Jeremiah 39

The Fall of Jerusalem

 ¹ This is how Jerusalem was taken: In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. ² And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. ³ Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴ When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah.

 ⁵ But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. ⁶ There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. ⁷ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.

 ⁸ The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹ Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people. ¹⁰ But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

 ¹¹ Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: ¹² “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” ¹³ So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of Babylon ¹⁴ sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.

 ¹⁵ While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him: ¹⁶ “Go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city through disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. ¹⁷ But I will rescue you on that day, declares the LORD; you will not be handed over to those you fear. ¹⁸ I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the LORD.’ “

7:30  Bennet Prayer.  Go low was the word.

8:00  City Intercession with Stacy.  Two topics started with praying in advance Halloween weekend coming up and two regional prayer meetings coming up this weekend.  Meeting moved into recognizing divine placement for Stacy and I and a calling to advocacy.

10:00  Continued Advocacy Writing. 

12:30-2:00  Hitting three classrooms today about CHARACTER.

2:00-5:00 Lab.  Catching up, having fun, getting to know people better, building trust, little by little, day by day…

Long distance meeting over Skype with leadership.

In house worship.

12:30 Hit three classrooms talking about character.

What is Character?

Why is it important?  Does it affect us?

Character Traits:  Trustworthiness, Caring, Sharing, Honesty, Forgiveness, Responsiblity, Respect, Excellence, Wisdom, Loyalty, Citizenship, Perseverance, Committment, Diligence, Relationship, Communication, Generosity, Self-Control

Activity to help them discover character traits that they are weak in that we can talk about, make mistakes in, and grow in as a group in a safe environment.  Learn from one another.  We’re all starting at different places.  Helping them become the best person they can be.  Not just learning facts but learning about who they’re becoming as people.

2:00 Driving with G___.  Olive Branch, Mounds, Cairo.  Doing great.  Licence soon.

3:35  Prayerwalking; McBride Projects.  Started off with I___.  Very loud, whiny, needy, interrupting, rough, met up with other kids.  Could not continue prayer with her around, despite how helpful she’s been in the past, had to ask her to leave.  Sat on ground reading from bible.  Soon 20 or so kids around us.  Some making faces, disrupting, others listening and watching intently, some just resting peacefully with us there.  Continued with the ones who were there.  Prayed over families.  Fewer and fewer as we continued to read and talk about Jesus.  Down to three/four main ones.  We moved with them over to the playground all the while interacting about church, questions, things God’s showing them.  One in particular learning a lot of wisdom and truth about life around her and how God sees it.  She doesn’t realize it’s him yet.  Another one very interested and likes the things of God but does not yet know Jesus in a personal relationship yet.  Talked about what it would be like if God showed up in McBride.  What would change, what would be different.  What are somethings that they want God to show up on.  Rapes of children they said.  Gambling.  Taking of children.  Fear.  Told them to talk to God about these things and he’s looking for people to ask him to come in these situations.  Prayed with the two of them.  Three more joined.  Prayed with them individually too.

Tuesday morning.  10/20/09  Heard testimony of a class of sixth graders going to see the new Tyler Perry movie as a reward.  There is a character in it that suffers from abuse as a child.  A teacher that saw it with her students afterwards shared her story of suffering abuse as a child and how she’s worked through it.  She had the students journal and the students were able to share pages of experiences that they maybe have never shared before, finding a safe environment to share and dialogue about what’s happened to them in this city growing up.  Third of class had been raped.  Know an adult they can trust who has been what they’ve been through.

Later that day I recieved clear answered prayer in regards to clarification for this season.  Was one of my prayer requests on my mailing!

Thursday night.  10/22/09 Same teacher had an adult for parent teacher conferences show up and accuse her of very clearly lies that her prinicpal and co-workers denied to be true.  We got to meet with her and pray with her about it and I could see her countenance change.  Praise God she’s impacting the lives of these youth.  I also got to hear some strong lessons that my roommate teacher has learned this year working in the local school system.

