Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Romans 10:1-13
Brethen my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, " The man who does those things shall live by them. " But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, " Do not say in your heart, ' Who will ascend into heaven? ' " ( that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, " `Who will descend into the abyss? ' ( that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? " The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, ( that is, th word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, " Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For " whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
False Prophets
" Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pleasure! " says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: " You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings, " says the Lord. " But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking, " says the Lord.
" Behold, the days are coming, " says the Lord, " That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A king shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.
" Therefore, behold, the days are coming, " says the Lord, " that they shall no longer say, ' As Israel from the land of Egypt, ' but, ' As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them. ' And they shall dwell in their own land. "
My heart within me is broken Because of the prophets; All my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, And like a man whom wine has overcome, Because of the Lord, And because of His holy words. For the land is full of adultereres; For because of a curse the land mourns. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil, And their might is not right.
" For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness, " says the Lord. " Therefore their way shall be to them Like slippery ways; In the darkness they shall be driven on And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them, The year of their punishment, " says the Lord. " And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err. Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adltery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of the evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
" Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: ' Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Profaneness has gone out into all the land. ' "
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
" Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, ' The Lord has said, " You shall have peace" ' ; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ' No evil shall come upon you. ' "
For who has stood in the councel of the Lord, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury- A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. " I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My councel, And had caused My people to hear my words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings.
" Am I a God near at hand, " says the Lord, " And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him? " says the Lord; " Do I not fill heaven and earth? " says the Lord.
" I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ' I have dreamed, I have, I have dreamed! ' How long will this be in the heart of teh prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.
" The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? " says the Lord. " Is not My word like a fire? " says the Lord, " And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? " Therefore behold, I am against the prophets, " says the Lord, " who steal My words everyone from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, " says the Lord, ' who use their tongues and say, ' He says, ' Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, " says the Lord, " and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all, " says the Lord.
" So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, ' What is the oracle of the Lord? ' you shall then say to them, ' What oracle? ' I will even forsake you, " says the Lord. " And as for the prophet and the priest and the people who say, ' The oracle of the Lord! ' I will even punish that man and his house. Thus every one of you shall say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ' What has the Lord answered? ' and, ' What has the Lord spoken? ' And the oracle of the Lord you shall mention no more. For every man's word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. Thus you shall say to the prophet, ' What has the Lord answered you? ' and, ' What has the Lord spoken? ' But since you say, ' The oracle of the Lord! ' Therefore thus says the Lord: ' Because you say this word, " The oracle of the Lord! " and I have sent to you, saying, " Do not say, ' The oracle of the Lord! " therefore behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you and forsake you, and will cast you out on My presence. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten. ' "
" Behold, the days are coming, " says the Lord, " That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A king shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.
" Therefore, behold, the days are coming, " says the Lord, " that they shall no longer say, ' As Israel from the land of Egypt, ' but, ' As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them. ' And they shall dwell in their own land. "
My heart within me is broken Because of the prophets; All my bones shake. I am like a drunken man, And like a man whom wine has overcome, Because of the Lord, And because of His holy words. For the land is full of adultereres; For because of a curse the land mourns. The pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up. Their course of life is evil, And their might is not right.
" For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness, " says the Lord. " Therefore their way shall be to them Like slippery ways; In the darkness they shall be driven on And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them, The year of their punishment, " says the Lord. " And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err. Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adltery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of the evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
" Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: ' Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And make them drink the water of gall; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Profaneness has gone out into all the land. ' "
Thus says the Lord of hosts:
" Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, ' The Lord has said, " You shall have peace" ' ; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ' No evil shall come upon you. ' "
For who has stood in the councel of the Lord, And has perceived and heard His word? Who has marked His word and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord has gone forth in fury- A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back Until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. " I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My councel, And had caused My people to hear my words, Then they would have turned them from their evil way And from the evil of their doings.
" Am I a God near at hand, " says the Lord, " And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him? " says the Lord; " Do I not fill heaven and earth? " says the Lord.
" I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ' I have dreamed, I have, I have dreamed! ' How long will this be in the heart of teh prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal.
" The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? " says the Lord. " Is not My word like a fire? " says the Lord, " And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? " Therefore behold, I am against the prophets, " says the Lord, " who steal My words everyone from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, " says the Lord, ' who use their tongues and say, ' He says, ' Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, " says the Lord, " and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all, " says the Lord.
" So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, ' What is the oracle of the Lord? ' you shall then say to them, ' What oracle? ' I will even forsake you, " says the Lord. " And as for the prophet and the priest and the people who say, ' The oracle of the Lord! ' I will even punish that man and his house. Thus every one of you shall say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ' What has the Lord answered? ' and, ' What has the Lord spoken? ' And the oracle of the Lord you shall mention no more. For every man's word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. Thus you shall say to the prophet, ' What has the Lord answered you? ' and, ' What has the Lord spoken? ' But since you say, ' The oracle of the Lord! ' Therefore thus says the Lord: ' Because you say this word, " The oracle of the Lord! " and I have sent to you, saying, " Do not say, ' The oracle of the Lord! " therefore behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you and forsake you, and will cast you out on My presence. And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten. ' "
Prophecies Against the Kings of Judah
Thus says the Lord: " Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word, and say, ' Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates! Thus says the Lord: " execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do not wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you indeed do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house, riding on horses and in chariots, accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David. But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself," says the Lord, " that this house shall become desolation. " ' " For thus says the Lord to the house of the king Judah:
" You are Gilead to Me, The head of Lebanon; Yet I surely will make you a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited. I will prepare destroyers against you, Everyone with his weapons; They shall cut down your choice cedars And cast them into the fire.
