Spring Forward

What I have

​learned
​


Mothering


​in all


Seasons of Life
​


Revelation 22:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9–10; Galatians 5:19–21; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 12:14



A WOLF

​and


Den of robbers


Outside 

are the dogs and sorcerers 

and the sexually immoral 

and murderers and idolaters, and 

everyone who loves and 


practices falsehood



Or do you not know that the 

unrighteous

will not

Inherit the kingdom of God? 



Do not be deceived:

neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, 

nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

 nor thieves, 

nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, 

nor swindlers will 

inherit the kingdom of God



Now the works of the flesh 

are evident:


sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery,

 enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions 

divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. 

I warn you, as I warned you before, 

that those who do such things 

will not inherit the kingdom of God.



5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone 

who is sexually immoral or impure, 

or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), 

has no inheritance 

in the kingdom of Christ and God


understanding this,

 that the slaw is not laid down for-the just but for

 the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, 

for the 

unholy and profane, for those who strike 

their 

fathers and mothers, for murderers,


Strive for peace with everyone, and for 

the holiness

without which no one will see the Lord.

​
2 First Wednesday’s ago,

after

The Holy Spirit Revealed

The

Wedding Supper of the Lamb,

The Bride of Christ, The Last Supper, 

That same day at 1:00,

Emily and 2 other church leaders

Trapped and excommunicated

me and falsely accused me of lying 

I AM the chief cornerstone

The Chief Pharisee ordered my crucifixion


THIS PAST LAST WEDNESDAY,

I was introduces to the headquarters

of the Roman Empire who crucified me 

666


Jesus was Teaching 

in the

Temple Courts 

when the chief priests and elders approached Him

and demanded to know


The source


of


His authority


In response, Jesus asked them about

John the Baptist—was he a prophet of God or not?


The religious leaders, fearing the people’s response,

refused to reveal

their true opinion on the matter.

In turn, Jesus refused to reveal the source of His authority

(Matthew 21:23-27)

In doing so,

Jesus made it clear that the


Jewish leaders themselves

had


NO authority

to

Judge Him


Jesus then related two parables concerning vineyards.

In the first, Jesus told of two sons who were told by their father to go work in the vineyard. The first son initially refused but later changed his mind and went to work. The second son promised to work, but he never went to the vineyard. Jesus applied this to the religious leaders of Israel, who were like the second son—they expressed agreement with the Father but, in the final analysis, were disobedient. The sinners who responded to John the Baptist’s message were like the first son—they seemed unlikely candidates for heaven, but they repented and thus will enter the kingdom (verses 28-32).

In the second parable,


Jesus tells of a landowner who,

at harvest time,

sent some servants to his vineyard to

collect the fruit.

However, the

farmers who were tending the vineyard

were a wicked


lot,


and when the servants arrived,

The farmers

beat some of them and

killed others.

Finally, the

landowner sent his own son to

collect the fruit,

expecting that the farmers would

show him respect.

But the farmers treated the

son

worst of all,

throwing him out of the vineyard and


killing him

(Matthew 21:33-39). 


Jesus then asks a question:

"When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" (Matthew 21:40).

The chief priests and elders respond,


"He will bring those wretches

to a wretched end"

(Matthew 21:41).

Jesus then presses His point home with a quotation from Psalm 118:


"The stone

the

builders rejected

has become

the

capstone;

the

Lord has done this,

and

it is marvelous


in our eyes"


(Matthew 21:42).



After a warning that the

religious leaders

will not inherit the kingdom

(Matthew 21:43),

we come to the statement in question,

which is the culmination


of a series of

dire pronouncements


aimed at

the chief priests and elders. 


Jesus begins with a question about John the Baptist in Matthew 21:25,

but by the end of the conversation, Jesus is plainly



speaking of Himself,

referring to a


”father”

sending his

"son"


who was killed


(Matthew 21:37).

He then immediately quotes a


Messianic prophecy


(Matthew 21:42),

in effect

claiming to be the


long-awaited


​
Messiah


The progression is logical:

a rejection of John leads one naturally

to a rejection of Christ, to whom John pointed

(John 1:29, 3:30).

The stone which

"the builders rejected"

in verse 42 is Jesus.

Although rejected, He nevertheless becomes the


"chief cornerstone" 


See also Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; and 1 Peter 2:6-8. The builders’ rejection of the stone is a reference to Christ’s crucifixion.

The Lord’s choice of the stone to be the cornerstone

is a reference to Christ’s resurrection.

God chose His Son,

despised and rejected by the world, to be the

foundation of His church

(1 Corinthians 3:11)


"See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone

for a sure foundation"

(Isaiah 28:16)


Now, there are consequences for coming into contact with a stone.

If you trip over the edge of a rock and fall on it,

you may break some bones.

If a large enough rock falls on top of you,


you may be killed

Jesus uses these


truths


to deliver a warning

to the Jewish leaders

The stone in verse 44 is also Jesus. In saying that those who fall on this stone "will be broken to pieces," Jesus is warning against opposing Him. Defying Jesus is like beating one’s head against a solid rock—a foolish action. In saying that those upon whom the stone falls "will be crushed," Jesus is warning against ignoring Him or trivializing Him. Apathy towards Jesus is like standing in the way of a falling rock—another foolish action. "I am here to do God’s work," Jesus essentially says. "The foundation for the church will be laid. It is unwise to oppose Me because God’s work is not inconsequential."

Rejection of the Savior is fatal. Unfortunately,

many do reject Him.


"He will be a STONE

that

causes men to stumble

and a


ROCK

that makes them FALL"

(Isaiah 8:14).



To persistently reject the


Savior


is to court judgment so severe that

the only thing left will be dust.

The prophet Daniel gives a similar

picture of the


MESSIAH,

likening Him to a rock

"cut out, but not by human hands,"

which

smashes into


The Nations of the World 

and

completely obliterates them

(Daniel 2:31-45). 


Matthew 21:44 is a



Call to FAITH,


an appeal

to

OPEN one’s EYES


and SEE that


Jesus is indeed

the


SON of GOD



SENT into THE WORLD


The verse is also a strict warning against rejecting Jesus Christ.

He is the sure Rock of salvation for those who believe,

but an immovable stumbling stone for those who do not.


Probably in every culture, in every part of history,

from the tax collectors of ancient Israel to the IRS agents of today,

the tax man has received more than his share of scorn and contumely.

The New Testament indicates that the

occupation of “tax collector” (or “publican”)

was looked down upon by the general populace.

The Pharisees communicated their disdain for tax collectors in one of their early confrontations with Jesus. The Lord was eating a meal with “many tax collectors and sinners . . ., for there were many who followed him.” When the Pharisees noticed this,“they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” (Mark 2:15–16).


A “sinner,”

to a

Pharisee, was a


Jew who did

not

follow the Law


(plus the Pharisees’ own rules).


And a “tax collector” was--

well, a 
​


TAX COLLECTOR


Jesus used the commonly held opinion of tax collectors as an illustration of the final stage of church discipline: when a person is excommunicated, Jesus said to “treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17). In other words, the excommunicant is to be considered an outsider and a candidate for evangelism.

There are a few reasons for the low view of tax collectors in the New Testament era. First, no one likes to pay money to the government, especially when the government is an oppressive regime like the Roman Empire of the 1st century. Those who collected the taxes for such a government bore the brunt of much public displeasure.

Second, the tax collectors in the Bible were Jews who were working for the hated Romans. These individuals were seen as turncoats, traitors to their own countrymen. Rather than fighting the Roman oppressors, the publicans were helping them—and enriching themselves at the expense of their fellow Jews.

Third, it was common knowledge that the tax collectors cheated the people they collected from. By hook or by crook, they would collect more than required and keep the extra for themselves. Everyone just understood that was how it worked. The tax collector Zacchaeus, in his confession to the Lord, mentioned his past dishonesty (Luke 19:8).

Fourth, because of their skimming off the top, the tax collectors were well-to-do. This further separated them from the lower classes, who resented the injustice of their having to support the publicans’ lavish lifestyle. The tax collectors, ostracized as they were from society, formed their own clique, further separating themselves from the rest of society.

Jesus taught that we should love our enemies. To emphasize the point, He said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?” (Matthew 5:46). The word even is significant. Jesus was telling the crowd they needed to rise above the level of publican behavior. If our love is only reciprocal, then we’re no better than a tax collector! Such a comparison must have left its mark on Jesus’ hearers.

Given the low esteem people had for tax collectors, it is noteworthy that Jesus spent so much time with them. The reason He was eating that meal in Mark 2 with “many tax collectors” is that He had just called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of His twelve disciples. Matthew was throwing a feast because he wanted his circle of friends to meet the Lord. Many believed in Jesus (verse 15). Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ indignation by stating His ministry purpose: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).



The Pharisees saw


tax

collectors as enemies


to be


shunned




Jesus saw them as


the


spiritually sick

to


be healed


The Pharisees could offer nothing to the tax collectors except a list of rules. Jesus offered forgiveness of sins and the hope of a new life. No wonder the publicans liked to spend time with Jesus (Luke 15:1). And tax collectors like Matthew and Zacchaeus


were transformed

by

the gospel

and


followed the Lord


John the Baptist’s message was that all need to repent, not just tax collectors and other obvious sinners. The Pharisees couldn’t see their need and refused to be categorized with publicans. To the self-righteous,

Jesus said,

“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are

entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

For John came to you

to show you

The Way way of righteousness,

and you did not believe him,

but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.

And even after you saw this,


YOU did NOT REPENT 

and believe him”


(Matthew 21:31–32)




​Babylon’s 

first mention in the Bible was as a


Place of
​

REBELLION AGAINST


​GOD

(Genesis 11).

