Spiritually Discerned

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King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]

Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Chapters: II Kings Chapters 24-25, II Chronicles Chapter 36
Message: Spiritually Discerned

Hello My Friend,

I was listening to a radio program that was talking about prophecies of Daniel and Ezra lining up in regards to the tribulation. They were actually quoting from the Apocrypha books, which are not inspired, by God but placed in the 1611 and 1769 prints of King James Bible only as a reference. The thing that bothered me was that the person obviously has not read the Bible very much because he placed Ezra within the Apocrypha books. Now, I am not against the Apocrypha books because they do give us some insight into what was going on when God was silent for four hundred years, but they are not Scriptural so we cannot count them as biblical. This is why we are to read and study the Bible ourselves through the Holy Spirit guiding us as He will be able to teach us discernment.

[1 Corinthians 2:12-14  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.]

As we take a pause from Jeremiah, return to and come to the end of the reading of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, it also gives the account of the judgments of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, which Jeremiah had been warning them about.

[2 Kings 24:1-5  In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.  2  And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.  3  Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did;  4  And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon. 5  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?]

[written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?] All throughout the history books you may see references to books that are not within the inspired Scriptures and while many believe that they are lost or ought to be a part of the Bible, this is not true. There are tons of transcripts that point to the Bible that are still being found today, but the Bible itself is complete with everything that God wanted in it, [2 Timothy 3:16-17  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.]

And as far as the other books, they are just mentioned to point out that there are tons of testimonies that prove that there were other nations and people who knew God, but God’s book relates to the history of Israel. The chronicles of the kings of Judah were probably in reference to the kings who were not of the lineage of David as Nebuchadnezzar removed them from the throne under the direction of God. 1 and 2 Kings relates to the kings of Israel for both the Northern and Southern Kingdom, but 1 and 2 Chronicles is in reference to the lineage of David only because it was through his lineage that Jesus would descend. Now, 2 Chronicles gives more insight into what happened that led to Jehoiakim’s rebellion. First, it was Jehoahaz who reigned, Josiah’s son, but only for three months when they were invaded by Egypt.

[2 Chronicles 36:1,3-6  Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem.  3  And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.  4  And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.  5  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.  6  Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.]

[made Eliakim his brother king over Judah…and turned his name to Jehoiakim.] Eliakim’s name means, raised up by God, but it was changed to Jehoiakim, which means, whom Jehovah sets up. God, is the one who set all this up, and you would have thought with everything that was going on that those who were left in Judah would repent, but they did not. The people chose him in preference to his older brother because they believed he would show an aggressive spirit over against the encroachments of Egypt. However, in those three years of his reign what he ended up doing was reintroducing idolatry back to Judah and that was when Nebuchadnezzar came in and captured him, then Jehoiachin became king.

[2 Kings 24:12-14  And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.  13  And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.  14  And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.]

[the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.] This was not the eighth year of Jehoiachin’s reign as he was only king for one hundred days, this is referring to the either year of Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiachin, was just as wicked as his brother.

[2 Chronicles 36:9-13  Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.  10  And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.  11  Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.  12  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD. 13  And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.]

[Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign,] Seriously, he was only eight years old and as wicked as the rest of the kings. This is why we find that sometimes God will not spare children, in fact, after he was taken to Babylon and his brother was made king they angered so much that He killed them all.

[2 Chronicles 36:15-17,19  And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:  16  But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.  17  Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 19  And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.]

[And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem,] God, wanted this abomination to be out of His sight completely. God, did not cause these things to happen, wicked, selfish, immoral, idolatrous, and religious people caused it, but He is finishing it, [2 Thessalonians 1:7-8  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,  8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:]

If we should learn anything from this story it is that every nation that turns on God will be destroyed, but if we trust Him, and wait patiently, He will restore everything better than what it was. You would think that at this point they would have just surrendered to God, but they refused, each king becoming more proud and rebellious than the last one. Zedekiah, was the last king of the lineage of David to reign in Judah and he was not of the direct linage to the throne either. Through Jeremiah we learned of Zedekiah’s rebellion, 2 Kings also gives the account and what happened in Jerusalem after he was captured and sent to Babylon.

[2 Kings 25:1-3,5,7,11-12  And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.  2  And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.  3  And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 5  And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. 7  And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. 11  Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.  12  But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.]

[left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.] All the glory in Jerusalem, the city of David, the temple, and everything that David and Solomon built for God was reduced to nothing, but ashes and crumbled walls. And yet He still left a light for His faithful to come home to, God, is allowing His faithful to be in the midst of His judgments of the world, He is trying their reins in this poor God forsaken land in order to see if His people are going to endure it with Him or rebel. We need to stand true to Jesus, not fight with each other, love one another as Jesus loves, and not provoke each other with pride and ridiculous laws that God never made or condoning sin as the norm.

[James 4:10-14  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.  11  Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.  12  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?  13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.]

Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [2 Kings 25:29  And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. 2 Chronicles 36:23  Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.]

Today’s Prayer: God, It is so sad to see the world falling apart, even my own nation has forsaken You, and turned to abominable lifestyles, idols, and wicked imaginations. I know Your Son is returning, and things are going to get worse before that happens, we need a revival, a spiritual revival of all who know You, but are afraid to stand up to the truth. A revival of faith, boldness, and passion to speak the Gospel, and not be ashamed. Lord, give us Your power to get up and fight, the strength to keep going in Your truths, and the plan, wisdom, and tools we need, to help You restore the Church before Your limit is up, and You do send Your Son. Give us Your mercy, grace, and hedge of protection from all the evils. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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