kdmiller55

[kdmiller55]

Out of Sight But Never Out of Control

1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the…

[kdmiller55]

The Constant Danger of Unbelief

1 Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God that is in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them, supporting them. 3 At the same time Tattenai the governor…

[kdmiller55]

Where There’s HIS Will, There’s Always a Way

17 The king sent an answer: “To Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and the rest of their associates who live in Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River, greeting. And now 18 the letter that you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19 And I made a decree, and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from of old has risen against kings, and that…

[kdmiller55]

Obedience Is Never Easy

8 Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows: 9 Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the governors, the officials, the Persians, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported…

[kdmiller55]

Persecution and Promise

1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel,…

[kdmiller55]

The Sacrifice Before the Sacrifice

1 When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 They set the altar in…

[kdmiller55]

A Remnant Returns

1 Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. The number of the men of the people of Israel: 3 the…

[kdmiller55]

Moved by the Almighty

5 Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. 6 And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. 7 Cyrus the king also brought…

[kdmiller55]

A Divine Decrese

1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build…

[kdmiller55]

The Kingdom Shall Be the LORD’s

19 Those of the Negeb shall possess Mount Esau,     and those of the Shephelah shall possess the land of the Philistines; they shall possess the land of Ephraim and the land of Samaria,     and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 20 The exiles of this host of the people of Israel     shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath, and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad     shall…

[kdmiller55]

The Day of the Lord is Near

15 For the day of the Lord is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you;     your deeds shall return on your own head. 16 For as you have drunk on my holy mountain,     so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow,     and shall be as though they had never been. 17 But in Mount Zion there shall be those who escape,     and it shall be…

[kdmiller55]

Divine Payback

10 Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob,     shame shall cover you,     and you shall be cut off forever. 11 On the day that you stood aloof,     on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates     and cast lots for Jerusalem,     you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother     in the day of his misfortune; do not…

[kdmiller55]

No Match for the Almighty

5 If thieves came to you,     if plunderers came by night—     how you have been destroyed!—     would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you,     would they not leave gleanings? 6 How Esau has been pillaged,     his treasures sought out! 7 All your allies have driven you to your border;     those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against…

[kdmiller55]

Doom, Gloom, and Hope

1 The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord,     and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” 2 Behold, I will make you small among the nations;     you shall be utterly despised. 3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,     you who live in the clefts of the rock,     in your lofty…

[kdmiller55]

The Good News Should Produce Good Behavior

11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. 13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to…

[kdmiller55]

The First Shall Be Last

9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. – 3 John 1:9-10 ESV After praising Gaius for his…

[kdmiller55]

Blessed to Be a Blessing

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for…