NL-Day359 Zechariah 8-9; Isaiah 62; Revelation 16
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
Release Date: 12/25/2022
Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
DANIEL 2:In the first chapter of Daniel, we heard how Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were faithful to God in not wanting to be defiled by the king’s food, and later they were found better than their companions and chosen for service to King Nebuchadnezzar. ISAIAH 23:Yesterday we heard two dramatic messages. One was about the failure of Jerusalem to appropriately respond to God’s impending judgment (which was remarkably like Nero fiddling while Rome burned). Then there was the message to Shebna, the palace administrator. Eliakim would take his place and be like a nail firmly driven...
info_outline NL-Day313 Daniel 1; Isaiah 22; 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:18Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
DANIEL 1:Yesterday in Ezekiel, the land was divided in horizontal bands across the entire width of Israel. We will see the 12 gates of the New Jerusalem again in Revelation. We start the little but immensely important book of Daniel today. Daniel wrote this sometime between 540 and 530 BC. As Daniel will relate, he was an exile to Babylon starting from 605 BC. For comparison, Ezekiel tells us that he was deported to Babylonia in 597 (and his location beside the Chebar river might have been 75 miles southeast of Babylon). So Daniel would have come to Babylon only 8 years earlier. Daniel is a...
info_outline NL-Day312 Ezekiel 48; Isaiah 21; 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 48:In the chapters from Ezekiel yesterday, we heard more rules for the prince’s worship and about temple kitchens and a beginning part about the division of the land. Very fascinating in that is the part about the river that comes out from the east side of the temple, including trees that are for healing, bearing fruit every month. We will soon hear about this river and the trees of life in Revelation. ISAIAH 21:Yesterday’s chapter in Isaiah was only six verses long. It always seems very unfair to me that Isaiah had to go about naked as a sign about two countries that were not even...
info_outline NL-Day311 Ezekiel 46-47; Isaiah 20; 2 Corinthians 1Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 46-47:Yesterday we heard regulations for the priests and Levites, about foreigners, and about the prince of Israel. Also there was the fascinating detail about the eastern gate, which must remain shut. ISAIAH 20:Yesterday we heard the prophecy against Egypt, but again it ends with a note of hope for Egypt. 2 CORINTHIANS 1:Yesterday we finished the book of Hebrews. I would encourage anyone to camp out for a longer time in the 12th and 13th chapters. There is deep insight hidden there. Here at the end of the year, we will be touring through some of the deepest writing of the New...
info_outline NL-Day310 Ezekiel 44-45; Isaiah 19; Hebrews 13Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 44-45:In the vision of the ideal temple yesterday, we heard of the buildings of rooms for the priests and offerings, the altar, the glory of God coming to this temple, and the reason for this vision. ISAIAH 19:Yesterday in Isaiah we heard the prophecy about the defeat of the Ethiopians, and at the end of that message, there was a note of hope for that nation. HEBREWS 13:Yesterday (and even the day before) we returned to the place of rest which was the theme of chapters 3-4. Did you notice?! Compare the last verse of chapter 4 with the place where we ‘have come’ to in 12:22-24. NLT...
info_outline NL-Day309 Ezekiel 42-43; Isaiah 18; Hebrews 12Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 42-43:In yesterday’s tour of the ideal temple we viewed the sanctuary and Most Holy Place. ISAIAH 18:Yesterday we heard of Damascus and Syria and Israel. HEBREWS 12:After recounting the more victorious heroes of faithful believing, the author spoke about all those unnamed people who victoriously suffered because of fully believing. The Faith Chapter ends with this: Heb. 11:39 NLT All these people earned a good reputation because of their [fully believing//faith], yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they...
info_outline NL-Day308 Ezekiel 41; Isaiah 17; Hebrews 11:17-40Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 41:Yesterday we started Ezekiel’s account of his long vision about the future and ideal temple of God, and this is another vision that is referred to in the book of Revelation. The reason for this vision is given in chapter 43: Ez. 43:10 NLT “Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins. Let them study its plan, 11 and they will be ashamed of what they have done. ISAIAH 17:Yesterday we finished the two chapter oracle concerning Moab. It was really not so much a prophecy of condemnation, but a lament for the...
