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Malachi 3:1-8

3  “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.  2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.  3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.    4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. 5  “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the s...
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Who Is Joseph Of Arimathea?

Joseph of Arimathea is most certainly the apostle, Thaddeus.    Question : How do I know this?   Answer : Via the meaning of a number of names in the New Testament.  1. Thaddeus  - Gift of God: This name calls attention to  Isaiah 22 .   Joseph is the steward within the House of Judah who uses the key of David as a civic leader & is associated with a tomb.   2.  Thus, he is  Shebna , via being a lawyer & member of the Sanhedrin, whom Yeshua reminded had both built the tombs of the prophets & agreed with their persecution (even murder) by their forefathers. 3.  He is also  Eliakim , a faithful steward whom God raises up & entrusts with the Key of David, a civic key.    The key itself denotes empowered civic/civil authority to judge & rule Israel (Isaiah 22). 4. Justus  - Just/Upright:  This name calls attention to his work as a lawyer & his recognition by the people as a prophetic eccl...
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Tackling Tradition 90: The Witch‘s Familiar

Yes, you’re right, people don’t pay attention to the text, & if you truly think this is Samuel himself, then you are sorely mistaken.   The text is very clear that *Saul* believed the spirit to be Samuel, but it doesn’t state that the spirit she saw was Samuel.  The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. (1 Samuel 28:13–14, ESV). The witch summons a familiar spirit that she herself calls a god & looks like a man in a robe.     Saul himself doesn’t see the apparition.     When the text says that he knew it was Samuel, he simply drew a conclusion about who it was based on the witch’s testimony.  Samuel himself was not located under the ear...
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Tish’a B’av Reading: Day 5

Psalm 81 [ a ] For the director of music. According to  gittith. [ b ]  Of Asaph. 1  Sing for joy to God our strength;      shout aloud to the God of Jacob! 2  Begin the music, strike the timbrel,      play the melodious harp and lyre. 3  Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,      and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival; 4  this is a decree for Israel,      an ordinance of the God of Jacob. 5  When God went out against Egypt,      he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say: 6  “I removed the burden from their shoulders;      their hands were set free from the basket. 7  In your distress you called and I rescued you,      I answered you out of a thundercloud;      I tested you at the waters of Meribah. [ c ] 8  Hea...
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Tish’a B’av Reading: Day 4

  Water Flowing from the Temple 47  Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2  Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side. 3  Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, [ a ]  and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep.   4  Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep.   5  Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water h...
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