EZEKIEL 30-31:As the Lord was pronouncing doom upon the Prince of Tyre in Ezekiel 28, did you notice how the language shifted to talking about things that the human prince could not have done. The spirit-world ruler behind the prince of Tyre is really in mind— that is, Satan. The tirade against the King of Egypt could also be similarly interpreted.…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the fourth week of October. 19th C Antiquities Tour to Upper Egypt Expo Solar Event at Abu Simbel New Details Uncovered at Esna Temple CFEETK Announces Karnak Open-Air Museum Project National Veterinary Care Programme for Animals at Archaeological Sites Queen Nefertari's Tomb to Reopen These ne…

EZEKIEL 28-29:So why were there two whole chapters against the city-state of Tyre in yesterday’s reading, plus one more today?! I think we see the answer in Revelation. Tyre is very like the picture of Babylon (which in that book is a picture of Rome). All the way through the Bible— starting with the Tower of Babel, we see a contrast between the ‘c…

EZEKIEL 26-27:Yesterday we heard a second word picture of Jerusalem as a cooking pot. This was not good news. Then Ezekiel received word that his treasure— his wife, would die. And he was commanded not to mourn as a sign of what the people would do when they heard about the slaughter in Jerusalem. Then there were messages of punishment for the nati…

EZEKIEL 24-25:Yesterday in Ezekiel we heard the shockingly graphic story of the two adulterous sisters, which were really the cities of Samaria and Jerusalem. ISAIAH 8:In yesterday’s reading, Isaiah was sent to Ahaz, and the message to the king contains a prophecy that probably had two fulfillments— one in King Ahaz’ time and another at Jesus’ birt…

EZEKIEL 23:In yesterday’s reading, we heard the Lord promise that he would refine Israel as purifying silver in a crucible. And then we heard the famous and poignant words: Ez. 23:30 NLT “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have t…

EZEKIEL 22:Yesterday we heard of the sword of the Lord, which was to come to Jerusalem, actually in the form of the army of the king of Babylon. And there would be punishment also for the Ammonites. ISAIAH 6:In yesterday’s reading, we heard one of the famous chapters that relate to Israel as the Lord’s vine. This would have been in the minds of tho…

EZEKIEL 21:Yesterday we saw that the Lord was quite offended when unrighteous leaders of Israel came to ask for a message from the Lord! And Ezekiel begged to not have to give a highly figurative message because the people complained that he was always speaking in riddles. ISAIAH 5:Yesterday there was a temporary break in the clouds in Isaiah, and …

EZEKIEL 20:In yesterday’s reading in Ezekiel, the Lord refuted the saying that the Israelite’s were using, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.” And then Ezekiel conveyed two poems about the kings of Judah, spoken of symbolically as two lion cubs and like a vine. ISAIAH 3:24—4:Isaiah, like Ezekiel, a…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the third week of October. The GEM Opens its Doors Tutankhamun Treasures to Move to the GEM Donald Redford R.I.P. The Dog at the Top of the Pyramid These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https://egyptianstr…

EZEKIEL 18-19:Yesterday in Ezekiel we read the riddle of the two eagles, portraying Israel’s king breaking his sworn covenant with Babylon. There is a lesson here for us. Normally Babylon would be considered the enemy, and getting free from the enemy would be considered a good thing. But NOT SO if the country has made a promise of loyalty sealed by…

EZEKIEL 17:Yesterday’s chapter graphically portrayed how God considers idolatry like the adultery of a faithless wife. Jerusalem (as Judah’s capital) was compared— in a very unflattering way, to her two sister cities, Samaria and Sodom. ISAIAH 2:In the first chapter of Isaiah, we heard the Lord compare Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah. And we heard how…

EZEKIEL 16:This book should make modern day ‘prophets’ reconsider what they do in the Lord’s name. In this book we have heard again and again that the Lord will punish those who prophesy falsely. And in the part about the wood of a vine being useless in yesterday’s reading, there is only one useful thing a grape vine does, and this is bear grapes. …