Local Church.  10/25/09  Ministered to by the Holy Spirit in a local church.  Enough said. Praise God.  16 Baptisms next weekend.

Ministry on the streets in a nearby city.

Regional Church Intercession Meeting.  Heard the Lord’s heart for a regional church near us and joined them in prayer for God’s plan for them as a people.  It’s a blessing to pray with the Holy Spirit under leadership submitting to the Lord and desiring his will.  Group of hungery hearers of the Lord being trained up as his mouthpieces.

Saturday.

Went to area where purse was stolen from Carney’s car last week.  Found many items.  Prayed over area, short-cut to projects.  Prayed about this community church that’s right there over the land.  Sang, worshipped.

Sunday.  10/18/09

Driving through town.  Group of guys selling hats on side of road.  Felt the Holy Spirit leading me to turn around and pray with them.  I turned around.  I approached.  Told them why I was there.  There was a bible out.  They were all from the community church that I prayed over the day before.  Some people would say they’re not Christians.  I don’t even know if they call themselves Christians. They don’t consider those who say they follow “Jesus” true followers of Scripture in it’s original Hebrew form because they have the name wrong.  They were trying to convert me and cause me to denounce the name of Jesus.  I was willing to pray with them because their heart was to lead people to what they felt the one true worship of the God of the bible was.  They would not until I denounced Jesus.  I asked if I could pray for myself.  So I did.  They saw my love for God almost to the point of tears and the Lord kept me from reacting too strongly in self defense during my conversation with them.  The Holy Spirit maintained kindness in me and I asked their names at the end and shook their hands.  One of them gave me a purse they were selling and told me to remember what God blessed me that day. 

I think the Lord was showing me more of his heart and how to pray for them according more in the likeness of his heart.  They do hold to scritpure and the teachings of Jesus even if they say that everyone who calls upon him not in his true Hebrew form is not saved.  The Lord desires all who love him and obey him to be one.  I pray that all who love him and obey him would be one.  I bless them and understand them more than I have.  Some of us have referred to them as a cult not understanding them but I met some brothers that day even if they would not call me sister.  I want to meet more of our extended family however they are and I will love them with you Jesus.  Help us all walk in greater and greater love.

Morning finish shingle trim.

Mrs.  G___ kindergarten class.  One on one with W____  learning letters and colors and her name.  She made some progress.

Details on front.  40 degrees outside.

Back to Mrs. G___ kindergarten class.  Assembly.  Students chanting about LOW FAT. HIGH FIBER. NEED FRUIT.  NEED VEGGIES. DRINK LOTS OF WATER.  EXCERCISE.   in flash cards, butter got boo’d.  empowering the next generation.  Back in class.  Talked about fireman from the story I read a month ago.  One student comes up, she’s the one that gave me a bible!  watch a Halloween video.  some students scared.  Played peek a boo instead with one of the ones that didn’t want to watch.  By the end of the video about 6 gathered up around me.  Peek a boo one made it to my lap.

11:00 Tried dropping off casserole and juice to large family in McBride that said awhile ago that money was funny right now.  No answer.

11:15  Soup Kitchen.  Pleasant.  Cheerful in fact.  Refreshing experience and environment.  Positive attitudes, more givers than I remember remembering, blessings and answered prayer.  An unbeliever that I had worked with in a different program that asked me to stop playing the worship songs I played walked in with a large Christian hat on.  I’m assuming it was donated to him and he was completely unawares but it was as if God was saying, “this one too is mine.” 

1:10  High School.  Clearly explained sowing and reaping in regards to their own education.  There are a lot of Jesus lovers in that place.  Praying for the hindrances around their fullness to be removed.  One obviously grieving with recent death of step-father.  Another’s son possibly charged with battery/attempted murder.  Prayed in empty classroom during planning period.  Connected with one student during last class.  Also quietly addressed apathetic student on the choices he’s making.  received.