The ancient nation of Babylon was a dominating power throughout the later centuries of the Old Testament. Babylon was the nation God used to judge Israel, sending them into exile beginning in 605 BC and destroying the temple in 586 BC. Babylon was arguably the first kingdom to have a global influence. Even after its fall in roughly 539 BC, Babylon continued to be seen as a place of evil (see Zechariah 5:5–11).

Part of the difficulty with identifying Babylon the Great in Revelation 17—18 is the presence of “mystery” in Revelation 17:5. Mystery, or mysterion in the Greek, points to a truth not previously known but soon to be revealed. This term is used by Paul in Ephesians 3:3 as he discusses the relationship between the Gentiles and Jews within the church. In Revelation 17, Babylon the Great is considered a mystery, naturally making it difficult to identify.

The angel who speaks to John identifies


Babylon the Great

as “the great city that rules over the

kings of the earth”

(Revelation 17:18).


The angel also provides some detail

of the events leading up to



THE FALL

of

Babylon the Great


(Revelation 17:1–5).


At the conclusion of this vision, John stands in great wonder,

perplexed as to what the vision means

(Revelation 17:6).

Graciously, the angel provides an interpretation of

the vision and the events it relates

(Revelation 17:7–18).

The vision describes a woman, or harlot, sitting upon a scarlet beast covered in blasphemous names. The woman is immoral and corrupt, leading others down the same path of corruption. This woman is dressed in expensive, fine apparel, and the beast she rides has seven heads and ten horns. On the woman’s forehead is her identity,



“BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE

MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

AND OF

THE

ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”

(Revelation 17:5)

Abomination of Desolation



Babylon rose from a Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates River to become a powerful city-state and later the capital city and namesake of one of the greatest empires in history.

The city was located on the eastern side of the

Fertile Crescent

about 55 miles south of modern Baghdad.

Babylon’s history intersected the biblical timeline early and often. The influence of Babylonia on Israel and on world history is profound.


The Founding of Babylon

The Bible’s first mention of Babylon comes in Genesis 10. This chapter is referred to as the table of nations as it traces the descendants of Noah’s three sons. In the genealogy of Ham, “Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth” (Genesis 10:8). Nimrod founded a kingdom that included a place called “Babylon” in Shinar (Genesis 10:10). 

The Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11. In English it is easy enough to make the connection between “Babel” and “Babylon,” but in Hebrew it is the same word. This chapter cements Babylon’s reputation as a city of rebellion against God. From then on, the biblical writers consistently use Babylon as a symbol of evil and defiance (see 1 Peter 5:13 and Revelation 17:5). 

Babylon’s Early Growth

Near the time of Abraham, Babylon became an independent city-state ruled by the Amorites. The first Babylonian dynasty included Hammurabi, the sixth king, known for his code of laws. Hammurabi expanded the kingdom, and the area around Babylon became known as Babylonia. During the second dynasty, Babylon was in communication with Egypt and entered a 600-year struggle with Assyria. After a time of subjugation to the Elamite Empire, a fourth dynasty of Babylonian kings thrived under Nebuchadnezzar I. Then Babylon fell under the shadow of Assyria.


Babylon’s Ascendency

By 851 B.C., Babylon was only nominally independent, requiring Assyrian “protection” and facing many internal upheavals. Finally, the Assyrian Tiglath-pileser III took the throne. The Assyrians and Merodach-baladan, a Chaldean, traded power more than once. During one of his times of advantage, Merodach-baladan sent emissaries to threaten Hezekiah, king of Judah (2 Kings 20:12-19; Isaiah 39). When the Chaldean chief Nabopolassar took control of Babylon in 626 B.C., he proceeded to sack Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. 


Nebuchadnezzar II’s Conquest of Judah

Under the Chaldean dynasty, and, arguably, throughout the rest of history, no king surpassed the glory and absolute power of Nebuchadnezzar II’s reign. As the crown prince (son of Nabopolassar), he defeated Pharaoh Necho II, who had come to the aid of the Assyrian army, winning for Babylonia the former Assyrian lands, including Israel. After being crowned king, Nebuchadnezzar forced King Jehoiakim of Judah to “become his vassal for three years. But then [Jehoiakim] changed his mind and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar” (2 Kings 24:1). The king of Babylon, who did not take kindly to being rebelled against, captured Jerusalem and took the king and other leaders, military men and artisans as prisoners to Babylon (2 Kings 24:12-16). This deportation marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile of the Jews.

Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah to rule Judah. However, Zedekiah, against the prophet Jeremiah’s counsel, joined the Egyptians in a revolt in 589 B.C. This resulted in Nebuchadnezzar’s return. The remaining Jews were deported, Jerusalem was burned, and the temple was destroyed in August of 587 or 586 BC (Jeremiah 52:1-30).



The Prophet Daniel

and the

Fall of Babylon

Babylon is the setting for the ministry of the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel, who were both deportees from Judah. Daniel became a leader and royal adviser to the Babylonian and Persian Empires. He had been captured after the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. (Jeremiah 46:2-12). The book of Daniel records Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2) and foretells the fall of Babylon to the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5). Earlier, the prophet Isaiah had also foretold the fall of Babylon (Isaiah 46:1-2).

In the Bible, Babylon is mentioned from Genesis to Revelation, as it rises from its rebellious beginnings to become a symbol of the Antichrist’s evil world system. When God’s people required discipline, God used the Babylonian Empire to accomplish it, but He limited Judah’s captivity to 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11). Then, God promised to “punish the king of Babylon and his nation” (Jeremiah 25:12)



“FOR ALL the WRONG 


they


HAVE DONE in ZION”

(Jeremiah 51:24).

Ultimately,



all evil will be judged,

as symbolized

by

Babylon’s demise in 


Revelation 18:21:

“The great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.”



Of all the GIFTS


GIVEN to MANKIND by GOD,


there is none greater than


the
​


PRESENCE


of the


HOLY SPIRIT


The Spirit

has

many functions, roles, and activities.

First,

He does a work

in the

hearts of all people everywhere.


Jesus told the disciples

that

He would send the Spirit

into the world

to

“will convict the world

regarding sin,

and

righteousness, and judgment”

(John 16:8, NASB).


Everyone has

a “God consciousness,”

whether or not they

admit it


The Spirit applies

God’s TRUTHS 


to people's minds to convince them by

FAIR and SUFFICIENT arguments

that they are sinners.

Responding to

that conviction brings

us to


SALVATION


Once we are saved and belong to God, the Spirit takes up residence in our hearts forever, sealing us with the confirming, certifying, and assuring pledge of our eternal state as His children. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever” (John 14:16). The Greek word translated here “Counselor” means “one who is called alongside” and has the idea of someone who encourages and exhorts. The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the hearts of believers (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 12:13). Jesus gave the Spirit as a “compensation” for His absence, to perform the functions toward us that He would have done if He had remained personally with us.

Among those functions is that of revealer of truth. The Spirit’s presence within us enables us to understand and interpret God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that “when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). He reveals to our minds the whole counsel of God as it relates to worship, doctrine, and Christian living. He is the ultimate guide, going before, leading the way, removing obstructions, opening the understanding, and making all things plain and clear. He leads in the way we should go in all spiritual things. Without such a guide, we would be apt to fall into error. A crucial part of the truth He reveals is that Jesus is who He said He is (John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:3). The Spirit convinces us of Christ’s deity and incarnation, His being the Messiah, His suffering and death, His resurrection and ascension, His exaltation at the right hand of God, and His role as the judge of all. He gives glory to Christ in all things (John 16:14).

Another one of the Holy Spirit’s roles is that of gift-giver. First Corinthians 12 describes the spiritual gifts given to believers in order that we may function as the body of Christ on earth. All these gifts, both great and small, are given by the Spirit so that we may be His ambassadors to the world, showing forth His grace and glorifying Him.

The Spirit also functions as fruit-producer in our lives. When He indwells us, He begins the work of harvesting His fruit in our lives—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). These are not works of our flesh, which is incapable of producing such fruit, but they are products of the Spirit’s presence in our lives.

The knowledge that the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence in our lives, that He performs all these miraculous functions, that He dwells with us forever, and that He will never leave or forsake us is cause for great joy and comfort.


Thank God

for this precious gift—the


Holy Spirit

and

His work in our lives!




Fish Gate

 (AKA Ephraim Gate): Northwest, just northwest of the temple. The main entrance for fish mongers from the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The Fish Gate was one of Jerusalem’s main entrances. King Manasseh had built it after God sent the Assyrians to capture him and teach him humility (2 Chronicles 33:14). Nehemiah had the sons of Hassenaah rebuild it (Nehemiah 3:3). Zephaniah prophesied that a cry will come from the Fish Gate on the Day of the Lord (Zephaniah 1:10).


Valley Gate:

West central, south of the present wall of Old City. The gate that Nehemiah used when he did his inspection of the walls (Nehemiah 2:13, 15).


Dung Gate

 (AKA Potsherd Gate?): Very southern tip, facing southwest.

There was a walled section around the Pool of Shelah

(or Siloam, John 9:6–7), then the Dung Gate

(Nehemiah 3:13–14)

exited out to a garbage dump

in the Hinnom Valley where, in the days of King Manasseh,

child sacrifices took place (2 Chronicles 33:6).

One of two great choirs went to the Dung Gate during
the dedication of the wall

(Nehemiah 12:31).


The wall around Jerusalem during the time of the New Testament was probably the biggest that ever existed.

Because of that, these gates are even more difficult to locate.