And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ' Why has the Lord done so to this great city? ' Then they will answer, ' Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them. ' "
Weep not for the dead, nor bemoan him; Weep bitterly for him who goes away, For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country.
For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: " He shall not return here anymore, but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
" Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor's service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, Who says, ' I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers, And cut out windows for it, Paneling it with cedar And painting it with vermillion. '
" Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing me? " says the Lord. " Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothingbut your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence."
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, jing of Judah. " They shall not lament for him, Saying, ' Alas, my brother! ' or ' Alas, my sister! ' They shall not lament for him, Saying, ' Alas, master! or ' Alas, his glory! ' He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. " Go up to Lebanon, and cry out, And lift up your voice in Bashan; Cry from Abarim, for all your lovers are destroyed. I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, ' I will not hear, ' This has been your manner from your youth, That you did not obey my voice. The wind shall eat up all your rulers, And your lovers shall go into captivity; Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated For all your wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, Making your nest in the cedars, How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you. Like the pain of a woman in labor?
" As I live, " says the Lord, " though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I woukd pluck you off; and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear-the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return.
" Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol- A vessel in which is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, And cast into a land which they do not know? O earth, earth, earth, Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord: ' Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for none of his descendnats shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah. ' "
" You are Gilead to Me, The head of Lebanon; Yet I surely will make you a wilderness, Cities which are not inhabited. I will prepare destroyers against you, Everyone with his weapons; They shall cut down your choice cedars And cast them into the fire.
And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ' Why has the Lord done so to this great city? ' Then they will answer, ' Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them. ' "
Weep not for the dead, nor bemoan him; Weep bitterly for him who goes away, For he shall return no more, Nor see his native country.
For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: " He shall not return here anymore, but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
" Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor's service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, Who says, ' I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers, And cut out windows for it, Paneling it with cedar And painting it with vermillion. '
" Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing me? " says the Lord. " Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothingbut your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence."
Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, jing of Judah. " They shall not lament for him, Saying, ' Alas, my brother! ' or ' Alas, my sister! ' They shall not lament for him, Saying, ' Alas, master! or ' Alas, his glory! ' He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. " Go up to Lebanon, and cry out, And lift up your voice in Bashan; Cry from Abarim, for all your lovers are destroyed. I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, ' I will not hear, ' This has been your manner from your youth, That you did not obey my voice. The wind shall eat up all your rulers, And your lovers shall go into captivity; Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated For all your wickedness. O inhabitant of Lebanon, Making your nest in the cedars, How gracious will you be when pangs come upon you. Like the pain of a woman in labor?
" As I live, " says the Lord, " though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I woukd pluck you off; and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear-the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return.
" Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol- A vessel in which is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, And cast into a land which they do not know? O earth, earth, earth, Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord: ' Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for none of his descendnats shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah. ' "
Monday, October 30, 2017
Preach the Word
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at " His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight!, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychius I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come-and the books, especially the parchments. Alexander the coopersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever Amen! Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick. Do your utmost to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethen. The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.
The Destruction of Jerusalem Foretold
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, " Please inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that the king may go away from us." Then Jeremiah said to them, " Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, " Thus says the Lord God of Israel: " Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans" who besiege you outside the walls; and I will assemble them in the midst of this city. I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath. I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence and afterward, " says the Lord, " I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hands of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. He shall not spare them, or have pity or mercy."' Now you shall say to this people, ' Thus says the Lord: " Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him. For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good," says the Lord. " It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." ' And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, ' Hear the word of the Lord, O house of David! Thus says the Lord: " Execute judgment in the morning: And deliver him who is plundered Out of the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth like fire And burn so that no one can quench it. Because of the evil of your doings. " Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, And rock of the plain, " says the Lord, " Who say, ' Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter our dwellings?' But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings." says the Lord; " I will kindle a fire in its forest, And it shall devour all things around it. " ' "
Jeremiah Imprisoned chapter 20
Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. And it happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him. " The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib." For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies. and your eyes shall see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon and slay them with the sword. Moreover I will deliver all the wealth of this city, all its produce, and all precious things: all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them, seize them, and carry them to Babylon. And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to who you have prophesied lies.'" O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out: I shouted, " Violence and plunder!" Because the word of the Lord was made to me. A reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, " I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire. Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back. And could not. For I heard many mocking: " Fear on every side!" " Report," they say. " and we will report it!" All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, " Perhaps he can be induced; Then we will take our revenge on him." But the Lord is with me as a mighty awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten. But, O Lord of hosts, You who test the righteous, and see the mind and heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them; For I have pleaded my cause before You. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For He has delivered the life of the poor From the hand of evildoers. Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me! Let the man be cursed Who brought news to my father, saying, " A male child has been born to you!" Making him very glad. And let the man be like the cities Which the Lord overthrew, and did not relent; Let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noon. Because he did not kill me from the womb, and her womb always enlarged with me. Why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow. That my days should be consumed with shame?
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