Daily Bible Reading Phil Fields

Join us in reading through the whole NLT Bible in 365 20-minute-long podcasts! This podcast was previously named Daily Bible Reading.

NL-Day309 Ezekiel 42-43; Isaiah 18; Hebrews 12 11/05/2024

NL-Day308 Ezekiel 41; Isaiah 17; Hebrews 11:17-40 11/04/2024

NL-Day308 Ezekiel 41; Isaiah 17; Hebrews 11:17-40 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 people. HEBREWS 11b:The Faith Chapter of Hebrews is an exposition of the verse quoted from Habbakuk 2: Heb. 10:38 NLT And my righteous ones will live by [fully believing in Me//faith].But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” It is unfortunate that the King James Version of the first verse of Hebrews 11 doesn’t make good sense but is still so often quoted as the definition of faith. The KJV says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for …” But how can I use that idea of ‘substance’? This became the definition that is quoted, but no one can figure out what to do with it after quoting it. No one can— so to speak— put their finger on that ‘substance’. The Greek word translated as ‘substance’ can also be translated ‘confidence’. And using that word, our definition makes sense. NLT Translation notes:Heb. 11:32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of [how these people fully believed://the faith of] Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By [fully believing//faith] these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death.39 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 would not reach perfection without us. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5600900

NL-Day307 Ezekiel 40; Isaiah 16; Hebrews 10:35-11:23 11/03/2024

NL-Day307 Ezekiel 40; Isaiah 16; Hebrews 10:35-11:23 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 ‘faith’ and the verb ‘believe’ has been broken. These two words have the same root in Greek. It would have been better had English preserved the connection such as between ‘confidence’ and ‘confident’. The reason I mention that again here is because this is the famous ‘faith chapter’ of Hebrews. Note that this chapter is actually expounding on a quote from the end of chapter 10, so that’s where we begin today. NLT Translation notes:Heb. 11:1 [‘Fully believing’ means that we are confident//Faith is the confidence] that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their [fully believing//faith], the people in days of old earned a good reputation.5 It was by [fully believing//faith] that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without [ believing//faith]. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5600878

NL-Day306 Ezekiel 38-39; Isaiah 15; Hebrews 10:12-39 11/02/2024

NL-Day306 Ezekiel 38-39; Isaiah 15; Hebrews 10:12-39 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. I doubt that these names pointed to a specific kingdom in Ezekiel’s day, but if they did, the knowledge about that is lost. ISAIAH 15:Yesterday’s reading in Isaiah started out like Ezekiel, talking of Israel’s return from exile and slavery. Then we heard another portion where the king of Babylon is clearly portraying Satan. That section starts with these words: Is. 14:12 NLT “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning!You have been thrown down to the earth,you who destroyed the nations of the world.13 For you said to yourself,‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.… HEBREWS 10b:In the first part of chapter 10, the writer is still speaking of the advantages and greater glory of the new covenant, proving this with a reference to Psalm 40 and returning to the extended quote from Jeremiah 31. NLT translation notes:37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. 38 And my righteous ones will live by [fully believing in Me//faith]. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”39 But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the [fully believing//faithful] ones, whose souls will be saved. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5600784

