anna
Trials
Posts: 1,995 
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Post by anna on Aug 2, 2019 20:53:06 GMT -5
Zechariah 10
The redemption of God's people.
Ask for rain in the time of the latter rain. Isaiah 30:23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. They previously comforted in vain, went their way together and were troubled. We need to live our lives by truth and not by thought. Hosea 3:4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. From Judah will come the cornerstone from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow,from him every ruler. They shall be a mighty strengthen men, the Lord will hear them, no longer will they be living in troubled times, but gathered and redeemed. The children will be glad and rejoice in the Lord.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Aug 3, 2019 10:01:42 GMT -5
Zechariah 11
The Flock Doomed to Slaughter
This is kind of a sudden turn around ( or so it seemed to me).
From beautiful promises of hope. protection, joy etc. to doom....so why?
On the other hand, it has one of the most shocking and sad predictions concerning Jesus, so in that sense, it's meaning is pretty clear.
I guess what was strange is, the previous chapter seemed to about Jesus 2 coming, whereas, this is about His first coming and rejection.
Personally, I have always preferred to hear and get the bad news first and then the good news.....
but in a way, having some hope first, is probably the only way the true believers could have endure not falling into complete despair when hearing this.
It seems to be what will happen with Israel will reject their Messiah and the trees on fire are perhaps various people. They had been in a sense 'glorious', but the they will be fallen and ruined.
I think the shepherds were the Jewish religious leaders, and their wickedness in rejecting their Messiah, was at this point incurable, thus there would be no pity or mercy.
When people refuse to be ruled, protected and have the provision of God and want to be the captain of their own ships, then cruelty reigns against each other ( "....each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king..."). They turn for being symbolic sheep to savage beasts.
God says they have "detested me" and so the religious leaders did of Jesus in His first coming.
They refused their shepherd and so he 'resigned' from the office so to speak and says:
“I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed".
One of the duties of the shepherd is to protect the sheep from harm and death, but without the shepherd they will most certainly die.
He then breaks the 2 rods: favor and union. I am thinking the favor is broken because they wanted nothing to do with union with Christ Jesus.
And they weighed out His worth as And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.....the exact price Judas received for betraying Jesus....and then "and threw them into the house of the Lord", which was what Judas did.
Then a shepherd who does not care for the sheep will be raised up.
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anna
Trials
Posts: 1,995
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Post by anna on Aug 4, 2019 0:49:22 GMT -5
Zechariah 11
The rejection of the king.
Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume your cedars. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down. Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. Listen to the howl of the young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed. This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,…whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them. In one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me. Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; let the rest devour one another's flesh.”My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. The LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter,” this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD. Then I cut in pieces my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.… Also about when Judas betrayed Jesus. The false shepherd is described. Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Aug 4, 2019 10:36:09 GMT -5
Zechariah 12
The Lord Will Give Salvation
It starts off with God as the Creator of everything.
And then goes right into an end time prophecy.
The nations continue with their endless hatred of Israel...but they will surely hurt themselves instead, especially at the end times.
They will be and are spiritually blind and mad....and fearful.
Israel will acknowledge it strength is because of the Lord.
v.8 Is interesting for those who feel weak:
"On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them."
Imagine, the most feeble will be like the great warrior king David!!!
Him Whom They Have Pierced
This is actually an uplifting verse for the Jewish people during the end times:
"“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. "
They will finally believe in Jesus as their Messiah and be saved.
It seems like it is saying, especially, the nobles or government and religious leaders.
But each individual will be sorrowful for their sins.
Sorry this seems short....we went to church
and we had to go earlier than normal because today was Devon's first day with a 'job' of service in the church.....
kind of a 'greeter' ,but particularly for parents new to the church,
who don't know where the various rooms and grades etc. for each child in Sunday school is....
also any questions they might have etc.
And I only sleep a few hours, and not well, had to keep getting up to go to the bathroom,
( but the night before that I slept 6 hours straight and did not get up once strange!!)
I keep falling asleep sigh!!!
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anna
Trials
Posts: 1,995
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Post by anna on Aug 4, 2019 16:55:44 GMT -5
Zechariah 12
The word of the Lord for Israel, the Lord made the heavens and earth and formed the spirit in man. He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, the people of Jerusalem are my strength, for the LORD of Hosts is their God. With the angel of the Lord before them the people living in Jerusalem will be blessed and be strong.The compassion of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace. Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the residents of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns an only child, and weep bitterly for Him as one grieves a firstborn son. Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him--even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem.
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Post by Cindy on Aug 5, 2019 11:20:15 GMT -5
Thank you for all your help and added information, and picking up the slack from me.
I am sorry I am lagging, I have been extra tired,
watching 3 children ( 2 who are not as easy as Devon)
is a bit more than I am used to....I know it is not an excuse tho).
Anyway, I am not sure if this is any better as I am still kind of weary.
