Bible Study: February 12, 2025

Okay, so tonight we will get into Ezekiel 35. But before we do that, last week you'll remember we were in Ezekiel 34, and that was quite a message to the God shepherds, whether they be national leaders, false ministers who call themselves ministers of God, or God's true ministers who lead the flock and the people that he calls. Warnings for all of us, and admissions for all of us, and I mentioned last week that it was like a job description for ministers, and really for all of us, because as long as we continue to follow Christ, grow in grace and knowledge, and Jesus Christ do his will, when the millennium comes, when Jesus Christ returns, we would be filling those rules that we read about last week in Ezekiel 34. You will remember last week that someone asked a question about Zechariah 11 and about the shepherds that were mentioned in Zechariah 11. Zechariah is quite an interesting book. We don't turn there very often, but it's quite a prophetic book. I mentioned last week that we would go through Zechariah 11 and just look at that chapter, but in order to look at that chapter, we need to look at some of the chapters around it as well. We're going to start there tonight to answer that question, to just draw attention to that point of the not the entire book of Zechariah, but to the prophetic chapters that we find leading up to chapter 11. So if you will, we'll start there and we'll begin looking in Zechariah.

I think we'll start in Zechariah 8. You'll notice in Zechariah 8, 9, and 10, they're quite prophetic chapters. They're talking about the return of Jesus Christ, and even as you read the verbiage, you can see it's not talking about the life we live now or his first coming. It's talking about when he returns again. So I'm not going to read a lot of verses in these chapters, but I will read a few, just so we get the flavor of the chapters leading up to chapter 11, because they are very hopeful, very forward-looking verses. There's a lot of hope and a lot of excitement when you read these verses and you realize Christ will be on earth at that time. Chapter 8 and verse 1, we'll read the first five verses to get the flavor. It says, again, the word of the Lord, the post came, saying, Thus God says, I am zealous for Zion with great zeal, with great fervor, I am zealous for her. Well, at this time, Judah has been taken into captivity. Israel is in captivity. The world is in a mess, and Christ is returning. And you remember, he's going to bring Israel and Judah back to the promise to the land he promised them, you know, back in the time of the Old Testament. So he says, I'm zealous for Zion. It looks like he's forgotten them. Looks like he's kind of neglected them, but because of their sins, they've been taken away into captivity. But now he says, I'm zealous for them. Verse 3, I will return to Zion. I will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth. It's not called that today at all, right? It'll be called the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Draws our attention back to Isaiah 2. When we talk about, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and the people will flow there to hear and learn the word of truth. Verse 4, Thus says the Lord of hosts, Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in his streets. Today, Jerusalem is a safe place. Most of the big cities of the world aren't safe places anymore. But when Christ returns, there will be people who sit out on their porches, who enjoy conversations and meeting with the people in the neighborhood, boys and girls playing in the streets, something that a lot of us online would remember from when we were young, when everyone was out playing today. You drive through most neighborhoods, and you rarely see any kids outside playing anymore for any number of reasons. But those times will return. If we move on to verse 16 in this chapter, you know, God has some admonition, right? In that time, he tells them the things that they will do. These are the things we should do today, right? When we say, these are the things you shall do, these are the things we shall do. So these are the things you shall do, God says in verse 16.

Speak each man the truth to his neighbor. You have judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace. Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor.

And don't love a false oath for all these things, God says, I hate. And so that may be part of our world today, maybe even part of what we find sometimes even among people at church. But we should remember these words of God that he says, he is looking for unity. He is looking for brotherly love. He is looking for that agape to him and to each other. And in the millennium, that will be stressed. That will be stressed there as well. In verse 23, he says, thus says the Lord of hosts, in those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, let's go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.

You know, as we live today in a time where there's increasing anti-Semitism, you know, this is quite a stark contrast to the world we live in today, where we see those attitudes arising. But in those days, people realize you did know God. The Jews have a lot to learn. They have a lot to repent of, as we all do. But they will do that day, and it'll be, you were the people of God. You had that truth. We didn't know anything about it. And so in chapter 9, then, we move on. It's a similar chapter. He does begin by talking about, he's against these lands that aren't, you know, His. Damascus, right? Damascus is in Syria today.

He talks about Tyre and Sidon in verse 2. We read about, and we see all the prophecies about Tyre and Sidon back in earlier in Ezekiel, and that He will destroy them. Verse 6, he says, I'll cut off the pride of the Philistines. So he's striking the theme we're going to see when we get into Ezekiel 35, again, about these nations that surround Israel, as we're in Zechariah 9. But again, these are verses that are pointing toward, that are pointing to the Kingdom. In verse 9, after we hear about these nations, and I should point out in verse 5 too, because in verse 5 you see Gaza there, right?

Gaza will be very sorrowful. You know, Gaza's in the news today. The king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be uninhabited. And the Gaza that it talks about in the Bible, you know, is the Gaza that we see today. Later I'll put a map up that shows Gaza, and it's along the coast, right there by Jerusalem, right where it is today, that strip of Gaza that's well in the news. Zephaniah talks about it. In fact, a worldview episode that we taped earlier this morning, I talk about that in Zephaniah too, where it talks about Gaza and some of the destruction that will come its way.

So Gaza and these places are here in the land, the Promised Land that God will bring Israel and Judah back to. In verse 9, he goes away from the destruction and talks about his people again. Verse 9, he says, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion. Shout, daughter of Jerusalem, behold your king is coming to you. He is just. He has salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

So, of course, this is a dual prophecy of will because he was going to be coming in human form. And, of course, as you read those verses in verse 9, we think about when he came into Jerusalem on a donkey and these things were fulfilled. But he also is coming a second time and the people of Jerusalem should rejoice at that time when he returns.

I'll cut off the chariot from Ephraim, with a horse from Jerusalem. The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea. His dominion wasn't from sea to sea when he was on earth. His mission then was to die for all humanity and to pay the price for our sins. But when he returns, as king of kings, his dominion will be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth.

If we go on to—let me see what verses I wanted to look at here. Verse 12. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you. You know, God will punish Judah. He will punish Israel for their own good. But because of that punishment, they will turn to God. They will return to him. They will loathe themselves, as we read a couple of times already in Ezekiel. We'll read it again next week in Ezekiel 36.

But it says, return to the stronghold. I'm going to bring you back. I will restore double to you. Yes, you paid your price, but what God is most interested is repentance and turning to him, as they will do. And then in verse 16, it says, the Lord their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people, for they shall be like the jewels of a crown and lifted like a banner over his land. That's how God loves his people.

He loves all the earth, but Israel—because remember, he created Israel. Verse 10, or chapter 10, you know, is another hopeful, forward-looking chapter as we go into chapter 11. In chapter 11, we're going to see the tone change a little bit, but chapter 10 leads up to it. Chapter 10, he talks about the latter rain. Verse 1, the time of the latter rain, the Lord will make flashing clouds.

He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone. You know, the latter rains in our lives today are those late spring rains that in Jerusalem they needed in order to have the rest of the crop, the spring crops, be able to be ready to be harvested. So it's these latter rains. He talks about the time when Jesus Christ will return, and those blessings will endure to his people again.