Essene Gate: The Essene Gate was on the wall that existed in Jesus’ time, south and a bit west of the present-day Zion Gate. Appropriately enough, it was the gate through the wall that led to the Essene section of the city. This south wall was mentioned by Josephus but was destroyed by the

Romans in AD 70 and never rebuilt.


Beautiful Gate

 (AKA Nicanor Gate):

An entrance to the temple courtyard built by
Herod the Great of polished bronze.

The place where Peter and John healed a lame man

(Acts 3:10). Note, this is not a gate in the city walls.


East Gate

 (AKA Beautiful Gate or Golden Gate):

Jesus apparently entered this gate

on Palm Sunday before

He drove out the merchants in the temple courtyard

(Matthew 21:12–17)


Jesus had entered Jerusalem

a day earlier amid the praise and worship

of the Jewish people

who were looking to Him as the King/Messiah

who was going to deliver them from

Roman occupation


(Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11).

Now, the next day, Jesus is again on

His way to Jerusalem from where He was staying in Bethany.

On His way, both

Matthew and Mark record that


He was hungry and saw a fig tree

in the

distance that had leaves on it

(Mark 11:13).


Upon coming to the tree

expecting

to find something to eat,


Jesus instead discovered that


The fig tree

had NO fruit on it and cursed the

tree saying,


“May no fruit ever come from you again!”



(Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:14).

Matthew records the

cursing and the withering

of the fig tree all in one account

and includes it after the account of


Jesus cleansing the Temple


of the


moneychangers.


Mark explains that it actually took place over two days, with Jesus cursing the fig tree the first day on the way to cleanse the Temple, and the disciples seeing the tree withered on the second day when they were again going to Jerusalem from Bethany (Mark 11:12-14 and Mark 11:19-20). Of course, upon seeing the tree “withered from the roots up,” the disciples were amazed, as that would have normally taken several weeks.


​He overturned the tables

of the

money changers and the benches of

those

selling doves


“It is written,” 

he said to them, 

“‘My house will be called a

house of prayer,’ 

but

you are making it ‘


a


WOLF den of robbers.’”  

Matthew 21:12-13 NIV

Having reviewed the general chronological setting of the story, we can begin to answer some of many questions that are often asked of it. First of all is the question,

Why did Jesus curse the fig tree if it was


Not the Right SEASON


for figs?


The answer to this question can be determined by studying the characteristics of fig trees. The fruit of the fig tree generally appears before the leaves, and, because the fruit is green it blends in with the leaves right up until it is almost ripe. Therefore, when Jesus and His disciples saw from a distance that the tree had leaves, they would have expected it to also have fruit on it even though it was earlier in the season than what would be normal for a fig tree to be bearing fruit. Also, each tree would often produce two to three crops of figs each season. There would be an early crop in the spring followed by one or two later crops. In some parts of Israel, depending on climate and conditions, it was also possible that a tree might produce fruit ten out of twelve months. This also explains why Jesus and His disciples would be looking for fruit on the fig tree even if it was not in the main growing season.

The fact that the tree already had leaves on it even though it was at a higher elevation around Jerusalem, and therefore would have been outside the normal season for figs, would have seemed to be a good indication that there would also be fruit on it.

As to the significance of this passage and what it means, the answer to that is again found in the chronological setting and in understanding how a fig tree is often used symbolically to represent Israel in the Scriptures. First of all, chronologically, Jesus had just arrived at Jerusalem amid great fanfare and great expectations, but then proceeds to cleanse the Temple and curse the barren fig tree. Both had significance as to the spiritual condition of Israel. With His cleansing of the Temple and His criticism of the worship that was going on there (Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17), Jesus was effectively denouncing Israel’s worship of God. With the cursing of the fig tree, He was symbolically denouncing Israel as a nation and, in a sense, even denouncing unfruitful “Christians” (that is, people who profess to be Christian but have no evidence of a relationship with Christ).

The presence of a fruitful fig tree was considered to be a symbol of blessing and prosperity for the nation of Israel. Likewise, the absence or death of a fig tree would symbolize judgment and rejection. Symbolically, the fig tree represented the spiritual deadness of Israel, who while very religious outwardly with all the sacrifices and ceremonies, were spiritually barren because of their sins. By cleansing the Temple and cursing the fig tree, causing it to wither and die, Jesus was pronouncing His coming judgment of Israel and demonstrating His power to carry it out. It also teaches the principle that religious profession and observance are not enough to guarantee salvation, unless there is the fruit of genuine salvation evidenced in the life of the person. James would later echo this truth when he wrote that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). The lesson of the fig tree is that we should bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23), not just give an appearance of religiosity. God judges fruitlessness, and expects that those who have a relationship with Him will “bear much fruit” (John 15:5-8).



Jerusalem Old City

The walls around Jerusalem have been torn down, built up,

and moved many times. In AD 70,

they were destroyed by the Romans,

and in 1033 by an earthquake.

The walls as we see them today were built in the 1500s.

Viewed from above, they look like a rough parallelogram

sloping from northeast to southwest.


Genesis 19:17. But Lot's wife looked back

 and became a pillar of salt. 

The pillar of salt named Lot's Wife is found on Mount Sodom,

near the southwestern part of the Dead Sea in Israel.

Mount Sodom is composed almost entirely of halite or rock salt,

the mineral form of sodium chloride.

​In recent times the Dead Sea has been shrinking

because its waters are evaporating faster than the

inflow from the Jordan

and other streams can replenish. In the last

40 years or so,

the sea has lost about 30 percent of its

area and has divided into two basins.


The shallow

southern basin is used

primarily for the

mining of

Dead Sea minerals.


​Jesus uses the phrase “living water” in two instances in the Bible.

The first instance is found in John chapter 4. Jesus was tired and sat at a well while His disciples went into town to buy food. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus asked her for a drink. The Samaritan woman was quite shocked because Jesus was a Jew, and Jews simply hated the Samaritans. Of course, she had no idea who Jesus was and asked Him how He could ask her for water since He was a Jew.

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). Notice that He does not say that He is the living water, but that He would give living water to her, and when she received it, she would never thirst again. Of course, that does not tell us what the living water is! For that, we must go to another passage of Scripture. In this case, Jesus is in the temple surrounded by a throng of worshipers. He suddenly cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37–39, emphasis added).

Here Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the living water.

External influence of the Spirit had always been given in the conversion and sanctification of the Old Testament saints and prophets, but the gift of the Spirit who would indwell believers had not yet been received (Acts 10:44–45). So, though many people say that Jesus is the living water, Jesus Himself intended the phrase to mean the Holy Spirit who dwells in believers and seals them for salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14). It is the ministry of the Spirit, flowing out of a heart redeemed by God, that blesses believers and, through them, brings life and light to the world.


The name Faithful and True expresses the

total trustworthiness, reliability, and constancy of Jesus Christ.

The title reveals His character and makes known His words and works.

In Revelation 19:11, John sees a vision of Jesus as the exalted King of kings leaving heaven to return to earth: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.” This picture of Christ’s second coming at the end of the age shows Jesus no longer as the peaceful, humble servant riding on a lowly donkey (John 12:12–15). Now He is the victorious King, charging forth like a conquering war general, leading His troops into battle (Revelation 19:14).

In this vivid portrayal, John identifies Jesus by four different titles, beginning with Faithful and True. It is the first and only time this name of Jesus appears in Scripture. The second title is unknown to us (Revelation 19:12); the third is the Word of God (verse 13); the fourth is King of kings and Lord of lords (verse 16).

The word for “Faithful” in the original language means “characterized by steadfast affection or allegiance,” and the word translated “True” means “truthful or characterized by expressing the truth.” The nature of Jesus Christ—His whole being—exudes faithfulness and truth. Earlier, in Revelation 3:14, Jesus called Himself the “faithful and true witness” in His letter to the church in Laodicea. Faithful and True is who Jesus Christ is.

In His first coming to earth, Jesus proved Himself to be faithful to the mission and will of God His Father: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4; see also John 5:30; Hebrews 3:6; Luke 4:43). Never once did the Lord give in to the temptation to sin (Hebrews 4:15–16), from the time Satan tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13; Luke 4:1–13) until His death on the cross (Matthew 16:21–23; 26:36–44; Mark 8:31–33; 14:32–42; Luke 22:40–46).

From the day Isaiah foretold His coming, Christ’s faithfulness was known (Isaiah 11:5; 42:3). As a young man (Luke 2:49) and throughout His ministry, Jesus was a faithful and obedient servant to His Father God (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29; 12:27; 14:31). Jesus is consistently the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Others will wear out, change, or perish, but Jesus Christ remains the same for all eternity (Hebrews 1:11–12).

Jesus, who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life,” is the very embodiment of truth (John 14:6). He came from His Father “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). And His promise of eternal life is true: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24, ESV; see also John 6:47).

Because of the fidelity inherent in His character, Jesus is faithful toward His followers in every circumstance. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself,” declares 2 Timothy 2:13 (see also Matthew 28:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 10:23).

Faithful and True is a fitting title for Jesus Christ our King, and He calls His followers to emulate His faithfulness and truth (Revelation 14:12; Hebrews 10:23). The entire book of Revelation conveys a message to the church of Jesus Christ to be faithful and true, just as He is Faithful and True.

In Revelation 19:11, when John sees the gates of heaven open, the One who has been Faithful and True from ages past appears at the end of time to wage His final battle. Jesus Christ comes with justice to judge and wage war, and He will triumph over the enemies of God!

The outcome is sure because He is Faithful and True.

He will do what He has promised to do. He shall defeat the devil once and for all. He will destroy the power of death, wiping away every sorrow, tear, and pain from the hearts of His devoted followers

(Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:14).
​
The story of the woman caught in adultery is found in John 8:1–11.