Zechariah 10
The Restoration for Judah and Israel
The people are told to ask God for blessings ( of rain in this case)
Jesus tells us in the NT to ask in His name ( in His will and in faith, and do not ask wrongly, and keep His commandments)
And in James 4:2 it says, we do not receive because we don't ask.
So a lesson for me as well...be it rain or whatever ( salvation for loved ones)>
The strange thing is ( at least for me), and perhaps for these people, is they did not make prayer their first choice. I sadly often think of it after too much time has gone by, and actually to my way of thinking, any time that has gone by is too much time.
That they had to basically be reminded to pray for rain, is kind of a sad statement ( as it is for me, it also a show of a lack of faith and respect to God).
But then.....
Oh no...it mentions household gods....what??? Surely they did not carry these into captivity and carried them back to Israel????
In any case they additionally listened to diviners that:
diviners see lies;
they tell false dreams
and because of it the people wandered like sheep.
This reminds me of what is in movies, TV, videos, video games, etc.
Then it gives this:
"they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd".
( I was thinking that, in a way, they still are afflicted until the day they accept Jesus as their Messiah).
So the people of those days, and many today, close the door to God's favor and blessings by themselves. Jesus knocks but if they don't answer and open the door, He does not force Himself on them.
However, great judgement comes upon those that are shepherds ( wicked priests, wolves in sheep's clothing, false prophets etc.) who do not lead their flock to safety, and rulers who are corrupt etc etc.
Nevertheless God cares for His flock and will make provision for the safety and victory....they will be like 'his majestic steed in battle'.
Now He speaks of Jesus as the:
cornerstone, ( we see this in the NT Jesus as the cornerstone the builder's rejected)
without the cornerstone the building is without a firm foundation
( this of course is true spiritually, which is what it means here...tho its true in building building, a house or any building needs a firm foundation or it will fall into ruin)>
Also in this passage Jesus is like a tent peg,
and the battle bow, ( for conquering in war)
so with Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the battles they fight will be victorious....so that even foot soldiers will win over men on horses ( because they have God on their side).
The next few verses are so uplifting for all who have walk away, been lead astray etc.
They can come back
"I will bring them back because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God and I will answer them."
When God says He will answer them, I assume that they may have been praying, but the main thing to me is God has compassion.
Then God says:
"“I will whistle for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them,
and they shall be as many as they were before."
He is going to call them back to Israel but more so to Himself ( this is probably those who survived the tribulation and go into the millennium).
It talks about all the countries they have been scattered to, and they surely have been.
Finally this most upbeat promise:
"I will make them strong in the Lord,
and they shall walk in his name,”
declares the Lord."
Very Good! Yes, the Lord is telling them to ask for rain, but He's also wanting them to ask for other blessings, such as the spiritual blessings mentioned in Zechariah 9:16–17. (I know it's hard to do when we do a chapter a day, and because of the way our Bibles are divided into chapters and have headings etc. but we have to remember that just because our Bible has started a new chapter, that we have to remember what we just read in order to keep it all in context.)
You're not alone in forgetting to pray for things hon. I do pray for myself, but like you said, I often forget to until the Lord reminds me, which is rather embarrassing lol.
About the idols.... it was their idolatry that caused Israel to be punished and taken into captivity by Babylon. God is reminding them of this fact and how He hates idolatry. Their captivity in Babylon, thankfully did cure them of going after other gods, but God is letting them know that He will judge the false prophets and all who lied to them and led them astray. Furthermore, He's saying that something similar will happen during the Tribulation - that there will be false prophets who will lead them astray. (the antichrist and his prophet). Sadly, many in Israel will worship the antichrist and will pay for their sin as the Lord says. Those who don't, will be saved. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:11, and Matthew 24:22–28; It's also in 2 Thessalonians 1:8–12).
What you said here "However, great judgement comes upon those that are shepherds" reminds me of this: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1) Jeremiah goes into great detail of what the Lord will do to those who try to deceive His children and it's not pretty!
From Zechariah 10:4 verse on, the Lord is speaking strictly of the Millennial Kingdom.
What you said about Zech 10:6 was great, but i want to add one other important thing to it:
““I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them. They will be as though I had not rejected them, for I am the LORD their God and I will answer them.” (Zechariah 10:6) Notice that both the house of Judah and Joseph are mentioned in this verse. That's because Israel was divided into the Southern and Northern Kingdoms. Here, God is saying the the Kingdoms will become one again. That when Jesus sets up the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will be made whole and will no longer be divided.
Zechariah 10
The redemption of God's people.
Ask for rain in the time of the latter rain. Isaiah 30:23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. They previously comforted in vain, went their way together and were troubled. We need to live our lives by truth and not by thought. Hosea 3:4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. From Judah will come the cornerstone from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow,from him every ruler. They shall be a mighty strengthen men, the Lord will hear them, no longer will they be living in troubled times, but gathered and redeemed. The children will be glad and rejoice in the Lord.
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 
Zechariah 11
The Flock Doomed to Slaughter
This is kind of a sudden turn around ( or so it seemed to me).
From beautiful promises of hope. protection, joy etc. to doom....so why?
