GN-DBRP_305 EZK.36 EZK.37 ISA.14 HEB.10.1-22

EZEKIEL 36-37:
In chapter 34, we heard the passage that many Jews would have thought of when they heard Jesus say, “I am the good shepherd. I give my life for the sheep.” The Lord promised to take away corrupt shepherds and to shepherd the flock himself.

ISAIAH 14:
Like we heard in Ezekiel and in Isaiah, and will hear in Revelation, Babylon will be judged. That kingdom was God’s tool to execute judgment, but they themselves will feel God’s judgment.

HEBREWS 10a:
In chapter 9 of Hebrews, details about rituals under the first covenant were given. The writer was showing by contrast how Jesus entered a greater, permanent, holy, divinely made Most Holy Place with the one-time-only sacrifice of his own blood. In our time, I think the details also show us the impossibility of our ever rebuilding a system like the Mosaic covenant. I take this opportunity to share my opinion— which I recognize will not be shared by all listeners. But here it is: Those who want to add old covenant observances to our Christian faith just add accretions of man-made ritual. It is better to study and understand how much better the new covenant is, rather than to add empty and powerless ritual and symbolism from the old to the new.

GNT Translation note:
Heb. 10:22 So let us come near to God with a sincere heart[, with full belief, and// and a sure faith,] with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water.

Check out this episode!

NL-DBRP_305 EZK.36 EZK.37 ISA.14 HEB.10.1-22

EZEKIEL 36-37:
In chapter 34, we heard the passage that many Jews would have thought of when they heard Jesus say, “I am the good shepherd. I give my life for the sheep.” The Lord promised to take away corrupt shepherds and to shepherd the flock himself.

ISAIAH 14:
Like we heard in Ezekiel and in Isaiah, and will hear in Revelation, Babylon will be judged. That kingdom was God’s tool to execute judgment, but they themselves will feel God’s judgment.

HEBREWS 10a:
In chapter 9 of Hebrews, details about rituals under the first covenant were given. The writer was showing by contrast how Jesus entered a greater, permanent, holy, divinely made Most Holy Place with the one-time-only sacrifice of his own blood. In our time, I think the details also show us the impossibility of our ever rebuilding a system like the Mosaic covenant. I take this opportunity to share my opinion— which I recognize will not be shared by all listeners. But here it is: Those who want to add old covenant observances to our Christian faith just add accretions of man-made ritual. It is better to study and understand how much better the new covenant is, rather than to add empty and powerless ritual and symbolism from the old to the new.

GNT Translation note:
Heb. 10:22 So let us come near to God with a sincere heart[, with full belief, and// and a sure faith,] with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water.

Check out this episode!

DayStarters_092 LUK.24.30-53

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 81.

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DBRP_304from_Phil_back_home

LINK:
Please rate the DBRP or give a review. This will help others to find it. Here is the Link to the iTunes DBRP page.

 

If you saw me, I’m sure you’d say, “Welcome back! How did it go?” And I would say, “Great,” and then be tongue tied.

I’ve been back 6 days now, and it’s high time I figured out what to say. One thing for this group: I have made the firm decision never ever again to promise that I would post in the Digging Deeper Facebook page while I’m there. For those who looked for news, I’m sorry. If you prayed for me, Thanks ever so much!

A big change for me is to have Hannah, Brandon, and our three grandkids in Jakarta. So Hannah would say, “When are you coming over, Dad?” And I always want to come. It’s a rather long trip to get to where Hannah lives from where my humble third story apartment is. Hannah’s upscale apartment complex has about 30 floors, and it’s in an area full of shopping malls and some of the worst traffic in Jakarta. So instead of taking a taxi for 1 hour and 15 minutes, I would hop on the back of one of the Uber-style motorcycles, and be there in 45 minutes instead. Most of the time the motorcycle ride seems quite safe, because we can only crawl along in the hot and smelly traffic. It’s always wonderful to see Hannah’s family! Their apartment building has a beautiful open air play park and swimming pool. So we had fun play times together. Brandon’s job is as a manager for a learning center for families of middle-eastern refugees stuck in Jakarta for processing, and that seems a perfect fit for his talents and training. He daily has opportunities for meaningful relations with the refugees who are being served.