NL-Day305 Ezekiel 36-37; Isaiah 14; Hebrews 10:1-22 11/01/2024

NL-Day304 Ezekiel 34-35; Isaiah 13; Hebrews 9 10/31/2024

NL-Day303 Ezekiel 32-33; Isaiah 12; Hebrews 8 10/30/2024

NL-Day303 Ezekiel 32-33; Isaiah 12; Hebrews 8 EZEKIEL 32-33:Again, as seen in the messages to Tyre and to Egypt, God was not just speaking to one king or about one kingdom, but was also speaking against the kingdom/city of Man or the world system under the rulership of Satan. ISAIAH 12:In yesterday’s reading we again heard of the righteous Branch, a shoot growing from David’s root. And we heard these famous words: Is. 11:2 NLT And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,the Spirit of counsel and might,the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.3 He will delight in obeying the LORD.He will not judge by appearancenor make a decision based on hearsay.4 He will give justice to the poorand make fair decisions for the exploited.The earth will shake at the force of his word,and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.5 He will wear righteousness like a beltand truth like an undergarment. HEBREWS 8:In yesterday’s reading, the writer of Hebrews showed many similarities between Melchizedek and Christ, including that they are kings of righteousness and peace, they live forever, and are higher in position and better than Abraham and Moses. Christ is also better than the Levitical priests because he received his priesthood by an oath from God and because he holds his office as priest forever. These things are amazingly confirmed by that prophetic verse in Psalm 110. And very significantly, Jesus thus being our High Priest signifies a change in the Law— something that the original Jewish audience would have found surprising and controversial. Note how skillfully the writer wove in that controversial topic— which he brings to a conclusion in today’s chapter. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5600743

NL-Day302 Ezekiel 30-31; Isaiah 11; Hebrews 7 10/29/2024

NL-Day301 Ezekiel 28-29; Isaiah 10; Hebrews 6 10/28/2024

NL-Day300 Ezekiel 26-27; Isaiah 8:11—9:21; Hebrews 5 10/27/2024

NL-Day300 Ezekiel 26-27; Isaiah 8:11—9:21; Hebrews 5 EZEKIEL 26-27:Yesterday we heard a second word picture of Jerusalem as a cooking pot. This was not good news. Then Ezekiel received word that his treasure— his wife, would die. And he was commanded not to mourn as a sign of what the people would do when they heard about the slaughter in Jerusalem. Then there were messages of punishment for the nations of Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia. ISAIAH 9:In yesterday’s reading, God gave Isaiah the name of his son (Maher-shalal-hash-baz, meaning “Swift to plunder and quick to carry away.”), which pictures the conquest of Judah by the Assyrian army. Then there was a wonderful and often quoted part that in the New Testament identifies Jesus as the stumbling stone: Is. 8:11-15 NLT11 The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, 12 “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. 13 Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. 14 He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured.” HEBREWS 5:Chapter 4 contains the wonderful verse about God’s word being living and active, and the encouragement to come boldly with our prayers before the throne of God. The Greek for 4:9 literally says, “There remains a sabatismos for the people of God.” GNT translated that word as “‘a rest like God's resting on the seventh day.” Sabatismos— a word evidently coined by the writer, could mean God resting on the 7th day or the Sabbath day observance, or both. Here is verse 9 in our PET translation, which shows how we made the concept of a ‘place/land of rest’ clear in Indonesian: Heb. 4:9 PET (Phil’s Plain English Translation) So this shows that there is still an opportunity for us— the people of God, to enter God’s ‘land of rest’— which is a spiritual calmness that can be pictured as like stopping work on the Sabbath Day. Then the same chapter contains the wonderful verse about God’s word being “living and active” and the encouragement to “come boldly” with our prayers “before the throne of God.” 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5600701

