We may need to call in Muller & Scully to sort out some of this week’s reading: it has all the hallmarks of an X-File!
We aren't quite finished with Jeremiah's prophecies; primarily to Judah, its exiles, and against Babylon. But, we begin to layer in Ezekiel's prophecies (himself among those exiled to Babylon), with some overlap in the timeframe of Jeremiah. And ... Ezekiel has a close encounter of the third kind! ... maybe.
Just a quick reminder: with all the references to Israel and Judah, it's important to remember that those are distinct places. Israel always refers to the Northern Kingdom and Judah always refers to the Southern Kingdom. Jerusalem is located in Judah.
Blessings,
Steve
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We’re reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale). It’s best with your own copy. Or, copy and paste this link to the daily reading schedule:
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This week's highlights:
1. August 13 - Jeremiah 31:33-34 - A new covenant: "I will remember their sins no more!"
2. August 13 - Jeremiah 51:11 - Another reference to the upcoming invasion by Cyrus the Great (also on August 14 at Jeremiah 51:28). Here’s a link to the actual historical person, Cyrus the Great:
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
3. August 14 - Jeremiah 51:36 predicts how [later] Cyrus actually invaded Babylon: by damming up the Euphrates river so they could walk into the city on the river bed (It is described in the same Wikipedia entry. See it just above the DEATH section).
4. August 14 - 1 Chronicles 3:10-16 - Take note: David's descendants are still on the throne of Judah (as promised by God)
5. August 15 Ezekiel 1:1-28 - Ezekiel's first encounter with "extraterrestrials" (which, of course, is an apt description of angels) and, also in the vision, God appears in a sort-of human form. This is the somewhat famous (at least among UFO enthusiasts) "wheels within wheels" encounter. The components of this vision return multiple times throughout the book of Ezekiel, always signaling a significant revelation by God to Ezekiel (August 16-Ezekiel 3:22; August 17-Ezekiel 8:1-4; August 18-Ezekiel 10:1-22)
6. August 18 - Ezekiel 11:19 - "Heart of stone"
7. August 19 - Ezekiel 14:1-8 "have set up idols in their hearts" ... clearly something deeper than worshipping at physical idols; an intangible object of worship ... and, somehow, worse.
8. August 19 - The REAL reason God destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah!
(Exekiel 16:49-50). Here it is in the NIV: “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.”
Ezekiel 16:49-50
Next week:
All the prophecies come home to roost!
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