1:50  Second try at McBride.  Success.  All I see are three kids faces in the door.  People home, drop off food. 

3:05  Lab.  Second day this week shared testimony.  Ended up sitting next to the apathetic student I addressed most of the hour.  Talk about his ways and life.  Shared how I used to live and how God totally changed me around.  After a while he’s like ‘I never would a guessed you were ever like that…’  Gave God credit for doing a good job.  God’s relational.  First and second greatest commandments relational.  Everyone’s invisible longing for relationship; unsatisfied without it.

One women we’ve been invited all fall came.  She hadn’t been in a long while.  Good time with everyone.

5:13  Hit Elmwood.  Head to D___’s place.  M____ not there.  We check him out, feeling sick, pray for him while walking back.  Enter apt.  Mom joins us from beginning.  Her brother died last night.  Funeral this weekend.  D___ reads verses I look up about death.  Start with Ezekiel 18.  God sees two types of people, righteous and unrighteous.  Jesus covered or not.  Mom chimes in don’t you mean good people and bad people.  No Jesus only gate into heaven.  No amount of good works saves.  Talk about VBS blood covering of Lamb.  Death passes over.  That’s Jesus.

Read John 8. Everyone who obeys word will not taste death.  Romans 6, 5.  Pray after D___ reads verses apply to our lives.  Intense stuff. Only by faith.  Free gift.  Reconciled to God.  Blood of Jesus.  Check in with them.  Mom brings up family stuff that she thinks will happen at the funeral.  D___ and I go over to her and pray about it with her.  D___ closes.  Racial rejection within the family involved.  Pray for D___ next.  Mom blesses.  Older brother walks in.  I apologize for previous interactions I’ve had with him that were not in the Spirit of Christ but the Spirit of fear.  Conversation resumes.  I clearly show how this short life is nothing in comparison to what we’re choosing for eternity.  Assign D___ to read through John no matter how long it takes him.

D___ and I pick up some hamburger patties from our freezer, some popcorn, bread and take it back to their place.  On the way meet a man picking cans out of a dumpster.  Stop and talk to him.  Total Jesus lover and faithful raiser of his grandchildren.  Praying for his unsaved wife.  Willing to come with us and testify to what Jesus his Lord and Savior has done in his life.  I get his info.  D___  and I stop by new coffee shop in town.  Show D___ around because his mom was asking about it.  Can picture biblestudies happening there.

This is a collection of almost every direct reference from the bible in regards to the very-soon-coming Day of the Lord; specifically the BOLD text.  See for yourself what the Author of Creation shares about the finale of this age.

Isaiah 13

A Prophecy Against Babylon

¹ An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:

² Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.

³ I have commanded my holy ones;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—
those who rejoice in my triumph.

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The LORD Almighty is mustering
an army for war.

⁵ They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—
the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.

⁶ Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

⁷ Because of this, all hands will go limp,
every man’s heart will melt.

⁸ Terror will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.

⁹ See, the day of the LORD is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.

¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.

¹¹ I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

¹² I will make man scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.

¹³ Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the LORD Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.

¹⁴ Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
each will return to his own people,
each will flee to his native land.

¹⁵ Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall by the sword.

¹⁶ Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives ravished.

¹⁷ See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.

¹⁸ Their bows will strike down the young men;
they will have no mercy on infants
nor will they look with compassion on children.

¹⁹ Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the glory of the Babylonians’ pride,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰ She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there,
no shepherd will rest his flocks there.

²¹ But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.

²² Hyenas will howl in her strongholds,
jackals in her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.

Isaiah 14

¹ The LORD will have compassion on Jacob;
once again he will choose Israel
and will settle them in their own land.
Aliens will join them
and unite with the house of Jacob.

² Nations will take them
and bring them to their own place.
And the house of Israel will possess the nations
as menservants and maidservants in the LORD’s land.
They will make captives of their captors
and rule over their oppressors.