NL-Day299 Ezekiel 24-25; Isaiah 8; Hebrews 4 10/26/2024

NL-Day298 Ezekiel 23; Isaiah 7; Hebrews 3 10/25/2024

NL-Day297 Ezekiel 22; Isaiah 6; Hebrews 3 10/24/2024

NL-Day296 Ezekiel 21; Isaiah 5; Hebrews 2 10/23/2024

NL-Day296 Ezekiel 21; Isaiah 5; Hebrews 2 EZEKIEL 21:Yesterday we saw that the Lord was quite offended when unrighteous leaders of Israel came to ask for a message from the Lord! And Ezekiel begged to not have to give a highly figurative message because the people complained that he was always speaking in riddles. ISAIAH 5:Yesterday there was a temporary break in the clouds in Isaiah, and we heard the first hint about the Righteous Branch who was to come. HEBREWS 2:Yesterday we heard the amazing prologue in the first chapter of Hebrews. Angels are nowhere approaching the majesty of Jesus. And Jesus was given many glorious promises. GNT/NLT Translation notes:[Heb. 2:5 is one of the most frequently misunderstood verses in this book! (To show the misunderstanding, I quote the NLT below. The GNT fixes the problem for both readers and listeners.) People are so used to understanding the title ‘the Son of Man’ as referring to Jesus, that they they don’t realize that that is NOT the meaning here! I believe that this is the only place in the New Testament where the main Hebrew meaning of ‘son of man’ is used— which simply means ‘an ordinary human’ (or ‘mortal man’ as God calls Ezekiel in the GNT). In this chapter, the author was highlighting the difference between us and angelic beings.]5 NLT And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 6 For in one place the Scriptures say,“What are mere mortals that you should think about them,or a son of man [— an ordinary human,] that you should care for him?[Note that NLT has ‘son of man’ without capitals. But only one actually viewing the text can see the capitals. Listeners can’t see them.]7 GNT Yet you made them [— humans,] only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.8 You gave them authority over all things…”Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under [the authority of mankind//their authority]. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5582731

NL-Day295 Ezekiel 20; Isaiah 3:24--4:6; Hebrews 1 10/22/2024

NL-Day295 Ezekiel 20; Isaiah 3:24--4:6; Hebrews 1 EZEKIEL 20:In yesterday’s reading in Ezekiel, the Lord refuted the saying that the Israelite’s were using, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.” And then Ezekiel conveyed two poems about the kings of Judah, spoken of symbolically as two lion cubs and like a vine. ISAIAH 3:24—4:Isaiah, like Ezekiel, also spoke of Israel like a vine, and in yesterday’s reading the Lord and Isaiah characterized Israel as a pampered, vain, and spoiled woman. HEBREWS 1:In heaven, I hope to find out who it was who wrote the book of Hebrews. The book doesn’t show signs of Pauline authorship. Important in this, there is no salutation like in all of Paul’s letters. Also, the writer does not claim to have been an eyewitness of Christ (2:3), as Paul claimed. The letter was probably written somewhat before AD 70, because even though the author talks much of the temple, he never mentions its destruction. Mears points out that the word ‘better’ occurs 10 times, signalling a theme that Christians have been given a better way. In the first chapter the theme is that Christ is supreme and far superior to angels. For many years I wondered why the writer did not return to his theme of our ‘place of rest’, which he gives in chapters 3-4. Now I think that he does in fact return to that theme! See if you can find it as we read through! And here’s a hint: Note that Israel’s ancestors failed to enter the place of rest because of their refusal to believe God. Hebrews 11 (which is called the Faith Chapter) shows that we enter that place of rest through fully believing God. (That is what faith is!) NLT Translation note:Heb. 1:2And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God [has] promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5582588

NL-Day294 Ezekiel 18-19; Isaiah 3; Jude 1 10/21/2024

NL-Day294 Ezekiel 18-19; Isaiah 3; Jude 1 EZEKIEL 18-19:Yesterday in Ezekiel we read the riddle of the two eagles, portraying Israel’s king breaking his sworn covenant with Babylon. There is a lesson here for us. Normally Babylon would be considered the enemy, and getting free from the enemy would be considered a good thing. But NOT SO if the country has made a promise of loyalty sealed by a vow taken in God’s name! Faithfulness to oaths and promises in God’s name take precedence over ‘business as usual’. ISAIAH 3:These famous words from yesterday’s chapter in Isaiah bear repeating today: Isaiah 2:2-4 NLT 2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. 3 People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. JUDE:We come today to the little epistle from Jude, the brother of Jesus. But, significantly, he doesn’t call himself Jesus’ half-brother. He calls himself the Slave of Christ Jesus. Jude wrote his letter around the same time as 2 Peter, sometime around AD 60-80. I think that Peter borrowed material from Jude, rather than the other way around. One thing that makes me think this is that Jude uses more material from extra-biblical sources than Peter does in 2 Peter 2. Jude and Peter were writing in a very difficult time for Christians, and Jude calls us to contend for the ‘faith’— the teachings that God has given to us to fully believe. NLT Translation notes:Jud. 1This letter is from Jude, a slave of [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] and a brother of James.I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,[Footnote: Faith = belief. Holy beliefs can be summarized as the content of the Gospel and all of God’s Word. These are the ‘healthy teachings’ that Paul spoke about in Titus and his other books.] 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5582173

