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“As Moses lifted up the serpent [the serpent made of bronze described in Numbers 21:8–9] in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life, for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten [uniquely born] Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
“…for by grace you are saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.”
Above is the content of John 3:14–16 and the content of Ephesians 2:8–9, respectively. Itʼs worthwhile to refrain from receiving the mark referenced in Revelation 13:11–18 and to instead receive eternal life for free by believing that Jesus is the Savior. Before doing any Bible studying and before praying to God the Father, it is useful for a person who has believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior to try to think of any sins that one might have committed since one last confessed oneʼs known post-salvation sins to God the Father, and if one has indeed committed any, to then silently confess those sins to God the Father—confessing only one time for each sin—in accordance with what is mentioned in 1 John 1:9:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This webpage could be periodically updated. If there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, and if the original author of this webpage is amongst those people disappearing en masse, then it is possible that this webpage will no longer be updated. Also, if there is a mass disappearance of people professing to be Christians, it is worthwhile to consider the possibility that those people have exited from the earth on the occasion known as the Rapture instead of assuming that that mass disappearance involves extraterrestrials abducting those people or involves the annihilation of those people or involves anything else other than the Rapture.
Below are links related to archived copies of this webpage.
Also, it is possible that it is worthwhile to print this content in case of time periods involving lack of Internet connectivity.
When studying the Word of God, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Hebrews 4:12:
“Indeed, the Word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow and is a critic of thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Note: The heart refers to the mind.
It is also beneficial to keep in mind the content of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 when studying the Word of God:
“All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God might be mature, having been thoroughly furnished unto all good work.”
It is the responsibility of a pastor-teacher to endeavor to correctly understand the Word of God and then to accurately teach the Word of God, as per the content of 2 Timothy 2:15:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.”
A pastor-teacher is a communicator rather than a crutch on which to be leaned. In that regard, a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping a pastor-teacher. Likewise, a believer should refrain from putting oneʼs trust in and thereby serving as a devoted follower of and thus worshiping anyone other than the Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit], as per Joshua 24:15, the content of which references Joshua speaking to the Israelites:
If it is disagreeable/bad/evil/wrong/wretchedness/displeasing in your sight to serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, choose for yourselves today whom you serve/worship: whether the gods ['elohiym / false gods] which your fathers have served/worshiped which were beyond the river or the gods ['elohiym / false gods] of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we serve/worship Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.
Note: Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Joshua had been serving as the assistant of Moses while Moses was the leader of the Israelites, set the example for the Israelites. Joshua chose to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship God the Father rather than Joshua choosing to put his trust in and thereby serve as a devoted follower of and thus worship the lesser of multiple evils amongst multiple choices of 'elohiym [el-oh-HEEM]. The word 'elohiym with a lowercase e can refer to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges. The word 'Elohiym with a capital E refers to the Trinity. The word 'elohiym can also be used to refer to might as in mightiness. In that regard, the use of the word 'elohiym in reference to false gods, to angels, or to human rulers or judges involves the connotation of mightiness in comparison to an average human. When a person puts oneʼs trust in and thereby serves as a devoted follower of and thus worships an angel or human, that angel or human is that personʼs false god. Regarding the foregoing, the content of Joshua 24:15 involves Joshua calling attention to the choices that the Israelites had, and that content involves Joshua permitting the Israelites to make their choices while Joshua led by example with his choice.
The gift of pastor-teacher is for the purpose of each pastor-teacher functioning as a messenger who communicates the Word of God rather than functioning as a priest between the Trinity and mankind. In that regard, the time period that can be referred to as the Church Age started fifty days after the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected, and all Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are priests. The Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest of Church Age believers, and believers should be willing to acknowledge/confess/profess to people the believersʼ faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as per Hebrews 4:14–15:
Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the acknowledgment/confession/profession. Indeed, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek [mel-KIZ-uh-dek], who was the ruler of Salem when Abraham was still named Abram. Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as per Genesis 14:18, which references Melchizedek greeting Abram:
Then Melchizedek king of Salem has brought out bread and wine, and he is a priest of 'El [AYL] 'Elyown [el-YOHN] / God [focusing on God the Fatherʼs power] Most High.
The Lord Jesus Christ is also both a king and a priest because the Lord is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, as per Hebrews 7:14–17:
Indeed, it is evident that our Lord has arisen from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. Also, it is still much more evident: that according to the similarity of Melchizedek, Another of a different type of priest arises, Who has become such not on the basis of a law of fleshly command / physical requirement but according to the power of an indestructible life. Indeed, it is attested: “YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER, ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”
Note: The Lord Jesus Christ is from the tribe of Judah. Also, the Lord Jesus Christ is qualified to be a priest because He was resurrected and therefore has an indestructible body. The above content in all capital letters is a reference to Psalm 110:4.