Briefly, the story involves the scribes and Pharisees who, in their continuing efforts to trick Jesus into saying something they could hold against Him, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They reminded Him that the Mosaic Law demanded her to be stoned to death. “But what do you say?” they asked Him. At this point, Jesus stooped down and starting writing something in the dirt. When He straightened up, He said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). Then He stooped down and wrote again. One by one, the people left (verses 8–9).

The Jewish leaders had already disregarded the Law by arresting the woman without the man. The Law required that both parties to adultery be stoned (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). The leaders were using the woman as a trap so they could trick Jesus. If Jesus said the woman should not be stoned, they would accuse him of violating Moses’ Law.

If He urged them to execute her, they would report Him to the Romans, who did not permit the Jews to carry out their own executions

(John 18:31).

There is a lot of speculation about what Jesus was writing, including the idea that He was writing a list of the sins committed by each of the Jewish leaders present. Another theory is that, since the woman was “caught in the act” of adultery, perhaps she was naked, and Jesus was writing in the dirt to avert His eyes from seeing the naked woman. Both of these ideas are possible, but there is no way to know for certain.

The point of the passage is not what was being written in the dirt,

but rather that

hypocrisy in judging others is forbidden


Because Jesus upheld the

legal penalty for adultery—stoning--

He could not be

accused of being against the Law.


But by saying that

only a sinless

person could throw the

first stone,


He highlighted the fact that

no one is without sin

and the


 importance of compassion and forgiveness
​

By Steven LambertIn 1984

​I published my book, 


The Mystery of the Kingdom.


The article that follows is an excerpt from that book. I could not have known when I wrote the book just how applicable and prophetic some of what I wrote in the book would be all these years later.

With the proliferation and profusion of hyper-grace and antinomian teachings, the topic of this excerpt is particularly vital in this hour.

Sadly, so many believers today hold the view that because they identify as Christians they are and will be subject to virtually or literally no kind of judgment whatsover. It has been disturbing and disappointing to me to learn over time that many in the Pentecostal and Charismatic streams have adopted this mindset as well. They have been indoctrinated with these utterly false, unscriptural, and demonically-inspired notions. In the case of some of these purporting believers, these “doctrines of demons” that are invented and promulgated by “deceiving spirits,” as Scripture foretells, have been seared into their conscience as with a branding iron (1 Tim. 4:1-2), meaning that without miraculous intervention from God (i.e., deliverance), these victims of deception will ultimately, upon their physical death, receive “the shock of their lives” as they are instantaneously confronted with “the One who has been appointed by God as the judge of the living and the dead,” (Acts 10:42),

namely the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Apostle Paul premised his solemn charge to Timothy to “preach the word” on this irrefutable fact of Christ’s judgment: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:1).

The Apostle Peter declared that the mocking of the genuinely obedient righteous by intemperate “Christians in name only” will be met with having to account to the ultimate Judge: “but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).

Among the culminating verses of the Bible is Jesus’ personal admonition:
“”Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward (lit., wages, compensation, recompense) is with Me, 

to render to every man according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12).

There are so many Scripture passages unequivocally citing the pending judgment of God of every person who has ever lived that recounting them all would require a book (many exist already). Suffice it to say, the concept of ultimate judgment is a constant underlying theme of the Word of God as a whole, and that the Good News is good news because it broadcasts the exclusive means God has ordained and offered to “whosoever will” to escape the everlasting horrors of certain eternal judgment.

Jesus indicated in His explanation of the meaning of the parable that The Parable of the Sower was the paramount parable that contained the essence of the key to understanding all the parables: “Then He said to them, “

Do you not understand this parable?

How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables?”

(Mark 4:13, AMP).

Indeed, within this one remarkably ingenious parable is an allegorical revelation, in capsulated form, of the essence of “the mystery of the kingdom,” that is, the “secret” of how the Kingdom of God operates and is formed, or reproduced, in the hearts and lives of believers. No other single passage of Scripture so effectively captures and depicts all that is involved in believers bringing forth the fruit of the Kingdom and Life of God in this world.
The Parable of the Sower is paradoxically simple, yet profound. Its meaning is uncomplicated and easily understood. Nevertheless, its import and scope are profound, revealing divine understanding concerning the most vital and essential elements of the Gospel of the Kingdom. As is the entirety of Scripture, the Parable of the Sower is like the proverbial onion—made up of layer after layer of revelation knowledge—and until perfect knowledge is come

(1 Cor. 13:10), no one will fully exhaust its meaning.

In the parable, Jesus delineates four different categories of hearers of the Word of God, which are stereotypical of everyone who has ever heard it. Though each category of hearers heard the Word, it was productive in the lives of only one of the four categories. That is to say that only one category brought forth the fruit that the Word of God is intended and has the innate ability to produce in the lives of earnest and effectual believers. The parable reveals specifically what it was that prevented the first three categories of hearers from bearing the fruit of the Kingdom of God in their own hearts and lives, and what all believers must do to avoid the patterns that produce barrenness.
All things considered, no subject is more central to Christianity, or more vital to Christians. In sum, that is why I wrote the book, The Mystery of the Kingdom, which I commend to every reader and recommend you obtain—and read—a copy for your spiritual enrichment. In my humble, albeit obviously biased opinion, I believe the message of the book is especially relevant and needed by the ekklesia of today.



The Consequences of Barrenness

The Parable of the Sower is all about bringing forth fruit of the Kingdom of God, which is produced by the Seed of the Word of God when it is received in the “good soil” of a heart of yieldedness and obedience. Jesus gave us some tremendously enlightening insight into how this “mystery of the Kingdom” works. Any believer who will follow the procedure outlined in this powerful parable and explained in this book will bring forth fruit of the Kingdom of God in his or her own life. So effectual and infallible is this process that it is one of the few things in existence about which it can be correctly said, it is “guaranteed” to work; not just sometimes, in certain situations, merely for some people, but ALL the time, in ANY situation,

for EVERYONE!

Now that we have dissected Jesus’ paramount parable, examining the salient issues inherent within it, as well as delineated the specifics of the process by which a person can bear Kingdom fruit, one crucial aspect yet remains. I would be wholly remiss and derelict in my commission for writing this book if I ended it without addressing and admonishing regarding the absolute imperativeness of bringing forth the fruit of the Kingdom of God, as well as the sure and inevitable consequences for the failure thereof.

Most people, including the majority of professing Christians, simply do not understand and fully appreciate the imperativeness of bringing forth the fruit of Eternal Life and the Kingdom of God. At best, they seem to be of the mind that bearing fruit is optional, that it is nice if you do, but that it is not really mandatory. Yet, nothing could be further from the Truth. The consequences for not eventually bringing forth fruit of the Kingdom of God, which verify that a person has indeed been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, are extensive and fearsome.

We have already seen in the previous chapter what the Apostle Paul said about the possibility of failing the test (2 Cor. 13:5). A person not competing in accordance with the rules can be disqualified after finishing the race, allegorically speaking (1 Cor. 9:24-27). The rules of the race we are running require the practice of righteousness (1 Cor. 6:9,10, e.g.).

The practice of lawlessness results in disqualification from Eternal Life and being relegated to the unspeakable punishment of eternal death (Rev. 21:8, et al.). As we saw in the previous chapter, in both passages wherein Paul spoke of the “test” believers should give themselves to verify they are bona fide Christians, he used a Greek word connoting being rejected by virtue of not being able to pass the test for quality to describe those who did not meet the criteria. It means to be a “reject,” a “castaway,” a “reprobate.”

Jesus Himself also spoke of such a final judgment of people who have professed to be believers but who demonstrated fruits of unrighteousness (Mat. 7:21-23). He said He would say to such people on the day of judgment, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” These people also broke the rules, practicing “lawlessness,” by violating God’s Laws. They did not bring forth the fruits of righteousness, but rather the deeds of unrighteousness. Thus, they failed the test, and were rejected.

The weight of these Scriptures along with many others indicate the unequivocal and undeniable Truth that all those who do not bear the fruit of righteousness are “excluded from the Life of God” (Eph. 4:18), and will be excluded from Heaven and banished to the eternal fires of “the lake that burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8) for eternal, unending judgment. I fully realize how grave, ominous, and even odious to some such an assessment and statement is, especially to ears that are accustomed only to being tickled by modernistic, so-called “positive preaching” so prevalent today, which denies or ignores the truth of Divine judgment. But, it is nonetheless precisely what the Word of God declares. I did not write the Bible;

God did! I’m just reporting what it says. It is vital that we do not “sugarcoat”

the Word of God, for it is the eternal destiny of us all that is at stake.

John the Baptist certainly did not sugarcoat the Word of God. He unabashedly preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, admonishing it was necessary to “bring forth fruit in keeping with your repentance” (Mat. 3:8). He also made it abundantly clear that bringing forth of such fruit was by no means optional, but rather, failure to bring forth fruit would result in eternal judgment:

And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mat. 3:10)
Jesus also trumpeted forth essentially the same dire and severe warning:
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Mat. 7:19).

He again referred to this same final judgment for not bearing fruit in His discourse regarding the Vine and the Branches:

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

​ (Jn. 15:6)

Just so there is no possibility of misunderstanding, let me state categorically in direct opposition to the ludicrous argumentations made by devoid of the Spirit, purported “theologians” who attempt to “explain away” the matter of Divine retribution and even Hell itself, that all these references of being “thrown into the fire” are metaphorical references to “eternal punishment” (Mat. 25:46) in which those who have been rejected and disqualified from Eternal Life are cast into a very literal “lake of fire,” which is Hell

(Mat. 25:41-46; Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8; et al.).