NL-Day293 Ezekiel 17; Isaiah 2; Matthew 28 10/20/2024

NL-Day292 Ezekiel 16; Isaiah 1; Matthew 27:35-66 10/19/2024

NL-Day292 Ezekiel 16; Isaiah 1; Matthew 27:35-66 EZEKIEL 16:This book should make modern day ‘prophets’ reconsider what they do in the Lord’s name. In this book we have heard again and again that the Lord will punish those who prophesy falsely. And in the part about the wood of a vine being useless in yesterday’s reading, there is only one useful thing a grape vine does, and this is bear grapes. And God was saying that since Israel did not bear the proper fruit, He would judge them, and do this without delay. The complaints become even more graphic in today’s reading. ISAIAH 1:For a number of years now, Isaiah has marked the end of my year. We will be reading Isaiah in our poetry portions until day number three hundred and 65. Since I start my readings anew every January 1st, I always enjoy the preparation Isaiah gives for Christmas, and also the correspondences with Revelation in the New Testament, which we also will read at the end of our reading calendar. Isaiah was written between 739 and 681 BC. I am of the opinion that the break in material at chapter 40 does not signal a different author. Isaiah simply was older and the Lord gave him different messages at the end of his life. Isaiah was a man of royal blood and of high standing. In the New Testament, Isaiah is the most frequently quoted OT book. Isaiah has 66 chapters and the Bible has 66 books. Further, Isaiah dIvides just where the testaments break, with 40 corresponding to Matthew in the NT. The first part of Isaiah deals with God’s judgment on Judah and on other nations. The senselessness of idolatry is preached against all the way through Isaiah. In Isaiah we can also see two comings for Christ, with Isaiah giving the wonderful 53rd chapter about the suffering Servant (Christ), and his coming in power is spoken about in chapter 34. MATTHEW 27b:Today we hear the second half of the crucifixion events. NLT Translation note:Mat. 27:56 Among them were Mary [from the village of Magdala//Magdalene], Mary (the mother of James and Joseph ([who were Jesus’ half-brothers//0]), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5581852

NL-Day291 Ezekiel 14-15; Song of Solomon 8; Matthew 27:1-44 10/18/2024

NL-Day290 Ezekiel 12-13; Song of Solomon 7; Matthew 26:31-75 10/17/2024

NL-Day289 Ezekiel 10-11; Song of Solomon 6; Matthew 26:1-35 10/16/2024

NL-Day288 Ezekiel 8-9; Song of Solomon 5; Matthew 25:14-46 10/15/2024

NL-Day287 Ezekiel 6-7; Song of Solomon 4; Matthew 25:1-30 10/14/2024

NL-Day287 Ezekiel 6-7; Song of Solomon 4; Matthew 25:1-30 EZEKIEL 6-7: In yesterday’s reading Ezekiel portrayed the punishment of Israel and the siege on Jerusalem for a total of 430 days. Then he took a razor and cut his hair and divided it into three parts with a little left over. This was used as a demonstration that a third of the people would die in the city from disease and famine. The distress will be so severe that parents will eat their children. A third will be killed by the enemy outside the city, and the last third will be scattered by the sword. A small remnant will be saved. SONG OF SOLOMON 4:Yesterday the woman had an extended speech. Today it is the man’s turn. MATTHEW 25a:Yesterday was Jesus’ extended teaching about the end times and His own return, and the parables about our Being READY to receive our Master. And at the beginning of this chapter, we have one of my favorite parables. NLT Translation notes:Mat. 25:14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted [them to do business with//0] his money [0//to them] while he was gone. 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. [Come! Celebrate together with me!//Let’s celebrate together!]’23 ending same as at the end of 2125 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it [a hole in the ground//in the earth]. Look, here is your money back.’40 “And [I, as the King,//the King] will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,f you were doing it to me!’41 “Then [I, as the King,//the King] will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.45 “And [I/he] will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5580421

