Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel

He said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:9-10 ESV)

The prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied the two restorations of Israel and the two comings of the Messiah. However, they could not see it as two. They prophesy as if it is only one restoration and one coming. They did not have a full understanding of why they are prophesying.

The prophecies of Ezekiel focused more on the second restoration and Daniel actually gave a hint that the Messiah will come twice.

This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen. (1 Peter 1:10-12 NLT)

The Prophecies on the Restoration of Israel by Ezekiel

Therefore, say to the house of Israel: This is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went. (Ezekiel 36:22 HCSB)

Ezekiel 33:01-33:10 Ezekiel's appointment as Israel's watchman
Ezekiel 33:11-33:20 The watchman's message
Ezekiel 33:21-33:33 Fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians
Ezekiel 34:01-34:10 Israel's wicked shepherds scattered the sheep
Ezekiel 34:11-34:31 The LORD GOD will gather back the sheep
Ezekiel 36:01-36:15 Israel's restoration - land restored
Ezekiel 36:16-36:38 Israel's restoration - people restored
Ezekiel 37:01-37:14 Israel's restoration - dry bones to exceedingly great army
Ezekiel 37:15-37:28 Israel's restoration - Judah and Joseph united
Ezekiel 38:01-39:24 Glory of God displayed in Gog and Magog's invasion of Israel
Ezekiel 39:25-39:29 Glory of God displayed in Israel's restoration
Ezekiel 40:01-43:27 The millennial temple
Ezekiel 44:01-44:03 The east gate
Ezekiel 44:04-46:24 The statutes and laws of the temple
Ezekiel 47:01-47:12 The river from the temple
Ezekiel 47:13-48:35 The boundaries of the twelve tribes

Ten Years

Ten years ago, I started this blog with a Chicken and Egg Problem. Since then the problem has been solved scientifically. The chicken came first, same as what the Bible told us.

Die In Peace

Abraham will die in peace.
As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. (Genesis 15:15 ESV)
These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. (Genesis 25:7-8 ESV)

King Josiah will die in peace.
But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.'" And they brought back word to the king. (2 Chronicles 34:26-28 ESV)
And the archers shot King Josiah. And the king said to his servants, "Take me away, for I am badly wounded." So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. (2 Chronicles 35:23-24 ESV)

King Zedekiah will die in peace.
"Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.' Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: 'You shall not die by the sword. You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!"' For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 34:2-5 ESV)
The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death. (Jeremiah 52:10-11 ESV)

When God prophesied that you will die in peace, it may not be exactly what you expect, especially if you are a king.

The Mercy And Patience of God Toward Jehoiakim

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 NIV)

This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah. "This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard in front of the Temple of the Lord, and make an announcement to the people who have come there to worship from all over Judah. Give them my entire message; include every word. Perhaps they will listen and turn from their evil ways. Then I will change my mind about the disaster I am ready to pour out on them because of their sins. (Jeremiah 26:1-3 NLT)

During the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king in Judah, the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: "Get a scroll, and write down all my messages against Israel, Judah, and the other nations. Begin with the first message back in the days of Josiah, and write down every message, right up to the present time. Perhaps the people of Judah will repent when they hear again all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings." (Jeremiah 36:1-3 NLT)

The Ark of the Covenant

In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land," declares the LORD, "people will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. (Jeremiah 3:16 NIV)

The Ark of the Covenant last mentioned in the Bible during the Passover in the reign of King Josiah.

He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the LORD: "Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel. (2 Chronicles 35:3 NIV)

What If They Have Not Heard?

Jesus is the only way to eternal life.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6 KJV)

What about those who never hear about Jesus?
They will be lost. For salvation is by the grace of God, not an entitlement or a right.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

Is it unfair?
No. They will be judged and proven guilty.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. (Revelation 20:12 ESV)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20 ESV)

Doing God's Will Require Faith

Anyone who choose to act on the promises of God in the Bible will know if the Bible is from God.
Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. (John 7:17 NIV)

The Bible proclaims on the basis of God's character that the Bible (which is God's word) is sure and non-contradictory.
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19 ESV)
Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5 ESV)
So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. (Hebrews 6:18 NLT)

It may even be necessary to be willing to act on God's promise even before knowing the details and consequences.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8 ESV)
Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. (Exodus 40:36 ESV)

But God promised love and instruction.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. (Psalm 32:8 ESV)
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. (Psalm 103:17-18 ESV)

Read Do Know

Read the Bible and know God's will.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105 KJV)

Do God's will and know God.
The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him." (John 14:21 HCSB)

Knowing God is eternal life.
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3 ESV)

Knowing God's Will And Knowing God

Why do we read God's word?
To know His will.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105 KJV)

Why do we want to know His will?
To do His will.
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24 ESV)

Why do we want to do His will?
To know if His promises are true.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (1 John 5:14 ESV)

Why do we want to know if His promises are true?
To know God.
The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him." (John 14:21 HCSB)

Why do we want to know God?
To know God is eternal life.
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3 ESV)

Also refer to "2009-04-29 Knowing God's will", "2013-04-10 What Does God Want Us To Do?", "2013-04-11 Will of God", "2014-12-18 How To Know God's Will" and "2014-12-22 Knowing God's Will (Another Post)".