Verse 2, he talks about a shepherd, actually, in the end of verse 2 here. For the idols speak delusion, the diviners envision lies, they tell false dreams, they comfort in vain, and therefore the people, when their way like sheep, oh, they're kind of wandering, they are in trouble, because there is no shepherd. Just like we read last night, when the shepherd is faulty, when he is not there for the concern and care of the sheep, the sheep are in trouble, they're in danger.

And so he talks about that in verse 5. Verse 5, he says, they will be like mighty men who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in battle. They will fight because the Lord is with them, and the riders on horses shall be put to shame. God will come, and they will fight. Verse 6, I will strengthen the house of Judah. I will save the house of Joseph. We know who the house of Judah is. We know who the house of Joseph is. You know, Israel put Joseph's, Joseph is Ephraim and Manasseh. I will bring them back, God says, because they have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside, for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them. Yes, they were cast aside. I'm bringing them back, and I will forget their sins because they have turned to him.

Verse 8, I will whistle for them and gather them, for I will redeem them, and they will increase as they once increased. And he talks about how he will multiply them. And verse 12 then, as this chapter winds up, he says, I will strengthen them in the eternal, and they shall walk up and down in his name. Same thing that you and I should be doing today as God has called us and put his Holy Spirit in us, walking in his name, following his way, doing his will, and bringing honor to his name, by the way we live our lives, the way we conduct ourselves, not only in the presence of each other, but 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So with all that, all those verses that tell us, we're talking of the end time, and looking at the end time, and God is looking toward that time, and pointing us to it, we come to chapter 11. And it's still looking and focusing on the end time, but as chapter 11 begins, you see that there's some destruction that has to precede those times. And so in verse 1, we're going to, we'll, I'm not going to exhaustively go through every, I'm going to go through every verse in this chapter, because it's a very interesting thing as it paints a picture for us. But in verse 1, you'll remember when it talks about, well, it says, Open your doors, O Lebanon, that fire may devour your cedars, wail, O Cyprus, for the cedar has fallen. You'll remember that that allegory, when it talks about the cedars of Lebanon, we've read in other chapters, it's talking about the temple. It's talking about the temple. It's talking about the temple of God and, and thing is that the temple, the temple has fallen, the temple has fallen, right? The wail, O Cyprus, for the cedar has fallen, because the mighty trees are ruined. And the wail, O Sebastian, for the thick forest has come down. There's this time, there's this time of not so good things before the return of Jesus Christ. They are broken down, and whatever they're doing has fallen on them. There is the sound, verse 3 of shepherds. Here we have shepherds again. There is the sound of wailing shepherds for their glory is in ruins. Everything they thought they were, everything that they had built up, they were false shepherds. They were not leading the people in the right way. And so they're wailing. What has happened? What is falling apart? How is all this falling down around us? Verse, going on in verse 3, there's the sound of roaring lions, for the pride of the Jordan is in ruins. Everything over there is kind of in a bad state. You know, we read about, and we'll see this in a minute, in Gaza and all the destruction over there, but we remember the verses that we've read in Daniel 11, where it talks about the king of the north marching through the king of the south, and pretty much decimates that area. But Aben, Moab, and Edom escape for a while, for a reason, but ultimately they are destroyed too. And armies surround Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is not a place you want to be in those days. It's in a mess as well, along with the rest of the Middle East. So the pride of the Jordan is in ruins. We've got a mess leading up toward the return of Jesus Christ. Verse 4, thus says the Lord, thus says the Lord my God, feed the flock for slaughter.

Oh, the shepherds! They're feeding the flock. But they're feeding them because they're going to be slaughtered. They're not feeding them for salvation. They're not feeding them, you know, so that they lie down in green pastures and sit beside or lay down beside the calm, cool waters that we talked about. They're feeding them because they're going to be slaughtered. They've led them astray. They've led them not to a safe place. They have led them to the valley of the shadow of death, but they don't have the great shepherd, Jesus Christ, watching over them because they aren't doing things the way that God said. Thus says the Lord my God, feed the flock for slaughter, whose owners slaughter them and feel no guilt. Oh, remember we talked about what you do when in Ezekiel 34, you use the flock for your own good, right? You make merchandise of them. You're looking how you serve yourself rather than serving those shepherds. And this is what we see here, this, their owners slaughter them, and they don't even feel guilty about it. You know what? They're here, and if they whatever they lose, whatever they go through, you know what? If they can serve me better, then that's what they do. Those who sell them say, blessed be the Lord, for I'm rich, and their shepherds do not pity them. It's kind of what it's talking. Ezekiel 34, we have these shepherds who are hirelings. They're not really true shepherds who love and care for the sheep. They're in it for what's in it for them, and they're willing to sacrifice the sheep for their own good.

Exactly the opposite of what Jesus Christ did. He was willing to give his life for the sheep.

These shepherds are not in that category at all. And so you have these factions, and you have these sheep that are scattered and divided, and it's not a good situation. And the shepherds are making it worse. They're leading them astray. Verse 6, God says, I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land, but indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor's hand and into the hand of his king.

You know, God would say in other places, we've read, you've read, you know, over and over, return to me, return to me, do things my way. But they would just ignore the prophets who came to them. They would ignore the priests that were telling them to return to God, and they would just turn to death here and keep going in the same way. So God finally says, I'm not going to pay any attention anymore. You've chosen your way. This is what's going to happen. Everyone will give everyone into his neighbor's hand and into the hand of his king. Christ said, at the end time, they will betray each other. They'll turn each other in. And that's a sad thing, you know. If you've ever had any a friend or anyone kind of betray you, you know what a sick feeling it is if you thought that someone was your friend and your ally, and they betrayed you and turned their back on you and did whatever it is. It's just a sick feeling and one that God does not appreciate at all. In fact, he loathes that. But here we have that. People who are here, I'll turn this person in. I'll turn this person in kind of like Judas, right? As we, you know, in a couple months, he'll be in Passover time and thinking about Judas who was willing to betray Christ for 30 pieces of silver. We'll see that here later on in this chapter as well. They'll betray each other. They'll turn each other in. Hey, if there's money in it for me and I can save my skin, so be it. That's the attitude here that we're saying. So in verse 7, God says, I, so I fed the flock for slaughter. The shepherds weren't doing it. They were feeding them and they were ready to sacrifice them. But I'll feed this flock. I'll feed this flock that is designed for slaughter, in particular the poor of the flock. You know, there will be a shepherd for some of them, the poor of the flock. Doesn't necessarily mean, you know, the least wealthy or the ones who have absolutely nothing but the poor in spirit, as Christ said in Matthew 5. The humble who are really seeking God, that really are there wanting to do His way, but they find themselves in the midst of a situation, atmosphere, environment that is anything but godly. But they continue to look to God and have faith in Him. So God says, I'll feed the flock, in particular the poor of the flock.

The voice will be there. Will they follow the voice of God, or will they go their own way?

