Refiner’s Fire
Source: google.com via Linda on Pinterest
The Refining Fire: “In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong. In this way the divine image can be mirrored from the soul. It is part of the purging toll exacted of some to become acquainted with God. In the agonies of life, we seem to listen better to the faint, godly whisperings of the Divine Shepherd.” Pres. Faust
Malachi 3
King James Version (KJV)
3 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.
6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lordof hosts.
13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Refiner’s Fire (worship video w/ lyrics)
Standing on the Promise
Source: praisejesustoday.com via Patricia on Pinterest
Luke 24:49
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:4
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Acts 2:33
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Acts 2:39
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call.
Acts 26:6
And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God, unto our fathers:
Romans 4:13
For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 4:16
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Romans 9:8
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Power to be Witnessess
Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus’ description of himself “I am the Good Shepherd” (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: “To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Acts 1:1-8
King James Version (KJV)
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
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Faith in God’s Deliverance
(KJV) 1631 Holy Bible, Robert Barker/John Bill, London. King James Version (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Daniel 6:10-23
King James Version (KJV)
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
23 Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
All Will See Christ’s Glory
Jerusalem (Photo credit: swallroth)
Isaiah 40:1-5
“Comfort, yes, comfort My people! Says your God.
“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare has ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the LORD’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted,
And every mountain and hill shall be made low;
The crooked places shall be made straight,
And the rough places make smooth;
The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together,
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Christ’s Second Coming
English: Mount of Olives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Zechariah 14:3-9
Then the Lord will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on
Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split
in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half the mountain shall move toward
the north
And half toward the south.
Then you shall flee through My
mountain valley,
For the mountain valley shall reach to
Azal.
Yes, you shall flee
As you fled from the earthquake
In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.
Thus the Lord my God will come,
And all the saints with You.
It shall come to pass in that day
That there will be no light;
The lights will diminish.
It shall be one day
Which is known to the LORD—-
Neither day nor night.
But at evening time it shall happen
That it will be light.
And in that day it shall be
That living waters shall flow from
Jerusalem,
Half of them toward the eastern sea
And half of them toward the western
sea;
In both summer and winter is shall
occur.
And the LORD shall be king over all
the earth.
In that day it shall be—
“The LORD is one,”
And His name one.
The Coming Kingdom
Zion mount carmel highway view (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Isaiah 35:1-10
The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb one sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray,
No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Walk in Integrity
The United Kingdom of Solomon breaks up, with Jeroboam ruling over the Northern Kingdom of Israel (in green on the map). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
1 Kings 9:1-9 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he wanted to do, that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you made before Me; I have sanctified this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. “Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded of you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, “then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israelforever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’ “But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, “then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. “And this house will be exalted; yet everyone who passes by will hiss, and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ “Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought this calamity on them.’ “
Prayer of an Overwhelmed Saint
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my cry come to You.
Do not hide Your face from me in the
day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me
speedily.
For my days are consumed like
smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
My heart is stricken and withered like grass;
So that I forget to eat my bread.
Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my skin.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the
housetop.
My enemies reproach me all day long,
And those who deride me swear an oath
against me.
For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
Because of Your indignation and Your
wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me
away.
My days are like a shadow that
lenghtens,
And I wither away like grass.
But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
For Your servants take pleasure in her
stones,
And show favor to her dust.
So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
For the LORD shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory,
He shall regard the prayer of the
destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
This will be written for the generation
to come,
That a people yet to be created may
praise the LORD.
For He looked down from the height of
His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the
earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To loose those appointed to death,
To declare the name of the LORD in
Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
When the people are gathered
together,
And the kingdoms to serve the LORD.
He weakened my strength in the way;
He shortened my days.
I said, “O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of
my days;
Your years are throughout all
generations.
Of old You laid the foundation of the
earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your
hands.
They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, all of them will grow old like a
garment’
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
The children of Your servants will
continue,
And their descendants will be
established before You.”
The Savior of the World
John 4:39-42
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
And many more believed because of His own word.
They they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Samaritans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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- John 4:39-45 (biblestudy123.wordpress.com)
Power of Faith Mark 11:20-24
On the trees, figs appear when summer is near (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
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- No Figs? Get Rid of the Tree! (ptl2010.com)
Cleansing the Temple Luke 19:45-48
c. 1750 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Then He went into the temple and began to driveout those who bought and sold in it,
saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ “
And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him,
and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
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- Warning to Watch for His Coming Luke 21:34-38 (loopyloo305.com)
Debate Over Tradition Matthew 15:1-20
Christ and The Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat the bread.”