Because a king is royalty, a king who is a priest is a royal priest. In that regard, Church Age believers are royalty because they are members of the Lord Jesus Christʼs family. Therefore, all Church Age believers are royal priests, as per 1 Peter 2:9–10:
However, you are A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR ACQUISITION/PRESERVATION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are GODʼS PEOPLE. You had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
Note: Before the Church Age, Gentiles were not Godʼs people. In the Church Age, both Jewish and Gentile believers are Godʼs people. The content of 1 Peter 2:10 references Hosea 2:23. In that regard, Peter uses references involving Israel in the Old Testament to refer to Church Age believers.
Itʼs the message rather than the messenger that should be the focus of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Put succinctly: itʼs the message rather than the messenger. In that regard, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of Revelation 22:8–9, which was written by the apostle John, who, in addition to writing The Revelation to John, wrote The Gospel According to John, The First Epistle of John, The Second Epistle of John, and The Third Epistle of John:
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things, but he says* to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
*Note: The word says is in the Greek historical present tense. By means of the Greek historical present tense, past action or future action can be described from the perspective of someone seeing the action as it occurs.
Regarding messages, believers should use the Word of God to examine what is being communicated. That is what the Bereans who are mentioned in Acts 17:10–12 did:
The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness / readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Therefore, many of them believed, and not a few prominent Greek women and men.
Note: The phrase not a few means “quite a few.”
Today, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to meet believers in the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds on the occasion of the Rapture is one day closer than it was yesterday. The Rapture involves both deceased and living believers in the Lord Jesus Christ meeting the Lord in the clouds in the atmosphere of the earth, receiving glorified immortal resurrection bodies similar to the Lord Jesus Christʼs glorified resurrection body, and going to Heaven with those resurrection bodies. Before the Rapture occurs, deceased believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are in Heaven without glorified bodies. While it is possible that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh]—which is what some people call Rosh Hashanah and which some people celebrate for two days—the next occurrence of which will possibly be during August, September, or October of 2026, it is worthwhile for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to get into the habit of being prepared every day for the return of the Lord, just in case the Rapture will occur on a day other than the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah. Furthermore, it is worthwhile to be in the habit of being prepared for the Rapture so that if it does occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets / Yom Teruah, one can be prepared for that day because of already being in the habit of being prepared. Examples of being prepared for the Rapture include applying the content of 1 John 1:9 whenever one sins, being unselfish, and whenever circumstances are such that an opportunity arises, sharing the gospel—the good news that believing that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior Who was judged on the cross for the sins of humanity is the means by which a person is able to have eternal life. Regarding sharing the gospel, one could also have a written or printed message containing the gospel with that written or printed message located somewhere where it could be easily noticed so that if a person or people were to read or hear that written or printed message either before or after the Rapture occurs, that person or people would thereby read or hear the gospel by means of that written or printed message.
Regarding information about the Rapture, it is beneficial to keep in mind the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52:
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again—and we do indeed believe that Jesus died and rose again—so also God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. Indeed, this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive who remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep, for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout of command, with a voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive who remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.
1 Corinthians 15:51–52
Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.
After the Rapture will be the seven-year Tribulation. The believers who will be alive on the earth when the Rapture occurs will escape the Tribulation. 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 covers that topic. In that regard, in the book 1 Thessalonians, the content of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 is immediately followed by the content of 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.
1 Thessalonians 5:1–11
Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you, for you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. However, you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief, for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; therefore, let us not sleep as others, but let us be alert and sober. Indeed, those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. However, since we are of day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and benevolence/goodwill, and as a helmet, the hope / absolute confidence of deliverance, for God has not destined us for wrath but for obtaining deliverance through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore, comfort one another and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
Note: In this context, the day of the Lord is the time period that consists of the Rapture, the seven years of the Tribulation, and the Second Advent. In that regard, deliverance from the Tribulation is the deliverance in this context. Also, unspecified is who will be saying “Peace and safety!” In this context, sleeping refers to a lack of alertness. The alertness in this context involves being ready for the Rapture. In order to be ready for the Rapture, a believer needs to be filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and to pay attention for historical trends such as people saying “Peace and safety!” and for historical trends that match the pattern of the world being on the brink of tremendous calamities like those that will occur during the Tribulation. Regarding being filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit, once a believer commits a sin after salvation, that believer is no longer filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit and is out of fellowship with the Trinity. After that believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, fellowship with the Trinity and the filling with the power of the Holy Spirit are restored. The procedure for confessing/acknowledging to God the Father all of oneʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins is mentioned in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Fellowship with God the Father and God the Son is mentioned in 1 John 1. Being out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit is referenced in Ephesians 4:30. In that regard, when a believer sins, that believer grieves the Holy Spirit. Losing the filling of the power of God the Holy Spirit is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. In that regard, when a believer sins, the power of God the Holy Spirit is quenched in that believer. After a believer has confessed/acknowledged to God the Father all of that believerʼs known unconfessed post-salvation sins, that believer is then filled with the power of God the Holy Spirit again and in fellowship with the Trinity again.