The little Bible translation organization I started to support the publishing of our Plain Indonesian Scripture is no longer so little. Albata (The OurLanguage Bible org) has grown to having 10 people on our translation staff. We have gone from two full time employees to 5  full-timers. We have grown from having one project (the translation of the Plain Indonesian OT) to having three projects, with two more on the wings. So it was clear that I would have to let go of several things and give others the responsibility of managing those things. If you visit the dailybiblereading.info site, you can see pictures of them:

• One of our most talented translators, Paula, is now managing the Bible translation course we offer on-line. There are 14 active students in the course right now.
• 
• A new member of our translation team is Awek from the province of Papua. Awek is his new name and identity. Previously his birth name was Wakinus, which in his language means either ‘dangerous bad guy’ or ‘murderer’. He is now spiritually, very much Awake. It was my pleasure to spend time mentoring him on this visit. In addition to working as a translator for our OT, he is managing a special project to revise a 30-year old New Testament for the Berik people. Berik is not his tribal language. Currently he is helping the team members to take our on-line translation course. Then he will help guide the members in revising their NT. And this is all with the goal that their NT can be recorded. Please pray for Awek, as this responsibility is by no means an easy one.
• 
• Fenny, in Jakarta, is one of our Bible translators, but she volunteered to become our treasurer. We have now made her full-time, in recognition of the amazing work she is doing. She is one of those moms who can stir a pot, change a diaper, and work on a spreadsheet— all at the same time. She still is one of our most productive translation team members.
• 
• Mr. J. is a new employee. He finished our Bible translation course a year ago, but I could not hire him back then. His two main jobs now are to manage the comprehension testing of our OT drafts, and to manage the adaptation of our NT for a different audience in Indonesia. Another side job for Mr. J. is that I hope that he will start representing Albata in seminaries and churches.
• 
• The adaptation project I mentioned is being done by Mr. E., whom I have informally adopted as my son, because his own family disowned him. The adaptation is for people with his background who have become followers of Isa (the Arabic name for Jesus). This project has the potential to help millions of people in this country, and it is also a project that could cause negative publicity or worse problems for Albata. I ask you to pray for this project and for Mr. J. and Mr. E. who are directly involved. We anticipate that this adaptation of our Plain Indonesian NT could be ready to publish in six months.
• 
• Balazi is our translation coordinator, and doing a fantastic job. He informed me that we are 53% through drafting the OT. His priority now is to help the team get everything edited and revised, and ready for Mr. J. to send out for testing.
• 
• Daniel, our office manager, is kind of the glue that holds everything together. He makes sure our organization runs in a thoroughly legal way. He coordinates prayer groups praying for Albata. He is an expert at networking, so information and all sorts of requests come to him. Let me give an example: A church planting organization is having success in a previously closed and resistant area in central Sumatra. Could Albata provide 50 New Testaments?
• 

In various family news:

• Balazi and his wife have a beautiful baby girl, who is their first child. I didn’t get to see her this time.
• Mr. J. and his fiancee are planning their wedding to happen during my next trip to Indonesia.
• 
• Daniel and his fiancee won’t be far behind.
• After a nine year long wait, Mr. E. and his wife have been blessed with their first child, a baby boy, Yotham, whom I will meet next time I am in Indonesia.

Our translation team plus a few other friends

So what do I think about all this?! Why do I get tongue-tied? It’s like, “I’m not cut out for this!” In all my work experience, no one ever tapped me to become a leader of anything. “Lord, what are you doing?!” Please pray for wisdom for me, and for all those who are now leading various parts of Albata. Please pray that the Lord will keep us from making mistakes, such as growing too big too quickly.

In September when I arrived in Indonesia, I had $700 which had been donated specifically for giving away New Testaments. But it wasn’t nearly enough. I made five presentations in 3 seminaries or Bible colleges to a total of 1200 students. But there were events I didn’t attend. So we either gave away or will deliver a total of 2000 NTs. The NTs we give in Bible schools will be used all over Indonesia as these students take on ministries outside of their schools/seminaries.

I love giving presentations in such seminaries and Bible schools. The students get excited about having a Bible they can understand. One of the first things I do in my presentation is to ask, “Who of you heard about the Plain Indonesian NT before this seminar was announced?” This time, almost no one in the three schools had heard about Albata or our NT. That saddens me. But the next question saddens me even more: I ask them to close their eyes, then say, “If you have read the whole Bible in an ordered way, both Old and New Testaments, raise your hand.” It saddens me when in a group of 300 seminary students only three raise their hands. After  that question, I’ve got them! At that point, they are all ready to admit that Indonesia needs an easier to understand NT!— and one that God’s people would enjoy reading.