Why Christians Lack Assurance

The quote below is taken from "Why Christians Lack Assurance" by John MacArthur.

QUOTE
So some lack assurance due to strong preaching, strong conviction. Some lack assurance because of an inability to accept forgiveness. Some lack assurance because they fail to understand the rich truth of the gospel, the work of Christ. Some lack assurance because of an inability to remember the time of salvation. Some lack assurance because of the remaining power of their unredeemed flesh. Number six, some lack assurance because they don't see the hand of God in their trials.
UNQUOTE

Found By Prayer Again

Last week my daughter passed her younger sister's stuff, which included an iPod, to me to bring home first. They were staying back for Easter presentation for the Chinese service in the afternoon. When I reached the car, I saw my eldest in the car and passed her the stuff. But neither she nor me remembered whether the stuff I passed included the iPod. Anyway, when we were all home and my youngest daughter asked for the iPod, it was not found. We all think the iPod might still be in the car. So my wife, who was a very careful searcher, went down to the car to search but could not find it. I had no choice but to pray that it can be found.

So yesterday night, I prayed again. I was hoping that maybe the iPod dropped on the floor and someone in church may picked it up and return to us. Despite answered prayers in the past, I am still not too sure if the iPod would ever be found. At the back of my mind, I have no doubt that God is able, but will He do it?

Today, when we were going to the church, my youngest daughter remembered her iPod. She looked around the back seat and found it between the seats.

Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." (Luke 9:41 ESV)

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (James 5:13 ESV)

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7 ESV)

I thank God that baby's iPod is found and give Him all the glory. But there will always be scoffers who said, "Even without praying, she will just need to look between the seats and find it."

Her very careful mummy didn't. Would she?

You Can Be Sure

How can you be sure that you are saved? According to Apostle John, you just have to believe.
For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 CSB)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36 ESV)
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24 ESV)
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. (John 6:47 ESV)

So do you believe? Can you take God's word at face value? If you can, you are saved.
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26 ESV)
All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son. And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life. (1 John 5:10-12 NLT)

But will I lose my salvation? No. No one can lose their salvation.
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. (John 6:39 ESV)
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:28-30 ESV)

But there are Christians who became non-Christians.
No. They were not Christians from the beginning.
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:19 ESV)

Assurance of Salvation According To Adrian Rogers

Adrian Rogers, in an article from the Christianity.com website "How do I know I'm saved?", gave us three tests from 1 John.

QUOTE
The Lordship Test. Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Jesus said, "Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46). Here's a riddle I want to solve for you. On the one hand the Bible says that we know that we're saved because we keep His commandments (See 1 John 2:3). On the other hand, the Bible teaches us that it is possible to sin (See 1 John 1:8-9). The key word is "keep". It is the same word used years ago by sailors who navigated by the stars at night. A sailor’s goal was to keep the stars. As a child of God, His commandments are the stars by which you navigate your life. Is keeping His commandments the burning desire of your heart? It is if you've met the Christ of Calvary.

The Fellowship Test. Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? The Bible challenges us on several occasions that this is the way we will know we are in Christ (1 John 3:14, 4:20, 5:1). When you get saved, you receive the divine nature of God and the nature of God is love (1 John 4:7). You're not saved because you love the brethren, you love the brethren because you're saved. Love is the nature of the Christian because love is the nature of God. If we love the Lord Jesus, it follows as night follows day that we are going to love what Jesus loves.

The Relationship Test. The question is not, "Did you believe in Jesus Christ?" The question is, rather, "Are you believing Jesus right now?" If you can't remember when you were saved, that's okay. 1 John 5:11-12 says, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Can you say that at this very moment, that you have a personal relationship with Jesus right now?
UNQUOTE

Assurance of Salvation According To Billy Graham

This is taken from the website "How do I know I’m saved? A message from Billy Graham".

QUOTE
Some people doubt that they are actually Christians. They want to be, but feel like they are missing the joy of the Christian faith.

The dreadful uncertainty that haunts many people grows out of misunderstanding what the Christian experience is. Some people don't seem to know the nature of Christian conversion, while others have been misinformed concerning conversion and seek an experience that is not biblical. Many confuse faith with feeling.

Faith always implies an object - that is, when we believe, we must believe something. That something I call the "fact." Now let me give you three words that will help you understand the Christian life: fact, faith and feeling. They come in this order, and the order is essential. In this order, you will have the joy and confidence of one who can say, "I know whom I have believed" (2 Timothy 1:12).

First, you are saved through a personal faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as defined in the Scriptures. The Gospel refers to the news of Christ's death and resurrection in order to pay the penalty for our sins and provide a way to eternal life.