On the other hand, it has one of the most shocking and sad predictions concerning Jesus, so in that sense, it's meaning is pretty clear.
I guess what was strange is, the previous chapter seemed to about Jesus 2 coming, whereas, this is about His first coming and rejection.
Personally, I have always preferred to hear and get the bad news first and then the good news.....
but in a way, having some hope first, is probably the only way the true believers could have endure not falling into complete despair when hearing this.
It seems to be what will happen with Israel will reject their Messiah and the trees on fire are perhaps various people. They had been in a sense 'glorious', but the they will be fallen and ruined.
I think the shepherds were the Jewish religious leaders, and their wickedness in rejecting their Messiah, was at this point incurable, thus there would be no pity or mercy.
When people refuse to be ruled, protected and have the provision of God and want to be the captain of their own ships, then cruelty reigns against each other ( "....each of them to fall into the hand of his neighbor, and each into the hand of his king..."). They turn for being symbolic sheep to savage beasts.
God says they have "detested me" and so the religious leaders did of Jesus in His first coming.
They refused their shepherd and so he 'resigned' from the office so to speak and says:
“I will not be your shepherd. What is to die, let it die. What is to be destroyed, let it be destroyed".
One of the duties of the shepherd is to protect the sheep from harm and death, but without the shepherd they will most certainly die.
He then breaks the 2 rods: favor and union. I am thinking the favor is broken because they wanted nothing to do with union with Christ Jesus.
And they weighed out His worth as And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.....the exact price Judas received for betraying Jesus....and then "and threw them into the house of the Lord", which was what Judas did.
Then a shepherd who does not care for the sheep will be raised up.
As for the two staffs Favor and Union let me quote MacArthur. Shepherds often carried 2 sticks, a rod to ward off wild beasts & a staff to guide & retrieve sheep (cf. Ps 23:4). The staff speaks of Christ the Good Shepherd who expressed the love & grace of God by tenderly leading & protecting His people (Mk 6:34), while the rod speaks of His unifying ministry, binding together the scattered house of Israel into 1 fold (Mt 15:24). The MacArthur study Bible
Finally, the last two verses speak to the future; of the Antichrist who will destroy many of the sheep of Israel during the Tribulation. The last verse tells us though that God condemns the antichrist and takes away his strength and intelligence.
Zechariah 11
The rejection of the king.
Open your doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may consume your cedars. Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down. Listen to the wail of the shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. Listen to the howl of the young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed. This is what the LORD my God says: “Pasture the flock marked for slaughter,…whose buyers slaughter them without remorse. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the LORD, for I am rich!’ Even their own shepherds have no compassion for them. In one month I dismissed three shepherds. My soul grew impatient with the flock, and their souls also detested me. Then I said, “I will no longer shepherd you. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish; let the rest devour one another's flesh.”My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. The LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter,” this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD. Then I cut in pieces my second staff called Union, breaking the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.… Also about when Judas betrayed Jesus. The false shepherd is described. Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock.
Zechariah 12
The Lord Will Give Salvation
It starts off with God as the Creator of everything.
And then goes right into an end time prophecy.
The nations continue with their endless hatred of Israel...but they will surely hurt themselves instead, especially at the end times.
They will be and are spiritually blind and mad....and fearful.
Israel will acknowledge it strength is because of the Lord.
v.8 Is interesting for those who feel weak:
"On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them."
Imagine, the most feeble will be like the great warrior king David!!!
Him Whom They Have Pierced
This is actually an uplifting verse for the Jewish people during the end times:
"“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. "
They will finally believe in Jesus as their Messiah and be saved.
It seems like it is saying, especially, the nobles or government and religious leaders.
But each individual will be sorrowful for their sins.
Sorry this seems short....we went to church
and we had to go earlier than normal because today was Devon's first day with a 'job' of service in the church.....
kind of a 'greeter' ,but particularly for parents new to the church,
who don't know where the various rooms and grades etc. for each child in Sunday school is....
also any questions they might have etc.
And I only sleep a few hours, and not well, had to keep getting up to go to the bathroom,
( but the night before that I slept 6 hours straight and did not get up once strange!!)
I keep falling asleep sigh!!!
When God says they pierced “Me,” He is certainly affirming that He was God in His 1st coming and always will be!
The Holy Spirit will bring each person to repentance and they will all mourn because the nation hadn't believed when He came the first time, and they'll mourn that it took them so long to come to belief as well. Then, the prophecy will be fulfilled that says, "all Israel will be saved!"
I'm sorry you're so tired and having trouble sleeping hon. I completely understand and hope you sleep better tonight! Zechariah 12
The word of the Lord for Israel, the Lord made the heavens and earth and formed the spirit in man. He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth upon nothing. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, the people of Jerusalem are my strength, for the LORD of Hosts is their God. With the angel of the Lord before them the people living in Jerusalem will be blessed and be strong.The compassion of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace. Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the residents of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns an only child, and weep bitterly for Him as one grieves a firstborn son. Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him--even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem. |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Aug 5, 2019 12:27:28 GMT -5
I did sleep better last night, so thank you!!!