Some of you may remember the prayer request about selling 9000 New Testaments at subsidized prices. I gave the prayer request that the subsidized amount would be all sold by mid-September. That didn’t happen. But the subsidized amount will probably be sold out by Christmas. Please pray that the donor who gave the subsidy program will want to extend the program, or that God will bring another donor for that.

I would like to see Albata distributing 400 New Testaments for free every month. If you would like to help Albata give New Testaments for free or provide them at subsidized prices, there are specific ways to donate for that if you are in the USA, and other ways if you are in other countries. So if you would like to help with New Testament distribution, please write to me using the Contact link at dailybiblereading.info, and tell me where you are located. I will send you the list of different options.

Now a few pieces of news about the Daily Bible Reading Podcast:

The DayStarters series was put on-line to help Hannah, who is home-schooling Ava and Joel. She wanted a seven minute reading to start their school day. This series is just a republishing of the NT portion from the GNT podcast series. It turns out the DayStarters series has been more popular than the full-Bible series using the Digging Deeper Daily reading plan. But I have not been intending to expand this series much beyond mid-December, or about half of the NT. So I would be very interested in hearing from you listeners. Should I add some OT readings? Should I publish the whole NT in this way? Note: The issues released this year will continue to be live.

The GN and NL series re-released this year will also continue to be live next year and indefinitely in the future. But next year I won’t re-release them. Using a large number of podcast apps, anyone— beginning on any day, can start that series at episode 001 and continue on through a year. (The best ways to listen are NOT Youtube and Facebook.) Next year I will focus on releasing the NET series. This will be on an occasional basis and I expect it will take me several years to complete the series. If you have listened to the DBRP this year, I recommend you do something else next year. But I invite you to keep coming back to listen to the NET series.

November and December are the best months to promote the DBRP. The main way that the DBRP is promoted is by YOU, each individual listener. Here are some things you could do:

• Very few people have rated the DBRP at iTunes. You will help people to find the DBRP if you go to the link in the episode notes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daily-bible-reading-podcast/id755647888) and give a rating.
• Please share an episode of the DBRP in social media.
• I will release an invitation podcast for 2018 in December. Please send a link to that episode to your friends with a word of recommendation.
• The Holy Spirit is the One who led you to become a listener this year. So most importantly: Please pray for the Holy Spirit to use the DBRP podcasts in a way that most glorifies Christ in the life of each listener.

Our daughter, Rachel, is back from Tanzania. Our main prayer request for her is that doctors will find better treatments for her symptoms, some of which have changed. At this point, she is not able to travel around in order to discover the needed financial support which God will supply for her future ministry with Pioneer Bible Translators based in Dallas.

Gale’s sister Mary Jo came to visit while I was in Indonesia. They did amazing things together (way beyond Gale’s normal limits, but ya gotta push past the pain sometimes). Then Gale went back home with Mary Jo so that Gale could visit their parents. Then finally, Gale went for a short visit to see her 98 year old aunt near Rochester NY. So when I came home, Gale had only just two days before returned from NY, and she is still recovering from all that she did.

Many thanks for praying for me and Gale, and our family.

Thanks for listening, and may the Lord bless you ‘real good’!

 

Check out this episode!

GN-DBRP_304 EZK.34 EZK.35 ISA.13 HEB.9

EZEKIEL 34-35:
In Ezekiel yesterday, we heard of how Pharaoh was to be mocked in the world of the dead. Then we heard of God’s justice, which he showed by the illustration of Ezekiel as a watchman for a city.

ISAIAH 13:
Yesterday’s reading in Isaiah was a psalm of praise including these poetic lines (which I am quoting from the NLT):

Is. 12:2 The LORD GOD is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.”
3 With joy you will drink deeply
from the fountain of salvation!
…
Tell the nations what he has done.
Let them know how mighty he is!

HEBREWS 9:
Important conclusions from yesterday’s reading include:

Heb. 8:6 GNT But now, Jesus has been given priestly work which is superior to theirs, just as the covenant which he arranged between God and his people is a better one, because it is based on promises of better things.
13 By speaking of a new covenant, God has made the first one old; and anything that becomes old and worn out will soon disappear.

