Today's Readings and Stuff -- Tuesday, 22 December 2020

 This will be brief.  

This has turned into a very tough day.  I got a call an hour or so ago from my youngest brother.  He'd gotten a call from the coroner over in the Akron area, letting him know that the brother between us in age had died.  More than that we don't know, he's driving over to Akron tomorrow to get with the coroner's office, then to see about funeral homes and arrangements, etc.  He had still been working (planning to retire early this coming year) so we suppose that there is some life insurance to cover funeral costs, etc.  Beyond that, no one knows.  He was divorced, having been married for less than 10 years, until her kids from her first husband were grown, at which point she threw him out more than 10 years ago.  He paid off the house for her to keep her claws out of his retirement accounts.  I guess he kept contact with one of her kids but I know nothing more than this.  So I'm not in a real upbeat mood right now.

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Haggai is counted as the first of the post-exile minor prophets.  Keep the book of Ezra in mind.

HAGGAI 1

Command to Rebuild the Temple

1In the second year of King Darius,   on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai  the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,  the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 

2“The Lord of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” 

3The word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: 4“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses,  while this house  lies in ruins? ” 5Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully  about  your ways:

6You have planted much

but harvested little.

You eat

but never have enough to be satisfied.

You drink

but never have enough to become drunk.

You put on clothes

but never have enough to get warm.

The wage earner puts his wages

into a bag with a hole in it.” 

7The Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully about  your ways. 8Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the Lord. 9“You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined  it. Why? ” This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. “Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house.

10So on your account, 

the skies have withheld the dew

and the land its crops. 

11I have summoned a drought

on the fields and the hills,

on the grain, new wine, olive oil,

and whatever the ground yields,

on man and beast,

and on all that your hands produce.”

The People’s Response

12Then Zerubbabel  son of Shealtiel, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the entire remnant of the people  obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord. 

13Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, delivered the Lord’s message to the people, “I am with you”  — this is the Lord’s declaration.

14The Lord stirred up the spirit  of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the spirit of the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. They began work on the house of Yahweh of Hosts, their God, 15on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius.

HAGGAI 2

Encouragement and Promise

1On the twenty-first day of the seventh month,  the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: 2“Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people: 3Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Doesn’t it seem like nothing to you?   4Even so, be strong, Zerubbabel” — this is the Lord’s declaration.  “Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land” — this is the Lord’s declaration. “Work! For I am with you”  — the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. 5“This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt,  and My Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid.”

6For the Lord of Hosts says this: “Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth,  the sea and the dry land.  7I will shake all the nations so that the treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,”  says the Lord of Hosts. 8“The silver and gold belong to Me” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. 9“The final glory of this house  will be greater than the first,”  says the Lord of Hosts. “I will provide peace in this place”  — this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

From Deprivation to Blessing

10On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Haggai the prophet: 11“This is what the Lord of Hosts says: Ask the priests for a ruling.  12If a man is carrying consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and it touches bread, stew, wine, oil, or any other food, does it become holy? ” 

The priests answered, “No.”

13Then Haggai asked, “If someone defiled by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become defiled? ” 

The priests answered, “It becomes defiled.”

14Then Haggai replied, “So is this people, and so is this nation before Me” — this is the Lord’s declaration. “And so is every work of their hands; even what they offer there is defiled.

15“Now, reflect back from this day: Before one stone was placed on another in the Lord’s temple, 16what state were you in?  When someone came to a grain heap of 20 measures, it only amounted to 10; when one came to the winepress to dip 50 measures from the vat, it only amounted to 20. 17I struck you — all the work of your hands — with blight, mildew,  and hail,  but you didn’t turn to Me” — this is the Lord’s declaration. 18“Consider carefully  from this day forward; from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid; consider it carefully. 19Is there still seed left in the granary? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet produced. But from this day on I will bless you.” 

Promise to Zerubbabel

20The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21“Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.  22I will overturn royal thrones and destroy the power of the Gentile kingdoms.  I will overturn chariots and their riders. Horses and their riders will fall, each by his brother’s sword. 23On that day” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts — “I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and make you like My signet ring,  for I have chosen you.”  This is the declaration of the Lord of Hosts.

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If some of this sounds altogether too much like the "one world" system that the "globalists" seem to be dragging us into, you're not alone in that.

REVELATION 17

The Woman and the Scarlet Beast

1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls  came and spoke with me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the notorious prostitute   who sits on many  waters.  2The kings of the earth  committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.”  3So he carried me away in the Spirit   to a desert. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered  with blasphemous names and had seven heads and 10 horns.  4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls.  She had a gold cup in her hand filled with everything vile  and with the impurities of her  prostitution. 5On her forehead a cryptic name  was written:

BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTESAND OF THE VILE THINGS OF THE EARTH.

6Then I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood of the saints and on the blood of the witnesses to Jesus.  When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

The Meaning of the Woman and of the Beast

7Then the angel said to me, “Why are you astonished? I will tell you the secret meaning of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the 10 horns, that carries her. 8The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss  and go to destruction.  Those who live on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world  will be astonished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present again. 

9“Here is the mind with wisdom:   The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated. 10They are also seven kings:  Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for a little while. 11The beast that was and is not, is himself an eighth king, yet he belongs to the seven and is going to destruction. 12The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings  who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.  13These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings.  Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. ”

15He also said to me, “The waters you saw,  where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.  16The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute.  They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.  17For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having one purpose  and to give their kingdom  to the beast until God’s words are accomplished.  18And the woman you saw is the great city that has an empire  over the kings of the earth.”