Zechariah 7:12 (KJV) Hearts of Stone

Zechariah 7:12 (KJV)

Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

 

The passage is speaking of the post-captivity Jews, especially the priests. Though they retained their identity during the captivity, they let their standards of separation slip terribly. Now, returning to their Promised Land, they had compromised priorities—especially concerning the building of the Temple. 

The prophets, Zechariah among them, were called upon by God to challenge the people about those priorities. The Bible says that in the face of those prophetic challenges, “they made their hearts as an adamant stone.” It wasn’t that they did not know or hear “the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent.” They had simply hardened themselves so that they did not listen. They did not obey. They despised the Word instead of surrendering to it.

In many respects, this is a viable description of the United States of America today. Though there are an increasing number of people who have never darkened the door of a church, and any more there is a good possibility that their parents haven’t either. It would be impossible to say 

·       they know nothing of the Lord, or 

·      that they have never heard the name of Jesus, or 

·       that they are completely unfamiliar with the message of the gospel. 

Most certainly, they have at least heard of heaven and hell. But increasingly, these same people have made their hearts as an adamant stone. It’s more than they ignore and isolate themselves from Christians, churches, and the Bible—they are hard, angry, and aggressively opposed to the preaching of the Word of God. They are sharp, prickly, and obnoxious against the Word of God.

Mind you, many of these people would consider themselves spiritual. They might claim some sort of relationship to some sort of god. But they are hateful to what they perceive to be historic Christianity.

 

God’s response is to send preachers to them and to warn them so that, if they should repent, they might be spared the great wrath of the LORD of hosts.

 

#HeartsOfStone #RepentAndReturn #StandardsOfFaith #BiblicalWarning #GodsWrathAndMercy

Hearts of Stone: Compromised Priorities

 

Call to Action

Are we truly listening to God's Word, or have we allowed our hearts to become like adamant stone? In today's world, many have heard the message of the gospel but remain resistant. It's crucial that we not only hear but also obey and surrender to the Word of God.

Join us in prayer and action:

🙏 Pray for softened hearts, both within our community and beyond.

📖 Dive deeper into the Bible, allowing its truth to transform you.

👥 Share the message of God's mercy and salvation with those around you.

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Zechariah 7:12 (KJV) Hearts of Stone

Zechariah 6:5 (KJV) The Four Spirits of Heaven

Zechariah 6:5 (KJV)

And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

After witnessing the vision of the four horses and chariots, our prophet turned to the angel directing his vision and asked, "What are these, my lord?" The answer is not much more helpful for us (though it is helpful to accept that it would have been helpful to the prophet).

The suggestions I have found are that these represent:

- Preachers

- Angels

- The four empires of Daniel’s revelation

Some have suggested we reflect upon the interchangeability of the words "Spirit" and "wind" in the Word of God.

John 3:3-8 (KJV)

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

The Pulpit Commentary says, “The winds are supposed to be God’s servants, waiting his pleasure to be sent forth on his errands.” It further likens these spirits to the judgment of God (which hearkens my thoughts to the judgments of The Revelation) and says, “God’s vengeance pursues [evil] wherever it is located.”

The judgment of God is sure, ubiquitous, and inescapable. Likewise, God’s mercy and the salvation He offers through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, is available to all people of all times and, for those who accept it, absolutely sure.

#VisionOfJudgment #GodsSpirits #DivineWinds #BiblicalProphecy #GodsJudgmentAndMercy

The Four Spirits of Heaven: Winds of Judgment and Mercy

Call to Action

Embrace the certainty of God's truth and share the message of salvation with those around you. Let's grow together in understanding and faith.

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To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6400 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Zechariah 6:5 (KJV) The Four Spirits of Heaven

Acts 28:31 (KJV) Unhindered

 

Acts 28:31 (KJV)

Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

The Bible says that for two whole years, Paul stayed in his own hired house with a Roman guard keeping him. People, both Jews and Gentiles, were permitted to visit him. Many did, because the Bible states that during those two years, he received all who came to him, “Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence….” It further says, “…no man forbidding him.”

Imagine the impact this period of preaching must have had.