Check out this episode!

NL-DBRP_304 EZK.34 EZK.35 ISA.13 HEB.9

EZEKIEL 34-35:
In Ezekiel yesterday, we heard of how Pharaoh was to be mocked in the world of the dead. Then we heard of God’s justice, which he showed by the illustration of Ezekiel as a watchman for a city.

ISAIAH 13:
Yesterday’s reading in Isaiah was a psalm of praise including these poetic lines (which I am quoting from the NLT):

Is. 12:2 The LORD GOD is my strength and my song;
he has given me victory.”
3 With joy you will drink deeply
from the fountain of salvation!
…
Tell the nations what he has done.
Let them know how mighty he is!

HEBREWS 9:
Important conclusions from yesterday’s reading include:

Heb. 8:6 GNT But now, Jesus has been given priestly work which is superior to theirs, just as the covenant which he arranged between God and his people is a better one, because it is based on promises of better things.
13 By speaking of a new covenant, God has made the first one old; and anything that becomes old and worn out will soon disappear.

Check out this episode!

DayStarters_091 LUK.24.1-34

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 80.

Check out this episode!

GN-DBRP_303 EZK.32 EZK.33 ISA.12 HEB.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 which I give here from the NLT:

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 appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the poor
and 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 belt
and 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.

Check out this episode!

NL-DBRP_303 EZK.32 EZK.33 ISA.12 HEB.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 which I give here from the NLT:

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 appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
4 He will give justice to the poor
and 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 belt
and 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.

Check out this episode!

DayStarters_090 LUK.23.26-56

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 79.

Check out this episode!

GN-DBRP_302 EZK.30 EZK.31 ISA.11 HEB.7

EZEKIEL 30-31:
As the Lord was pronouncing doom upon the Prince of Tyre in Ezekiel 28, did you notice how the language shifted to talking about things that the human prince could not have done. The spirit-world ruler behind the prince of Tyre is really in mind— that is, Satan. The tirade against the King of Egypt could also be similarly interpreted.

ISAIAH 11:
Isaiah recorded in yesterday’s portion that Assyria’s army would come to Judah, but that Judah would be different from the other nations that Assyria conquered. And it did indeed happen like that!

HEBREWS 7:
Yesterday the author of Hebrews reminded us of Abraham and Melchizedek. We ought to have great confidence in our hope, because the God— who cannot lie, has given us both a promise and an oath. The last verse of Hebrews 6 introduces again the topic of Melchizedek:

Heb. 6:20 On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us (that is, into the heavenly sanctuary) and has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 7:3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. [It appears that] He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.

Check out this episode!

NL-DBRP_302 EZK.30 EZK.31 ISA.11 HEB.7

EZEKIEL 30-31:
As the Lord was pronouncing doom upon the Prince of Tyre in Ezekiel 28, did you notice how the language shifted to talking about things that the human prince could not have done. The spirit-world ruler behind the prince of Tyre is really in mind— that is, Satan. The tirade against the King of Egypt could also be similarly interpreted.

ISAIAH 11:
Isaiah recorded in yesterday’s portion that Assyria’s army would come to Judah, but that Judah would be different from the other nations that Assyria conquered. And it did indeed happen like that!

HEBREWS 7:
Yesterday the author of Hebrews reminded us of Abraham and Melchizedek. We ought to have great confidence in our hope, because the God— who cannot lie, has given us both a promise and an oath. The last verse of Hebrews 6 introduces again the topic of Melchizedek:

Heb. 6:20 On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us (that is, into the heavenly sanctuary) and has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 7:3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. [It appears that] He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.

Check out this episode!

DayStarters_089 LUK.23.1-34

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 78.

Check out this episode!

GN-DBRP_301 EZK.28 EZK.29 ISA.10 HEB.6

EZEKIEL 28-29:
So why were there two whole chapters against the city-state of Tyre in yesterday’s reading, plus one more today?! I think we see the answer in Revelation. Tyre is very like the picture of Babylon (which in that book is a picture of Rome). All the way through the Bible— starting with the Tower of Babel, we see a contrast between the ‘city of man’ and the ‘city of God’. The world powers will be utterly defeated, along with all the wealth of commerce that supports them now.

