Jeremiah wonders why the wicked prosper. The Lord tells Jeremiah not to grow weary because He has a plan and Jeremiah is part of His plan, but it will be a long, hard road.

God says that He will punish all of Israel’s evil neighbors, but they too will have a chance to be redeemed – “‘And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,’ says the Lord.”

The Lord has Jeremiah purchase a sash and wear it as a symbolic act of His message. Then He tells Jeremiah to go to the Euphrates and bury the sash. After some time, the Lord has him return and dig it up; thus illustrating how the Lord is going to destroy the pride of the people who at one time clung to Him, as the sash did Jeremiah’s waist, but left Him for pagan worship.

Then, as another symbolic picture, Jeremiah instructs the people to fill their jugs with wine. For as wine leads to drunkenness, the sins of the people will lead to their destruction.

In an attempt to lead the people to repentance, the Lord sends a drought. He tells Jeremiah not to intercede for them because judgment for their sins was inevitable. The false prophets, who keep telling the people that all is fine when it is not fine, will also experience God’s wrath, for they do not speak the word of the Lord but lies.

Jeremiah asks if the Lord has totally rejected Judah, and he prays for healing. The Lord says at this point, not even Moses or Samuel could intercede for them because King Manasseh led Judah to such a state of corruption that the people have completely abandoned the Lord. Therefore some will die by sword, some by famine, and some will be taken into captivity.

We end the reading with Jeremiah struggling because he is despised for speaking the words of the Lord – “O Lord, You know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In Your enduring patience, do not take me away. Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke. Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone because of Your hand, for You have filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?”

The Lord responds to His faithful servant, Jeremiah – “I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; and they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you; for I am with you to save you and deliver you… I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.” 

Those called by the Lord will experience opposition and persecution in this world. And although the Lord’s calling upon your life may be a hard road to follow, the Lord promises to carry you through it till the end. God always provides salvation for those who walk with Him by faith, trusting that He is using all things, even the tough trials, to accomplish His good plans and purposes.

More from Jeremiah tomorrow. Keep reading. (Jeremiah 12:1-15:21)

“How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?”

We have seen throughout this story that anytime the people choose to ignore the word of God and walk in their own ways, things never go well. Although the Lord has sent prophet after prophet to warn the people to turn from walking in their own ways to obeying the word of the Lord and walking in His ways, the people do not listen. They believe that they are wise and that they can navigate life apart from the Lord. However, there is no wisdom to be found apart from God’s word. 

Jeremiah grieves over the sinful state of Judah – “For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; astonishment has taken hold of me.” As Charles Spurgeon said, “A preacher whom God sends will often feel more care for the souls of men than men feel for themselves or their own salvation.” Because someone who is walking with the Lord and knows His word knows the ultimate outcome for those who choose to ignore Him. 

The Lord speaks of the outcome for rebellious Judah – “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it, but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them… Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. I will scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.”

The Lord instructs the people not to glory in the things of the world that will perish and fade away when calamity comes upon them, but to glory in Him and His long suffering, just, and righteous nature – “‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.”

Jeremiah reminds Judah that, “The Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.” The Lord, the God of creation, will destroy all other gods who did not make heaven and the earth. And since Judah has broken their covenant with the Lord and has turned to worship these false gods made by the hands of men, nothing will save them at this point, not even Jeremiah’s prayers.

The reading ends with Jeremiah’s enemies plotting to kill him for speaking the words of the Lord, but God assures Jeremiah that He will punish those who intend him harm. And in spite of threats against his life, Jeremiah will stay faithful to proclaiming the word of the Lord. Therefore, we will hear more from Jeremiah tomorrow. Keep reading. (Jeremiah 8:4-11:23)

Nebuchadnezzar has a disturbing dream, so he gathers all the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans and asks them to tell him what he dreamt and then to interpret his dream. They respond, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

“For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.”

Therefore, Daniel goes to his house and asks Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to pray with him that the Lord would reveal the dream and interpretation so that they would be spared. Daniel knows the power of prayer. Jesus is later going to say, “for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). 

The Lord hears their prayers and reveals the secret to Daniel in a night vision. “So Daniel blessed the God of heaven” for giving him knowledge and wisdom. Daniel says the Lord “Reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells in Him.”

“Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: ‘Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.’”

When Daniel is before the king he explains that no man can tell him his dream, but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets and He is the one who interprets dreams. So Daniel shares with Nebuchadnezzar that in his dream Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold with a powerful kingdom, but after him would come three other kingdoms. Two inferior kingdoms will arise, Medo-Persia and Greece, and then another really powerful kingdom will arise, the Roman Empire. Then Daniel says, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Commentators believe this is a reference to the return of Jesus when He will overthrow all earthly kingdoms and reign for eternity. 

Upon hearing the interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar says, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” He also promotes Daniel and his friends to be rulers in Babylon.

However, over time Nebuchadnezzar must have forgotten when he said, “Truly your God is the God of all gods,” because he later builds a large golden image and demands everyone to worship it when music is played. Those who refuse to worship the image will be thrown into a blazing furnace. When Daniel’s friends refuse to worship anything or anyone but the Lord, Nebuchadnezzar tells them that he will cast them into the furnace. 

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’” 

This response infuriates the king so he has the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego are bound and cast into the furnace, whose flames kill the men tossing them inside. But when Nebuchadnezzar looks inside, he sees a fourth person in there – “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” The Lord was in the fire with the men who trusted Him with their lives, and He delivered them from harm. So Nebuchadnezzar brings the men out “and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.” Then Nebuchadnezzar says, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” And once again, Nebuchadnezzar promotes the men of God in the province of Babylon.

Back in Jerusalem before the Babylon invasion in 597 BC, Jeremiah is still warning the people not to believe that they are secure just because the temple is located in Jerusalem. He warns them to stop their evil, repent, and turn to the Lord or the temple and everything else will be destroyed. But the people are still not listening.

More from Jeremiah tomorrow, so keep reading. (Daniel 2:1-3:30, Jeremiah 7:1-8:3)

Darius the Mede is now king of Babylon and he wants Daniel to be the governor over the whole realm, “because an excellent spirit was in him.” However, the other governors don’t want Daniel elevated so they scheme to bring a charge against Daniel concerning the law of his God. They have King Darius sign a decree that says anyone who worships any god or man besides King Darius for thirty days will be thrown in the den of lions.

When Daniel hears about the decree he goes to his room, kneels facing Jerusalem, and prays toward the temple three times a day as he always does, believing that God hears the prayers of His people just as Solomon said in his temple dedication prayer (1 Kings 8:28-30). When the governors see him praying they tell King Darius to throw him in the lion’s den. King Darius tries to protect Daniel but the decree is binding per the law of the Medes and the Persians.

So Daniel is thrown in the den of lions but the Lord sends an angel to shut the mouths of the lions and “no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.” Then the ones who plotted against Daniel are thrown in the lions’ den with their entire families and all are killed. Afterwards, King Darius makes a new decree “that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”

“So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

The seventy years of captivity is coming to an end. Daniel “understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolation of Jerusalem.” So Daniel prays to God to restore His people “for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.” Then the Angel Gabriel appears before Daniel giving him a vision of seventy weeks which there are various interpretations, but by this vision we can know that God has a plan and a timing of His plan; therefore, we can trust that He is in control.

We end the reading with the Lord stirring King Cyrus’s heart to let His people return to Jerusalem to rebuild His temple. Cyrus sends off some captives from Babylon to Jerusalem with the articles that were taken from the original temple by King Nebuchadnezzar, bringing the Captivity Era to an end.

The Return Era starts tomorrow, so keep reading!

(Daniel 6:1-28, Daniel 9:1-27, 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-11, 1 Chronicles 3:17-18)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

14 Eras:

Creation Era (Genesis 1:1-11:26)✅

Patriarch Era (Genesis 11:27-50:26 and Job)✅

Exodus Era (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) ✅

Conquest Era (Joshua) ✅

Judges Era (Judges, Ruth) ✅

Kingdom Era (1,2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 1-9, 1 Kings 1-11, various Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) ✅

Divided Kingdom Era (2 Chronicles 10-36, 1 Kings 11-22, 2 Kings, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and some of Jeremiah) ✅

Captivity Era (the rest of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel) ✅

Return Era (Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) is up next!

