A good word for the season. Be “hospitable” (Literally in the Greek, “lover of strangers”). And do it without “grumbling” (murmuring, complaining, the opposite of gratitude). Put them together and you have: THANKS + GIVING. Be ‘giving’ towards everyone, especially strangers and do it with a ‘thankful’ heart. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Daniel knew what it was like to live out his faith within a foreign culture. Even though he was carried off from his Jewish homeland as an exile to Babylon, God blessed him with the wisdom to live in Babylon without becoming a Babylonian. His life is a study in how a believer might live in today’s secular culture. As Christians in America, we live in an ever increasing secular society. It is no longer united by a common Judeo-Christian worldview. Yet, we can learn from Daniel how to navigate our culture with godly grace and wisdom.
Ezekiel spoke of a time when life-giving waters would flow from the temple down the valley towards the Dead Sea, bringing life and healing to the land of Israel. Not only is this temple larger and more spectacular than any ever built in Israel, even the terrain of the land is changed by it. There is currently no life in the Dead Sea. But there is coming a day when fruit bearing trees will line both sides of this river of life as it flows down past En Gedi to the lowest point below sea level, and changes the saline content of the Dead Sea, so that fish live there in abundance. For those who believe in a literal fulfillment of Ezekiel, this is a description of Israel during the Millennial Reign of Christ.
found in Scripture to help orient our placement of Ezekiel’s temple:
1) Solomon’s Temple. Read 1 Kings 6-8 for its construction. Destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BC.
2) Zerubabbel’s Temple. Built when the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity. Dedicated in 516 BC.
3) Herod’s Temple. Actually, an enlargement of the existing structure from Zerubabbel, Herod began the temple improvements in 19 BC. He had retaining walls built that greatly enlarged the temple mount area as well. The Western Wall, also known as the “wailing wall,” was built as a retaining structure during this time and still stands today.
4) The Present Temple. This is the Church, which is made up of Christ as the Chief Cornerstone, the apostles as the foundation, and believers as its holy stones (Eph. 2:20-22).
5) The Temple of Revelation 11. This is the temple that stands during the time of tribulation after the rapture. The Antichrist will set up world headquarters here.
6) Ezekiel’s Millennial Temple. Ezekiel 40-48 refers to the temple to be built in Jerusalem during the millennium for Israel’s use in worship commemorating the new covenant with Messiah.
7) The Eternal Temple. John records the end of the first heaven and the first earth (Rev. 21:1-3) and declares that God himself will dwell with his people and will be the temple of the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21-22).
A prayer for godly perspective and vision. “Lord, turn my eyes from ‘worthless’ (vain, empty, deceitful) things, and put them on Your eternal things.” Our eyes are continually bombarded with worldly advertising, especially (and ironically) during the Christmas season. We are tempted to spend our worship on worthless things that will not fulfill and will not last. And having spent our worship in the wrong place, we have nothing left for God. As Jesus said, “Do not store up your treasure on earth” but instead “store them up in heaven” (Matt. 6:19-20). And as Paul said, “Set you eyes and affections on things above, not on earthly things” (Col.3:1-2). Stop seeking worthless things and start seeking eternal things.
What are these “things” which angels seek to understand? Aren’t they the same “things” that the Old Testament prophets sought to know? The apostle Peter said that these “things” are the very facts of the gospel of Christ which were seen and heard by the apostles and preached to us who believe. The Spirit revealed the day of Christ to the prophets, yet even though they longed to see it for themselves, they came to understand that they were given a message about a future hope. Jesus described how these prophets must have felt when He spoke of how Abraham “rejoiced” to see the day of Christ’s coming (John 8:56). We now live on the other side of the “things” which the prophets and angels desired to see. The day of Christ’s salvation has already come. And we are the recipients of these “things.” Yet the angels, even though they witnessed the day of Christ, still “desire to look into” it. For they stand outside the work of redemption, in that it was not for them, but for humanity. They stare in wonder at this salvation which is so full of glory and beautiful mystery that the Son of God would endure such “things” to save us.
An often overlooked resource in the modern church. Having available modern medicine, we forget the benefit of prayer and laying on of hands. Yet, the Bible says that having the elders in the church pray for you and anoint you is the proper response when you are sick. In our materialistic view of the world, we forget the spiritual component to health and wholeness. We forget that we are more than physical beings. However, real healing must involve the whole self. The church has always been deeply involved with caring for the sick. Throughout history, wherever the church has gone, it has built schools and hospitals because it recognizes that the need to care for the whole self, is to care for mind, soul, and body. So, keep going to the doctor, but don’t forget to have the church praying for you too.
The temple that was revealed to Ezekiel by the divine messenger with the measuring rod has never been built. When Ezekiel prophesied, Solomon’s temple had already been destroyed and Zerubbabel’s (which Herod improved upon) had not yet been built. Besides, the Ezekiel temple is much larger in dimension and more grand than either the first or the second temples. This leaves the temple prophecy unfulfilled for now. Some view Ezekiel’s temple prophecy metaphorically and see its fulfillment in the Church, which Scripture describes as God’s “holy temple” (Eph. 2:21). Others take Ezekiel’s prophecy literally and believe that it will actually be built, referring to it as the temple as described by the apostle John (Rev.11:1). How one views this prophecy will determine how one will view most of the other yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies in the Bible. For me, Ezekiel’s language and description of the temple are too detailed and specific for metaphor, therefore I view it as a temple that will one day be built. Whether it is a third temple that stands during the Tribulation or yet another temple that stands during the Millennium, I believe Ezekiel’s temple will one day be built.
Those who love talking beware! The tongue has great power. Power to bless and to curse. Yet, sin is on the tip of the tongue. Complaining, gossip, lying, filthy language, sarcastic joking and cursing are among the sins of the tongue. From where does this talk come? The heart. The tongue is a heart monitor. It reports the attitude of the heart. Only God can give us new hearts and tame our tongues.
When we see bones, we assume life is long past being possible. But Ezekiel had learned something about God: Nothing is ever too dead for God to give it life. So, Ezekiel preached to the bones and the bones took on flesh and came to life! The Word still brings life to dry bones. It is the Word proclaimed and believed that changes the walking dead to spiritually alive children of God.