Zechariah 13
This starts off with:
"On that day...."
So that alerts me to it being end times ( Tribulation time or sometimes known as the time of Jacob's distress)
However, there is good news in that a fountain shall be opened ( I am thinking the blood of Jesus who died for them)...
".....to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness".
Idolatry Cut Off
Also on that day 'idols' will be cut off and no longer remembered.
So like you said, the Jews had been cured of idols during the Babylonian captivity, but will again be revived during the tribulation....and then cut off and utterly destroyed, forever!! Yeah!!
Again we come to a hard verse..
where the parents of a false prophet will kill him.
In a way, it's strange in today's culture of abortion on demand,
an innocent baby/child in the womb is viewed as a parasite to be killed without a 2nd glance
and yet
a 'child' who is leading many others to an eternity in Hell, and is also killed by his parents.....that is considered cruel.
False teaching and false prophets do not just have a 'different' way of looking at things, they are literally leading others to Hell and cannot be tolerated especially in the end times.
And they will continue to lie and try to escape the punishment they know is their due.
For real prophets they showed their fugal manner of living with a hairy cloak ....
but in a way,
the 'hairy cloak', became 'wolf's clothing' on the false prophet, which that they get rid of ( so as not to be found out)
and
They will claim, if asked if they are a prophet,they will lie and say: No I am a farmer.
Also if asked about the wounds on their back ( cause by the frenzy of their 'ecstatic worship' where they would cut themselves and try to appease gods/demons)...
they would instead, claim if was from 'friends' ( like today one might claim it came from a bar fight for example).
The Shepherd Struck
However, Jesus did receive real wounds for His people.
The man/God Jesus that God the Father points to as the 'real' shepherd.
His flock ( Jesus followers were scattered when He died on the cross in order to save them....which is how the fount was opened for forgiveness of sins).
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anna
Trials
Posts: 1,995
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Post by anna on Aug 5, 2019 23:37:33 GMT -5
Hi, I want to skip doing the next Bible study after this one because I am going to be busy with work to do, some days I won't be on-line, some days I just pray, work and sleep. I hope the work gets finished soon enough, I wish that I did not have to do the work, I am tired.
Zechariah 13
Purify them and wash them clean, the idols will not be in the land, no more remembered. 6 Deuteronomy 13:6-11 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again. Israel is chastened. All through out history God refined a chosen people that are refined and tried. These people will talk to the Lord and the Lord will bless them, they will be His people.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Aug 6, 2019 7:48:15 GMT -5
I will miss you Anne!!
Will you be able to come back on days you do not work?
I understand tired!! I did not sleep last night.... not even one wink. I am totally exhausted and have to watch third children today.
I don't think I know what you job is? Maybe I do but I am so tired I cannot even think.....
I don't think my Bible study will be top notch today.
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anna
Trials
Posts: 1,995
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Post by anna on Aug 6, 2019 8:24:40 GMT -5
I would like to come back on days that I am free, if that is OK. I know you all don't know much about me because I don't like to talk about myself.
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Post by Cindy on Aug 6, 2019 10:47:55 GMT -5
I just have to share something I've been learning about in Joshua as I've studied. I'm at that part where Achan took some of the loot from Jericho even though it was supposed to be dedicated to God. Because of that, God caused Israel to lose their fight against Ai, and 36 men of Israel died in that fight. (who knows how many others were injured too). It's amazing to me how like us Joshua is and even Achan is. This little story teaches us so very much about our sin natures and how God views sin! It would take too long to get into all that it teaches us, but the main part I wanted to share is something we tend to have a hard time understanding anyway.
When Achan took that loot, God didn't say just Achan sinned, He said Israel sinned! So why would God blame the entire nation for what one person did? This is so important in understanding what God says about the Body of Christ too, because the same standards are set for both. God had told Israel that they were His Kingdom of priests and a Holy Nation, just as He's told us the same thing. He also told them that the reason for making sure that they were "clean" and that all who were "unclean" were put outside the camp, was because He walked around inside the camp, therefore it had to be kept Holy. (Deut. 23:14) Today, God not only walks around with us, but He dwells within us, so how much more so should we try to stay Holy?
So because of those things, when one person knowingly sinned, it contaminated the entire camp (nation). In our case, when someone who is saved knowingly sins, it not only affects them, it affects the entire body of Christ - every single one of us! That sin affects their relationship with the Lord and with all the rest of the people in the Nation, or in our case, all those in the body of Christ. This is why there's so much in the NT about how we're to relate to one another. (think of all the times we see the words "one another" in the NT!) God's letting us know that like the family we really are, we belong to each other, we need each other, and we affect each other. Any weakness or infection in one part of the human body contributes to weakness and infection in the other parts. So it also is with the body of Christ. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). “One sinner destroys much good” (Ecc. 9:18). This is also why God tells us to confess our sins to one another in James 5:16. Achan also had to confess his sin to the rest of the nation.