NL-Day286 Ezekiel 4-5; Song of Solomon 3; Matthew 24:23-51 10/13/2024

NL-Day286 Ezekiel 4-5; Song of Solomon 3; Matthew 24:23-51 EZEKIEL 4-5:In Ezekiel 2-3 God commissioned Ezekiel to speak for God to the rebellious people of Israel. God fed Ezekiel a scroll. This tasted sweet, but afterwards I think he would tell us that it produced “bitterness”— as we will see with John who eats a similar scroll in Revelation. God gave these important words to Ezekiel in yesterday’s reading: Ez. 3:10 NLT …“Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. SONG OF SOLOMON 3:As we have seen, this Song of Songs is high poetry. The woman’s stories— such as what we hear today, are better taken as poetic expressions of her deep love than as true narratives. MATTHEW 24b:Jesus said, “Immediately after those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will give no light.” Here is a story from 20 14, the first year I was recording these podcasts. I wrote: Just three days ago, in the evening, I was with the Orya people at an open-air youth retreat. The pastor pointed out that the Bible says the moon will turn into blood (or be the color of blood). He had come from town and is not an Orya speaker. He told the people that he had seen that morning on the Internet that on that very night there would be a “blood moon”— or a lunar eclipse where the moon would turn red like blood. And while he was speaking about that and other end-times signs, sure enough, it happened! Nothing like God managing a visual presentation for you! I have never seen a more moving sight. NLT Translation notes:Mat. 24:15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” ([May the one who reads out loud note this and explain it to those who listen!//Reader, pay attention!])39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when [I, the Son of Man come.//the Son of Man comes].44 You also must be ready all the time, for [I,] the Son of Man[,] will come when least expected. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5580223

NL-Day285 Ezekiel 2-3; Song of Solomon 2; Matthew 24:1-31 10/12/2024

NL-Day285 Ezekiel 2-3; Song of Solomon 2; Matthew 24:1-31 EZEKIEL 2-3:Yesterday Ezekiel described his vision of the four cherubim, and the chapter ended just as Ezekiel started hearing a Voice. The last verse ends of chapter 1 says: Ezk. 1:28 NLT All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me. SONG OF SOLOMON 2:Song of Solomon has many speaking parts for the woman, the man, and the chorus parts for people of Jerusalem or the other young women. MATTHEW 24a:After a full chapter (chapter 23) of Jesus’ stern and harsh criticism and warning to his enemies (the Pharisees and teachers of religious law), Jesus teaches his disciples about what will happen in the future. Some of these warnings are about what will happen to Jerusalem 40 years after Jesus was crucified. But will those prophecies be the kind that will be re-fulfilled at the end times? NLT Translation notes:Mat. 24:15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” ([May the one who reads out loud note this and explain it to those who listen!//Reader, pay attention!])36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or [Me,] the Son himself. Only the Father knows.37 “When [I, the Son of Man return// the Son of Man returns], it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when [I, the Son of Man come.//the Son of Man comes].44 You also must be ready all the time, for [I,] the Son of Man[,] will come when least expected. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5580203

