk in His statutes and obey His rules. He will cause them in increase like a flock, so the waste cities will be filled.  They shall be His people, and He their God. 

And they will KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.

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Day 251 – EZEKIEL 37.

“Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones! O hear the word of the Lord.”

YEP, those bones are in this chapter.  God gives Ezekiel another vision.  He is “taken” to a valley where he sees huge numbers of dry bones scattered everywhere, representing the scattered exiles of Israel and Judah. 

“Son of man,” the LORD asked him, “Can these bones live?

“O Lord God,” he said. “Only YOU know.”

“Prophesy and say to the bones, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.  I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come to you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live. And you will know that I am the LORD.”

So Ezekiel prophesied this, and …. as he spoke there was a sound…, a rattling… and the bones came together, bone “connected”  to its bone.  And there were sinews on them… and flesh… and skin covered them…. But there was no breath in them.

“Prophesy and say to ‘the breath,’ “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain that they may live.”  And so Ezekiel did, and the breath came into them, and they LIVED and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

“These bones are the whole house of Israel. They are saying, ‘Our bones are dried-up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.”  “But say to them, ‘I will open your graves and raise you, O my people. I will bring you into the land of Israel.  And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live and I shall place you in your own land.”

.The God said to Ezekiel, “Take a stick and write on it, JUDAH. Take another stick and write on it ISRAEL. Then join them together, that they may become ONE in your hand.”  This was to show how God would ONE DAY bring both nations together again with ONE king, a descendant of David, a prince forever. And God would make an “everlasting covenant of peace” with them.

God also promised they would be in THEIR LAND, multiplied in number, and that God’s Sanctuary would be in their midst forever.  He would forever dwell with them.

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Ezekiel 38 – 39.

Next comes a prophecy that has been debated often.  Heads are scratched, trying to figure out just WHO God was taking about. 

Gog, in the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: whoever he is, God is against him.  Some believe this leader and his country represent Russia and its vassal states, along with the areas of Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. (the north).  But who knows if those nations are in existence when this prophecy takes place. 

Many people have tried to take the distribution of peoples after the Flood, and figure out the names from that list (See Genesis 10:1-10. Meshech and Tubal ARE mentioned).  But as Ezekiel said in Chapter 37, “LORD, You know.”

Anyway, a great war is to take place between Gog’s hordes and the countries with him, and God’s people, Israel. Gog will come as a great cloud covering the land, but God will VINDICATE HIS HOLINESS!  

  • His  WRATH will be roused! 
  • In his JEALOUSY He will declare a GREAT EARTHQUAKE. 
  • He will summon a sword against Gog (and they will fight among themselves).
  • With pestilence and bloodshed, the LORD will JUDGE Gog.
  • He will send torrential rain and hail, fire and sulfur on them. 
  • He will show His greatness and Holiness.
  • And they will know that He is the LORD.

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Ezekiel is to prophesy further to this invading monster, 

  • “Behold I am against you, O Gog,
  • I will turn you about and drive you forward and bring you up from the North
  • I will lead you against the mountains of Israel.
  • I will strike your bow and arrow.
  • You will fall, you and your hordes and all the peoples with you.
  • I will give you to the birds of prey and the beasts of the field to be devoured.
  • I will send fire on Magog and those who dwell securely in the coastlands.

And God said, “My holy name I will make know in the midst of my people Israel,

and I will not let My holy name be profaned any more.

And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.”

After that great battle (Armageddon), the people of Israel will burn the weapons of these dead for SEVEN YEARS.  And God will designate a place of burial for all the millions of fallen intruders.  It will take Israel SEVEN MONTHS to bury them all and cleanse the land. 

All this, the war, the decimation of Gog, etc., will prove to the world that He is THE LORD.  They will see His power and glory, and know.

And after he has restored the fortunes of Jacob, and has shown merch on the house of Israel… THEY will forget their shame and treachery against Him, THEY will see and know that He is the LORD.

“I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.

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( O LORD, I’m so glad Your name and holiness will be vindicated!  I’m glad Israel will finally see You as their God.  You are faithful to Your Word!  Though the hours, days, and years may stretch way out, I can fully trust the promises in Your Word.  Help me to keep my eyes on YOU, and stay “standing on the promises of God, my king!”)

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 249

Sep6

Day 249 – Reading – EZEKIEL 31 – 33

Read the Scriptures.  Meditate on what the prophets were saying.

EZEKIEL 31.

This is another metaphor, portraying Assyria as a tall Cedar tree, more lovely than the trees in Eden.  God made it tall and strong. It had pride. God gave it into the hands of the mighty one and the most ruthless of the nations (Babylon). It fell into the pit of Sheol.  And then God turns to Egypt…..  

  • Whom are you like in glory and greatness among the trees of Eden?  You shall be brought down with them to the world below.  You shall be among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.  This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord GOD.”

. Ezekiel 32.

This is twelve years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation.  A lamentation over the Pharaoh and Egypt.  Egypt thinks of itself as a lion, but God compares Pharaoh to a Dragon in the sea.  God will drag it from the water, throw it on the ground, and allow the beasts and fowl to devour it.  The flesh of her will be scattered throughout the land, and her blood will drench the mountains.

Many peoples will be appalled at them. It will be the king of Babylon who will ruin the pride of Egypt and kill its multitudes. Assyria is already there (gone), and so is Elam, Meshech-Tubal, Edom, and the Sidonians.  These are the “uncircumcised” whom Egypt will lie amongst. 

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Ezekiel 33. 

God has set apart Ezekiel to be a Watchman for His people.  If he sees “the sword” coming and warns the people by blowing his trumpet … if any of them hear it but 1) do not heed it, the sword will come and take them away. But their blood (the responsibility) will not be on the Watchman’s head.  

But if the Watchman sees the sword coming and does NOT warn by blowing the trumpet, and the people don’t hear and take heed, and they are taken away,  2) their blood will be on the Watchman’s head. (His responsibility).

And so whenever God speaks to Ezekiel about the people’s wickedness, and he does not warn them, THEIR blood shall be on HIM.  But if he warns them and they do noting, they will die, but YOU Ezekiel, have delivered your soul. 

And God asks, “Why will you die, Israel??  As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked TURN FROM THEIR EVIL WAYS and live.  TURN BACK!  Why will you die, O house of Israel??

  1. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it.
  2. When the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. 

And you say, O House of Israel, that the ways of the LORD are not just.  It is YOUR way that is not just.

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Then, on January 8, 585 B.C., six months after Jerusalem’s fall, a “fugitive” from Jerusalem came to Ezekiel. “The city has been struck down.”

When the people came to complain that the land was THEIRS, God rebuked them for their sin.  “I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and her proud might shall come to an end, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that none will pass through. THEN THEY WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD.”

(Oh, LORD, our hearts are so sinful and prideful. And many times WE argue with you. YOU, the almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth! LORD, forgive us. YOUR way is right and truthful. Please help us, help ME, to follow your path … follow Jesus.)