The verse of the day for June 25th is Jeremiah 23:24. Jeremiah was a prophet of the tribe of Levi. For geographical context, below is a link to a map of the locations of tribes of Israel. Absent from the map is any reference to the land of the tribe of Levi. The land of the tribe of Levi consisted of forty-eight cities and nearby land within the lands of other tribes. The topic of the cities and land of the Levites is covered in the content of Joshua 21. The reference to the total of forty-eight cities and associated land is in the content of Joshua 21:41–42.
https://Classic.NET.Bible.org/images/maps/ot4.jpg
If the above link is inaccessible, the below link can be tried instead.
https://NETBible.org/media/images/maps/ot4.jpg
Below is a link to a map of Israel when divided into the Northern Kingdom (also known as Israel) and Southern Kingdom (also known as Judah). During the time periods described in the book Jeremiah, the Israelites were divided into the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom.
https://Classic.NET.Bible.org/images/maps/ot5.jpg
If the above link is inaccessible, the below link can be tried instead.
https://NETBible.org/media/images/maps/ot5.jpg
Many Israelites of the Southern Kingdom, which is also known as Judah, were exiled to Babylon in 586 B.C. Israelites returned to the land in 516 B.C., which was seventy years later. In that regard, the prophets are categorized as pre-exilic, exilic, and post-exilic prophets. Jeremiah is categorized as a pre-exilic prophet.
Because it is useful to study verses that share the same context, below is content related to Jeremiah 23:16–32.
Note: In Jeremiah 23:16–32, all of the instances of the pronoun you are plural, and all of those instances of that pronoun refer to the Israelites. The fact that all of those instances of the plural pronoun you refer to the Israelites is revealed by the content of Jeremiah 22:1–2.
Jeremiah 23:16
Thus has said Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One of hosts / armies / tsaba' [tsah-VAH] / צָבָא: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are making you vain / making you empty / filling you with vain hopes / filling you with empty hopes. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.
Note: This verse refers to false prophets rather than real prophets. Also, the heart refers to the mind. In this verse, the Hebrew verb that can be translated as “making you vain,” “making you empty,” “filling you with vain hopes” or “filling you with empty hopes” is מַהְבִּלִים [pronounced mah-bee-LEEM and can be transliterated as mahbiliym]. (Hebrew is written and read from right to left.) That noun is an inflected form of the root word הָבַל [pronounced HAH-val and can be transliterated as habal].
Jeremiah 23:17
“They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One has said, “Peace occurs / takes place / comes about / comes to pass / is / exists for you.”’ As for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his heart, they have said, ‘Evil/Calamity/Harm/Trouble does not come upon you.’
Note: The false prophets were trying to deceive people. Also, the heart refers to the mind.
Jeremiah 23:18
“However, who has stood in the counsel of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, that he should see/perceive and hear, listen to, and obey His Word? Who has given heed to His Word and hears, listens, and obeys?
Note: In this verse, the word counsel refers to guidance. The false prophets were not standing in the guidance of God the Father—in other words, the false prophets were not living their lives in accordance with the guidance of God the Father. In that regard, this verse contains two rhetorical questions that indicate that none of the false prophets were obeying the Word of God and that none of the false prophets were even paying attention to the Word of God whatsoever. Those two rhetorical questions reveal the irony of the false prophets claiming to be representatives of God the Father when the false prophets were actually totally uninterested in the Word of God. The content of Ecclesiastes 1:9 indicates that there is nothing new under the sun. In that regard, there can be various occasions on which various people claim to be representatives of God the Father when those people are actually totally uninterested in the Word of God.
Jeremiah 23:19
“Behold, a storm / tempest / whirlwind of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One has gone forth in wrath, even a whirling storm / tempest / whirlwind. It whirls upon the head of the wicked.
Note: The content of this verse is a metaphor about judgment.
Jeremiah 23:20
“The anger of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One does not turn back until He has done/performed and executed / carried out the purposes of His heart. In the future days/times/years, you discern/understand discernment/understanding.
Note: The heart refers to the mind; therefore, the use of the word heart in this verse refers to the thinking of God the Father. Also, the word anger in this verse is an anthropopathism [an-thruh-poh-PATH-iz-uhm]. An anthropopathism is a term that describes the Members of the Trinity using human characteristics in order to help understand the essence of the Trinity. The Members of the Trinity donʼt literally become angry; the usage of the word anger helps human beings understand the wrath of God the Father.