284: Reader Take Note: How to understand prophetic books 10/11/2024

284: Reader Take Note: How to understand prophetic books This seems to me to be a good time to talk with you about how to understand the prophetic books of the Bible, as we now are starting to read the Babylonian exile prophet Ezekiel. And starting in a week and extending to the end of the year, our poetry readings will be from the prophet Isaiah, who lived 200 years before Ezekiel. Near the end of the year we’ll read the minor prophets in quick succession. All the books in the prophetic genre are hands-down the most difficult books to understand in the Bible. So I hope I can give basic pointers in this episode that will be helpful to you from now on to the end of the year. I will start with quoting a paragraph from How to Read the Bible for all it’s worth (by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart) that gives one reason people have difficulty with the 16 prophetic books of the OT: We come to these books with false expectations. Speaking about the word ‘prophecy’ they state: For most people this word means what appears as the first definition in most dictionaries: “foretelling or prediction of what is to come.” It often happens, therefore, that many Christians refer to the prophetic books only for predictions about the coming of Jesus and/or certain features of the new-covenant age—as though prediction of events far distant from their own day was the main concern of the prophets. In fact, using the prophets in this way is highly selective. Consider in this connection the following statistics: Less than 2 percent of Old Testament prophecy is messianic. Less than 5 percent specifically describes the new-covenant age [we are currently living in]. Less than 1 percent concerns events yet to come in our time. (p. 166) The prophets did indeed announce the future. But it was usually the immediate future of Israel, Judah, and other nations surrounding them that they announced rather than our future. Rather than thinking of prophets as prediction makers, Fee and Stuart give this very accurate job description of them: The prophets were covenant enforcement mediators. This definition explains a lot! There were hundreds of prophets in the Old Testament, starting with Moses. Many were unnamed. Only 16 were selected to write books for us. Several named prophets wrote historical books that we wish we had. In all cases, the prophets were speaking to the people of their age. So understanding what was happening at the time of the writer is key to understanding the prophetic books. You won’t understand the historical setting without help. This is why I will make several book recommendations at the end of this episode. I was in a village in Papua adjacent to the Orya area and where many Orya people come to shop for things they need. This was at the very beginning of the Covid Pandemic. I stayed overnight with a hospitable pastor there who said, “I’ve heard that this epidemic has something to do with bats. I found this verse. Is God saying this to us? Isaiah 2:20 (NET) At that time men will throw their silver and gold idols, which they made for themselves to worship, into the caves where rodents and bats live, I replied, “Probably that isn’t for us. We should first figure out what was happening in Isaiah’s time, and then see if that message is appropriate for our time also.” The pastor kind of rolled his eyes and held up the palms of his hands, as if to say, “How in the world can I do that?!” I must admit, he would have few resources to call on to find answers. But you have many ways to gain the needed background information: His translation doesn’t have good section headings. Yours probably does. Good section headings really help the reader, and the listeners. That’s why I read the section headings in prophetic books in my podcasts. He wasn’t using a meaning-based translation for reading the prophets. I hope you will! The GNT and NLT convey the meaning as we would say it in normal modern language. Trying to force English to say things like the Hebrew does results in verses that leave the readers scratching their heads. Use some of the extra resources I will recommend at the end to help you to understand the historical context. This will help the prophetic books to come alive for you. I was rather surprised when one of the elders in our church here in Arkansas complained bitterly about the major prophetic books. He said something like, “I’ve been working to penetrate Jeremiah the last couple of months. I hate reading these chapters that say, ‘Woe to you, king of somewhere…’ What am I supposed to find in these books?” I was shocked that an elder— who is an intelligent and well-educated professional— would speak so negatively about any part of God’s Word. I was unprepared to answer him. Let me tell you what I wish I had said to him: First, he was doing none of the three things I just mentioned. He was clearly not coming with the right expectations for what God has for us in the prophetic books. “The prophets were covenant enforcement mediators.” (Fee and Stuart) This means that they often rebuke God’s people for breaking the covenant, or call Israel to come back to obeying the covenant. We can summarize the covenant as being embodied in the Ten Commandments. This is why the prophets continually come back to the same points: Don’t worship idols; don’t commit adultery; don’t lie, cheat, or steal, etc. Therefore, from now on in the Digging Deeper Daily reading plan, please be on the lookout for places