Judgment Begins with BelieversYou see, nearly two thousand years ago, the Apostle Peter wrote, “It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God” (1 Pet. 4:17). If it was “time for judgment to begin” way back then, it certainly is “high time” now. The rarely understood Truth is that God’s judgment actually begins with the judgment of believers.

Further corroboration of that Truth is found in the message of John The Baptist, who many years before Peter wrote his words, said that God’s winnowing fork was in His hand, and He had already commenced then the process of cleaning out His threshing floor, the end of which will be that “He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Mat. 3:12). That process continues yet today. God is separating the true wheat (i.e., true believers) from the tares (i.e., false brethren) according to their own fruit and deeds. “The end of the age” is quickly closing in upon us, and the fruitless tares are being gathered into piles for burning, while the real grain-bearing wheat is being gathered into the barn (Mat. 13:24-40).

Indeed, judgment has already begun with the household of God, and those who are real wheat are becoming more and more distinguished from those who are mere tares. And, as Jesus said, the true identifier distinguishing the fruit from the tares is the fruit, or produce, of the plant.

Barren Lives

Tares as already mentioned, are virtually identical to true wheat, except that it does not bear any fruit or grain. The barren fig tree, which Jesus cursed when He found it was barren of fruit (Mat. 21:18,19), is another allegory Jesus evoked to exemplify professing Christians whose lives are barren of fruit. It was a hypocritical tree because, though it was the fruit-bearing season and its green leaves portended of fruit, it had none. Jesus discovered the tree was barren when He approached it to pick some figs to satisfy His hunger. The hypocritical barrenness of this tree angered Jesus, and caused Him to curse it, which is to say He pronounced judgment upon it. Matthew recounts the effect was instantaneous, “And at once the fig tree withered.”

Jesus demonstrated in the case of this barren fig tree that He utterly despised hypocrisy. But the story of this fruitless tree is not recorded in Holy Writ merely to testify of Jesus’ disdain of barren fig trees. Rather,


the barren fig tree was emblematic of the lives of barren people,

and the incident appears in Scripture to illustrate Jesus’

abhorrence of the hypocrisy of people who purport to know God,

but whose lives are barren of Kingdom fruit.


Jesus also demonstrated His contempt for hypocrisy

with His utter denunciation of the Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy


(Mat. 23:1-33). Like the fig tree Jesus cursed and the Pharisees He denounced because of their hypocritical barrenness, there will come the day when those who have professed to be believers but failed to bring forth the fruit of Eternal Life will have judgment pronounced upon them. “Hypocrites,” “false brethren,” “tares,” “deceitful workers,” are some of the appellations God, in His Word, attributes to hypocritical people who purport to know and serve Him,

but whose lives are barren of Kingdom fruit.

We have just discussed the actual historical incident involving a barren fig tree. Jesus also illustrated His complete disdain for hypocritical barrenness in a parable of a barren fig tree:
And He began telling this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'” (Lk. 13:6-9)

This parable illustrates the little understood fact that there comes a time when even God Himself will be looking for fruit in a person’s life. The owner of the vineyard, who symbolized God, came looking for fruit on the tree for three consecutive years after it had grown to the fruit-bearing stage. But the tree was barren. The vineyard owner had allowed more than ample time for it to begin bearing fruit, but it continued to be fruitless year after year.
Consequently, the angry owner gave the order for the barren tree to be cut down, so as to no longer take up valuable ground. But the vineyard-keeper, who symbolized ministers, interceded for the fig tree, which represented members of the Body of Christ. He asked the vineyard-owner to allow him to dig up the ground around the tree, which was emblematic of the soil of the believer’s heart, and to put in some fertilizer, symbolizing the Word of God, and allow the tree to remain in the vineyard for one more year. Then, if it still did not bear fruit after that year had passed, the vineyard-keeper would concede and carry out the vineyard-owner’s command to cut it down.
God’s Charge to Fivefold MinistersGod-appointed ministers truly
knowledgeable of their Scriptural responsibilities to the Body of Christ have sometimes found themselves in the unfortunate situation portrayed in this parable. There comes a time when a professing believer who has persisted in bearing no godly fruit but has instead persistently brought forth the fruit of unrighteousness, needs to be reproved, rebuked, and subsequently even removed from the local body of which he is a part if he does not repent. This is the responsibility of the God-appointed shepherds in the Body of Christ.
The Lord is so merciful and forbearing, but after a period of time, God expects believers to begin to bear some fruit consistent with His Life. After what God in His infinite and perfect knowledge considers an ample time for fruit to be brought forth has elapsed, God Himself will “come looking for fruit,” according to Jesus’ parable. When He has come year after year looking for fruit in a person’s life “without finding any,” He may soon give the command to the minister, as He did in this parable to the vineyard-keeper, to “Cut it down!”
Now the initial reaction of a true shepherd who is truly “moved by compassion” to care for the sheep of God’s Flock to God’s command to cut down the tree, will be like that of the vineyard-keeper in the parable. He will be compelled to intercede for the person he has been diligently caring for and in whose spiritual well-being he has invested considerable time and energy. Also, he will beseech the Lord for additional time in order to “dig around,” or plow up the soil of the person’s heart with some forthright reproof and exhortation, as well as to “put in fertilizer” of additional teaching of the Word of God.
And then, if, after an ample period of time to allow for repentance and restoration, the person still does not bear some Kingdom fruit as evidence of being a true child of God, then the shepherd will reluctantly concede and comply with the Lord’s command to remove the offender (1 Cor. 5:13), not from the Kingdom of God, of course, for only God has that power, but from the fellowship of the saints, until such time the offender repents and seeks restoration.

Nevertheless, though human shepherds only remove persistent offenders from the fellowship of other believers (i.e., the local church), those who do not eventually repent from their waywardness will at their final judgment find themselves excluded from eternal fellowship with God as well (Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-6; et al.). The propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ does not extend to those who “go on sinning willfully

AFTER RECEIVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH”

(Heb. 10:22).

God will not forever tolerate persistent willful, sinful conduct by professing believers who have had ample time to repent, but have refused to do so.
There is much Scripture to support this assertion, far too many passages to delineate here, but a prime example that will suffice for our purposes here is the Lord’s condemnation of the church at Thyatira for their continued toleration of immoral and idolatrous activity among their members. Their rebellion was being induced by a rebellious and insubordinate woman, who, in violation of the Lord’s explicit command that women are not permitted to teach or be in authority over men, was both teaching and leading in this church:

But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she

TEACHES AND LEADS

My bondservants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

And I GAVE HER TIME TO REPENT: AND SHE DOES NOT WANT TO REPENT OF HER IMMORALITY.

Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence; and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. (Rev. 2:20-23)

Jesus’ condemnation of the Pergamum church, likewise for immorality and unauthorized teaching, was similar:

But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. (Rev. 2:14-16)
Even now, Jesus, as the Head of the Church, is coming to “make war” with such people who refuse to repent, with “the sword of (His) mouth,” which is the Word of God, spoken through His anointed and appointed ministers. God is going to judge the churches and their shepherds who have tolerated evil members and not removed them as He has commanded (1 Cor. 5:13, et al.). God’s charge to Ezekiel extends unto every shepherd:

Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. When I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die”; and you do not warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, BUT HIS BLOOD I WILL REQUIRE AT YOUR HAND. Yet if you have warned the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. (Ezk. 3:17-19)

The Body of Christ is just going to have to wake up to the harsh and unfortunate realization that not everyone who calls himself a Christian is a true Born Again child of God. Satan has infiltrated our fellowships with his counterfeits, who disguise themselves as “angels of light” (1 Cor. 11:14,15).
There really are “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Mat. 7:15). There really are “castaways” who have been disqualified from the prize (1 Cor. 9:27), and people who have fallen away from the faith to which they once adhered (1 Tim. 4:1). We must realize that these things are true and not merely religious fables or metaphors. Indeed, there really are spiritual frauds like those Jesus described in the parable of the tares, in which He alludes once again to the consequential judgment for barrenness:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and

BROUGHT FORTH FRUIT, THEN APPEARED THE TARES ALSO.

So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in the field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the 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. (Mat. 13:24-30, KJV)

There are several points in this parable relevant to our topic of discussion here. First, He said that it was “while men slept” that the enemy, which was symbolic of Satan, stealthily infiltrated his tares in among the wheat. Some people foolishly contend that we do not need to be concerned with what the devil is doing, and that we should merely ignore him and all his devices. That is “hogwash!” The Bible plainly tells us not to be ignorant of Satan’s schemes (strategic battle plans) “in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan” (2 Cor. 2:11). The Body of Christ needs to wake up and quit sleeping while the enemy uncontestedly infiltrates the Church with hordes of barren frauds.
A second truth Jesus reveals in this parable is that the tares only became evident and distinguishable from the real wheat when the wheat “brought forth fruit,” in contrast to the barrenness of the tares. Tares are useless weeds which look virtually identical to wheat. The only difference is that tares have absolutely no grain, or fruit, on the stalk as does real wheat. Tares are counterfeits. Jesus taught us, “You will know them by their fruits” (Mat. 7:30). Thus, we can distinguish the tares from the

wheat by whether or not there is any fruit.

Tares are the natural enemy of wheat. If allowed to grow unchecked in a field of wheat, tares will either choke out the wheat crop or at the very least seriously impair its yield. So it is also with the false brethren Satan surreptitiously sows in our fellowships, if allowed to grow unchecked, they can bring serious spiritual injury to that body, especially to fledgling and less mature believers.

But, in the end, according to the parable, the true wheat of God’s Field or Kingdom will be separated from the barren tares. The tares will be gathered into piles for burning, and the real wheat will be gathered into God’s barn for eternal fellowship with Jesus.