In Ezekiel 14:15 and 20 and 28:3, GNT followed the liberal side of Biblical scholarship in identifying Daniel the prophet as Danel, the Ugaritic mythical hero. Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel who arrived in Babylon only 8 years before Ezekiel was in exile at the Chebar river. Even so, I think it very plausible that Daniel’s miraculous deeds (publicized even in the king’s proclamations) would have made him famous in that day. And the remote Ugaritic figure named Danel was not famed to be wise, as would be necessary in today’s passage. See these articles for more information.

Article: Did Ezekiel know Daniel?

Wallace: Who is Ezekiel’s Daniel?

ISAIAH 10:
Yesterday’s reading included wonderful prophecies concerning Jesus that are quoted in the Gospels and in Handel’s Messiah:

Is. 9:2 NLT The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.
and
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

HEBREWS 6:
Jesus is our High Priest, not in the order of Aaron, but Melchizedek. This chapter picks up where the last left off. Yesterday’s chapter ended with the call for spiritual maturity:

12b NLT “You are like babies who need milk and cannot [yet] eat solid food.”

GNT Translation notes:
Heb. 6:1 NLT [So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and [believing in God//placing our faith in God].//GNT Let us go forward, then, to mature teaching and leave behind us the first lessons of the Christian message. We should not lay again the foundation of turning away from useless works and believing in God;]
4 For how can those who abandon their [beliefs//faith] be brought back to repent again? They were once in God's light; they tasted heaven's gift and received their share of the Holy Spirit;
6 And then they abandoned their [beliefs//faith]! It is impossible to bring them back to repent again, because they are again crucifying the Son of God and exposing him to public shame.
10 God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other [of God’s holy people//believers//Christians].

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 6:12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith [— that is their full belief,] and endurance.

Check out this episode!

NL-DBRP_301 EZK.28 EZK.29 ISA.10 HEB.6

EZEKIEL 28-29:
So why were there two whole chapters against the city-state of Tyre in yesterday’s reading, plus one more today?! I think we see the answer in Revelation. Tyre is very like the picture of Babylon (which in that book is a picture of Rome). All the way through the Bible— starting with the Tower of Babel, we see a contrast between the ‘city of man’ and the ‘city of God’. The world powers will be utterly defeated, along with all the wealth of commerce that supports them now.

In Ezekiel 14:15 and 20 and 28:3, GNT followed the liberal side of Biblical scholarship in identifying Daniel the prophet as Danel, the Ugaritic mythical hero. Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel who arrived in Babylon only 8 years before Ezekiel was in exile at the Chebar river. Even so, I think it very plausible that Daniel’s miraculous deeds (publicized even in the king’s proclamations) would have made him famous in that day. And the remote Ugaritic figure named Danel was not famed to be wise, as would be necessary in today’s passage. See these articles for more information.

Article: Did Ezekiel know Daniel?

Wallace: Who is Ezekiel’s Daniel?

ISAIAH 10:
Yesterday’s reading included wonderful prophecies concerning Jesus that are quoted in the Gospels and in Handel’s Messiah:

Is. 9:2 NLT The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness,
a light will shine.
and
6 For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

HEBREWS 6:
Jesus is our High Priest, not in the order of Aaron, but Melchizedek. This chapter picks up where the last left off. Yesterday’s chapter ended with the call for spiritual maturity:

12b NLT “You are like babies who need milk and cannot [yet] eat solid food.”

GNT Translation notes:
Heb. 6:1 NLT [So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and [believing in God//placing our faith in God].//GNT Let us go forward, then, to mature teaching and leave behind us the first lessons of the Christian message. We should not lay again the foundation of turning away from useless works and believing in God;]
4 For how can those who abandon their [beliefs//faith] be brought back to repent again? They were once in God's light; they tasted heaven's gift and received their share of the Holy Spirit;
6 And then they abandoned their [beliefs//faith]! It is impossible to bring them back to repent again, because they are again crucifying the Son of God and exposing him to public shame.
10 God is not unfair. He will not forget the work you did or the love you showed for him in the help you gave and are still giving to other [of God’s holy people//believers//Christians].

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 6:12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith [— that is their full belief,] and endurance.

Check out this episode!

NL-DBRP_326 NEH.3 NEH.4 ISA.35 PHP.3

NEHEMIAH 3-4:
After Nehemiah’s wonderful prayer for Jerusalem, more than three months went by before the king noticed him looking sad. He says he had never before looked sad, so he must have waited. God must have been in the timing, because the king wonderfully agreed to help Nehemiah in every way. And the leaders in Jerusalem also were enthusiastic in their acceptance of his proposal to rebuild the walls.