I took, and then he says something that's really quite beautiful when you look at this verse. He says, I took for myself two staffs. You know, we talk about, you know, the rod and staff in Psalm 23, they will comfort me. Well here God says, I took for myself two staffs. The one I called beauty, and really when you look at the Greek word there, your margin may even say, that would be a better translation of grace. I took two staffs. The one I called grace. You know, we all live under God's grace. We all, we are all here because of God's grace. It's not, grace is just not the forgiveness that he gives us and the mercy he shows us, but the life we live as he has called us out of the world, has been merciful to us, to give us the opportunity to live his way of life, and we live under his care, his direction, his watchful eye, his loving eye, as he trains us, prepares us to be ready because he wants us to be in that kingdom. He wants us to be there as the bride of Christ. So, two staffs. The one is grace. The one is grace, and the other, verse 7, I called bonds. I called bonds. Bonds that are translated, it'll tell you in your margin, unity.

Grace and unity. What did Christ say in John 17 before he was arrested that night? Four times in his prayer to God, he said, my will is that they will be one, that they will be one with each other and one with God, with Jesus Christ and God the Father. Two staffs that he leads his people by. Grace and unity. And unity, something that we're told in the Bible strive for. Something that Christ stressed in his last days, that as you go into the New Testament and you come to the Bay of Pentecost, they were all in one place, in one accord. They were united. They were united by the Spirit. They were united in belief. They loved each other. They cared for each other. And God says, this marks my people. You know, in John 13, he said, by this will all men know my disciples, because they agape one another, beauty and unity. And then in verse 8, I think this is what the question that came last week says, I dismissed. I dismissed the three shepherds in one month.

My soul loathed them. My soul loathed them, and their soul abhorred me.

It's quite a verse. Quite a verse that God says there. These three shepherds, who are they? You could look at the commentaries. It's not, you know, they're gonna tell you it was probably someone in Judah that that God cited as they were really leading the people astray. It may have been some in some other lands. But you know, as you look at that verse, there's another place in the Bible that talks about people that loathe God and that this one month. And this is pure speculation, but if you turn back to the book of Hosea—it's Daniel. Hosea is right after the book of Daniel.

In Hosea 5, it talks about three nations, right? Three nations that have leaders.

And those three nations that God says there, they've turned against God. They don't listen to the thing he says. They have turned from him, even though he richly blessed all of them. And he mentions in Hosea 5 that those three will fall within the new moon of each other within a month. So I just have to wonder. I don't know for sure, but we look back at Hosea 5, and let's look at— let's just read—well, begin in verse 3. Hosea 5 and verse 3. God says, I know Ephraim. Well, we know who Ephraim is. He is Ephraim and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph. We know who Joseph is in the world today. I know Ephraim. Israel is not hidden from me, God says. I know who they are. I know my people. I know my people. For now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry.

Ah, we've read about harlotry. We've read some pretty graphic verses of what God thinks about harlotry and how people who turn from him and look to other gods and try to worship them and tie themselves to them and how he despises that among his people. Now, O Ephraim, you commit harlotry. Israel is defiled. They're profane. They're no longer the holy people. They turned away from God. They don't direct verse 4. They don't direct their deeds toward turning to their God. For the spirit of harlotry is in their midst, and they don't know God. The pride of Israel testifies to his face. Therefore, Israel and Ephraim stumble in their iniquity. Judah also stumbles with them. Ephraim, Manasseh, Judah, three nations, all with leaders who should be shepherding those people, leading them to God, they stumble with their... Let's look down verse 7. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord. They betrayed him. They have not dealt well with him. They've thrown garbage in his face in just absolutely rejecting anything that God has given them and not counting it worthy of worshiping God. They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, for they have begotten pagan children, and now a new moon shall devour them and their heritage. It says that a new moon means they fall, maybe they fall within a month of each other. So if we look at this verse in Zechariah, what does make you wonder is that what God is talking about? Is he talking about those three shepherds, the fall in one month, or is he talking about something else? Because we don't know for sure. You know, as it is with prophecy, we see what God says in the Bible. We know it's going to come to pass exactly the way he said. Sometimes in prophecy, it's like, ah, when it happens, that's what that verse means. And we see, again, God declared the end from the beginning, and all these prophecies come through, and sometimes we don't know until, but we'll leave it at that. Did I see a hand? Yeah. Becky, I know you're the one who asked the question. Becky, do you want to talk about that?

I do, actually. I'm so excited. I couldn't turn to Hosea fast enough. Thank you for covering it. But I actually have a note there in Hosea 5, not fulfilled, fall in a 30-day period on those verses that we just read. But I also have a note that says, not mentioned in Daniel 11. And I was trying to look as you were reading, but I don't really know what I mean by that yet. Do you? Well, Daniel 11. Remember, in Daniel 11, when you get to the end time there, Judah, Israel, Judah, America, and Britain have already fallen. That's why when you read in Daniel 11, it talks about the king of the north. That would be Europe, primarily the king of the south, the Middle East, or the king of the east, right? But there is no west. All the west has fallen. That would include Britain, America, and Judah. The armies are surrounding Judah at that time. So that's why you don't read about that in Daniel. Right. And I must have been trying to piece that in with the time period when that might happen. So then if it does fit with Zechariah, which I think it does, that time period would all fit together then, correct? It would fit together.

You know, I mean, when it says now, yeah, new moons should devour them. I've never heard anyone say that isn't 30 days. I mean, it could mean something else, but that means within a new moon, they're going to, you know, they fall. So in that verse 7 of Hosea 5.

I have wondered about this for a long time, and this is really interesting. So I really thank you for doing the work and covering it. I appreciate it. Okay. How about Marta, and then we'll do Bill Bruce. Yes, my question is, will that happen during the tribulation? During the dream of the years? We don't know exactly when. It could be that that begins the tribulation, right? When everyone falls, all these nations fall, the world is in complete havoc, and you have these powers rise up that are completely different than the leaders we have today that exact their authority over everyone. Okay, thank you. We will know when it happens, though. Hey, Bill. The Ephraim mentioned in... it's Ephraim, right? Now is that a Latter-day Ephraim only?

In this verse, yeah, right? Because it's talking about... yeah, when it talks about Ephraim, yeah, I mean, yes, it's talking... this is the Latter-day... Latter-day verses here, so...

Oh, you know who Ephraim is, of course, right?

I mean, there's an old... there's ancient Ephraim, right? But then there is Ephraim and NASA, Israel, Judah today, too, that are not in the same places that they were in ancient times.

Right? Okay, okay. Dale, then Marta.

I think Marta was ahead of me, actually. Okay, okay.

You answered my question. I just need to delete the hand. Oh, okay, okay, okay. Yeah, there seems to be a scripture, I say, of 30, verse 13.

Verse 13, it seems to support, you know, that Judah and Ephraim and NASA will fall very quickly, as you mentioned, but maybe in a month. And Isaiah 30, 13 says, therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall.

It says, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly at an instant.

You think that seemed to tie in with the end-time prophecy there?

Happens quickly. Happens quickly, yeah. Good.

Hey, Mr Murray, how are you tonight?

Yeah, really well. Thank you, Mr Shavey, for being enjoying the Bible study.

Well, every time, but tonight is very interesting. Yes, that's interesting that verse there in Isaiah 5 verse 7, speaking of the fall of Israel within the space of 30 days, or the new moon, as it's spoken there. And it's very interesting because when we know in Daniel chapter 12, it speaks of how the beast will surround Jerusalem and stop the sacrifices at the 1290-day mark. And then we know that 30 days later is the start of the Great Tribulation.