But He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
“For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother‘; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’
“But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me has been dedicated to the temple”—
‘is released from honoring his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
Hypocrite! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain the worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the
commandments of men.’ “
Then He called the multitude and said to them, “Hear and understand:
“Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
But He answered and said, “Ever plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
The Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding?
“Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
“These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
Last Events Before the Terrible Day of the Lord Joel 2:28-32
picture of Jerusalem from mount zion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and Your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions;
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour My Spirit in those days.
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fir and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
The Proof of His Resurrection Luke 24:33-43
So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and appeared to Simon!”
And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
Now as said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, “Peace to you.”
But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
“Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
When He had said the, He showed them His hands and His feet.
But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?”
So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
And He took it and ate in their presence.
Final Siege of Jerusalem & Second Coming of the Messiah Zechariah 14:1-8
Mount of Olives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of the battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half toward the south.
Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.
It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish.
I shall be one day Which is known to the LORD— Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.
And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
Jeremiah 24
Some Figs (Ficus carica) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The LORD showed me, and there were two baskets of figs set before the temple of the LORD, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the princes of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
Then the LORD said to me, “What do you see Jeremiah?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.”
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
“Thus say the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans.
‘For I will set My eyes on them for good and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up.
‘Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.
‘And as the bad figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad’— surely thus says the LORD— ‘so will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.’
‘I will deliver them to trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them.
‘And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, till they are consumed from the land that I gave them and their fathers.’ “
Spiritual Salvation of Judah Zechariah chapter 12:10-14 & chapter13
“And I will pour on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
“In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
“And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves;
“the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves;
“all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.
“In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
“It shall be in that day,” says the LORD of hosts, “that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land.
“It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the LORD.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
“And it shall be in that day that every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies; they will not wear a robe of coarse hair to deceive.
“But he will say, ’I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’
“And someone will say to him, ‘What are these wounds in your hands?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
Against the Man who is My
Companion.”
Says the LORD of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered;
Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the LORD,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ “
Physical Salvation of Judah Zechariah 12:1-9
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - JUNE 01: Israelis carry national flags outside the old city during a march marking the anniversary of east Jerusalem's annexation June 1, 2011 in Jerusalem, Israel. This is the 44th anniversary of the annexation of the eastern part of Jerusalem by Israeli forces during the Six Day War in 1967. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)
The burden of the word of the LORD against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem.
“And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations on earth are gathered against it.
“In that day,” says the LORD, I will strike every horse with confusion, and it’s rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
“And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God.’
“In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—- Jerusalem.
“The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah.
“In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.
“It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Jeremiah Chapter 23
”Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” 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 judgement 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 the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of 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 adulterers; 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 the 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 And fall in them; For I will bring disaster on them. The year of their punishment,” says the LORD.
“And I have seen the folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people to err.
Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of 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 word 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 imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.’ “
For who has stood in the counsel 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 the, yet they prophesied.
But if they had stood in My counsel, 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 dreamed!’
“How long will this be in the heart of the 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 peices?
“Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,” says the LORD, “who steal My words every one 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 as you, saying ‘What is the oracle of the LORD?’ you shall 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 the city that I gave you and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence.
‘And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’ “
Second Coming of the Messiah (Zechariah Chapter9:10-17 &Chapter 10)
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
“As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.
For I have bent Judah, My bow, Fitted the bow with Ephraim, And raised up your sons, O Zion, Against your sons, O Greece, And made you like the sword of a mighty man.”
Then the Lord will be seen over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightening. The Lord God will blow the trumpet, And go with whirlwinds from the south.
The Lord of hosts will defend them; They shall devour and subdue with sling stones. They shall drink and roar as if with wine; They shall be filled with blood like basins, Like the corners of the alter.
The Lord their God will save them in that day, As the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, Lifted like a banner over His land—
For how great is their goodness And how great their beauty! Grain shall make the young men thrive, And new wine the young women.
Ask the Lord for rain In the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone.
For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.
“My anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the goatherds. For the Lord of hosts will visit His flock, The house of Judah, And will make them as His royal horse in the battle.