In this verse, the Hebrew noun that can be translated as “days,” “times,” or “years” is יָּמִים [pronounced yah-MEEM and can be transliterated as yamiym]. That noun is an inflected form of the root word יוֹם [pronounced YOHM and can be transliterated as yowm]. In that regard, the English word Yom in the phrase Yom Teruah [yahm tuh-ROO-uh or yohm tuh-ROO-uh] (the Feast of Trumpets) and in the phrase Yom Kippur [yahm kih-POOR or yohm kih-POOR] (the Day of Atonement) is derived from the Hebrew noun that can be transliterated as yowm. Unspecified in this verse and the surrounding verses is whether the use of yamiym in this verse refers to days, times, or years. Regardless of whether the use of yamiym in this verse refers to days, times, or years, the content of this verse reveals that the Israelites would realize in the future that God the Father causes judgment to occur to false prophets.
Also, the uses of a present tense in a verb in this verse is a reference to what will occur in the future. Such a use of a present tense has a rhetorical effect. In that regard, using a verb in a present tense to refer to the future can help a reader or hearer of the Word of God imagine future events as though the reader or hearer is watching those events as they occur.
Jeremiah 23:21
I have not sent the prophets, but they have run. I have not spoken to them, but they have prophesied.
Jeremiah 23:22
If they had stood in My counsel, then they cause My people to hear My words, and they turn them back from their evil way and from the evil of their doings.
Note: The uses of a present tense in verbs in this verse are references to what could have occurred. Such uses of a present tense have a rhetorical effect. In that regard, using a verb in a present tense to refer to what could have occurred can help a reader or hearer of the Word of God imagine possible events as though the reader or hearer is watching those events as they occur.
Jeremiah 23:23
“Am I an 'Elohiym [el-oh-HEEM] / Godhead Who is near,”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, “and not an 'Elohiym/Godhead far off?
Jeremiah 23:24
“Can anyone hide himself in hiding places so that I do not see him?”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.
Note: God the Father is omniscient [ahm-NISH-uhnt] [all-knowing]. Also, God the Father is omnipresent [God the Father is everywhere]. Regarding the word heaven, below is a summary of the different usages for that word.
• The first heaven (also known as [aka] first heavens): the atmosphere of earth
• The second heaven (aka second heavens): outer space
• The Third Heaven (aka Third Heavens or simply as Heaven): the location of the throne room of God the Father
In this verse, the usage of the word heavens either calls attention to God the Father being everywhere in the atmosphere of earth and outer space or calls attention to God the Father being everywhere in the atmosphere of earth, outer space, and the throne room of God the Father.
Jeremiah 23:25
“I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I have had a dream; I have had a dream.’
Jeremiah 23:26
“How long is it in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies/deceptions/falsehoods, even these prophets of the fraud/deceit of their heart,
Note: The heart refers to the mind.
Jeremiah 23:27
who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they recount/declare/tell to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?
Note: The word Baal is the name of a false god.
Jeremiah 23:28
“The prophet who has a dream—let him recount/declare/tell the dream, and he who has My Word—let him speak My Word in truth. What—to the chaff/straw/stubble with grain?”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.
Note: The sentence What—to the chaff/straw/stubble with grain? is a way of asking what chaff/straw/stubble has in common with grain. The question is a rhetorical question that indicates that chaff/straw/stubble has nothing in common with grain. Likewise, the false prophets have nothing in common with the people who speak the truth of the Word of God.
Jeremiah 23:29
“Is not My Word like fire?”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?
Note: The Word of God is powerful.
Jeremiah 23:30
“Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets,”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, “who steal My words from each other.
Note: In this verse, the phrase who steal My words refers to the false prophets making things up and pretending that what they make up comes from God the Father. The phrase from each other in this verse refers to the false prophets getting ideas for making things up from other false prophets. As mentioned in the notes for verse 18, the content of Ecclesiastes 1:9 indicates that there is nothing new under the sun. In that regard, there can be various occasions on which various people communicate information that they claim comes from God the Father when that information communicated by those people is actually made up by those people. Likewise, there can be various occasions on which various people who are making things up get ideas for making things up from other people who make things up.
Jeremiah 23:31
“Behold, I am against the prophets,”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, “who use their tongues and declare a declaration.
Jeremiah 23:32
“Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One, “and recount/declare/tell them and lead My people astray by their lies/deceptions/falsehoods and recklessness. I have not sent them, nor have I commanded them. They do not benefit this people at all,”—a declaration of Jehovah / Yahweh / I am I am / the existing One.
Sincerely,
John