Jude aptly described these false brethren

with their ungodly,

barren lives, and the judgment that awaits them:


These men are those who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees

WITHOUT FRUIT, DOUBLY DEAD,

uprooted; wild waves of the sea,

casting up their own shame like foam;

wandering stars for whom the black darkness

has been reserved forever. (Jude 12,13)

In the final analysis, bringing forth fruit is what the Parable of the Sower is all about. Jesus reveals in it the step-by-step process believers must follow in order to bring forth the fruit of the Kingdom of God. Moreover, what has been established unequivocally in this chapter is the fact that bearing Godly fruit is an absolute Divine imperative, as well as the incontrovertible fact that the consequences of failure to bear Kingdom-fruit is disqualification from “the race” to attain the prize of Eternal Life and eternal fellowship with God.


The Israelites’ crossing of the Jordan River on dry land was of tremendous significance to the Israelites. Joshua explained the significance of this event before it took place, stating, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap” (Joshua 3:10–13).

Their miraculous crossing affirmed God’s presence with them and

His promise to remove their enemies from the land.

Why did the Israelites build a memorial? Joshua said, “When your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:6–7). The memorial was to serve as a lasting sign of God’s work among the Israelites.

The conclusion of this event offers an additional insight into its significance and the reason for the memorial. Joshua 4:23–24 says, “The Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” First, a comparison is made with the crossing that took place at the Red Sea under the leadership of Moses. This emphasis on God’s miraculous provision was an ongoing sign to the people of Israel.

Second, there was an emphasis on the power of God. The miracle was done “so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful.” No other god could compare in power. The gods of Israel’s enemies were created things that had no ability to move water and provide dry passage across a river.

Third, the result of the miracle was that the Israelites would fear the Lord forever. The idea was that this miracle would leave the people in such awe that they and their descendants would talk about it and live in the fear of God and worship Him as a result.

God showed His power and presence in the crossing of the Jordan, and the memorial set up by His people served as a reminder of His might and why the Israelites should fear the Lord. Both the act and its memorial worked to point to God’s glory, presence, and strength, which would empower the Israelites as they took possession of their land in the days ahead. Still today, a look at this powerful miracle reveals the greatness of God, and our only appropriate response—to worship and serve Him.

​
The twelve gates in Revelation 21 

belong to the New Jerusalem,

which comes down from heaven to the new earth (verse 10), shining with the glory of God (verse 11). John describes the city: “It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel” (verse 12). The gates are miraculous in their construction: “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl” (verse 21). And the gates of the New Jerusalem will never be shut (verse 25).

In order to understand the significance of the twelve gates being inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes, we must look to the beginning of the Old Testament, when God promised a new land and a great nation to Abraham, whose descendants would spread blessing upon all other nations (Genesis 12:1–3). To Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, whom God later named “Israel” (Genesis 32:28), twelve sons were born to establish the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 49). Those twelve tribes escaped slavery in Egypt, inherited the Promised Land (Exodus 6:14; 24:4), received the Law (Exodus 20), and were chosen by God to be His covenant people (Exodus 19:5–6).

During the reign of David, out of all the territories of the tribes of Israel, God chose the city of Jerusalem in Judah as the place where God’s name would rest (2 Chronicles 12:13). Revelation speaks of the New Jerusalem that has been prepared for the reign of the Lamb (Revelation 21:1–3). This New Jerusalem sits on twelve foundations, representing the twelve apostles who would reign over the twelve tribes of Israel (verse 14; cf. Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:30). The gates of the city are symmetrically arranged: “There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west” (Revelation 21:13). Each gate of the New Jerusalem bears the inscription of one of the tribes of Israel, and each gate is guarded by an angel (Revelation 21:12). These angels are there to let in “only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (verse 27).

Many scholars see a link between the New Jerusalem, with its three gates per side, and the city of the millennial kingdom, seen by the prophet Ezekiel: “These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side . . . the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi. On the east side . . . will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan. On the south side . . . will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun. On the west side . . . will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali” (Ezekiel 48:30–34). See also Numbers 2, where God specified that three tribes would encamp on each side of the tent of meeting in the wilderness.

So what are we to make of all this? Let’s break down the description of the gates in Revelation 21 for a more careful look:

The gates of the New Jerusalem are inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel was chosen by God to be a light to all nations (Isaiah 49:5–7; Romans 9:23–25), and God will never revoke Israel’s status as His chosen people (see Romans 11:29). The New Jerusalem thus contains a tribute to the patriarchs of Israel. It also contains a tribute to the apostles (Revelation 21:14), so both Old Testament and New Testament are represented in the city—the New Jerusalem is filled with the elect of God from all eras.

Romans 9 makes a distinction between physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their spiritualdescendants—i.e., those who exercise the same faith in God as the patriarchs did. Just as not all Gentiles come to the light of the world, some Jews choose to live in darkness: “Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. . . . It is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring” (Romans 9:6–8; see also Romans 2:28–29 and John 8:39–47). Those who have faith in Christ are accounted the spiritual seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:29). It will be “true” Israel—those who have trusted in Jesus Christ—that will enter the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is through the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem that the true tribal people—believers of Jewish descent as well as Gentiles who have been “grafted in” with God’s people (Romans 11:17–25)—will enter the joy of the Lord (see Matthew 25:21).

Angels are at the gates of the New Jerusalem. As an angel was sent by God to guard Eden after mankind’s fall (Genesis 3:24), so God has angels guarding the new paradise. Nothing evil or impure will ever enter the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27); the city is reserved for the redeemed of God.

Each gate of the New Jerusalem is made of a single pearl. The richness and supernatural nature of the city is profound. As commentator Charles Ellicott points out, “The pearl was esteemed of the greatest value among the ancients; it is an appropriate emblem of the highest truth. . . . It is the only precious stone which the art and skill of man cannot improve” (Commentary for English Readers, entry for Revelation 21:21). The imagery calls to mind Jesus’ parable of the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45–46). This is the city that is worth more than anything this present world has to offer. Its builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).

The gates of the New Jerusalem never close. There are eternal safety and peace in the New Jerusalem; there are no enemies to shut the gates against. Access to the heavenly kingdom on the new earth is free and unhindered, and “the glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it” (Revelation 21:26). The gates face every direction of the compass, and their perpetual openness invites everyone to partake of the goodness of God’s grace (see Revelation 22:17).


The first mention of Zion in the Bible is 2 Samuel 5:7: “David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.” Zion was originally an ancient Jebusite fortress in the city of Jerusalem. After David’s conquest of the fortress, Jerusalem became a possession of Israel. The royal palace was built there, and Zion/Jerusalem became the seat of power in Israel’s kingdom..

When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the meaning of Zion expanded further to include the temple area (Psalm 2:6; 48:2, 11–12; 132:13). This is the meaning found in the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:6, “Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.” In the Old Testament Zion is used as a name for the city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:9), the land of Judah (Jeremiah 31:12), and the nation of Israel as a whole (Zechariah 9:13).

The word Zion is also used in a theological or spiritual sense in Scripture. In the Old Testament Zion refers figuratively to Israel as the people of God (Isaiah 60:14). In the New Testament, Zion refers to God’s spiritual kingdom. We have not come to Mount Sinai, says the apostle, but “to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22). Peter, quoting Isaiah 28:16, refers to Christ as the Cornerstoneof Zion: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:6).

Mount Zion

as a geographical area is currently the center of much dispute. The Bible is clear that, one day, Zion will be the sole possession of the Lord Jesus, and Zion—the nation and the city—will be restored. “Awake, awake, / Clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion; / Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, / O Jerusalem, the holy city; / For the uncircumcised and the unclean / Will no longer come into you” (Isaiah 52:1). And “the children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; / all who despise you will bow down at your feet / and will call you the City of the LORD, / Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14).


In both of Paul’s citations

of Isaiah 45:23,

he is echoing the truth that there will come a time when

“every knee shall bow

and

every tongue confess”

to

the glory of God.

In the Philippians citation, Paul is declaring the divinity of Jesus when he says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord. This is a clear indication of what will occur at the Second Coming of Christ. During the first advent, Christ came in humiliation and died a humiliating death on the cross for the sins of the world. In His second advent, Christ will come with power as the Conquering King. When that happens, it will be as our Lord Himself predicted in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 25:31–46) and as the vision the apostle John received in Revelation 20:11–15. When the King of kings and the Lord of lords returns to this earth, then will come true what the prophet Isaiah foretold all those years ago: “Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear allegiance.”

The lesson for those living in the “here and now” is that we must heed the warning of the writer of Hebrews who said: “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.” So I declared on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my rest”’” (Hebrews 3:7–11, citing Psalm 95:7–11).

If we have heard and responded to the gospel, then we must live each day in light of its truth, shining the light of Christ into a dark world. Those who have not responded to the gospel are exhorted to respond today and not harden the heart. It is appointed for each of us to die once and then to face the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Those who have responded to the gospel with faith and repentance will do so gladly and willingly. Those who have hardened their hearts to the call of the gospel will do so with great fear and trembling.