From him comes the cornerstone, From him the tent peg, From him the battle bow, From him every ruler together.
They shall be like might men, Who tread down their enemies In the mire of the streets in the battle. They shall fight because the Lord is with them, And the riders on horses shall be put to shame.
“I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, Because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the Lord their God, And I will hear them.
Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, And their heart shall rejoice as if wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
I will whistle for them and gather them, For I will redeem them; And they shall increase as they once increased.
“I will sow them among the peoples, And they shall remember Me in far countries; They shall live, together with their children, And they shall return.
I will also bring them back from the land of Egypt, And gather them from Assyria. I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, Until no more room is found for them.
He shall pass through the sea with affliction, And strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of the River shall dry up. Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, And the scepter of Egypt shall depart.
“So I will strengthen them in the Lord, And they shall walk up and down in His name,” Says the Lord.
Christ Teaches on Repentance
Luke 13:1-9 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answered and said to them,
“Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
“Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
He also spoke this parable:
“A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.
“Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’
“But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.
‘And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ “
Lamentations 1
How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
How like a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The princess among the provinces
Has become a slave!
She weeps bitterly in the night,
Her tears are on her cheeks;
Among all her lovers
She has none to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
Judah has gone into captivity,
Under affliction and hard servitude;
She dwells among the nations,
She finds no rest;
All her persecutors have overtake her in dire straits.
The roads to Zion mourn
Because no one comes to the set feasts.
All her gates are desolate;
Her priests sigh,
Her virgins are afflicted,
And she is in bitterness.
Her adversaries have become the master,
Her enemies prosper;
For the Lord has afflicted her
Because of the multitude of her transgressions.
Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy.
And from the daughter of Zion
All her splendor has departed.
Her princes have become like deep
That find no pasture,
That flee without strength Before the pursuer.
In the days of her affliction and roaming,
Jerusalem remembers all her pleasant things
That she had in the days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the enemy,
With no one to help her,
The adversaries saw her And mocked her downfall.
Jerusalem has sinned grievously,
Therefore she has become vile.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Yes, she sighs and turns away.
Her uncleanness is in her skirts;
She did not consider her destiny;
Therefore her collapse was awesome;
She had no comforter.
“O Lord, behold my affliction,
For the enemy has magnified himself!”
The adversary has spread his hand
Over all her pleasant things;
For she has seen the nations enter her sanctuary,
Those whom You commanded
Not to enter Your congregation.
All her people sigh,
They seek bread;
They have given their valuables for food to restore life.
“See, O Lord, and consider, For I am scorned.”
“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Behold and see
If there is any sorrow like my sorrow.
Which has been brought on me,
Which the Lord has inflicted on me
In the day of His fierce anger.
“From above He has sent fire into my bones,
And it overpowered them;
He has spread a net for my feet
And has turned me back;
He has made me desolate
And faint all the day.
“The yoke of my transgressions was bound;
They were woven together by His hands,
And thrust upon my neck.
He made my strength fail;
The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand.
“The Lord has trampled underfoot all my might men in my midst;
He has called an assembly against me
To crush my young men;
The Lord trampled as in a winepress
The virgin daughter of Judah.
“For these tings I weep;
My eye, my eye overflows with water,
Because the comforter, who should restore my life,
Is far from me.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy prevailed.”
Zion spread out her hands,
But there is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob
That those around him become his adversaries;
Jerusalem has become and unclean thing among them.
“The Lord is righteous,
For I rebelled against His commandment.
Hear now, all peoples,
And behold my sorrow;
My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.
“I called for my lovers,
But they deceived me;
My priests and my elders
Breathed their last in the city,
While they sought food To restore their life.
“See, O Lord, that I am in distress;
My soul is troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
Outside the sword bereaves ,
At home it is like death.
“They have heard that I sigh,
With no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
They are glad that You have done it.
Bring on the day that You have announced,
That they may become like me.
“Let all their wickedness come before You,
And do to them as You have done to me
For all my transgressions;
For my sighs are many,
And my heart is faint.”
Psalm 116
I Love my Lord, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
The pains of death encompassed me,
And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
I found trouble and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He save me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord had dealt bountifully with you.
For You have delivered my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
And my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.
I believed, therefore I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
I said in my haste,
“All men are liars.”
What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.
O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people
In the courts of the Lord’s house
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