So it's only a speculation, but it's just interesting that there are 30 days between the time the beast surrounds Jerusalem. And we know that the other leaders of the combination of nations within Europe give their power to the beast for an hour, figuratively speaking.

And we can understand in modern terms of warfare what an hour might deliver in terms of destruction of America, Britain, Australia, Canada, modern day nations of Israel. So it's just only a speculation, but it's interesting that there is a 30-day period which was meant with our nations suffering one-third in loss and one-third in disease and pestilence and one-third going into captivity.

That would fit with then going into the Great Tribulation period right on the cusp of that Great Tribulation, just for what it's worth, department. I know that's very good. And tying in that 30-day period is exactly the Tribulation. Theoretically it begins because it's three and a half years to 1260 days. Very interesting. Tracy, how are you doing? We lost Tracy. Brandon, we'll get Tracy back in a minute.

Hey, Mr. Shaby. How are you doing, sir? Good. How are you? I'm doing well. Hello, everyone. So I'll just make sure I'm correct because I know I tend to switch them up in my mind, but Ephraim is Great Britain and Manassas is the United States, correct?

Ephraim is Great Britain and Manassas is the United States, yes.

That's right. Okay, thank you, sir. Hey, Xavier.

Hi, evening, bro Shaby. In regards to the question about Ephraim, there's a verse in Isaiah, verse 11 verse 8 that tells us that Ephraim is the head of Israel, meaning the ten tribes. It says, how could I give you up for Ephraim? How could I surrender you for Israel?

And it goes through and it categorizes Ephraim as the head.

Okay, and they certainly were the first, right? That's where it all began in that company of nations. Very good. Hey, Daryl.

You are muted. You'll have to un-mic yourself or open your mic.

Okay, can you hear me now? We can hear you, yes.

Okay, you know when President Trump said he would go into Gaza and build up that area, a verse that came to my mind in Isaiah chapter 9, it says, all the people will know Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, who say in pride and arrogance of the heart. The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with hewn stone. The sycamores are cut down, but we will replace with cedars.

There is an arrogance there that we think we can build up back Gaza back up, and as it goes down to verse 11, therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezen. Rezen was a king of Syria, therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezen against him and spur his enemies on. The Syrians before and the Philistines behind, and they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. Up to this point, I feel like the Muslim world has truly been after the nation of Israel, but not us. But here it's talking about Ephraim. It's talking about us, and it makes me wonder if this, our goal of trying to rebuild Gaza but not let the Muslims back in, is going to cause real problems with our nation confronting the Muslims.

That is an interesting thought. With everything that has gone on with Gaza and some of the talk about it, there's prophecies that come to mind. That is a very interesting one. That's a very interesting one to see how that plays into what's going on over there.

And as you go down to verse 21, Manasseh shall devour Ephraim and Ephraim, Manasseh, together they shall be against Judah.

Truly, the tariffs that we talked about going against Canada, we have seen a lot of anger from the Canadians. Also, the European Union had a meeting about tariffs, and Britain actually went down, even though they're not part of the EU, the British Prime Minister went down to see about his maybe lining up with them because he feels like America is against them and could very possibly put tariffs on them. So I feel like verse 21 is kind of playing out as well. Yeah, you know what? Yeah, no, those are good thoughts. We'll just kind of wait and see what what God has in mind. Those verses, one day we're going to know exactly what those verses mean. So we may be living in that time. Time will tell. So very good.

Mr. Shaby. Yes, Frank.

Speculation. Yeah, this is speculation, right? But it's like we live in a world where some of these verses are coming to life, right? And they're talking about the demise of Ephraim and Manasseh over a 30-day period. Right. All right. And when you look at Daniel's 1290 days, at the end of that 1290 days, Christ returns. So maybe that 30 days that adds to the 1260 is the 30 days in Isaiah 5 or 7. Could they? Could they? Yeah, Mr. Murray mentioned that same thing. Yeah, I think, yeah, there is significance that God says that 1290 days, right? And then the 1260. There is significance that we have yet to see, but God will reveal that as we get closer and closer. So, yeah. Tracy, how are you doing?

Hello. I'm doing fine. I was pushing all the wrong buttons a minute ago. My hand just went, you just didn't start pushing everything wrong.

Anyway, a separate from kind of what we're talking about that she went over a little bit is always probably speculation, too. You probably can't give me a straight answer, but where it talks about turning each other in and mother against son and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Is that present Christian against present Christian? Is that Christians with their children and family members that have left? Is that just next door neighbors? What exactly is that?

I think it's all of the above, right? I don't think it's going to be just people who aren't in the church. It'll be people in the church who we may see some of that as well, but not excluding any of those categories you mentioned.

People in the church will be reporting people in the church? Could be. I'm not going to say absolutely, but I think when Christ does that, He's talking about His people, and yeah, there will be people who would betray us.

That wouldn't be very nice.

Yeah, and disappear.

That wouldn't be very nice at all. Not at all. That's why we have to stay close to God and love each other and have our faith in Him that we wouldn't do something like that.

Okay, I'm done.

Becky, Becky again. Hi.

Hi, just a couple of comments ago. The verses in Isaiah about the tariffs, I missed the chapter.

I think I say a nine if I remember right.

Yeah, Isaiah nine.

Okay.

And Bill.

I was just going to comment real quick.

That one scripture that says the love of many whacks cold. Well, the wax cold, you have to have love in the first place.

So I think it'll definitely include people that are in the church. Yeah, that verse is definitely directed at God's people. It is us who are in danger of having our love of wax cold. Very good point, yes.

Jim Peterson, hi.

Hi, how are you? Can you?

How are you doing very well, thank you.

I was just going to comment on Isaiah nine as well, but I would agree with what was said before. But I'd just like to point out a couple of additional things, and that is, this passage comes right after a discourse, a bit of a discourse on a warning about Assyria coming.

So anyway, it says the Lord sent a word against Jacob. So somebody takes a word to Jacob, and it falls on Israel. So you've got two names there. You've got the name of unconverted Israel, and the name of converted Israel.

So it falls on everybody, as it says. All people will know.

And then he goes in and gives a discourse on Ephraim, which would include Manasseh. It always has, when you look at the prophecies, all the prophecies about Ephraim, but automatically includes his older brother who got the choice property.

But as you go through this, you will see God pleading, pleading with him, and his anger is not satisfied.

And when you get over to chapter 10, of course, that's when he addresses Assyria in chapter 5.

Then he warns Assyria, because he's using Assyria to correct him. And in chapter 12, he says, therefore it comes to pass, when the Lord has performed all this work on Mount Gyan and on Jerusalem, that he will say, oh, punish the arrogant Assyrian.

So we can kind of encapsulate it in a framework.

But what's chilling, especially for today's news, is what was pointed out in verse 21.

The monasses show the bar Ephraim and Ephraim, notice it starts with Monashah, and then they turn, and together they go against Judah.

It's really quite interesting, because you can almost lay that over what is happening in this day and age, because God has been upset with Ephraim and Judah, ever since the Second World War, when they got into covert activities, assassinations, secret service, and that was what God was upset with David on, on the assassinated Uriah. He was supposed to face our enemy, no matter how big they are, and God will direct the storm.