where the different prophets say the same thing. After all, the ultimate Author is the same, as Peter says, 2 Peter 1:20-21 (NET) Above all, you do well if you recognize this: No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination, for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Consider this oracle of woe to the king of Egypt from Ezekiel 32:1-2 (NLT): On March 3, during the twelfth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and give him this message: “You think of yourself as a strong young lion among the nations, but you are really just a sea monster, heaving around in your own rivers, stirring up mud with your feet. First, I think it highly unlikely that Ezekiel would be able to give Pharaoh this message! Ezekiel was a refugee living in Babylon. Rather, I think that the message is actually to encourage the exiles living with Ezekiel, and he may have sent this message to his people still living in Jerusalem. So this can be understood as the figure of speech called ‘apostrophe’, which is basically lambasting an enemy who is not in your audience to encourage your actual readers. Second, be aware that the kings of Egypt, Tyre, or Babylon may actually symbolize Satan, who is the ruler behind the evil world system that opposes God. My favorite places in prophecy are those times when God so wonderfully repeats promises to his people which we count as fulfilled in this age. An example will come soon in day 305, where Ezekiel says, Ezekiel 36:25‭-‬28 GNT I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you. I will give you a new heart and a new mind. I will take away your stubborn heart of stone and give you an obedient heart. I will put my spirit in you and will see to it that you follow my laws and keep all the commands I have given you. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God. That is strikingly similar to the favorite verses found in Jeremiah 31 which are quoted in Hebrews 8, especially verse 10: Hebrews 8:10 GNT Now, this is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israel in the days to come, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Again in Hebrews 10, some of that same Jeremiah 31 passage is referred to, and the writer goes on to explain: Hebrews 10:21-22 (NET) since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Wait a minute. That’s what we just read in Ezekiel! This gives me goosebumps. These wonderful spiritual realities are true of us today, for all of us who are understanding our unity with Christ, our great high priest. We can appreciate how people in Jeremiah and Ezekiel’s day would have longed for the things that now have been given to us. Beginning with the writings of the prophet Moses, God keeps repeating, “You will be my people, and I will be your God.” I just love it when so many correspondences line up. To me this proves that God has so wonderfully constructed his Word, and He will keep on fulfilling his plans and promises. It’s worth it to read God’s prophets in order to more fully appreciate the treasures we have been given. I am not able to include a discussion of Revelation in this discussion of prophecy. In the Digging Deeper Daily reading plan, we start that book on December 8. Revelation is in a different genre than most OT prophetic books, called the apocalyptic genre. Zechariah, and parts of Ezekiel and Daniel are early examples of apocalyptic writings. Such writings include symbolic numbers, surreal and highly symbolic visions, and cyclical organization. This is NOT what we expect: chronological organization. High examples of the apocalyptic genre are found in Jewish literature. 10. non-canonical (taken from D. S. Russell, The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic, pp. 37-38) (Taken from Utley a. I Enoch, II Enoch (the Secrets of Enoch) b. The Book of Jubilees c. The Sibylline Oracles III, IV, V d. The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs e. The Psalms of Solomon f. The Assumption of Moses g. The Martyrdom of Isaiah h. The Apocalypse of Moses (Life of Adam and Eve) i. The Apocalypse of Abraham j. The Testament of Abraham k. II Esdras (IV Esdras) l. II & III Baruch But the book of Revelation surpasses such books, because it truly is inspired. An Indonesian Bible reader asked me about Revelation 6:5-6: Revelation 6:5-6 (NET) Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!” He asked something like, “Has this horse and rider appeared yet, and what effect has it had on our economy?” No book of the Bible has spawned more wrong interpretations than Revelation. Don’t try to look for highly specific interpretations like my Indonesian friend. Try to understand the major symbolic elements. The two main points of the book are very easy to grasp: In the end, in spite of how things will appear in the world, Jesus will triumph. Your perseverance in suffering and persecution will be rewarded. So I hope one major take-away point from what I have shared is That I urge you to supplement your Bible reading of all the prophetic books of the Bible with other books. Here are a few recommendations. Recommended resources: How to Read the Bible for all it’s worth, Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible Book by Book, Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart What the Bible is All About, Dr. Henrietta C. Mears (Get the revised NIV edition.) , Dr. Bob Utley Any study Bible will have helpful notes about how the prophetic writers fit into Israel’s history. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/28098755