³ On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage,

⁴ you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury has ended!

⁵ The LORD has broken the rod of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers,

⁶ which in anger struck down peoples
with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued nations
with relentless aggression.

⁷ All the lands are at rest and at peace;
they break into singing.

⁸ Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon
exult over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
no woodsman comes to cut us down.”

⁹ The grave below is all astir
to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—
all those who were leaders in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.

¹⁰ They will all respond,
they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
you have become like us.”

¹¹ All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,
along with the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread out beneath you
and worms cover you.

¹² How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!

¹³ You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.

¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”

¹⁵ But you are brought down to the grave,
to the depths of the pit.

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,

¹⁷ the man who made the world a desert,
who overthrew its cities
and would not let his captives go home?”

¹⁸ All the kings of the nations lie in state,
each in his own tomb.

¹⁹ But you are cast out of your tomb
like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,
with those pierced by the sword,
those who descend to the stones of the pit.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,

²⁰ you will not join them in burial,
for you have destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.

²¹ Prepare a place to slaughter his sons
for the sins of their forefathers;
they are not to rise to inherit the land
and cover the earth with their cities.

²² “I will rise up against them,”
declares the LORD Almighty.
“I will cut off from Babylon her name and survivors,
her offspring and descendants,”
declares the LORD.

²³ “I will turn her into a place for owls
and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,”
declares the LORD Almighty.

²⁴ The LORD Almighty has sworn,
“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand.

²⁵ I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.”

²⁶ This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.

²⁷ For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

Ezekiel 30

A Lament for Egypt

¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
” ‘Wail and say,
“Alas for that day!”

³ For the day is near,
the day of the LORD is near—
a day of clouds,
a time of doom for the nations.

Joel 1

¹ The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.

An Invasion of Locusts

² Hear this, you elders;
listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your forefathers?

³ Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.

⁴ What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts have eaten.

⁵ Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched from your lips.

⁶ A nation has invaded my land,
powerful and without number;
it has the teeth of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.

⁷ It has laid waste my vines
and ruined my fig trees.
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white.

⁸ Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth
grieving for the husband of her youth.

⁹ Grain offerings and drink offerings
are cut off from the house of the LORD.
The priests are in mourning,
those who minister before the LORD.

¹⁰ The fields are ruined,
the ground is dried up;
the grain is destroyed,
the new wine is dried up,
the oil fails.

¹¹ Despair, you farmers,
wail, you vine growers;
grieve for the wheat and the barley,
because the harvest of the field is destroyed.

¹² The vine is dried up
and the fig tree is withered;
the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—
all the trees of the field—are dried up.
Surely the joy of mankind
is withered away.

A Call to Repentance

¹³ Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn;
wail, you who minister before the altar.
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
you who minister before my God;
for the grain offerings and drink offerings
are withheld from the house of your God.

¹⁴ Declare a holy fast;
call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders
and all who live in the land
to the house of the LORD your God,
and cry out to the LORD.

¹⁵ Alas for that day!
For the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

¹⁶ Has not the food been cut off
before our very eyes—
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?

¹⁷ The seeds are shriveled
beneath the clods.
The storehouses are in ruins,
the granaries have been broken down,
for the grain has dried up.

¹⁸ How the cattle moan!
The herds mill about
because they have no pasture;
even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

¹⁹ To you, O LORD, I call,
for fire has devoured the open pastures
and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

²⁰ Even the wild animals pant for you;
the streams of water have dried up
and fire has devoured the open pastures.

Joel 2

An Army of Locusts

¹ Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand-

² a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was of old
nor ever will be in ages to come.

³ Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste—
nothing escapes them.

⁴ They have the appearance of horses;
they gallop along like cavalry.

⁵ With a noise like that of chariots
they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

⁶ At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;
every face turns pale.

⁷ They charge like warriors;
they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,
not swerving from their course.

