06/13/2026
Ezekiel 17:23-24
23 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
24 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.
I was reading this and saw, yet again, a prophecy of what Jesus would do for us.
When a tree is dry, there's no more sap in it, or, you could say, it's blood.
Did Jesus shed his blood?...
Isaiah 52:14-15
14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
He used all his blood, to sprinkle many nations, so we can have eternal life.
And though it seemed like he was dry and dead to man, no coming back from his condition, the Lord made that dry branch to flourish!
Zechariah 6:12
And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
And Jesus did accomplish that....
John 2:19
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
And back in Ezekiel it says... " and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing ".
Indicating again, how he would call the Gentiles.
And here is more from Ezekiel...
Ezekiel 34:12
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And it was dark when he was on the cross wasn't it?
Matthew 27:45
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Mark 15:33
And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
We see in every book of the Bible, how they ALL prophecy of Jesus’s first coming!
And, they also prophecy of his second coming...
Isaiah 26:21
For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
Does this sound familiar?
Revelation 20:13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
If you're not covering your slain, now you're showing it.
And we see the same event happening in Revelation at the end of the world. Which we're in!
And part of his first coming was to do what?
Luke 12:51
Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
He came to divide people!
Dividing his children, from the devils children!
And there's one more great division!
Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
And how does God divide his people?
Ezekiel 9:4
And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
And what is specific about God's people?
Something that makes them different, something that let's everyone know they're his...
Do they just go to church?
Do they have signs saying they're christians?
Do they say Jesus’s name sometimes in conversation when convenient?
What makes them so different?!
They sigh and cry!
For what?!
The abominations that are being committed in the land!
They cry out that what people are doing is wickedness!
They say that it's not ok!
They show what God really feels about those things that are done!
Will people like it?
What did Jesus say?
John 16:2
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
First they say you can't be talking about what God really thinks in their places of worship/religion, or any place they believe belongs to them.
Then, they get so furious that some will kill you!
Should we be afraid?
Of what?
Someone sending you to heaven?
Certainly not.
But back to God marking his people...
Where else do we find God marking HIS people?
Revelation 7:3
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
And we see here another thing, they're servants.
Servants work, they don't relax, and party with the world.
Revelation 9:4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
And you see here, if you're not marked as a servant of the Lord's, there's bad news coming!
Revelation 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
This number represents something...
Twelve tribes represents the old testament.
Twelve apostles represents the new testament.
And you go... 12x12= 144
And then what?
God's number of entirety is 1,000....
Psalm 50:10
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
So now we have 12x12=144
144x1,000= 144,000.
And that's what that represents, all of God's people, for all time.
If not, he wouldn't have said what he did in chapter 7....
Revelation 7:4
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Revelation 7:9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
No man could number them, but he said the number, right?
The whole book of Revelation is revealed by what?
Picture language, showing by signs..
Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
That word "signified" means to show by signs.
But back to more of God sealing his people...
Revelation 22:4
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
What is in our foreheads?
Our mind, which holds what?...
His WORD!
What is God's name?
The Lord Jesus Christ!
And he is what?...
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He is the Word!
There's so many reasons why we need the Word every day.
We're slowly building up an extra container of oil, so we won't be part of the foolish virgins who didn't have extra.
We read his word and see how bad this world looks, compared to what God said it should be.
We sigh and cry for the abominations committed around us every day!
And he marks us in our foreheads, a place that you can't hide, as we are like a city set on an hill.
The verses I started with are just a great example of how you'll always find something new in his word.
It's spiritually our fresh bread, every day!
And...
What could possibly go better with his bread?
How about some oil?
Remember how they would anoint with oil?
What's our anointing today?
1 John 2:27
But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
Our anointing is the Holy Ghost!
What does it mean that we don't need men to teach us?
We don't know it all, and there are other verses that say it's good to learn from each other.
So what does this mean?
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
It's the teaching, of the Gospel!
They already knew the Gospel, hence the letter sent to them.
But that is why we need the Word, and especially, the oil.
And where would they anoint?
On their heads!
And how does the Holy Ghost make our reading better?
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
As we read, God brings more of his word to our remembrance!
But wait!
There's a big question....
How can he bring it to our remembrance, if we never read it?!
And we can't remember, if we just gloss over the words, just to get it out of our way, to complete another, average, daily task.
That's where he helps us, by making his word more interesting to us, and giving us a great hunger for it.
You don't have that?
I know why...
Because the Bible tells me why....
James 4:2
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Simply put..
Ye have not, because ye ask not.
Remember what Jesus said?
Luke 11:9
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
You MUST ask!
Ask him in prayer BEFORE you read!
You MUST seek!
Seek HIS WORD for answers!
Then, you MUST knock!
Put some effort into it!
A- ask
S- seek
K- knock
And remember, he never says no to more wisdom and understanding in him....
James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But we see here again, you have to ask.
Remember as well, studying his word IS commanded..
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Approved unto whom?
Unto God.
You can't study anything other than the Bible, to get an approval from God.
You must have his word!
And, when it comes to it, how will you be able to answer someone who has questions about the Gospel, and what Jesus Christ did for us?...
You must...
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
And we are sanctified by?.....
John 17:17
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
And I will end this with another good section...that shows us how we can sanctify our daily food....and why we should pray, before we eat...
1 Timothy 4:1-5
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.