Having trust in God and all the sins of the nations, right? Not just those. The nations have turned against God, and that's why the punishment comes. All very interesting.

Remember, those verses are very good. We live in times where we can see some of these things. We don't put our stock in it, right? This is absolutely it, right? But it is interesting to watch those things. Referring to Isaiah 9, back at the time in 2001, when the New York City, when the Twin Towers fell, there were people who were applying Isaiah 9 to that, too. So, these verses have multiple things. We see things happen in our world where those things are applied. But those are things to take note of, because the Bible does talk about those things.

Let's go back to Zechariah. Let me just look at the time here. We've hit the main thing, but let's go ahead and finish the chapter here. If we go back to Zechariah, we just talked about the three shepherds. That has generated the talk that we've talked about—all good verses and all good thought about how the Bible comes together. Remember, God says He will let His people know what's going on. When we look at Amos 3, I think it's verse 7, He will let the people know, and then our job is to warn, send the warning message to the world, you know, the Bible is true, return back to Him. When He talks about these three shepherds, right? Verse 8, back in Zechariah 11, He goes on and says, then I, this is God, said, I will not feed you. Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those who are left eat each other's flesh. We have an end-time thing. God says, you know, this is what they brought upon themselves. This is what they chose. I'm not going to intervene anymore. Just let happen what's going to happen. They brought it upon themselves. And then He comes back, and He says, I took my staff, beauty, which is grace, and I cut it in two.

I broke that rod, that grace, that I might break the covenant, which I had made with all the peoples. They turned against Him, so He says, forget it. They had my grace. I was with them. I was trying to leave them. They turned against me. They divorced me. I broke that covenant. So it was broken on that day. Thus the poor of the flock, that's the poor, the humble, the meek that truly are seeking God, who were watching me knew that it was the word of the Lord. And I said to them, if it is agreeable to you, give me my wages, and if not, refrain. So they weighed out for my wages 30 pieces of silver. And it's interesting here because I know all our minds went to exactly the place that it should have when Judah, or Judas, betrayed Christ for those 30 pieces of silver.

So, you know, here's our Savior saying it's the 30 pieces He's going to fulfill what He came to earth to do. And the Lord said to me, throw it to the potter. You know, I'm not going to turn to Matthew 26, but you can look at that later. Matthew 26, 14 to 16, you see where Judas went to the Sanhedrin and betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver. Later, He says, and I have to believe, He didn't really think they were looking to kill Him, that they were just going to chastise Him, and He would just have that money for Himself. But when He realized they really did intend to kill Christ and not just chastise Him a little, you know, He goes back, He tries to give Him the money back. They won't take it. He throws it at Him in Matthew 27. You can read the first 10 verses.

And then they say, this is blood money. We can't take the money back. And that's where the potters feel. So these are all prophetic verses here in verse 13, verses 12 and 13 here of Zechariah.

So I took, and it even, you know, the end of verse 13, I took the 30 pieces of silver, and I threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. Oh, there's Judas. There's Judas doing exactly that. Then I cut into my other staff. Unity. Oh, grace is gone. But now there's unity. It's gone, too. When grace is gone and people turn away from God and there's sin in the midst of His people, unity and division occur. Satan is the Father of division. Christ God is the Father of unity and His Spirit. Then I cut into my other staff. Unity. That I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. There's that strong alliance. If you've been watching the news lately, you have Netanyahu, you have this President Herzog from Israel talking about the strong, strong alliance between Judah and Israel. But it says, you know, as time goes on and we see these things, that bond, that bond is going to be broken. And the Lord said to me, next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd, not a wise shepherd, not one who follows God, knows the Bible is leading the people with clear, you know, to green pasture and by clean water. For indeed, I will raise up a shepherd of the land who will not care for those who are cut off. He won't seek the young. He won't heal those that are broken. He won't feed those that will stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves, hooves, and pieces. All he will care about is himself. He will sell the people just to save himself and to feed himself. And so we have this awful picture of a land that has just gone completely chaotic. And the only one you can trust is God in that situation. You can't trust any man. You trust God. And the Spirit will bind the true people of God together, but you look to God. Verse 17, God says, woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock. A sword shall be against his arm and is against his right eye. His arm shall completely wither and his right eye shall be totally blinded.

So, you know, building off of Ezekiel 34 last week and God's judgment on the shepherds, you know, Zechariah 11 talks about it in more of a maybe national shepherd, how the leaders have failed the people. But a fitting chapter to look at in the same light as that. So with that, I don't see any hands up. So why don't we go to Ezekiel 35? Ezekiel 35 is a short little chapter here, and it really is a prelude to the rest of the book of Ezekiel. You know, I mentioned when we came into Ezekiel 33 that from here on out these prophecies were largely focused on the return of Jesus Christ and what's going to happen after he returns. The world doesn't get that. So you can look on YouTube and it's going to talk about the prophecy of Ezekiel 36, the prophecy of Ezekiel 38. They're going to talk about how the temple's going to be built, how Russia is going to come in, and they're going to conquer Israel, and all this stuff. All that is prophesied. All that will happen, but it doesn't happen before the return of Jesus Christ. And we'll get into that in a few weeks. But here in Ezekiel 35, this is kind of like a lead-in to the return of Israel and Judah to the Promised Land. In Ezekiel 35, God talks again about these nations that surround Israel and what is going to happen to them. And we know that God is going to bring people of Israel back. In chapter 36 next week, we're going to see that. He's going to talk about Israel. I've redeemed you. I'm bringing you back. But if he's going to bring them back, the land has to be ready for them. And that's what chapter 35 is about. God renders His judgment on a very sinful Middle Eastern area over there, as we have read about in the past in Daniel 11, and what's going to happen in that end time. So in Ezekiel 35, it says, Moreover, the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, saying, Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, and say to it, Thus says the Lord God. So let me pull up a map.

This is a little bit different than the maps we've seen before, but just so we see where Mount Seir is. In the green, we have Canaan. That's kind of Israel. You see Jerusalem there.

A little bit north of the center. You see Felicity over there. This isn't Spanish, but it was a pretty good map, I thought. Felicity, you'll see Gaza over there on the coast, where Gaza is today. Ascalon and Ashdod are there, and Zephaniah talks about all those cities being destroyed and laid waste and not inhabited again. But you have Israel, and then you have Ammon, Moab, and Edom out there to the east, and those are the nations that God says, you know, they will eventually be destroyed and emptied, but they are spared from the King of the North for that period of time where God talks about his outcasts that are going to be there. So where the red pointer there is in Edom, you see where Mount Seir is. It is down there in the land that is close to Petra, a little bit south of what that is. But you see, it's right in that area where God is going to spare those nations for a time before they are, I guess, decimated. I'll use that word for now, anyway. So let's go back to... I'll leave that up there for a minute. But in Ezekiel 35, so it says, Behold out, Mount Seir, I am against you. I will stretch out my hand against you and make you most desolate. Okay, this is the time. We're going to remember in chapter 36, Israel's coming back. Israel's coming back. There's some outcasts that God is protecting in this area of the world at that time. But before Christ returns, the prophecy we've read in Isaiah, we've read in Ezekiel before, the people are wiped out. They are wiped out for their sins because of the ancient hatred that they've had against God's people. And we're talking about this time. So it's past the time of the Great Tribulation right before the return of Jesus Christ.