⁸ They do not jostle each other;
each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
without breaking ranks.

⁹ They rush upon the city;
they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;
like thieves they enter through the windows.

¹⁰ Before them the earth shakes,
the sky trembles,
the sun and moon are darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.

¹¹ The LORD thunders
at the head of his army;
his forces are beyond number,
and mighty are those who obey his command.
The day of the LORD is great;
it is dreadful.
Who can endure it?

Rend Your Heart

¹² “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

¹³ Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

¹⁴ Who knows? He may turn and have pity
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the LORD your God.

¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.

¹⁶ Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.

¹⁷ Let the priests, who minister before the LORD,
weep between the temple porch and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’ “

The LORD’s Answer

¹⁸ Then the LORD will be jealous for his land
and take pity on his people.

¹⁹ The LORD will reply to them:
“I am sending you grain, new wine and oil,
enough to satisfy you fully;
never again will I make you
an object of scorn to the nations.

²⁰ “I will drive the northern army far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land,
with its front columns going into the eastern sea
and those in the rear into the western sea.
And its stench will go up;
its smell will rise.”
Surely he has done great things.

²¹ Be not afraid, O land;
be glad and rejoice.
Surely the LORD has done great things.

²² Be not afraid, O wild animals,
for the open pastures are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit;
the fig tree and the vine yield their riches.

²³ Be glad, O people of Zion,
rejoice in the LORD your God,
for he has given you
the autumn rains in righteousness.
He sends you abundant showers,
both autumn and spring rains, as before.

²⁴ The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.

²⁵ “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm —
my great army that I sent among you.

²⁶ You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.

²⁷ Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the LORD your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.

The Day of the LORD

²⁸ “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.

²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.

³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

³² And everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the LORD has said,
among the survivors
whom the LORD calls.

Joel 3

The Nations Judged

¹ “In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

² I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will enter into judgment against them
concerning my inheritance, my people Israel,
for they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.

³ They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine
that they might drink.

⁴ “Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. ⁵ For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. ⁶ You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.

⁷ “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. ⁸ I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The LORD has spoken.

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.

¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”

¹¹ Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.
Bring down your warriors, O LORD!

¹² “Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.

¹³ Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.

¹⁵ The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.

¹⁶ The LORD will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble.
But the LORD will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

¹⁷ “Then you will know that I, the LORD your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.

¹⁸ “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the LORD’s house
and will water the valley of acacias.

¹⁹ But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.

²⁰ Judah will be inhabited forever
and Jerusalem through all generations.

²¹ Their bloodguilt, which I have not pardoned,
I will pardon.”
The LORD dwells in Zion!

Amos 5

¹⁴ Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.

¹⁵ Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶ Therefore this is what the Lord, the LORD God Almighty, says:
“There will be wailing in all the streets
and cries of anguish in every public square.
The farmers will be summoned to weep
and the mourners to wail.

¹⁷ There will be wailing in all the vineyards,
for I will pass through your midst,”
says the LORD.

The Day of the LORD

¹⁸ Woe to you who long
for the day of the LORD!
Why do you long for the day of the LORD ?
That day will be darkness, not light.

¹⁹ It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.

²⁰ Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?

²¹ “I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

²² Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.

²³ Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

²⁴ But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Obadiah 1

¹⁵ “The day of the LORD is near
for all nations.
As you have done, it will be done to you;
your deeds will return upon your own head.

¹⁶ Just as you drank on my holy hill,
so all the nations will drink continually;
they will drink and drink
and be as if they had never been.

¹⁷ But on Mount Zion will be deliverance;
it will be holy,
and the house of Jacob
will possess its inheritance.

¹⁸ The house of Jacob will be a fire
and the house of Joseph a flame;
the house of Esau will be stubble,
and they will set it on fire and consume it.
There will be no survivors
from the house of Esau.”
The LORD has spoken.