ISAIAH 35:
Yesterday we heard that the land of Edom would become an eternal wasteland and a home for owls and other creatures. The land of Edom is in modern-day Jordan, and GoogleMaps shows almost nothing green in that whole area.

PHILIPPIANS 3:
Yesterday we heard Paul’s wonderful poem of praise about Christ’s humility and subsequent exaltation to the highest place.

And we heard this promise:
Php. 2:13 GNT because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose.

GNT Translation note:
9 [PET And I just want to remain joined as one with Him. The way I’m made right before God is not based my efforts to obey the Law. Instead I am made right in God’s sight only because of Christ! I fully believe in what Christ has done, and through that belief alone I am made right in God's sight.//GNT and be completely united with him. I no longer have a righteousness of my own, the kind that is gained by obeying the Law. I now have the righteousness that is given through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God and is based on faith.]

NLT Translation notes:
Php. 3:1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your [fully believing//faith].
13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved [perfection//it], but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Check out this episode!

DayStarters_088 LUK.22.39-71

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 77.

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GN-DBRP_300 EZK.26 EZK.27 ISA.8.21-22 ISA.9 HEB.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, 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. 8:12 GNT “Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear. 13 Remember that I, the Lord Almighty, am holy; I am the one you must fear. 14 Because of my awesome holiness I am like a stone that people stumble over; I am like a trap that will catch the people of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel and the people of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble; they will fall and be crushed. They will be caught in a trap.”

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 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.

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 5:7 While  Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, [crying loudly and with tears//with a loud cry and tears], to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.

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NL-DBRP_300 EZK.26 EZK.27 ISA.8.21-22 ISA.9 HEB.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, 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. 8:12 GNT “Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear. 13 Remember that I, the Lord Almighty, am holy; I am the one you must fear. 14 Because of my awesome holiness I am like a stone that people stumble over; I am like a trap that will catch the people of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel and the people of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble; they will fall and be crushed. They will be caught in a trap.”

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 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.

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 5:7 While  Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, [crying loudly and with tears//with a loud cry and tears], to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.

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DayStarters_087 LUK.22.1-38

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 76.

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GN-DBRP_299 EZK.24 EZK.25 ISA.8 HEB.4

EZEKIEL 24-25:
Yesterday in Ezekiel we heard the shockingly graphic story of the two adulterous sisters, which were really the cities of Samaria and Jerusalem.

ISAIAH 8:
In yesterday’s reading, Isaiah was sent to Ahaz, and the message to the king contains a prophecy that probably had two fulfillments— one in King Ahaz’ time and another at Jesus’ birth: “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” Had the New Testament not explicitly stated that Jesus’ birth was a fulfillment of this verse, the similarity would be considered just an interesting coincidence.

HEBREWS 4:
In chapter 3 we read about God promising another day for the fulfillment of giving Israel a place of rest. And that other day is called ‘today’!

GNT Translation notes:
Heb. 4:2 For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not [fully believe it//accept it with faith].
[In our Plain English Translation, we gave the full meaning of the coined word ‘sabatismos’ found in verse 9.  The word is coined by the writer from the word for Sabbath. Here is verse 9 in our PET translation, which shows how we made this concept clear in Indonesian:]
9 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.
11 Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of [belief//faith].

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NL-DBRP_299 EZK.24 EZK.25 ISA.8 HEB.4

EZEKIEL 24-25:
Yesterday in Ezekiel we heard the shockingly graphic story of the two adulterous sisters, which were really the cities of Samaria and Jerusalem.

ISAIAH 8:
In yesterday’s reading, Isaiah was sent to Ahaz, and the message to the king contains a prophecy that probably had two fulfillments— one in King Ahaz’ time and another at Jesus’ birth: “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” Had the New Testament not explicitly stated that Jesus’ birth was a fulfillment of this verse, the similarity would be considered just an interesting coincidence.

HEBREWS 4:
In chapter 3 we read about God promising another day for the fulfillment of giving Israel a place of rest. And that other day is called ‘today’!