Hosea 4:11 (ESV)whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding.
Luke 5:37 (ESV)And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.
Luke 5:38 (ESV)But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.
Luke 5:39 (ESV)And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
Acts 2:13 (ESV)But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Mark 2:22 (ESV)And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”
Matthew 9:17 (ESV)Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”
Hosea 9:2 (ESV)Threshing floor and wine vat shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail them.
Zechariah 9:17 (ESV)For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.
Haggai 1:11 (ESV)And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”
Isaiah 65:8 (ESV)Thus says the Lord : “As the new wine is found in the cluster, and they say, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,’ so I will do for my servants’ sake, and not destroy them all.
Isaiah 24:7 (ESV)The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.
Proverbs 3:10 (ESV)then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Joel 1:10 (ESV)The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes.
Nehemiah 13:12 (ESV)Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses.
Joel 2:19 (ESV)The Lord answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.
Joel 2:24 (ESV)“The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
Deuteronomy 18:4 (ESV)The firstfruits of your grain, of your wine and of your oil, and the first fleece of your sheep, you shall give him.
Genesis 27:28 (ESV)May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
Hosea 2:22 (ESV)and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel,
Deuteronomy 33:28 (ESV)So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew.
Deuteronomy 11:14 (ESV)he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.
Psalm 4:7 (ESV)You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
Hosea 7:14 (ESV)They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me.
2 Chronicles 32:28 (ESV)storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds.

​
Numbers 18:12 (ESV)All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the Lord , I give to you.
Numbers 18:27 (ESV)And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.
Nehemiah 5:11 (ESV)Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.”
Isaiah 36:17 (ESV)until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Hosea 2:8 (ESV)And she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.
Hosea 2:9 (ESV)Therefore I will take back my grain in its time, and my wine in its season, and I will take away my wool and my flax, which were to cover her nakedness.
Joel 1:5 (ESV)Awake, you drunkards, and weep, and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it is cut off from your mouth.
Isaiah 62:8 (ESV)The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored;
Deuteronomy 28:51 (ESV)It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
Nehemiah 10:37 (ESV)and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor.
Nehemiah 10:39 (ESV)For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the house of our God.”
Deuteronomy 14:23 (ESV)And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
Deuteronomy 12:17 (ESV)You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present,
Judges 9:13 (ESV)But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’
Nehemiah 13:5 (ESV)prepared for Tobiah a large chamber where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.
2 Chronicles 31:5 (ESV)As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.
Genesis 27:37 (ESV)Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?”
Deuteronomy 7:13 (ESV)He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.
Jeremiah 31:12 (ESV)They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord , over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.
2 Kings 18:32 (ESV)until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die. And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, “The Lord will deliver us.”
Joel 3:18 (ESV)“And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim.
Job 32:19 (ESV)Behold, my belly is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins ready to burst.
Mark 14:25 (ESV)Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 26:29 (ESV)I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Isaiah 49:26 (ESV)I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”



Micah 6:15 (ESV)You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.
Amos 9:13 (ESV)“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord , “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.
Psalm 4:8 (ESV)In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord , make me dwell in safety.
Song of Solomon 8:2 (ESV)I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother— she who used to teach me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranate.
2 Chronicles 31:6 (ESV)And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the dedicated things that had been dedicated to the Lord their God, and laid them in heaps.
2 Chronicles 31:7 (ESV)In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.
Hosea 2:11 (ESV)And I will put an end to all her mirth, her feasts, her new moons, her Sabbaths, and all her appointed feasts.
Deuteronomy 12:16 (ESV)Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water.
Deuteronomy 12:18 (ESV)but you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place that the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake.
Deuteronomy 7:14 (ESV)You shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock.
Deuteronomy 7:15 (ESV)And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you, but he will lay them on all who hate you.
Nehemiah 13:4 (ESV)Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was related to Tobiah,
Nehemiah 5:10 (ESV)Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest.
2 Chronicles 32:27 (ESV)And Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly vessels;
2 Chronicles 32:29 (ESV)He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions.
2 Chronicles 32:30 (ESV)This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.
2 Chronicles 32:31 (ESV)And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.
Deuteronomy 14:26 (ESV)and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.
Numbers 18:11 (ESV)This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
Numbers 18:13 (ESV)The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord , shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
Nehemiah 10:38 (ESV)And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
Joshua 9:13 (ESV)These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.”
Luke 22:20 (ESV)And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Numbers 28:14 (ESV)Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram, and a quarter of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year.
Proverbs 23:30 (ESV)Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine.



1 Corinthians 11:25 (ESV)In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Luke 5:36 (ESV)He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.
Ezekiel 45:17 (ESV)It shall be the prince’s duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
Mark 14:23 (ESV)And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.
Mark 14:24 (ESV)And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Matthew 26:27 (ESV)And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,
Matthew 26:28 (ESV)for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Numbers 29:6 (ESV)besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord .
1 Timothy 3:3 (ESV)not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
1 Timothy 3:6 (ESV)He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
John 19:30 (ESV)When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Nehemiah 2:1 (ESV)In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
Isaiah 5:11 (ESV)Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!
Zephaniah 1:13 (ESV)Their goods shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them.”
John 2:9 (ESV)When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom
Zechariah 10:7 (ESV)Then Ephraim shall become like a mighty warrior, and their hearts shall be glad as with wine. Their children shall see it and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord .
Genesis 9:20 (ESV)Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.
2 Samuel 16:2 (ESV)And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.”
Matthew 9:16 (ESV)No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.
Mark 2:21 (ESV)No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
Proverbs 23:29 (ESV)Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
2 Kings 16:13 (ESV)and burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.
2 Kings 16:15 (ESV)And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, “On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, but the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.”
Isaiah 65:21 (ESV)They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
1 Samuel 16:20 (ESV)And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.



Numbers 6:3 (ESV)he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
Isaiah 57:6 (ESV)Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things?
Leviticus 23:14 (ESV)And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
Leviticus 23:18 (ESV)And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord , with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord .
Judges 19:19 (ESV)We have straw and feed for our donkeys, with bread and wine for me and your female servant and the young man with your servants. There is no lack of anything.”
Genesis 19:32 (ESV)Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”
Genesis 19:34 (ESV)The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”
Numbers 28:10 (ESV)this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
Zephaniah 1:10 (ESV)“On that day,” declares the Lord , “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.
1 Chronicles 9:32 (ESV)Also some of their kinsmen of the Kohathites had charge of the showbread, to prepare it every Sabbath.
1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV)For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
2 Chronicles 2:10 (ESV)I will give for your servants, the woodsmen who cut timber, 20,000 cors of crushed wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of oil.”
Song of Solomon 2:5 (ESV)Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love.
Esther 3:7 (ESV)In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
1 Samuel 1:24 (ESV)And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young.
Isaiah 65:22 (ESV)They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
1 Timothy 3:1 (ESV)The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
1 Timothy 3:4 (ESV)He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
1 Timothy 3:5 (ESV)for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
Isaiah 16:8 (ESV)For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have struck down its branches, which reached to Jazer and strayed to the desert; its shoots spread abroad and passed over the sea.
Genesis 9:21 (ESV)He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.
Ezra 6:9 (ESV)And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail,
1 Samuel 10:3 (ESV)Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.
Isaiah 5:17 (ESV)Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture, and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich.
Jeremiah 48:11 (ESV)“Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed.



Matthew 26:26 (ESV)Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
Daniel 1:5 (ESV)The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king.
Amos 5:11 (ESV)Therefore because you trample on the poor and you exact taxes of grain from him, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
Lamentations 1:15 (ESV)“The Lord rejected all my mighty men in my midst; he summoned an assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.
Joel 1:9 (ESV)The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord . The priests mourn, the ministers of the Lord .
Joel 3:3 (ESV)and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.
Joel 3:13 (ESV)Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.
Song of Solomon 1:4 (ESV)Draw me after you; let us run. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you.
Genesis 49:11 (ESV)Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
Song of Solomon 7:3 (ESV)Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.
1 Timothy 5:22 (ESV)Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
2 Chronicles 2:15 (ESV)Now therefore the wheat and barley, oil and wine, of which my lord has spoken, let him send to his servants.
Isaiah 5:2 (ESV)He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.
Revelation 14:19 (ESV)So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
2 Samuel 13:28 (ESV)Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.”
Amos 2:12 (ESV)“But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
Deuteronomy 32:14 (ESV)Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.
1 Timothy 3:7 (ESV)Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Judges 13:4 (ESV)Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean,
Numbers 15:5 (ESV)and you shall offer with the burnt offering, or for the sacrifice, a quarter of a hin of wine for the drink offering for each lamb.
Jeremiah 40:12 (ESV)then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.
2 Samuel 16:1 (ESV)When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine.
Hosea 2:10 (ESV)Now I will uncover her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one shall rescue her out of my hand.
Habakkuk 2:15 (ESV)“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!
Psalm 104:15 (ESV)and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.



Hosea 14:7 (ESV)They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
Job 1:18 (ESV)While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
Hosea 2:5 (ESV)For their mother has played the whore; she who conceived them has acted shamefully. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.’
Hosea 2:13 (ESV)And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals when she burned offerings to them and adorned herself with her ring and jewelry, and went after her lovers and forgot me, declares the Lord .
Joel 2:22 (ESV)Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
1 Timothy 3:2 (ESV)Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Proverbs 9:2 (ESV)She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table.
Proverbs 9:5 (ESV)“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Proverbs 9:6 (ESV)Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
Song of Solomon 1:2 (ESV)Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine;
Song of Solomon 1:3 (ESV)your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you.
Judges 13:7 (ESV)but he said to me, ‘Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.’”
Jeremiah 35:14 (ESV)The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me.
Genesis 49:12 (ESV)His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
Numbers 15:10 (ESV)And you shall offer for the drink offering half a hin of wine, as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord .
Numbers 15:24 (ESV)then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord , with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering.
Zechariah 9:15 (ESV)The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl, drenched like the corners of the altar.
Numbers 29:15 (ESV)and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs;
Lamentations 4:21 (ESV)Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz; but to you also the cup shall pass; you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.
Exodus 22:29 (ESV)“You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.
Leviticus 23:13 (ESV)And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin.
Deuteronomy 20:6 (ESV)And is there any man who has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed its fruit? Let him go back to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man enjoy its fruit.
Song of Solomon 2:4 (ESV)He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
2 Chronicles 2:9 (ESV)to prepare timber for me in abundance, for the house I am to build will be great and wonderful.
Job 24:11 (ESV)among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil; they tread the winepresses, but suffer thirst.