¹⁹ People from the Negev will occupy
the mountains of Esau,
and people from the foothills will possess
the land of the Philistines.
They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria,
and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

²⁰ This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan
will possess the land as far as Zarephath;
the exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
will possess the towns of the Negev.

²¹ Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion
to govern the mountains of Esau.
And the kingdom will be the LORD’s.

Zephaniah 1

¹ The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:

Warning of Coming Destruction

² “I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,”
declares the LORD.

³ “I will sweep away both men and animals;
I will sweep away the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea.
The wicked will have only heaps of rubble
when I cut off man from the face of the earth,”
declares the LORD.

Against Judah

⁴ “I will stretch out my hand against Judah
and against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal,
the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests-

⁵ those who bow down on the roofs
to worship the starry host,
those who bow down and swear by the LORD
and who also swear by Molech,

⁶ those who turn back from following the LORD
and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.

⁷ Be silent before the Sovereign LORD,
for the day of the LORD is near.
The LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
he has consecrated those he has invited.

⁸ On the day of the LORD’s sacrifice
I will punish the princes
and the king’s sons
and all those clad
in foreign clothes.

⁹ On that day I will punish
all who avoid stepping on the threshold,
who fill the temple of their gods
with violence and deceit.

¹⁰ “On that day,” declares the LORD,
“a cry will go up from the Fish Gate,
wailing from the New Quarter,
and a loud crash from the hills.

¹¹ Wail, you who live in the market district;
all your merchants will be wiped out,
all who trade with silver will be ruined.

¹² At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
and punish those who are complacent,
who are like wine left on its dregs,
who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing,
either good or bad.’

¹³ Their wealth will be plundered,
their houses demolished.
They will build houses
but not live in them;
they will plant vineyards
but not drink the wine.

The Great Day of the Lord

¹⁴ “The great day of the LORD is near—
near and coming quickly.
Listen! The cry on the day of the LORD will be bitter,
the shouting of the warrior there.

¹⁵ That day will be a day of wrath,
a day of distress and anguish,
a day of trouble and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,

¹⁶ a day of trumpet and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the corner towers.

¹⁷ I will bring distress on the people
and they will walk like blind men,
because they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
and their entrails like filth.

¹⁸ Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to save them
on the day of the LORD’s wrath.
In the fire of his jealousy
the whole world will be consumed,
for he will make a sudden end
of all who live in the earth.”

Zephaniah 2

¹ Gather together, gather together,
O shameful nation,

² before the appointed time arrives
and that day sweeps on like chaff,
before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you,
before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon you.

³ Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land,
you who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness, seek humility;
perhaps you will be sheltered
on the day of the LORD’s anger.

Against Philistia

⁴ Gaza will be abandoned
and Ashkelon left in ruins.
At midday Ashdod will be emptied
and Ekron uprooted.

⁵ Woe to you who live by the sea,
O Kerethite people;
the word of the LORD is against you,
O Canaan, land of the Philistines.
“I will destroy you,
and none will be left.”

⁶ The land by the sea, where the Kerethites dwell,
will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens.

⁷ It will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah;
there they will find pasture.
In the evening they will lie down
in the houses of Ashkelon.
The LORD their God will care for them;
he will restore their fortunes.

Against Moab and Ammon

⁸ “I have heard the insults of Moab
and the taunts of the Ammonites,
who insulted my people
and made threats against their land.

⁹ Therefore, as surely as I live,”
declares the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel,
“surely Moab will become like Sodom,
the Ammonites like Gomorrah—
a place of weeds and salt pits,
a wasteland forever.
The remnant of my people will plunder them;
the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”

¹⁰ This is what they will get in return for their pride,
for insulting and mocking the people of the LORD Almighty.

¹¹ The LORD will be awesome to them
when he destroys all the gods of the land.
The nations on every shore will worship him,
every one in its own land.

Against Cush

¹² “You too, O Cushites,
will be slain by my sword.”