Next we discover that in punishment for his sin, not only Achan would die, but his whole family with him! That seems so unfair, until we realize that his family also sinned. They had to have known that he'd stolen that stuff and where he put it, since he hid it in a hole he dug inside their tent. They didn't tell anyone what he'd done, which was yet another sin. Here's yet another lesson for us or rather couple of lessons. it shows us how contagious sin is, and how much it corrupts when we give in to it. Achan's sin affected not only himself, but his wife, his sons, his daughters, the Israeli army, and especially the 36 who were killed in the war, and those who were injured.
But it also shows us how important it is for us to hold each other accountable; to warn fellow believers away from sin when we see they're tempted, or to rebuke them when they have sinned so they'll confess and repent of their sin. If Achan's wife had rebuked her husband, perhaps things would have gone differently. Or if she'd told Joshua before he sent the army off to Ai, it could have ended differently. God tells us that there are sins that will cause Him to cause a person to die, even today. (sins worthy of death 1 John 5:16-17 and 1 Cor 11:30) But He tells us that He will forgive a person if they confess their sin and repent. That's why were told to hold each other accountable. (Gal 6:1, Ephesians 5:11, 1 Tim 5:20, 2 Tim 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15, Luke 17:3; etc) This is probably one of the things we wish God hadn't told us to do, because we generally hate having to do it. But as we can see from what happened to Achan and his family, it's so important that we do it!
God has been showing me so much about the body of Christ over this past year, that it amazes me and makes me wish I'd understood it all before I was hurt so I could have lived the way the Lord wants us to, in regards to the body of Christ. I'm very shy, so I never went out of my way to get close to others at church. But if I could go to church now, I'd find a way to become as close as humanly possible with every single member of my church! I know it would take time, probably a long time to get to know them all that well, but I'd work at it with all that I have in me and asking God to help me and asking Him to put His love in my heart for each of them.
I did sleep better last night, so thank you!!!
Zechariah 13
This starts off with:
"On that day...."
So that alerts me to it being end times ( Tribulation time or sometimes known as the time of Jacob's distress)
However, there is good news in that a fountain shall be opened ( I am thinking the blood of Jesus who died for them)...
".....to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness".
Idolatry Cut Off
Also on that day 'idols' will be cut off and no longer remembered.
So like you said, the Jews had been cured of idols during the Babylonian captivity, but will again be revived during the tribulation....and then cut off and utterly destroyed, forever!! Yeah!!
Again we come to a hard verse..
where the parents of a false prophet will kill him.
In a way, it's strange in today's culture of abortion on demand,
an innocent baby/child in the womb is viewed as a parasite to be killed without a 2nd glance
and yet
a 'child' who is leading many others to an eternity in Hell, and is also killed by his parents.....that is considered cruel.
False teaching and false prophets do not just have a 'different' way of looking at things, they are literally leading others to Hell and cannot be tolerated especially in the end times.
And they will continue to lie and try to escape the punishment they know is their due.
For real prophets they showed their fugal manner of living with a hairy cloak ....
but in a way,
the 'hairy cloak', became 'wolf's clothing' on the false prophet, which that they get rid of ( so as not to be found out)
and
They will claim, if asked if they are a prophet,they will lie and say: No I am a farmer.
Also if asked about the wounds on their back ( cause by the frenzy of their 'ecstatic worship' where they would cut themselves and try to appease gods/demons)...
they would instead, claim if was from 'friends' ( like today one might claim it came from a bar fight for example).
The Shepherd Struck
However, Jesus did receive real wounds for His people.
The man/God Jesus that God the Father points to as the 'real' shepherd.
His flock ( Jesus followers were scattered when He died on the cross in order to save them....which is how the fount was opened for forgiveness of sins).
Very good! I love what MacArthur says about this: So the storm that broke upon Israel for the crime of Calvary and has raged with unmitigated fury for long, tragic centuries, will suddenly end and salvation will turn sin into righteousness in the gladness and glory of the kingdom of Jesus. The MacArthur study Bible Often people don't understand why all the horrible things have happened to the Jews, even if they understand that what happened in ad 70 was because of their rejection of Jesus. They then wonder why all the other horrible things have happened. But God's wrath wasn't done when Rome attacked Israel then. it's continued and will continue until the end of the Tribulation.
The parents killing their child who's a false prophet reminds me of what Jesus said ““Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;” (Matthew 10:37) When God saves all of Israel, they will truly love the Lord more than anyone or anything, which is what Zechariah is saying there.
“In the whole land,” declares the LORD, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ”” (Zechariah 13:8–9)
Again we're shown that "only a few will be saved", which applies to both gentiles and Jews, but in this particular case, God is speaking about Jew's. How sad that two thirds of Israel will die in their sins during the Tribulation, but we can be joyful that one third of them will in fact be saved, for they are and will be the "true Israel"! (Remember, the Bible teaches us that not all Jew's are Israel, because only those who are saved are really members of Israel as far as God is concerned. Just as all those who go to church today aren't saved, but only those who have the Holy Spirit within them. The one third will include the 144,000 witnesses that God talks about in Rev 7:4, and those who live through the Tribulation (which is where the Lord refines them with fire) will be the ones who will populate the Millennial Kingdom along with the Gentiles who are saved.