We're going to—this is what we're reading about here. I will lay your city's waste. I will make you most desolate, it says in verse 3. And you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord. They'll know they sinned against God. They fought against God. They fought against God's people in their history. Verse 5, Because you've had an ancient hatred and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, when their iniquity came to an end, therefore as I live, says the Lord God, I will prepare you for blood. And blood shall pursue you, since you have not hated blood, therefore blood will pursue you. Thus I will make Mount Seir, I will make Mount Seir, most desolate, and cut off from it the one who leaves and the one who returns. And I will fill its mountains with the slain on your hills and in your valleys, and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword will fall. I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord. So let's just for a moment, let's go forward to the book of Obadiah and read again something I think we've read before. The book, the little one chapter book of Obadiah is right after the book of Amos, Hosea, Hosea Joel Amos, and then Obadiah. Because here's a prophecy against Edom as well, and you can see there, Seidim is in this land of Edom right by Moab in this area that is initially not destroyed by the king of the north but is destroyed before the return of Jesus Christ. And then the people of God's people of Israel and Judah are brought back into that land. So in Obadiah verse 15, it says, "...for the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your reprisal shall return upon your own head." And in the first verse, you see this is the prophecy concerning Edom.

"...For as you drank," verse 16, "...on my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually. They shall drink and swallow." Oh no, you know what? I started too late. Let's go back to verse 10. That's where I wanted to be. Verse 10.

For violence, again, he's talking about Edom. Verse 1. For violence against your brother Jacob, what he's talking about there in Ezekiel 35. For violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever. In the day that you stood on the other side, in the day that strangers carried captive his forces, when foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, even you were as one of them. But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother in the day of his captivity, nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor should you have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

You shouldn't have entered the gate of my people in the day of their calamity. Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity. Do you see what God is saying? They were your brother. You were there. You were thrilled at their demise. You were thrilled at what was going on. You had your eyes set on getting what they had. And God doesn't like that. We've seen that with Assyria and other nations as well. When the pride comes in and they deglee over the demise of someone else, you shouldn't have stood at the crossroads to cut off those among them who escaped. You shouldn't, nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained in the day of distress. And there is a refuge for the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your appraisal shall be upon your own head. And then he goes on to talk about there will be deliverance for Zion, right? Verse 17, the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. It will be a fire, verse 18, and the house of Joseph aflame. But the house of Esau, remember Esau is Edom, the Bible says, but the house of Esau shall be stubble. They shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken.

So quite a dire prophecy for that, but it fits right into what God gave Ezekiel as a prophecy, right here. Your cities are going to be laid waste. This will be uninhabited by the people of Esau.

Verse 10, if we go back to Ezekiel 35.

Because you have said, verse 10, because you have said these two nations, he's speaking of Israel and Judah, the nations that they were happy to see, to experience that calamity he was talking about in Obadiah, because you have said these two nations, Israel and Judah, and these two countries shall be mine. Ah, now's our time to conquer them. Now we'll have what they want. Yeah, they're finally being defeated. We can step in, and we'll be right there with those who would conquer them. That these two countries will be mine, and we will possess them. Although the Lord was there, therefore as I live, says the Lord God, I will do according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them, and I will make myself known among them when I judge you. So God is saying, then you shall know, again we've seen throughout Ezekiel, then you'll know that I am the Lord. I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel saying, they're desolate, they're given for us to consume, they're gone. Let's just march in and take it over. Thus with your mouth you have boasted against me and multiplied your words against me. I've heard them, God says, and thus God says, the whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. Not a people that is considered in high repute. Remember, they do trouble. The Middle East does trouble people when Daniel 11 talks about they push at the king of the north. It's not the typical warfare. It's the aggravating things like terrorism is. The things that are the awful things of warfare, just like I talked about in Ezekiel about the Amalekites and how they attacked the people of the rear. Not like real warfare, but that type of terrorism that that area of the world is known for. Verse 15, As you rejoiced, because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, was desolate, you rejoiced when that happened, so I will do to you. You shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well of all of Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the Lord. And when that happens, and when they are completely destroyed by God, when they feel his vengeance, and they see the justice, they will be resurrected in the Second Resurrection, but they will know who God is, and they will know what they did to bring that upon themselves.

So, as we conclude chapter 35, we keep that in mind. Now we have that area, that promised land that God promised Israel back to Abraham in that time. All of it has been cleared. Daniel 11, the king of the south, has marched through. We have God dealing with Ammon, Moab, and Jordan, Ammon, Moab, and Edom at the end, and then in 36 we're going to see Israel. Christ will bring Israel back into the land that he promised. They won't be going back to America, the Israelites, they won't be going back to Britain, but they will go back. They will go back to the place that God promised Abraham to begin with. So, let's conclude there and open it up to any questions, comments.

Yeah, Becky. Hi. I just want to say, if we are, and I know we're speculating, talking about those three nations, you know, Israel, Israel, Judah, and taking it back to that script, that verse, my soul loathed them. Just the...

Oh, well, you cut out there and get the whole comment.

Just where it says in Zechariah 8, so putting it together, my soul loathed them, their soul also upward me. Just thinking about that such strong language about the way that people will feel about them and their behavior at the end time. And you...

Now, you look at the end time. People hate God, right? I mean, when you read Revelation, you can see the beast power hates God. I mean, they hate God and they hate the people of God. So, yeah, that hate of God will be part of what's on the earth. And of course, Israel, you know, maybe we saw... we've seen a little bit in the past of what could be in our future as well, but magnified many times of, you know, so... Yes, the other thing I wanted to ask you, you made it to Matthew 34, and you said Zechariah 11 was just more of a national shepherd. Did I get that right? Yeah, I think looks like a more of a national thing. Yeah, Ezekiel 34 is for every shepherd, right? But including the shepherds who are the shepherds of the people of God, the ministry, and anyone in those leadership roles that should be leading people to God.

Okay, thank you very much. Hey, Bill.

I can hardly contain myself, because I saw a sermon with Tom Robinson given on the 18th at the beast last year, and I'm just waiting until we get to Ezekiel 40 through 48, which was addressed in that sermon, and I don't probably don't even want to talk about that tonight, because I'm finding different opinions on that to a degree, and I'm trying to wait to see how you interpret it. Okay, well good. You're giving me a heads up, okay.

You obviously know what I'm talking about. I know what you're talking about, yes.

Yes, we'll see if Tom and I agree. So I'm sure we do. Okay, I see Becky's hand up. I saw another hand up here before that, though. Is there someone else that had a hand up? I have my hand up, Mr. Shady. Yes, is that Karen? Yes. Yeah, hi, Karen. How are you doing? How are you doing, by the way? Are you doing okay? I'm not doing so hard. I'll be going to the heart doctor. I'm hoping to find out more on Monday, and then they'll have an update. Okay, okay. I have an easy one for you. I have Katie Del Sandro listening through my phone to you, and she needs to be put on your list, so she'll have reminders about the links. Oh, okay. To get on the email list?