EZEKIEL 14-15:The title that the Lord calls Ezekiel is ‘son of man’, which the Lord is using in the normal sense, meaning ‘ordinary human’. The title for Jesus— ‘Son of Man’, is a special usage. For that, check out Daniel 7. Note in yesterday’s reading when Ezekiel acted out how King Zedekiah would go into exile, Ezekiel covered his eyes. It was re…

EZEKIEL 12-13:In yesterday’s reading, the vision of the glory of the Lord left the temple. Then God disagreed with what the leaders of the Israelites were saying, that they were safe in the ‘pot’ of Jerusalem. SONG OF SOLOMON 7:As we heard yesterday, the bride is captivating in beauty, and so radiant that she is compared to the sun and moon. MATTHE…

EZEKIEL 10-11:Yesterday in chapters 8-9 we heard the story of Ezekiel’s being transported to Jerusalem and his awesome vision of our glorious God revealing the idolatry of Israel happening right at the temple. Some of the locations shown are literal, and some are to be taken figuratively. One clearly sees that God has every right to be highly offen…

EZEKIEL 8-9:Terrible destruction is prophesied against Judah and Jerusalem. The trumpet will sound the battle call, but no one will get ready, because they are under God’s wrath. SONG OF SOLOMON 5:Yesterday the young man extolled the perfection of his bride. MATTHEW 25b: Yesterday in Matthew 25, we heard two parables that speak about being ready fo…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the second week of October. Egypt Signs Manuscript/Papyri MoU with Germany Fayoum Portrait For Sale GEM Trial Opening 3 Artefacts Returned from Germany These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https://egyptia…

EZEKIEL 6-7: In yesterday’s reading Ezekiel portrayed the punishment of Israel and the siege on Jerusalem for a total of 430 days. Then he took a razor and cut his hair and divided it into three parts with a little left over. This was used as a demonstration that a third of the people would die in the city from disease and famine. The distress will…

EZEKIEL 4-5:In Ezekiel 2-3 God commissioned Ezekiel to speak for God to the rebellious people of Israel. God fed Ezekiel a scroll. This tasted sweet, but afterwards I think he would tell us that it produced “bitterness”— as we will see with John who eats a similar scroll in Revelation. God gave these important words to Ezekiel in yesterday’s readin…

EZEKIEL 2-3:Yesterday Ezekiel described his vision of the four cherubim, and the chapter ended just as Ezekiel started hearing a Voice. The last verse ends of chapter 1 says: Ezk. 1:28 NLT All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fe…

This seems to me to be a good time to talk with you about how to understand the prophetic books of the Bible, as we now are starting to read the Babylonian exile prophet Ezekiel. And starting in a week and extending to the end of the year, our poetry readings will be from the prophet Isaiah, who lived 200 years before Ezekiel. Near the end of the y…

EZEKIEL 1:Yesterday in the last chapter of 2nd Chronicles, we heard of the quick succession of the kings of Judah at the very end before the exile to Babylon: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. And after the fall of Jerusalem, chapter 36 also told of the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy about Cyrus, who gave the decree to rebuild the …

2CHRONICLES 36:Josiah’s Passover celebration showed wonderful ability to get everyone to work together and great organizational talent. It is the capstone of the revival that he led. Unfortunately, he was stubborn about going to war with Pharaoh Neco, which cost him both his own life and his son’s life. ECCLESIASTES 12:Yesterday’s short chapter rec…

2CHRONICLES 35:It is simply amazing that we have books like Deuteronomy, since we see that it (or perhaps Leviticus) was almost lost. And it shows how far Judah had slipped that they didn’t know of any copies. Josiah sincerely repented after hearing God’s Word. ECCLESIASTES 11:Yesterday’s chapter of Ecclesiastes was mainly separate proverbs. As an …