Though it might at first seem dogmatic and narrow-minded to you, the fact remains that there is no other way to be saved from your sins than by God's grace through your faith in Christ. The work of Christ is a fact, His cross is a fact, His tomb is a fact and His resurrection is a fact.

It is impossible to believe anything into existence. The Gospel did not come into being because men and women believed it, and Christ's tomb wasn't empty three days after His death because His followers believed it. The fact preceded the faith. We are psychologically incapable of believing without an object of our faith. Christians do not call upon people to believe something that is not credible, but to believe in the fact of history. Trusting in Christ for your eternal salvation is trusting in a fact - not in a figment of someone's imagination.

Faith is the second of these three words. Faith is rationally impossible where there is nothing to believe. Faith must have an object. The object of Christian faith is Christ. Faith means more than agreeing with the claims of Christ; faith involves the will - a decision to believe in Christ. If you say with your mind and your heart, "Yes, I believe in Christ and receive what He has done for me" - that He died for my sins - then you have eternal life. Faith, then, means surrender and commitment to the claims of Christ. It means acknowledging sin and turning to Christ. We do not know Christ through the five physical senses, but we know Him through the "sixth sense" that God has given every man and woman - the ability to believe.

Feeling is the last of the three words, and it must remain last in your thinking. I believe that earnest and honest seekers for the salvation of God have unrest and uncertainty when they think they must have some kind of emotion to make conversion a true experience. If you are seeking salvation as it is presented through the Scriptures, you will want to know what kind of experience the Bible says you should have.
...
Believing is an experience as real as any experience, yet multitudes are looking for something more - some electric sensation that will bring a thrill to their physical bodies, or some other spectacular event. Many have been told to look for such spiritual thrills, but the Bible says that a man is "justified by faith" (Romans 3:28), and not by feeling. A person is saved by trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross and not by bodily sensations and religious ecstasy.
...
Finally, someone might say, "I believe the historic facts of the Gospel, but nothing has changed for me. I don't think I'm saved." Perhaps you are not, for the faith that saves has one distinguishing quality: Saving faith is a faith that produces obedience. It is a faith that brings about a way of life. Some have successfully imitated this way of life for a time, but for those who trust Christ for salvation, that faith brings about a desire to live out that inward experience of faith. It is a power that results in godly living.
UNQUOTE

Assurance's 3F

We had talked about Christianity's 3G. Now we will talk about assurance's 3F. Our assurance of salvation can be summed in 3F.

Fact. Faith. Fruit.

Acknowledgement:
The 3F were inspired by "fact, faith and feeling" from "How do I know I'm saved? - A message from Billy Graham".

Fact - Christ atonement on the cross for our sins is a fact, proven by the empty tomb.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 24:1-3 ESV)

Faith - We believe that our salvation is based on the fact of Christ's atonement on the cross for our sins.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT)

Fruit - We have the testimony of our faith.
Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds." (James 2:18 NLT)

How do I know I'm saved?

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV)

To know if you are saved, this is the fundamental question to ask:
Do you believe that our salvation is not based on what we have done, but based on what Jesus has done on the cross?

If your answer to this question is "Yes", then you are saved.

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 ESV)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV)

Assurance of Salvation According To R C Sproul

How can you be sure that you are saved? According to R C Sproul, you need to answer 3 questions:

1. Do you love Jesus perfectly?
2. Do you love Him as much as you ought to?
3. Well, do you love Jesus at all?

For all the questions (especially the third one), it is referring to the Biblical Jesus, and not some other Jesus imagined by men, for example, a good teacher.

Usually, the answer to the first two questions will be "No".

QUOTE
First I ask, "Do you love Jesus perfectly?" Every person to whom I have asked that question has responded candidly, "No, I don't." That’s why they are not sure of the state of their souls; they know there are deficiencies in their affection for Christ, because they know that if they loved Christ perfectly, they would obey Him perfectly. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). So as soon as we disobey one of His commandments, that’s a signal to us that we do not love Him perfectly.
Second, when a person acknowledges that he doesn’t love Jesus perfectly, I ask, "Do you love Him as much as you ought to?" The person usually gives me a strange look and says, "Well, no, of course, I don't." That’s right; if the answer to the first question is no, the answer to the second question has to be no, because we’re supposed to love Him perfectly, but we don't. Therein lies the tension that we experience about our salvation.
UNQUOTE

For the third question, if the answer is "Yes", then R C Sproul wrote the following:
QUOTE
So if a person can answer "Yes" when I ask whether he has an affection for Christ, even though he may not love Jesus as much as he ought to (i.e., perfectly), that assures me the Spirit has done this transforming work in his soul. This is so because we do not have the power in our flesh to conjure up any true affection for Jesus Christ.
UNQUOTE

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (Romans 8:16 ESV)

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3 ESV)

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV)

Salvation And Assurance

Our salvation is guaranteed. But many Christians are not sure if they are saved. They have no assurance of salvation. When a Christian has no assurance of salvation, it does not mean he or she is not saved, but he or she leads a worried Christian life.

On the other hand, there are people who are not saved but falsely believe that they are saved.