Rome was the central hub of the world at that time. “All roads,” they used to say, “lead to Rome.” People came and went from the city, spreading out to all parts of the known world: Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa, and possibly even China. Although it is speculative, it’s worth considering that some who had been influenced by Rome might have traveled as far as North and South America. History tells us Columbus discovered America, but there is evidence that Scandinavian and Norwegian explorers were here before him. The absence of documented history recording a Christian witness on the American continents before the 1400s does not necessarily mean there wasn't one.

Some believe the Apostle Paul was eventually released from his hired house prison, traveled to Spain and perhaps the British Isles, and was later imprisoned again in Rome, placed in a dungeon, and executed sometime after that. I do not know. The Bible does not give any indication of this. However, I am confident that, just as Paul was able to win Onesimus to the Lord and return him to Philemon, he must have led many others to the Lord from various parts of the known world. These new believers likely returned with the gospel message to places we cannot even imagine.

God is not limited by what we think we know. Nor does His influence need to be associated with myths, such as those proposed by the Mormons. It is very possible that the gospel, as it was preached in the first century, reached the uttermost parts of the world prior to and independent of recorded church history.

#PreachingInRome #KingdomOfGod #PaulInChains #UnstoppableGospel #EarlyChristianWitness

Unhindered: Paul's Final Years

Call to Action

Join us in exploring the profound impact of Paul's ministry. Share your thoughts on how the early spread of the gospel continues to inspire and influence us today. Let's discuss how we can carry forward Paul's mission in our own communities and beyond. Use the comments section below or join the conversation on social media with #PaulsMinistryImpact. Together, let's keep spreading the message of the Kingdom of God with confidence and unwavering faith.

Join the conversation. Together, let's keep spreading the message of the Kingdom of God with confidence and unwavering faith.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Acts 28:31 (KJV) Unhindered

Zechariah 4:10 (KJV) Modest Moments

Zechariah 4:10 (KJV)

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

"The Day of Small Things."

This little phrase has been used to encourage many believers over the years. I remember hearing it used in the context of church planting and meditating upon it many times during the earliest years of our ministry, planting the church in Astoria, OR, meeting in an abandoned service station (and only having the money to rent part of it).

• It’s been used to encourage those starting young families.
• It’s been used to encourage those beginning in the working world.

The context is that of the Jewish rebuilding of their Temple in Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. It would have been difficult for those old men who had seen Solomon’s Temple to compare what little structure they had in Zerubbabel’s Temple after the captivity. It might have been the younger people, having seen this new Temple and having no knowledge of the glory of the first, who disrespected this modest place of worship (I’ve met many a young person who has been disrespectful in the small and simple buildings used for local churches). It most surely speaks of those who attempted, for all they were worth, to hinder and stop the construction of the Temple after the captivity. Heathen and carnal people had come to occupy the Promised Land during those days of captivity. They had little desire to see what they had claimed for their own reclaimed by the children of God.

Something similar is happening in Israel today. Those who had occupied the Promised Land during the Jews' dispersion all these centuries have no pleasure in their return. They worship other gods. And, though the Jews are not a thoroughly godly nation today, their history shows that the true and living God of the Jews has a way of putting down all others.

The followers of Jesus Christ have also always been viewed as small and despised in this world. I am not speaking of Christendom in general, mind you. I’m speaking of that small band of believers who have, since the third or fourth century, been the target of contempt.

There is coming a day when Jesus will be the “big thing.” The Bible says it is our blessed hope, and we do look forward to it. But rather than sitting idle, hoping for that day, let’s be faithful to the Lord and serve Him, even in this day of small things.

#DayOfSmallThings #FaithfulBeginnings #GodsPlans #SmallButMighty #HopeInChrist

Modest Moments: Serving Faithfully in Small Things

Call to Action

Let's not underestimate the power of small beginnings. Reflect on how God has used humble starts throughout history to accomplish great things. In your own life, embrace the day of small things with faith and perseverance. Serve the Lord with joy, no matter how modest the circumstances. Share this message with others to encourage them to see the value in their own small beginnings and to trust in God's plan for their lives. Let's be faithful in the little things, knowing that God is at work in every moment. 

Join the conversation. How have you seen God work through modest beginnings?

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 6300 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Zechariah 4:10 (KJV) Modest Moments