GNT Translation notes:
Heb. 4:2 For we have heard the Good News, just as they did. They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not [fully believe it//accept it with faith].
[In our Plain English Translation, we gave the full meaning of the coined word ‘sabatismos’ found in verse 9.  The word is coined by the writer from the word for Sabbath. Here is verse 9 in our PET translation, which shows how we made this concept clear in Indonesian:]
9 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.
11 Let us, then, do our best to receive that rest, so that no one of us will fail as they did because of their lack of [belief//faith].

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DayStarters_086 LUK.21.17-38

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 75.

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GN-DBRP_298 EZK.23 ISA.7 HEB.3

EZEKIEL 23:
In yesterday’s reading, we heard the Lord promise that he would refine Israel as purifying silver in a crucible. And then we heard the famous and poignant words:

Ez. 23:30 GNT I looked for someone who could build a wall, who could stand in the places where the walls have crumbled and defend the land when my anger is about to destroy it, but I could find no one. //NLT “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

ISAIAH 7:
Yesterday we heard the story of Isaiah’s vision of the glory of the Lord in the temple. Isaiah’s lips were purified with a coal from the altar. Then after hearing the Lord’s call, he said the famous words, “Here I am. Send me!” And the Lord revealed that his messages would not be received.

Rereading HEBREWS 3:
Yesterday we heard the quote from Ps. 95 that forms the basis for this section. It is because I want the quoted content of this chapter firmly in our minds that I scheduled this chapter to be read twice. The failure of the Israelites was their refusal to believe in the Lord and what He told them. Believing is a volitional act.

GNT Translation notes:
Is. 7:3 The Lord said to [me//Isaiah], “Take your son Shear Jashub, and go to meet King Ahaz. You will find him on the road where the cloth makers work, at the end of the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.
13 To that [I//Isaiah] replied, “Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people—do you have to wear out God's patience too?
====
Heb. 3:1 My [dear fellow believers//Christian friends], who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent [as his representative, and whom we profess as our High Priest// to be the High Priest of the faith we profess].
7 So then, as the Holy Spirit says, “[When//If] you hear [the Lord’s//God's] voice today,
8 do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against [me//God], as they were that day in the desert when they put [me//him] to the test.
|19 We see, then, that they were not able to enter the land, because they [refused to//did not] believe.

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 3:19 So we see that [they were unable to enter his rest because they refused to believe him.// because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.]

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NL-DBRP_298 EZK.23 ISA.7 HEB.3

EZEKIEL 23:
In yesterday’s reading, we heard the Lord promise that he would refine Israel as purifying silver in a crucible. And then we heard the famous and poignant words:

Ez. 23:30 GNT I looked for someone who could build a wall, who could stand in the places where the walls have crumbled and defend the land when my anger is about to destroy it, but I could find no one. //NLT “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

ISAIAH 7:
Yesterday we heard the story of Isaiah’s vision of the glory of the Lord in the temple. Isaiah’s lips were purified with a coal from the altar. Then after hearing the Lord’s call, he said the famous words, “Here I am. Send me!” And the Lord revealed that his messages would not be received.

Rereading HEBREWS 3:
Yesterday we heard the quote from Ps. 95 that forms the basis for this section. It is because I want the quoted content of this chapter firmly in our minds that I scheduled this chapter to be read twice. The failure of the Israelites was their refusal to believe in the Lord and what He told them. Believing is a volitional act.

GNT Translation notes:
Is. 7:3 The Lord said to [me//Isaiah], “Take your son Shear Jashub, and go to meet King Ahaz. You will find him on the road where the cloth makers work, at the end of the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.
13 To that [I//Isaiah] replied, “Listen, now, descendants of King David. It's bad enough for you to wear out the patience of people—do you have to wear out God's patience too?
====
Heb. 3:1 My [dear fellow believers//Christian friends], who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent [as his representative, and whom we profess as our High Priest// to be the High Priest of the faith we profess].
7 So then, as the Holy Spirit says, “[When//If] you hear [the Lord’s//God's] voice today, 
8 do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against [me//God], as they were that day in the desert when they put [me//him] to the test.
|19 We see, then, that they were not able to enter the land, because they [refused to//did not] believe.

NLT Translation note:
Heb. 3:19 So we see that [they were unable to enter his rest because they refused to believe him.// because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.]

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DayStarters_085 LUK.21.1-19

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 74.

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GN-DBRP_297 EZK.22 ISA.6 HEB.3

EZEKIEL 22:
Yesterday we heard of the sword of the Lord, which was to come to Jerusalem, actually in the form of the army of the king of Babylon. And there would be punishment also for the Ammonites.