2CHRONICLES 34:We are definitely in the back-and-forth pendulum period of Judah. After one fantastic king, the next two were terrible. And now Josiah is again like David. ECCLESIASTES 10:Here is a highlight from yesterday’s reading: Ecc. 9:11 NLT I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the s…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the first days of October. Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tahrir Free Entry to Museums on Oct 6th New Discovery in Asyut Tomb Shanghai and Cologne Exhibitions Looting Sudan's Heritage Artefacts Returned From US These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http:/…

2CHRONICLES 33:The account in 2 Chronicles of Hezekiah’s victory through prayer over the vast Assyrian army is summarized. It is much more dramatically related in 2nd Kings. Hezekiah’s experience with the envoys from Babylon can also be used as a spiritual parable for us. We need to be careful what we just accept as fate, without asking God for som…

2CHRONICLES 32:Following that special Passover, the people went home and destroyed all the pagan shrines. And a good summary of chapter 31 is the last verse: 2Chron. 31:21 NLT In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very …

2CHRONICLES 31:A sign of how far Judah and Israel had wandered from the Lord was that even the Passover was not celebrated. When Hezekiah reinstituted the Passover celebration, it was the start of a real revival. ECCLESIASTES 7:I find it interesting that Solomon would say that everything has been decided beforehand. GNT certainly implied Who it was…

2CHRONICLES 30:Hezekiah led a wonderful spiritual revival which included the reopening and cleansing of the temple and the resumption of sacrifices. And he wasted no time in doing those things. ECCLESIASTES 6:Solomon gave wonderful conclusions about happiness in yesterday’s reading. And he also observed that we leave the world as naked and empty-ha…

2CHRONICLES 29:Ahaz’s rule was one of the darkest chapters in Judah’s history. The people didn’t even bury him in the royal cemetery. He closed the temple and put up places to worship Baal all over the country. Even when under severe punishment from the Lord, he never turned to the Lord for help. ECCLESIASTES 5:In yesterday’s chapter, I really like…

2CHRONICLES 28:Yesterday we heard of the reign of Uzziah (who suffered a terrible punishment for his pride) and the reign of his son, Jotham. Both were basically good kings. ECCLESIASTES 4:Yesterday we heard the famous chapter of Ecclesiastes which starts with Ecc. 3:1 (like NLT) For everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season, (turn, turn, tur…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the last week of September. GEM Coin and Stamp Competition Inaugaral Meeting of the GEM Authority CT Scans and X-Rays These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahram.org.eg/Portal/9/Heritage.aspx https://egyptianstreets.com/tag/cairo/ http://www…

2CHRONICLES 26-27:King Joash didn’t end so well, did he?! He ordered the murder of Jehoiadah’s son Zechariah. Time and time again Judah’s kings needed to learn not to be proud, and that certainly happened to Joash’s son Amaziah, who was assassinated like his father. Jesus mentioned a Zechariah in Matthew 23 who was “murdered between the temple and …

2CHRONICLES 24-25:Yesterday we heard of Ahaziah’s one year reign, and then his mother Athaliah’s reign. The baby Joash was the only royal descendant of David saved from slaughter. He was raised in the temple by Jehoiada and Jehosheba. When he reached only seven years old, Jehoiada mounted a dangerous coup, which succeeded. ECCLESIASTES 2B:In yester…

2CHRONICLES 22-23:Yesterday we heard of Jehoshaphat’s famous victory, accomplished only by prayer, worship, and the power of the Lord. Then we also heard about Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, who might possibly be Judah’s worst king, except for several at the very end of that kingdom. ECCLESIASTES 2a:Yesterday the theme of Ecclesiastes was given in the…

2CHRONICLES 20-21:Yesterday we heard of Jehoshaphat wisely appointing judges, and he also travelled all over Israel personally encouraging people to follow the Lord. ECCLESIASTES 1:The book of Ecclesiastes is the record of Solomon seeking to find God in a worldly way. This is a book of worldly wisdom. Solomon repeatedly uses the key theme word ‘use…