info_outline NL-Day307 Ezekiel 40; Isaiah 16; Hebrews 10:35-11:23Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 40:In chapter 38-39 we heard of the kingdoms of Gog and Magog, which point to future kingdoms in the north. Like Ezekiel’s prophecies against the kings of Tyre and Babylon, Gog and Magog also refer to spiritual entities beyond this world, and we will hear of them again in Revelation chapter 20. And today we begin hearing of something else that appears in Revelation. ISAIAH 16:Today’s chapter is the continuation of the prophecy against Moab. HEBREWS 10:35—11a:As I have told you again and again this year, because of a quirk in English, the tight connection between the noun...
info_outline NL-Day306 Ezekiel 38-39; Isaiah 15; Hebrews 10:12-39Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 38-39:Yesterday we heard the famous ‘dry bones’ chapter of Ezekiel. Again the prophecy is that David will rule over the nation of Israel, which is like a nation of bones brought back to life. The references to David of course point to his heir, Christ. Starting in this chapter we hear of the kingdoms of Gog and Magog. These names point to future kingdoms in the north (in Turkey or farther north). Like Ezekiel’s prophecies against the kings of Tyre and Babylon, Gog and Magog point to spiritual entities beyond this world, and we will hear those names coming up again in Revelation....
info_outline NL-Day305 Ezekiel 36-37; Isaiah 14; Hebrews 10:1-22Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields
EZEKIEL 36-37:In chapter 34, we heard the passage that many Jews would have thought of when they heard Jesus say, “I am the good shepherd. I give my life for the sheep.” In Ezekiel 34, God promised to take away corrupt shepherds, saying that He would replace them with only one shepherd— namely David's descendant who will shepherd of the flock of God forever. ISAIAH 14:Like we heard in Ezekiel and in Isaiah, and will hear in Revelation, Babylon will be judged. That kingdom was God’s tool to execute judgment, but they themselves will feel God’s judgment. HEBREWS 10a:In chapter 9 of...
info_outlineZECHARIAH 8-9:
I hope that you have noticed [Joshua//Jeshua] the high priest. He was the one that Satan was not allowed to accuse. He was given clean clothes. He is a priest and was given a clean priestly turban. And the gem with seven facets (literally, seven eyes) was set before him. He is a picture of the Messiah, who is called the Lord’s righteous Branch. Then in chapter 6 we read that he was given a crown, and told:
Zec. 6:13 NLT Yes, he will build the Temple of the LORD. Then he will receive royal honor and will rule as king from his throne. He will also serve as priest from his throne, and there will be perfect harmony between his two roles.’
As far as a normal man can do so, he is a picture of Jesus. And Joshua is a variant of Jeshua— which is the same name the Greeks pronounce ‘Yesu’, which is where we get our pronunciation of Jesus. From our place in history, how easy it is to see what God was picturing.
ISAIAH 62:
Yesterday we heard another Messianic section of Isaiah— the part that Jesus spoke in his hometown synagogue in Luke 4. And Jesus alluded to the same passage when he sent John the Baptist’s disciples back to him in Luke 7.
REVELATION 16:
Note that we saw another view of the crystal sea in chapter 15, but this time it was mixed with fire. In chapter 4 it was clear as crystal. My theory is that the glassy sea is the same, but it changes in appearance based on God’s prevailing mood and the tenor of current events. Note that the 144,000 (or all the people victorious over the beast) sang the song of Moses. Note that with just that little hint, the victory over the forces of Satan is pictured as victory over the army of Egypt and release from bondage. The angels are dressed like Jesus in chapter 1. The plagues come from the interiour of the heavenly sanctuary.
We turn now from the interlude between the trumpets and the bowls. There is a difference here: You will see that before, the plagues struck just a third of whatever object. Now they strike 100%. This is the end!
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.