Yes, for Katie Del Sandro from our church. Gotcha. Okay. Katie, do I have your email address? I think I do. It's in the directory. Okay, I'll get it from there. Very good. I'll add that. Okay, very good. And hi, Katie. Hi, how are you? Okay, so anything else? Anyone else have any comments or questions or anything? I just love that Bill said he could hardly contain himself. That's all it. It won't be long now, Bill. We'll be in chapter 40 before we know it. So, next week, chapter 36 is a really interesting chapter. Well, they all are. Every single chapter in Ezekiel. Well, the whole Bible is very interesting. So, how are you doing? You're up, bud.

Okay, can you hear me? I can hear you, yes. Can you hear me okay? I think your revival of study tonight is very current with the conditions going on in the Middle East and what's going on in the Ephraim and Manasseh. And we're told to watch in Luke 21 chapter 36, and I'll read it. 21, 36.

Watch, therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man, before Jesus Christ.

And, of course, we don't know the exact timing, but we can look and see with the events going on around the world that we're very, very close. So, our watching is not only the world events, but we're to watch our spiritual condition, to be ready when the call comes. So, that's Christ's command to us, especially in the time frame we're in. Very good. We always have to be watched and we have to let God get ourselves ready. Very good. Hey, Reggie, how are you tonight?

I'm with Shaby and you? I'm doing well, thanks.

What else? I know Sandy and I were discussing about the Palestinians, and, you know, they exist over in Gaza. They also go to the West Bank in that area, and, you know, they buffer up against Jordan. So, Jordan is actually the Amorites among the Amorites. Yes. Oh, yes. So, anyway, they actually occupy, you know, to the West of Jerusalem, and they're also to the East, not to the West, but to Gaza, and also to the East, or Jordan. So, they occupy all of that area.

I'm just wondering... Oh, go ahead. I'm sorry. The Palestinians, are they the ancestry of the Philistines? You know, I have heard that, and I heard... Actually, someone sent me a little video this week and I listened to it as a Jewish rabbi talking about the Philistines and the Hebrew word, and he tied it all to... I haven't had a chance to look and see if he's right, though, but he...

You know, you put the map up. You put the map up, and you had a Phylicia? Yeah, I had a Phylicia, yes. And that, you know, Phylicia, Philistines...

Can people hear us? Somebody else up? Yep. Okay, done. Go ahead. Someone had their mic on. Anyway, the Philistines, I think, were the actual ancestors of, you know, Palestinians. There are a large group of people who... and that makes sense. That makes sense. And this guy who had this Hebrew word, you know, kind of was tying it to that. So I don't know if he's wishful thinking or what, but I mean, he was pretty convincing of what he said anyway, so... Yeah, very good. That's in my question. Okay, very good. Hey, Tim, how are you?

Very good. The Philadelphia Phillies had such a great defense. The Philadelphia Eagles?

Yes. They did have a good season, and it was a... I shouldn't say it was a good game, because there may be some Kansas City fans on here, but I wasn't a fan of either one, but I'll have to say it was an enjoyable game, so... The coach and the quarterback gave credit to God.

You know, I noticed that. I noticed that. Yeah, it was nice to hear that.

God likes that. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, right? That's what Proverbs 3.5 says, or 3.6.

Very good. John Flink, how are you? Oh, it's good to be here. Good to be here. This is probably, like, one of the craziest things I've ever thought in my brain. It has to do with the two witnesses. Is there any possibility out there in this vast, vast universe that it could be Israel and the United States?

It'll be two people, not two nations. Okay. There's some things running around there that they think it could be a nation, or it could be, but like you said, yeah. I try to kind of stick to the two people. It is two witnesses, yeah. Remember, they're killed. They're killed. It's hard to kill and then God says, come up here when he resurrects them. So it's two people, two beings.

Okay. Thank you. Let me say that. Reggie, did you have another comment?

No, I don't have any. Okay. Well, let me go down the line. So, Marta. Marta, do you have a comment? Yes. I had a conversation a little while ago about the two witnesses, and all these years, 50-plus years, I've always considered that the two witnesses would be from the Philadelphia era. This other individual said to me, the church is going to be hiding. So these two witnesses will be from the Laodicean era. So, I don't know what to think of that comment. I don't either. God only knows what the witnesses are, and then we'll find out what he reveals it. Yeah. Okay. It's an interesting thought, though. It is, because he says, yeah, everyone will be in the place of safety while Satan is going to come back to the people that do keep God's commandments in his So that's why he was saying what he said. Interesting. Interesting. Okay. Just speculation, though, right? Just speculation. I have to remember that. Yes, we don't know. Just speculation, yes.

Yeah. Mr. Murray. Yes, when we got to the two witnesses, they certainly displayed the fruits of those that are from the Philadelphia, Philadelphia here. You could hardly say that they were lukewarm. So they certainly would have the fruits of Philadelphia. But just to mention, in regard to the gentleman there that talked about Luke 21 and praying and being watchful of our conduct and where we are with Jesus Christ and God our Father and our conversion. So that's what we should be watching most of all. But that we may be worthy to escape the great tribulation that is going to be coming. And we refer already to the fact that in Revelation 1712, it's interesting that the 10 horns, which you saw, are 10 kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. And it seems, what we can see from the symbolism of that, that that will be the time that they will combine to have a lightning attack upon the Israelite nations, modern day Israelite nations of America and British Commonwealth nations. And also on Judah, too, as the beast surrounds Jerusalem. But it's kind of interesting that in Revelation 3.10 that those who are of a Philadelphian spirit, it says in verse 10, because you've kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world. So it's kind of interesting that we see there in Revelation 17 that these 10 leaders in Europe will give their power, their agreement to the beast. And this is lightning attack spoken of in reference to time. It's just symbolic that it's lightning attack one hour. But then also in the Philadelphian era, you know, we're given protection in that hour of great distress in the world. And the other thing, too, just very briefly, is that in Revelation 12, it's not all the church, sadly, that is in the place of Satan, because there may be some people for various reasons may decide not to go to the place of safety or whatever happens, because we know the very last verse of that Revelation 12 says that, and these are they who keep the commandments of God and live by the Testament of Jesus Christ. But Satan is so angry that he goes out to destroy the remnant of her seed. So it would seem that the bulk of the church, yes, is in a place of safety, but he goes out to look for those people that keep the commandments of God and live by the testimony of Jesus Christ, i.e. the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation 22. And so he goes out to make masters of those, and we know that, of course, he does overcome and many of them are martyrs. So just a few comments.

Okay. Bill, we'll give you two for a minute. Paul Dale, how are you doing? Good to see you.

Did he say Bill? He said in a minute.

Oh, maybe.

Yeah.

Paul, yeah, your microphone is down, and if you're on a computer, the lower left. Yeah, I was trying to bump it, but I kept missing it.

What I was going to say was the Scripture about praying that we'd be worthy to escape all these things. I'm not sure that applies just to the people of that time, but we pray that we would be worthy to escape all those things, whether we live through them or not.

Yes, yeah, and live our lives, live our lives so that we're worthy when we're doing things with our heart to God. Yes, good point. Yeah, whether we're actually living at that time or not, we would want to be as worthy as those people.