Hi, I want to skip doing the next Bible study after this one because I am going to be busy with work to do, some days I won't be on-line, some days I just pray, work and sleep. I hope the work gets finished soon enough, I wish that I did not have to do the work, I am tired.
Zechariah 13
Purify them and wash them clean, the idols will not be in the land, no more remembered. 6 Deuteronomy 13:6-11 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again. Israel is chastened. All through out history God refined a chosen people that are refined and tried. These people will talk to the Lord and the Lord will bless them, they will be His people.
I'm sorry to hear that Marlene. We'll miss you for sure. So we'll just hope you'll be able to finish quickly and can join us again soon!
I will miss you Anne!!
Will you be able to come back on days you do not work?
I understand tired!! I did not sleep last night.... not even one wink. I am totally exhausted and have to watch third children today.
I don't think I know what you job is? Maybe I do but I am so tired I cannot even think.....
I don't think my Bible study will be top notch today.
I would like to come back on days that I am free, if that is OK. I know you all don't know much about me because I don't like to talk about myself. 
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Aug 6, 2019 12:03:58 GMT -5
Zechariah 14: 1-11
(because I am so tired and not feeling well, I am only going to do half today, and prayerful, finish it tomorrow)
The Coming Day of the Lord
This is surely a potentially confusing chapter because it jumps back and forth in time.....from the millennium back to the tribulation etc.
So if I get some of it wrong, feel free to correct me ( plus I have not slept one wink...none last night, and in a lot a lot of pain)!!!
Anyway, it seems to start in the tribulation when God will all the nations to battle against Jerusalem ( in their minds they came for the 'spoils, the booty, the wealth etc.).
Judgement began with God's people...Half of the city will go out into exile, but for the rest "the Lord will go out and fight" those nations....This seems to be the return of Jesus ( not as the Lamb and suffering servant anymore, but as the Lion of Judah and the King of kings and Lord of Lords!!
It also seems to imply this is not a local Middle East affair, but a World wide one.
A time of Jacob's distress.
The very geography will change, His feel will stand on Mt Olives and the very mountain will split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley....(Half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south).
One commentator pointed out that Zechariah predicted Jesus first coming approx 500 years in advance ( with great detail, as he is doing in the 2 nd coming I might point out),
so it seems certain he could do the same with Jesus 2nd coming ( and it lines up with scriptures).
MacArthur on Azel - "It is best understood as a place E of Jerusalem, marking the eastern end of the newly created valley. Though exact identification is unknown, it is possibly the Valley of Jehoshaphat or Valley of Decision (cf. Joel 3:12, 14) which will be for judgment of the nations and for the escape of the half who were not captured "
Jesus 'the light of the world',
will change the light of the world.
One commentator Eugene Merrill put it this way:
“Whereas Genesis is describing creation out of chaos,
Zechariah speaks of chaos out of creation.”
This all will be a unique day, as never before seen on earth.
MacArthur - "As these Jews are fleeing through this newly created valley, the lights in the world will go out and be replaced by the light of Christ’s glory. Only the Lord knows the fullness of the plan for that day—when the lights go out and are lit again in the millennial kingdom.
Additionally:
" On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea
MacArthur - "The highest elevation of the temple mount in Jerusalem is more than 300 ft. lower than the Mt. of Olives, but the topographical alterations described in Zech 14:4, 10 will allow the spring to flow toward the Dead Sea (east) and the Mediterranean Sea (West). It will not dry up in summer, as most Palestinian streams do, but will flow all year, making the desert “blossom like the crocus”
And the Lord (Jesus) will be king over all the earth in the millennial kingdom.
W A Criswell "No longer shall there be many world religions or many names for God"
John MacArthur
"There will be only ONE religion in the entire world during the millennial reign of Christ. Ruling with a rod of iron (cf. Rev 19:15), Christ will have done away with all false religions spawned by Satan. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant providing a Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the land given to Abraham; the Davidic Covenant which promised a king from the tribe of Judah and the line of David; and the New Covenant which held out the hope of spiritual redemption for Jew and Gentile. All of this will be fulfilled in and by the Lord Jesus Christ." (MacArthur Study Bible)
The defeat of God’s enemies at Armageddon will be accompanied with a crazy and powerful plague where the enemies (of God) their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
Which almost seems like a culmination of one of the signs Jesus said to look for pointing to the end times: Plaques...it seems like they are already increasing greatly in the world, but this will be like never before!! Also cataclysmic changes in the heavens .
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Post by Cindy on Aug 7, 2019 9:39:00 GMT -5
Zechariah 14: 1-11
(because I am so tired and not feeling well, I am only going to do half today, and prayerful, finish it tomorrow)
The Coming Day of the Lord
This is surely a potentially confusing chapter because it jumps back and forth in time.....from the millennium back to the tribulation etc.