Eras to follow:

Silent, Gospel, Church, Missions, and End Time/New Beginning

Today Daniel has two visions and then he interprets a message from the Lord to King Belshazzar.

In the first vision, Daniel sees four beasts representing four world empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel says the fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, is different from the others – “It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”

Then Daniel gazes into the heavenly realm and he sees the Lord’s throne and the Lord Himself; and there is an encounter between the Lord and the beast – “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”

“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”

This vision greatly troubles Daniel. Per the ESV Study Bible, “The beasts in general show the present world order as an ongoing state of violence and lust for power that will continue until the final coming of God’s kingdom. The fourth beast will be different from those before it in power and in duration… As for the ‘little’ horn who made war with the saints and prevailed over them and who shall wear out the saints, many take this to represent the Antichrist, whom they expect in the end times. Other interpreters think there is not enough precise data to identify the little horn. It is clear, however, that this king will blasphemy against God, oppress the saints, and try to abolish the calendar and the law which govern how God’s people worship. The saints will be handed over into his power for a time, times, and a half – totaling three and a half times, or half of a total period of seven times of judgment… The central point of the vision is that the time when the beastly kingdoms of the earth will oppress the saints is limited by God, and beyond it lies the scene of the heavenly court, where the beasts will finally be tamed and destroyed (cf. Rev. 20:1-4, 10).”

Daniel has another vision of a ram with two horns representing the kings of Medo-Persia, and a male goat with a notable horn representing the kingdom of Greece and Alexander the Great who will conquer the Persian empire,  – “And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.”

Alexander the Great will conquer the Persian Empire from 334-331 B.C. After his death, his empire will divide among his four generals: Cassander will rule over Greece and its region, Lysimachus will rule over Asia Minor, Selecus will rule over Syria and Israel, and Ptolemy will rule over Egypt.

Then Daniel saw a little horn grow out of one of the four horns which represented the four generals. Most scholars believe this little horn is the eight ruler of the Seleucid dynasty, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who will rule over Syria and Israel. Antiochus will persecute the people of the Lord, blasphemy God, command idolatrous worship of himself, end sacrifices at the temple, and desecrate the temple. However, Antiochus will only reign for a limited time before he is judged by the Lord and the temple is restored.

We end the reading with King Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, having a lavish drunken feast where they are praising their false gods while consuming wine from vessels that were taken from the house of the Lord. This displeases the Lord, so He writes Belshazzar a message on the wall. Daniel interprets the message for him, saying that because of Belshazzar’s pride and dishonor of the Lord, his kingdom will be divided and given to the Medes and the Persians – “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.”

Tomorrow Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den and King Cyrus signs a decree allowing the exiles to return to Jerusalem, bringing an end to the Captivity Era. Keep reading.

(Daniel 7:1-8:27, Daniel 5:1-31)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Today in the new temple vision, Ezekiel sees a stream of water flowing from the temple and out the east gate. The stream turns into a great river. The Lord says when the water reaches the sea, it’s waters are healed. “And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever they may go, will live…Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” The healing waters indicate the regeneration that will occur during the time of the new temple. At the end of the story, the Lord will give the disciple John a similar vision – “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2).

Then the Lord shows Ezekiel the boundaries of the land that will be divided equally among the twelve tribes of Israel. The boundaries correspond with the land boundaries He gave Moses back in the wilderness (Numbers 34). The Lord not only provides land for the twelve tribes of Israel but also “for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you…they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.” The Lord allocates a memorial gate to the twelve sons of Jacob which surround the new city bringing unity to the once divided nation of Israel.  This is also similar to the vision that John will receive of the New Jerusalem which the Lord will establish when He makes a new heaven and a new earth – “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:10-14). And the best part of New Jerusalem is that the Lord is there – “and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.”

We conclude the Book of Ezekiel by reading his last oracle which says that Nebuchadnezzar is going to conquer Egypt. According to the ESV Study Bible, this prophecy was given in 571 B.C. and Nebuchadnezzar conquered Egypt in 568 B.C.

Today’s reading ends with Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon, releasing Jehoiachin, former king of Judah and a descendant of King David, from prison after thirty-seven years. “And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.” 

The Lord is faithful to His promise to King David and He is still working His plan of bringing the promised Savior through this bloodline. So keep reading! 