NL-Day284 Ezekiel 1; Song of Solomon 1; Matthew 23:13-39 10/11/2024

NL-Day284 Ezekiel 1; Song of Solomon 1; Matthew 23:13-39 EZEKIEL 1:Yesterday in the last chapter of 2nd Chronicles, we heard of the quick succession of the kings of Judah at the very end before the exile to Babylon: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. And after the fall of Jerusalem, chapter 36 also told of the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy about Cyrus, who gave the decree to rebuild the Temple of God. While Jeremiah prophesied about the fall of Babylon and specified the 70 year duration of the exile, it was Isaiah who mentioned King Cyrus by name— one of the most stunning of all prophecies. Ezekiel was not only a prophet, but also a priest. When he was 25 years old, he was carried into exile in Babylon along with the upper class of people in 597 BC. Ezekiel was no doubt a pupil of Jeremiah before Ezekiel was taken into exile. The 48 chapters of this book are divided right in the middle. *1-24 Pre-siege, prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem. *The second half can also be divided into two parts: Chapters 25-32 talk about after the fall of Jerusalem, prophecies dealing with the punishment of Judah’s enemies. *33-48 Prophecies about the restoration of Judah. Ezekiel is a book that is highly important for understanding the book of Revelation in the New Testament, because things that Ezekiel saw, John also saw. SONG OF SOLOMON 1:In this book Solomon extols how wonderful love is. This may be a series of wedding songs. (And Solomon needed such songs frequently!) The main question is: Is this book merely a series of songs calling for sexual faithfulness to one’s spouse? The well-known allegorical interpretation goes back at least to the Puritan period, but probably much farther to the church fathers. However, it seems to me that making this about Christ and the church is a bit forced. Certainly Solomon would not have written this with Christ and the church in mind. However it is possible that the Holy Spirit inspired Solomon to write things with allegorical meanings beyond his own understanding. MATTHEW 23b:Yesterday we heard the first part of Jesus’ invective against the Pharisees and teachers of religious law. Jesus told the truth. In a way, it was a loving act— to warn them. He already knew that these were the very men who would crucify him. 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5580182

NL-Day283 2 Chronicles 36; Ecclesiastes 12; Matthew 23:1-28 10/10/2024

NL-Day283 2 Chronicles 36; Ecclesiastes 12; Matthew 23:1-28 2CHRONICLES 36:Josiah’s Passover celebration showed wonderful ability to get everyone to work together and great organizational talent. It is the capstone of the revival that he led. Unfortunately, he was stubborn about going to war with Pharaoh Neco, which cost him both his own life and his son’s life. ECCLESIASTES 12:Yesterday’s short chapter recorded proverbial advice to young and old, and that theme continues in today’s reading. MATTHEW 23a:In yesterday’s reading Jesus roundly defeated the Sadducees, telling them that they did not know the Scriptures or the power of God. He answered the question about the most important Law, and he asked the question no one could answer. NLT Translation notes:[For Ecc. 12:1-6, I prefer the 1996 first edition NLT. That version drops the obscure figures of speech and zeros right in on the meaning. Keeping obscure figures of speech and adding the meaning, in this case, adds an element of strangeness and lessens the impact. HOWEVER, beginning with the 2022 podcast, I read the newest edition of the NLT, making some slight changes to help listeners understand where the next now uses m-dashes. The newer edition is more conservative in retaining the figures of speech in the Hebrew.]1 NLT96 Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living.2 It will be too late then to remember him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds.3 Your limbs will tremble with age, and your strong legs will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to do their work, and you will be blind, too.4 And when your teeth are gone, keep your lips tightly closed when you eat! Even the chirping of birds will wake you up. But you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with a quavering voice.5 You will be afraid of heights and of falling, white-haired and withered, dragging along without any sexual desire. You will be standing at death's door. And as you near your everlasting home, the mourners will walk along the streets.6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.Ecc. 12:7 For then the dust [of your body] will return to the earth, and [your//the] spirit will return to God who gave it.====Mat. 23:15 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you [are yourselves//yourselves are]! 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. /episode/index/show/dailybiblereading/id/5575740

NL-Day282 2 Chronicles 35; Ecclesiastes 11; Matthew 22:23-46 10/09/2024

NL-Day281 2 Chronicles 34; Ecclesiastes 10; Matthew 22:1-22 10/08/2024

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