ISAIAH 6:
In yesterday’s reading, we heard one of the famous chapters that relate to Israel as the Lord’s vine. This would have been in the minds of those who listened to Jesus when he gave his teaching about the vine bearing fruit in John 15. God said yesterday, “They will go into exile because they do not know me.”

HEBREWS 3:
In Hebrews 2 we heard the first of the writer’s warnings. The writer’s increasingly strong warnings are a persistent theme in this book. And for the first time we heard that Jesus is our perfect High Priest. Jesus is perfect for that position because he fully shared our human existence, and he suffered and defeated the devil’s power over death.

GNT Translation note:
Heb. 3:1 My [dear fellow believers//Christian friends], who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent [as his representative, and whom we profess as our High Priest// to be the High Priest of the faith we profess].
7 So then, as the Holy Spirit says [quoting God’s words], “If you hear [my//God's] voice today,
8 do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against [me//God], as they were that day in the desert when they put [me//him] to the test.
19 We see, then, that they were not able to enter the land, because they [refused to//did not] believe.

NLT Translation note:
Heb.3:19 So we see that [they were unable to enter his rest because they refused to believe him.// because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.]

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NL-DBRP_297 EZK.22 ISA.6 HEB.3

EZEKIEL 22:
Yesterday we heard of the sword of the Lord, which was to come to Jerusalem, actually in the form of the army of the king of Babylon. And there would be punishment also for the Ammonites.

ISAIAH 6:
In yesterday’s reading, we heard one of the famous chapters that relate to Israel as the Lord’s vine. This would have been in the minds of those who listened to Jesus when he gave his teaching about the vine bearing fruit in John 15. God said yesterday, “They will go into exile because they do not know me.”

HEBREWS 3:
In Hebrews 2 we heard the first of the writer’s warnings. The writer’s increasingly strong warnings are a persistent theme in this book. And for the first time we heard that Jesus is our perfect High Priest. Jesus is perfect for that position because he fully shared our human existence, and he suffered and defeated the devil’s power over death.

GNT Translation note:
Heb. 3:1 My [dear fellow believers//Christian friends], who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent [as his representative, and whom we profess as our High Priest// to be the High Priest of the faith we profess].
7 So then, as the Holy Spirit says [quoting God’s words], “If you hear [my//God's] voice today, 
8 do not be stubborn, as your ancestors were when they rebelled against [me//God], as they were that day in the desert when they put [me//him] to the test.
19 We see, then, that they were not able to enter the land, because they [refused to//did not] believe.

NLT Translation note:
Heb.3:19 So we see that [they were unable to enter his rest because they refused to believe him.// because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.]

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DayStarters_084 LUK.20.20-47

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 73.

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GN-DBRP_296 EZK.21 ISA.5 HEB.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].

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NL-DBRP_296 EZK.21 ISA.5 HEB.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].

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DayStarters_083 LUK.20.1-26

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 72.

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GN-DBRP_295 EZK.20 ISA.3.24-26 ISA.4 HEB.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.

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NL-DBRP_295 EZK.20 ISA.3.24-26 ISA.4 HEB.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.

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DayStarters_082 LUK.19.20-48

Re-release of the New Testament reading from GN series edition 71.

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GN-DBRP_294 EZK.18 EZK.19 ISA.3 JUD.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:

Is. 2:2 GNT In days to come
the mountain where the Temple stands
will be the highest one of all,
towering above all the hills.
Many nations will come streaming to it,
3 and their people will say,
“Let us go up the hill of the Lord,
to the Temple of Israel's God.
He will teach us what he wants us to do;
we will walk in the paths he has chosen.
For the Lord's teaching comes from Jerusalem;
from Zion he speaks to his people.”
4 He will settle disputes among great nations.
They will hammer their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nations will never again go to war,
never prepare for battle again.

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.

GNT Translation notes:
Jud. 3 My dear friends, I was doing my best to write to you about the salvation we share in common, when I felt the need of writing at once to encourage you to fight on for [our beliefs— the true teachings//the faith] which once and for all God has given to his people.
20 [PET But my beloved Brothers and Sisters, each of you should strengthen one another so that you continue to fully believe in the holy teachings you have received. Keep on praying with the help of the Holy Spirit.//GNT But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred [beliefs//faith]. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,]

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.]

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