So if I get some of it wrong, feel free to correct me ( plus I have not slept one wink...none last night, and in a lot a lot of pain)!!!
Anyway, it seems to start in the tribulation when God will all the nations to battle against Jerusalem ( in their minds they came for the 'spoils, the booty, the wealth etc.).
Judgement began with God's people...Half of the city will go out into exile, but for the rest "the Lord will go out and fight" those nations....This seems to be the return of Jesus ( not as the Lamb and suffering servant anymore, but as the Lion of Judah and the King of kings and Lord of Lords!!
It also seems to imply this is not a local Middle East affair, but a World wide one.
A time of Jacob's distress.
The very geography will change, His feel will stand on Mt Olives and the very mountain will split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley....(Half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south).
One commentator pointed out that Zechariah predicted Jesus first coming approx 500 years in advance ( with great detail, as he is doing in the 2 nd coming I might point out),
so it seems certain he could do the same with Jesus 2nd coming ( and it lines up with scriptures).
MacArthur on Azel - "It is best understood as a place E of Jerusalem, marking the eastern end of the newly created valley. Though exact identification is unknown, it is possibly the Valley of Jehoshaphat or Valley of Decision (cf. Joel 3:12, 14) which will be for judgment of the nations and for the escape of the half who were not captured "
Jesus 'the light of the world',
will change the light of the world.
One commentator Eugene Merrill put it this way:
“Whereas Genesis is describing creation out of chaos,
Zechariah speaks of chaos out of creation.”
This all will be a unique day, as never before seen on earth.
MacArthur - "As these Jews are fleeing through this newly created valley, the lights in the world will go out and be replaced by the light of Christ’s glory. Only the Lord knows the fullness of the plan for that day—when the lights go out and are lit again in the millennial kingdom.
Additionally:
" On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea
MacArthur - "The highest elevation of the temple mount in Jerusalem is more than 300 ft. lower than the Mt. of Olives, but the topographical alterations described in Zech 14:4, 10 will allow the spring to flow toward the Dead Sea (east) and the Mediterranean Sea (West). It will not dry up in summer, as most Palestinian streams do, but will flow all year, making the desert “blossom like the crocus”
And the Lord (Jesus) will be king over all the earth in the millennial kingdom.
W A Criswell "No longer shall there be many world religions or many names for God"
John MacArthur
"There will be only ONE religion in the entire world during the millennial reign of Christ. Ruling with a rod of iron (cf. Rev 19:15), Christ will have done away with all false religions spawned by Satan. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant providing a Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the land given to Abraham; the Davidic Covenant which promised a king from the tribe of Judah and the line of David; and the New Covenant which held out the hope of spiritual redemption for Jew and Gentile. All of this will be fulfilled in and by the Lord Jesus Christ." (MacArthur Study Bible)
The defeat of God’s enemies at Armageddon will be accompanied with a crazy and powerful plague where the enemies (of God) their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
Which almost seems like a culmination of one of the signs Jesus said to look for pointing to the end times: Plaques...it seems like they are already increasing greatly in the world, but this will be like never before!! Also cataclysmic changes in the heavens .
Yes, it starts with the end of the Tribulation when Jerusalem has been taken by the antichrist and the troops are dividing the spoils. (that's when Jesus will come and save them!) So again this shows us that things will look very bad for Israel at the end of the Tribulation; it will look like the Antichrist is winning!
Those who flee aren't going into exile, they're fleeing from the antichrist. Those who don't flee are those the antichrist has already captured. Jesus creates that valley so they have a way to get to safety. Then He fights for them and wins the war.
About the water flowing from the temple; we hear all the time people saying, "oh look there's water coming from the temple" or that water's shown up somewhere and it must go underground and be under the area of the temple, or others such things. Those are all ridiculous statements that just show the people are so hung up on the "end times" that all they do is look for signs and just about everything they see they consider a "sign". This new spring is what Jesus uses to cause the desert to bloom, and no longer be a desert. (yeah, that's another one we constantly hear "is happening now", but it's not!) Whether or not there's an actual spring underground now really doesn't matter. If there's not, then God will make one. If there is, maybe He will use it, enlarge it or whatever. Nor does it matter one bit prophetically whether or not people are "making the desert bloom" now. Because when the Lord does it, it will be His doing, and not the doing of human beings. That's why neither of these things are "signs" of the end times, or of the Trib or anything else.
But this won't happen until the end of the Tribulation and it's not a sign of anything before then. I get so tired of people trying to force the Bible to say what they want it to say, or think it says, and say they're "signs". All it does is make Christians look like idiots.
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Post by Cindy on Aug 7, 2019 10:05:15 GMT -5
I started a new thread for Ezra for when we finish this one.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Aug 7, 2019 13:33:16 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy, for all your added information, and yes I did get to read your yesterday's information also, so thank you again!