2CHRONICLES 19:Yesterday we heard the story of how Jehoshaphat helped Ahab in battle. God had already spoken through a prophet that Ahab would meet his downfall and how the dogs would lick up his blood. This happened, as we already read in 1Kings 22, when they took his chariot back to Samaria. PROVERBS 31b:Speaking of a capable and virtuous wife, t…

2CHRONICLES 18:Woops. Asa didn’t end nearly as well as he started. And his son Jehoshaphat starts out well, but makes unfortunate alliances. PROVERBS 31a:Today and tomorrow are our last two days in Proverbs. Verses 10-31 of chapter 31 comprise a Hebrew acrostic poem; each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Our highlighted…

2CHRONICLES 16-17:Judah’s kingdom was truly blessed by Asa’s wise reign. The Lord rewarded the country for returning to Him. PROVERBS 30b:Today’s highlighted verse is Pro. 30:20 NLT An adulterous woman consumes a man,then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?” MATTHEW 13a:Jesus gave a stinging reply to his critics in yesterday’s readin…

The stories that made the Ancient Egypt headlines over the middle two weeks of September. El-Enany and UNESCO Aboudi's at Giza James Ogden in Wales The Colours of Edfu Revealed Horizon of Khufu in London Nightime Upgrade for Giza New MoTA Museum Database These news stories are taken from various public internet sources including: http://english.ahr…

2CHRONICLES 14-15:Yesterday we heard the conclusion of Rehoboam’s reign, and the writer classed him as a wicked king. Then his son, King Abijah gave a truly amazing speech before his epic victory over Israel. PROVERBS 30a:Today I chose to highlight two verses: Pro. 30:5-6 NLT Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for …

2CHRONICLES 12-13:Yesterday we heard of David’s grandson, Rehoboam, and the unfortunate start to his reign. The northern tribes revolted and went with Jeroboam. Rehoboam seems to have made wise choices after that, at least for a short time. PROVERBS 29b:Today’s highlighted verse: Pro. 29:23 NLT Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor…

2CHRONICLES 10-11:Yesterday we completed the story of Solomon’s achievements. PROVERBS 29a:A highlight for today: Pro. 29:11 NLT Fools vent their anger,but the wise quietly hold it back. MATTHEW 11b:Yesterday we heard Jesus’ teaching about John the Baptist. NLT Translation note: 2Chon. 10:18 NLT96 edition has ‘labor force’, and newer editions have …

2CHRONICLES 9:Yesterday we heard God’s famous response to Solomon, which is so often applied as a promise to America. It is stretching it past the breaking point to apply that promise to America. First of all, our country does not have a personal relationship with God like that of Israel in Solomon’s time. We also skate over all the conditions of h…

2CHRONICLES 7-8:Yesterday we heard Solomon’s famous prayer at the dedication of the temple. He understood that the people would need forgiveness from the Lord, and requested the Lord’s mercy. PROVERBS 28a:Another favorite: Pro. 28:8 NLT Income from charging high interest rateswill end up in the pocket of someone who is kind to the poor. MATTHEW 10b…

2CHRONICLES 6:Yesterday we heard of the various things that Huram-abi made under Solomon’s direction for the temple, and of the dedication of the temple. In today’s (not reverent) language, we might say that the Lord ‘showed up’ for that dedication, just like He did for the dedication of the tabernacle. PROVERBS 27b:Our hightlighted verse for today…

2CHRONICLES 4-5:Yesterday we heard of the preparations for building the temple, and then the dimensions and the beginning of the construction starting in the 4th year of Solomon’s reign. PROVERBS 27a:Today’s first verse is very like the advice of James in the New Testament: Pro. 27:1 NLT Don’t brag about tomorrow,since you don’t know what the day w…

2CHRONICLES 2-3:In yesterday’s reading we returned to the books of Chronicles, and picked up the story following King David, with the beginning of Solomon’s reign. Solomon gave 1,000 burnt offerings to the Lord, then the Lord appeared to him. Solomon requested wisdom to rule Israel, and the Lord was pleased with his request. PROVERBS 26b:Today’s hi…