Against Assyria

¹³ He will stretch out his hand against the north
and destroy Assyria,
leaving Nineveh utterly desolate
and dry as the desert.

¹⁴ Flocks and herds will lie down there,
creatures of every kind.
The desert owl and the screech owl
will roost on her columns.
Their calls will echo through the windows,
rubble will be in the doorways,
the beams of cedar will be exposed.

¹⁵ This is the carefree city
that lived in safety.
She said to herself,
“I am, and there is none besides me.”
What a ruin she has become,
a lair for wild beasts!
All who pass by her scoff
and shake their fists.

Zephaniah 3

The Future of Jerusalem

¹ Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!

² She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the LORD,
she does not draw near to her God.

³ Her officials are roaring lions,
her rulers are evening wolves,
who leave nothing for the morning.

⁴ Her prophets are arrogant;
they are treacherous men.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.

⁵ The LORD within her is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame.

⁶ “I have cut off nations;
their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
with no one passing through.
Their cities are destroyed;
no one will be left—no one at all.

⁷ I said to the city,
‘Surely you will fear me
and accept correction!’
Then her dwelling would not be cut off,
nor all my punishments come upon her.
But they were still eager
to act corruptly in all they did.

⁸ Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
by the fire of my jealous anger.

⁹ “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the LORD
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

¹⁰ From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.

¹¹ On that day you will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from this city
those who rejoice in their pride.
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.

¹² But I will leave within you
the meek and humble,
who trust in the name of the LORD.

¹³ The remnant of Israel will do no wrong;
they will speak no lies,
nor will deceit be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.”

¹⁴ Sing, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O Daughter of Jerusalem!

¹⁵ The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.

¹⁶ On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.

¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing.”

¹⁸ “The sorrows for the appointed feasts
I will remove from you;
they are a burden and a reproach to you.

¹⁹ At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you;
I will rescue the lame
and gather those who have been scattered.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they were put to shame.

²⁰ At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the LORD.

Zechariah 14

The LORD Comes and Reigns

¹ A day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided among you.

² I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.

³ Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. ⁴ On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. ⁵ You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake  in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

⁶ On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. ⁷ It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light.

⁸ On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.

⁹ The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.

¹⁰ The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. ¹¹ It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.

¹² This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. ¹³ On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. ¹⁴ Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. ¹⁵ A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.

¹⁶ Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁷ If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. ¹⁸ If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. ¹⁹ This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

²⁰ On that dayHOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. ²¹ Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty.

Malachi 4

The Day of the LORD

¹ “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. ² But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. ³ Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things,” says the LORD Almighty.

⁴ “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

⁵ “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. ⁶ He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”

1 Thessalonians 5

¹Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ²for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁴But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

2 Peter 3

The Day of the Lord

¹Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ²I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

³First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

⁸But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

¹⁴So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

¹⁷Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Nu Diner.  Superintendent, Mayor, Teacher I work with, Bungee People, Probation people.  Lot’s of interaction.

1:30  4 th schools.  No Chat this Week. Educational Lab.  What?!?  The students already are used to and do what we desire to do with the lab?  Solely use educational material?  Even taught finding averages…  One student needs to choose to learn.  Every time redirected him he had the right answer, but every other time opted out on effort and just guessed walked through everything…2 other eager requested me helping them the next time…

3:05 Lab.  4th graders all playing and helping each other in one online game.  Asked the girl leading all of them is she wanted to help me teach a computer class. “Yeah!”  She’s 10. Helped building staff with online financial questions.  Holy Spirit Come.

6:12 Elmwood.  A___.  Was escorted by very helpful older 9th sister across McBride to where A___ was.  Read two parables with her.  Prayed with her.  Positive interaction with mother.  Ran into two young guys from VBS I’ve been longing to reconnect with.  They were walking together right towards me.  Meeting to read through bible with them tomorrow at 5:00.  Will pick up another boy on the way.  Each have their own personal bibles from VBS.