I did sleep a bit last night....not a full long sleep but at least a couple of hours, so better than nada, zip, zero, zilch, I do keep nodding off continually tho....sigh!
The 2nd half of Zechariah 13:13-
the Gentiles upon seeing the plague of flesh rotting on skeletons will cause great panic and confusion on the Gentiles seeking to destroy Israel, but instead, they will be the one's annihilated!
This plague is not just going to affect people but the animals also.
They will celebrate several feasts going from war, to now worship. ...and all Israel’s fasts would become feasts!
Since all the surrounding land is a huge plain, Jerusalem has been raised....so the people go up....to worship.
there has been a reversal of Gentiles (anti-Semitism of the 'old age',
the one we are now in
and has been replaced or rather will be replaced by,
pro-Israel sentiment) in the 'new age' ( not the 'hippie new age'), of the Messiah.
.MacArthur summarizes the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles writing that it commemorated "the time when God “tabernacled” with Israel in the wilderness, the feast represented the last of the 3 major pilgrimage festivals , marked the final harvest of the year’s crops, and provided a time of rejoicing.
In the Millennium, it will celebrate Messiah’s presence again dwelling among His people and the joyful restoration of Israel, including the in gathering of the nations.
Those who refuse to go will experience drought and plague. Tragically, as the thousand years go on, there will be many people from all over the world who will reject Christ as Savior and King, joining in a final war against Him, only to be destroyed and cast into hell forever."
Disobedience brings drought ( physical....and more so spiritual).
Everything will be considered Holy in that day, even mundane things like pots and pans.
Jesus reign will be a righteous reign.
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Post by Cindy on Aug 8, 2019 10:16:48 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy, for all your added information, and yes I did get to read your yesterday's information also, so thank you again!
I did sleep a bit last night....not a full long sleep but at least a couple of hours, so better than nada, zip, zero, zilch, I do keep nodding off continually tho....sigh!
The 2nd half of Zechariah 13:13-
the Gentiles upon seeing the plague of flesh rotting on skeletons will cause great panic and confusion on the Gentiles seeking to destroy Israel, but instead, they will be the one's annihilated!
This plague is not just going to affect people but the animals also.
They will celebrate several feasts going from war, to now worship. ...and all Israel’s fasts would become feasts!
Since all the surrounding land is a huge plain, Jerusalem has been raised....so the people go up....to worship.
there has been a reversal of Gentiles (anti-Semitism of the 'old age',
the one we are now in
and has been replaced or rather will be replaced by,
pro-Israel sentiment) in the 'new age' ( not the 'hippie new age'), of the Messiah.
.MacArthur summarizes the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles writing that it commemorated "the time when God “tabernacled” with Israel in the wilderness, the feast represented the last of the 3 major pilgrimage festivals , marked the final harvest of the year’s crops, and provided a time of rejoicing.
In the Millennium, it will celebrate Messiah’s presence again dwelling among His people and the joyful restoration of Israel, including the in gathering of the nations.
Those who refuse to go will experience drought and plague. Tragically, as the thousand years go on, there will be many people from all over the world who will reject Christ as Savior and King, joining in a final war against Him, only to be destroyed and cast into hell forever."
Disobedience brings drought ( physical....and more so spiritual).
Everything will be considered Holy in that day, even mundane things like pots and pans.
Jesus reign will be a righteous reign.
This whole section is so amazing as it gives us yet more information about the Millennial Kingdom, even telling us that Egypt will be one of the nations that are disciplined by not getting any rain at some point during the Millennial Kingdom. Most say that will be toward the end, based on what other passages say as well. When there's no rain, there's no crops, so everyone will know who's been disciplined by the Lord for disobedience.
What's so amazing to me is that the people will be in a perfect environment, with the curse removed, with Satan chained in the bottomless pit for 1000 years, and with Jesus visibly present and reigning on His throne, and there will be those who will disobey and/or just pretend to worship God and obey. Plus, it won't be just a few people, it will be millions of them! It just goes to show that sin is truly insanity. I see that in my own life when I look back to when I wasn't saved and was living in sin. I remember all the ways I justified my thoughts and actions to myself and others and can't believe that I actually believed that, because it's just literally crazy! Literally insane!
The last verse is very interesting and telling, at least I think so: “Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 14:21) A Canaanite would be a pagan who's degenerate. They were the ones that lived in the promised land that had sinned for 400 years without repenting, so God gave the land to Israel. So we can see why God would say that. But what makes it especially interesting to me is the word "Canaanite", because that's translated in different ways in other versions. Other versions translate it as either "trader" or "merchant". And it's describing what the words Jesus used here do as well: “To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”” (John 2:16)
This verse is also telling us that everyone in all of Israel, not just the High Priest, will be considered Holy to the Lord and that every part of their lives will be lived as holy to the Lord. Zechariah began this book with a call for everyone to repent and ends with the wonderful encouragement telling us that then, all Israel will finally be Holy to the Lord, for they will have repented and be living as faithful sons and daughters of the Lord, and worshiping Him in spirit and in Truth.
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