Today's Readings and Stuff -- Monday, 30 October 2017

I made reference yesterday to a book named "Martyr's Mirror", recommending it for reading.  NOT light reading, to be sure, and certainly inconsistent with the "wealth and prosperity" theme being pushed by some TV preachers.  Due to my rather unusual background, it was frequently mentioned in my youth, though I confess to not having given it the attention that it deserved, and still deserves.
You can access a printed copy via Amazon, should you wish, and they also have a version in Amazon Kindle format.
There is also an on-line FREE (did I mention FREE!?) version to be found here.  This is a record of the persecution starting in the early church, and continuing into the 1600's.  That was not, of course, the end of religious persecution, even in Europe.  But it is the end of that particular work, and understandable since it was published in 1660 in Dutch, not English.  See here as well.
The persecution of Christians continues today, as we know.  The followers of the demon-cult of Islam are most prominent in that, but they are not alone.  Persecution by Hindus continues to this day.  And by certain Buddhist sects.  Various cults, including animist, in places like Mexico and the central regions of South America.  Various other cults, some downright weird, in parts of Africa and both central and southeast Asia, as well as some of the Pacific islands.  To this very day.  And, of course, the followers of the various socialist groups, some of the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist flavors, some of them from the other varieties.  Again, to this very day.
Nearly as bad is the increasing opposition in supposedly christian nations.  Including the United States, England, Germany, Norway, France, etc.  Generally by the "tolerant" people, the "progressives".  
The battle is not over, by no means.

But then, go to the church house of your choice.  Go ahead.  Now, I promise you that there are, within a half-mile radius of that front door, those who have never heard the name of Jesus except as part of a curse.  Who either own no Bible, unless they have one long ago gifted and never opened, don't read it, and certainly pay it no attention.  How are we better off, or better, than Malaysian assassins?  The distinction is hard to see.

Wife is out of bed, sitting at the table, "doing" her nails.  As a guy, and uber-geeky even by normal nerdy guy standards, that makes no sense to me.  Probably, no one but me and the next-door great-niece will see those nails, or care.  Painting one's finger nails or toe nails makes no sense to me, but I'm a guy.  Oh well.  She enjoys it.

Tomorrow night is the authorized "Trick or Treat" time in our township, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. I believe.  We have been "volunteered" to be the handers-out of goodies on behalf of ourselves and the niece next door.  Megan and Bobby will be taking the kids, one 4-1/2, one 6 months old, out on the rounds, while we do the thing for both houses.  It's supposed to be COLD tomorrow evening, going down to 33° or below in some areas.  Perhaps that will keep the numbers down.  We picked up two bags of sugary goodies for our part, and I suspect that Meg's gotten more. 
Yesterday, Wife's pagan sister (she prefers "Wiccan") posted on social media a big thing about the ancient holiday.  By that account, it was orginally called Samhain, and goes back some 6,000 years as a Celtic or Gaelic celebration.  And is in places, notably in the British Isles, is still celebrated as such.  Their belief, which may have some basis in fact, is that the early Christians, seeing this pagan fest, appropriated that same date.  The old Fast of All Hallows is on November 1, so the evening before, is All Hallows Eve, shortened over time to Hallowe'en.  Which is how it is marked today.  No, most people are not knowingly participating in a pagan celebration.  Whether it is God-honoring as it now occurs is an argument I've heard for more than 50 years now.  Bit the same may be said of the Christmas celebration.  There is good reason to suspect that December 25 is not the accurate date of the arrival of the Christ Child.  But, again, that was a pre-existing celebration that got "re-purposed".

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The Old Testament reading is chapters 27 and 28 of the book of Jeremiah. 

Jeremiah 27

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, 3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; 5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. 6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. 7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. 8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: 10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. 11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. 12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. 15 For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. 16 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. 17 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? 18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon. 19 For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city. 20 Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; 21 Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem; 22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.

Jeremiah 28

1 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: 4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. 5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD, 6 Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. 7 Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; 8 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. 9 The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. 10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it. 11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12 Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. 14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. 15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. 17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

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The New Testament reading today is chapter 4 in the 2nd epistle to  Timothy.

II Timothy 4

1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 9 Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: 10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. 12 And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. 13 The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15 Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. 16 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. 17 Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 19 Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. 21 Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. 22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.