Yes, right. Whenever our end is, we should be in that state that God would say, yes, they have lived their lives in a worthy manner, completely devoted to Him. Good point.

And we would escape those things if we happen to be living in that time. Right, right. Very good. Bill, I'm going to put you on hold for a minute.

I see another person here. Mr. Colixtus? Yes, good evening, everyone. Hope everyone is doing okay.

Can everybody hear me okay, clearly? We can hear you, yes.

All right. So, going back to Zacharii Leffert, who speaks about the FUTI-PUTI. What you'd find interesting is that in Exodus 21 verse 32, it also mentions FUTI pieces of silver, but when a bull would go a slave. So, FUTI pieces of silver, the significance would be here also that they price Christ's death as only a mere slave. And it wasn't Judas who negotiated that. It was the chief leaders who knew, the religious leaders who studied the Bible back and forth, they price Christ's death as FUTI pieces of silver. But it would not be considered him a mere slave, and I found that fascinating. Yep, that's very good. Yeah, that's in Exodus 21 you said, yes. Interesting how those 30 pieces of silver find their way through the Bible, right? Yeah, always interesting how God works these things out. So, okay, Bill, thank you for waiting. Me, Bill? Me, Bill, yes.

Is Sumeria in Gaza? Is Sumeria Gaza? No, not Sumeria, I mean Caesarea. I actually don't know. I think Gaza is Gaza, right? I mean, Caesarea seems to have had that name down through the ages, but Caesarea is in that area, but I don't know that it's Gaza. It might be. I meant Caesarea.

Caesarea, yeah. I don't know. I don't know if it's the same city. Okay, all right. Another question.

Before... What? Bill muted you.

I told you he does it all the time. That's why I never get on here.

If I'm on here, like I said, I'm always in the background. Before you get off here tonight, we want to meet your wife. Oh, okay. No, not tonight. She said not tonight. I'm prepared for it. She will. I'll have her ready next week. All right. Okay.

Hey, Becky, how you doing again?

I am well. Thank you, and thanks for always answering my hand here.

I just wanted to mention he was talking about the 10 toes, and I read something about Germany possibly pulling out of the EU.

It just said that they... I'm trying to remember the exact wording. I had it here, and now I can't find it.

I read that the peace power may not necessarily be woke, but more far right, and I just thought that was an interesting thought, and I wondered if you had any thoughts on that. Now, you know, I read someplace a month ago that Germany, that that was floating around in Germany. Of course, they've got elections coming up in March, I think it is, to replace the...

Schultz, is that his name? So, I don't know. I heard that as well, and then, you know, that they would have nations joining with them in opposition to the EU, but that was just a rumor from a month ago, but it's interesting that it's there. We'll see what these elections in Germany bring about here in March when those happen. I think it's definitely something to keep an eye on. It is something to keep an eye on. Germany? Yeah, Germany's an interesting place.

It said a rising tide of German nationalism is on the horizon. That was what I had read. Similar, they say, to what went on during World War II, right? So, before the World War II.

And then, with them being far right, because I always kind of had this idea of a wokeness, you know, that fitting, but it was interesting to think about maybe that these things were far right, like fitting with that. Yep. We shall see. Time marches on. It's all interesting to watch. Bud Zevir. You're up, Bud.

Regarding the two witnesses, recently I had an encounter with the other church that primarily preaches a gospel. We preach a gospel, and they preach a gospel, and I feel we do a much more superior job in you and our presenters, and the message is that we get out.

The person said to me, well, you don't have the right form of government.

And I paused, and I said, do you consider us part of the Church of God? Yes, we do. We consider you part of the Church of God. Well, getting back to it, I think primarily, and I'm not going to name the other church because I think we all know who it is. I'm not going to name them, and I think primarily we'll have a man from each group as being one of the two witnesses. What do you think?

I think God knows who those two witnesses are, and we won't know until He tells us.

Xavier. Brother Shaby, we may not have the way too long to know the result for Germany's election. The last one they had, they revealed the result before the election came out.

Before the election happened. So they already know who won. Yes, so just for a moment, they might reveal it before they even vote again.

So yeah, just on a like note. Interesting. Very good. Okay. Xavier, if you see anything, maybe you could let us know. You can do it again, and I'll catch it, sure. Thank you. Yeah.

Yeah, Mr. Murray.

Yes, just very briefly, it was very interesting that before the Great Depression, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 was a great contributor to the cause of the Great Depression. One of the great causes was the international tariffs, with people putting up tariffs on each other in the nations. And it's kind of interesting to see that scenario starting to happen now in the world. You know, it is. It's like these concepts from the past are just floating up all of a sudden everywhere. So yeah. And it's very sad to see that, you know, Manasseh is hitting up Canada for 25% tariffs. Also, Australia is being threatened with tariffs, and we've had a pre-trade policy between us over the years. There's a lot of things the President does that you think, oh, that's pretty good. Others you think, what are you thinking, right?

He's causing a lot of distress amongst us who have been faithful allies. You know, Australia has been in every war, whether we've agreed with it or not, with America since the Second World War, even more than what Canada has. But Canada has also shed its blood for supporting Canada over America. So I'm talking about, from our nation, from a national point of view, not my personal point of view, but I'm just talking about the impact, the anxiety that is being felt amongst our nations. And it's where we've been so close, we've been so united, even in human terms, you know, there's been nothing that can drive a wedge between us. But now we're starting to wonder. It's, it is, whatever he's got in his mind, he only he knows, only he knows where he thinks this is going. So, Marta. Just a question. Didn't the previous tariffs, many years ago, cause inflate inflation? Because today I heard on the news that inflation is starting to go up. I don't know. I don't know the history of the tariffs. So, but that's very true.

That is very true. That is an impact from rising tariffs and, and it's caused troubles, even within the American steel industry already. So, you know, that means when you start getting shortages of steel, things go up and building costs go up and things go up. You start upsetting the world economic system. It just hangs by a very tender balance. So, it's about changing. Because then what happens if you raise tariffs here, and even as we've seen from Canada, they start raising tariffs on American goods. And then you have this one upmanship and everyone suffers.

That almost makes you think about the word famine, because we know that that forces, you know, to come the tariffs and the inflation.

Yeah, it'll come about, yeah, it'll come about in the way we may not expect today. But we'll, what would it, like Bud said, we'll keep our eyes open.

Bill, I see your dog, but I don't see you.

Did you have your hand up or down?

Okay, I think he must be done. Okay. Okay. I guess, oh, did you have another comment, Bill?

Mr. Trump thinks that we'd be better off as kind of isolated from everybody else as far as economy, that maybe we can do everything we else and we don't need all these other countries. Well, I'm not saying that. I just think maybe he thinks that. I wonder if that's what he's thinking, that we would just, we could just be insular and forget the rest of the world. So, or, yeah, but, okay.

Okay. Yep. Okay. Let me see. It's like 8 30 here. So, I, if there's, if there's anything else, if not, I'm going to go ahead and we'll sign off for tonight. Okay. So, great to be with all of you. We will have a great Sabbath. We will look forward to seeing you next Wednesday night. Okay.

Good night. Bye. Good night.