(Ezekiel 47:1-48:35, Ezekiel 28:17-30:19, 2 Kings 25:27-30, Jeremiah 52:31-34)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

In the future temple vision, the Lord tells Ezekiel, “Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the Lord and all it’s laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.” Only those who have hearts for the Lord will be able to enter the new temple.

The Lord gives new laws for the priests. He says because of their wandering from the Lord and their great sin, they will be allowed to perform certain duties of a priest regarding temple care and ministering to the people but, “they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priests, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place”, except for the descendants of Zadok. Zadok, a descendant of Aaron’s son Eleazar, was the priest that was loyal to King David when his son, Absalom, tried to take the kingdom from David. He was also the priest that anointed Solomon as king after his brother, Adonijah, tried to claim the throne for himself. Since Zadok and his descendants remained faithful to the Lord, “They will enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.”

The Lord also provides instructions for future offerings and sacrifices to Him. These ritual offerings and sacrifices are to commemorate what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross when He shed His innocent blood to atone for our sins. It is a picture and a reminder of the finished work of Christ; much like the picture God gave back in the garden after He promised to send a Savior who would crush the head of the serpent. The Lord killed an innocent animal to cover the guilt of Adam and Eve, showing that it is the shedding of the blood of the innocent that atones for the sins of the guilty. Jesus Christ is the final atoning Sacrifice; for Jesus was slain and “redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

Tomorrow concludes the new temple vision and the Book of Ezekiel. Keep reading.

(Ezekiel 44:1-46:24)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

This future temple vision is possibly a new temple during the millennial kingdom when Jesus will return and reign on earth for a thousand years. However, this vision and the Book of Revelation describing the future temple are highly debated. What we can see through this temple vision is how the Lord is in the details, down to cubits as He shows Ezekiel the rooms and courtyard. Then Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord return to the temple – “Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple. Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. And He said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever.”

In an earlier vision, Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord departing the temple through the east gate (Ezekiel 10:18-19). Today the glory of the Lord returns through the east gate. Later in the story, one week before Jesus is crucified, He will make a triumphal entrance into Jerusalem through the east gate, also called the Golden Gate or the Beautiful Gate. Conquering kings often came from the east, like Jesus, but King Jesus will come through the gate humbly, on a donkey, declaring Himself Lord and fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. And the people will shout “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9) before they crucify Him. However, one day Jesus will come again; and this time as a conquering King on a white horse and He will put an end to evil for good.

We end the reading with a description of an altar and animal sacrifices in the new temple. These will be performed as a memorial for what Jesus did for us on the cross as the final sacrificial Lamb of God. Just as people offered sacrifices in the Old Testament looking forward to the day of the arrival of the Messiah, sacrifices will be made in the new temple as a celebration, looking back on what Christ did on our behalf. 

More on the temple vision tomorrow. Keep reading.

(Ezekiel 40:38-43:27)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching

Today Nebuchadnezzar has another dream which he asks Daniel to interpret –  “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”

Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a large fruitful tree that reached to the heavens. Then a holy one from heaven cried out to chop down the tree and said, “Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him.”

Daniel explains that the tree is Nebuchadnezzar “for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.” Nebuchadnezzar’s pride is going to lead to his downfall and he will be driven to the fields like a wild beast for seven years “till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”

Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that if he will humble himself, repent, and turn from his sin “perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.” The Lord gives Nebuchadnezzar twelve months to repent but Nebuchadnezzar never humbles himself – “All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’”

The Lord is the one who established Babylon to accomplish His purposes, not Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore the Lord humbles Nebuchadnezzar and he becomes like a wild beast in the fields for seven years “and at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever. For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

“At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”

We end the reading in the twenty-fifth year of captivity and fourteen years after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Ezekiel receives his final vision from the Lord. The Lord shows him a new temple that He is planning and tells Ezekiel to “declare to the house of Israel everything that you see.” This temple is unlike the corrupt temple that the Lord showed Ezekiel twenty years ago.

More on the temple tomorrow. Keep reading.

(1 Chronicles 8:29-40, Daniel 4:1-37, Ezekiel 40:1-37)

#bibleliteracymovement #chronologicalbibleteaching