Hosea 2:3 (ESV)lest I strip her naked and make her as in the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and make her like a parched land, and kill her with thirst.
Genesis 40:23 (ESV)Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
Genesis 9:24 (ESV)When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him,
Deuteronomy 16:13 (ESV)“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress.
Deuteronomy 16:14 (ESV)You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns.
Song of Solomon 7:2 (ESV)Your navel is a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a heap of wheat, encircled with lilies.
Song of Solomon 7:9 (ESV)and your mouth like the best wine. It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth.
Nehemiah 5:18 (ESV)Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people.
Titus 2:3 (ESV)Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,
Jeremiah 31:11 (ESV)For the Lord has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
Daniel 10:3 (ESV)I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
Isaiah 25:6 (ESV)On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
Numbers 28:15 (ESV)Also one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord ; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.
Judges 7:25 (ESV)And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.
Psalm 104:21 (ESV)The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
Ezra 7:17 (ESV)With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy 29:6 (ESV)You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.
Song of Solomon 4:10 (ESV)How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
Amos 9:14 (ESV)I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
Judges 13:5 (ESV)for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 1:15 (ESV)But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord .
1 Samuel 1:25 (ESV)Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.
Proverbs 3:8 (ESV)It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Numbers 15:4 (ESV)then he who brings his offering shall offer to the Lord a grain offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil;
Genesis 41:9 (ESV)Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today.



Proverbs 9:1 (ESV)Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.
Proverbs 9:3 (ESV)She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town,
Jeremiah 13:14 (ESV)And I will dash them one against another, fathers and sons together, declares the Lord . I will not pity or spare or have compassion, that I should not destroy them.’”
Deuteronomy 28:50 (ESV)a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young.
1 Samuel 25:9 (ESV)When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.
1 Samuel 25:18 (ESV)Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
Ecclesiastes 2:3 (ESV)I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
Judges 9:27 (ESV)And they went out into the field and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and reviled Abimelech.
Jeremiah 51:6 (ESV)“Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the Lord ’s vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her.
Nehemiah 5:15 (ESV)The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
Genesis 9:22 (ESV)And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.
Genesis 49:9 (ESV)Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
Jeremiah 48:12 (ESV)“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord , when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces.
Song of Solomon 4:15 (ESV)a garden fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon.
Song of Solomon 7:6 (ESV)How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights!
Song of Solomon 7:7 (ESV)Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters.
Hosea 2:4 (ESV)Upon her children also I will have no mercy, because they are children of whoredom.
Daniel 1:4 (ESV)youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
Daniel 1:10 (ESV)and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.”
Esther 8:17 (ESV)And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.
Numbers 28:13 (ESV)and a tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for every lamb; for a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord .
Zephaniah 1:11 (ESV)Wail, O inhabitants of the Mortar! For all the traders are no more; all who weigh out silver are cut off.
Numbers 15:8 (ESV)And when you offer a bull as a burnt offering or sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or for peace offerings to the Lord ,
1 Samuel 1:11 (ESV)And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.”
Jeremiah 31:13 (ESV)Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.



1 Samuel 25:11 (ESV)Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”
1 Samuel 25:19 (ESV)And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
Proverbs 23:35 (ESV)“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.”
2 Chronicles 2:8 (ESV)Send me also cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, for I know that your servants know how to cut timber in Lebanon. And my servants will be with your servants,
2 Chronicles 2:16 (ESV)And we will cut whatever timber you need from Lebanon and bring it to you in rafts by sea to Joppa, so that you may take it up to Jerusalem.”
Isaiah 10:33 (ESV)Behold, the Lord God of hosts will lop the boughs with terrifying power; the great in height will be hewn down, and the lofty will be brought low.
Exodus 25:30 (ESV)And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.
Jeremiah 13:13 (ESV)Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord : Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 35:12 (ESV)Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:
Esther 9:22 (ESV)as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
Deuteronomy 32:11 (ESV)Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions,
Judges 19:4 (ESV)And his father-in-law, the girl’s father, made him stay, and he remained with him three days. So they ate and drank and spent the night there.
Song of Solomon 7:1 (ESV)How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O noble daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master hand.
Song of Solomon 7:4 (ESV)Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus.
Micah 2:8 (ESV)But lately my people have risen up as an enemy; you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.
Micah 2:10 (ESV)Arise and go, for this is no place to rest, because of uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.
Leviticus 23:9 (ESV)And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Jeremiah 31:14 (ESV)I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the Lord .”
Numbers 15:9 (ESV)then one shall offer with the bull a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with half a hin of oil.
Judges 13:3 (ESV)And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
Numbers 28:8 (ESV)The other lamb you shall offer at twilight. Like the grain offering of the morning, and like its drink offering, you shall offer it as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord .
Numbers 28:12 (ESV)also three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull, and two tenths of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram;
Joel 1:13 (ESV)Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.
Genesis 9:23 (ESV)Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
Joel 3:1 (ESV)“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

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Acts 2:15 (ESV)For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
Micah 2:9 (ESV)The women of my people you drive out from their delightful houses; from their young children you take away my splendor forever.
Hosea 14:8 (ESV)O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.
Numbers 6:15 (ESV)and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings.
Daniel 1:3 (ESV)Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility,
Deuteronomy 32:12 (ESV)the Lord alone guided him, no foreign god was with him.
Esther 3:15 (ESV)The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.
Proverbs 9:4 (ESV)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says,
Nehemiah 2:2 (ESV)And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
Ezra 3:7 (ESV)So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
Joel 2:23 (ESV)“Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before.
Song of Solomon 4:12 (ESV)A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed.
Song of Solomon 4:13 (ESV)Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard,
Luke 12:45 (ESV)But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
1 Samuel 25:10 (ESV)And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.
Numbers 29:16 (ESV)also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.
Habakkuk 2:16 (ESV)You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the Lord ’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!
Amos 2:7 (ESV)those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same girl, so that my holy name is profaned;
Hosea 2:6 (ESV)Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths.
Hosea 2:12 (ESV)And I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, of which she said, ‘These are my wages, which my lovers have given me.’ I will make them a forest, and the beasts of the field shall devour them.
Song of Solomon 1:5 (ESV)I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
Psalm 104:22 (ESV)When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens.
Psalm 68:13 (ESV)though you men lie among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold.
Jeremiah 51:8 (ESV)Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; wail for her! Take balm for her pain; perhaps she may be healed.
Deuteronomy 12:8 (ESV)“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes,

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Psalm 104:16 (ESV)The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
Psalm 104:17 (ESV)In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees.
Psalm 104:18 (ESV)The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.
Psalm 104:19 (ESV)He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
Psalm 104:20 (ESV)You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
Psalm 104:23 (ESV)Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening.
Song of Solomon 7:5 (ESV)Your head crowns you like Carmel, and your flowing locks are like purple; a king is held captive in the tresses.
Song of Solomon 7:8 (ESV)I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit. Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of your breath like apples,
Numbers 28:9 (ESV)“On the Sabbath day, two male lambs a year old without blemish, and two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, and its drink offering:
Numbers 29:11 (ESV)also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the sin offering of atonement, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
Numbers 29:18 (ESV)with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities;
Deuteronomy 16:15 (ESV)For seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.
Amos 5:10 (ESV)They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.
Hosea 2:7 (ESV)She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’
Jeremiah 32:29 (ESV)The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
Jeremiah 25:30 (ESV)“You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: “‘The Lord will roar from on high, and from his holy habitation utter his voice; he will roar mightily against his fold, and shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Joel 2:21 (ESV)“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!
Matthew 23:24 (ESV)You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
1 Samuel 10:4 (ESV)And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand.
Genesis 49:8 (ESV)“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
Genesis 49:10 (ESV)The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Psalm 80:1 (ESV)Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Song of Solomon 4:8 (ESV)Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards.
Revelation 14:18 (ESV)And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.”
Amos 9:15 (ESV)I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God.



Jeremiah 48:26 (ESV)“Make him drunk, because he magnified himself against the Lord , so that Moab shall wallow in his vomit, and he too shall be held in derision.
Jeremiah 48:27 (ESV)Was not Israel a derision to you? Was he found among thieves, that whenever you spoke of him you wagged your head?
Leviticus 23:10 (ESV)“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest,
Leviticus 23:11 (ESV)and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord , so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.
Leviticus 23:12 (ESV)And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord .
Ezra 6:10 (ESV)that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
Jeremiah 25:26 (ESV)all the kings of the north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of Babylon shall drink.
Deuteronomy 33:27 (ESV)The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’
Hosea 2:2 (ESV)“Plead with your mother, plead— for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband— that she put away her whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts;
Numbers 6:19 (ESV)And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration,
Numbers 29:19 (ESV)also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
Isaiah 25:7 (ESV)And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
Song of Solomon 4:14 (ESV)nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all choice spices--
2 Chronicles 2:5 (ESV)The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
2 Chronicles 2:7 (ESV)So now send me a man skilled to work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue fabrics, trained also in engraving, to be with the skilled workers who are with me in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.
Deuteronomy 32:10 (ESV)“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Deuteronomy 32:13 (ESV)He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.
John 4:47 (ESV)When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
1 Samuel 16:21 (ESV)And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.
Haggai 2:15 (ESV)Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord ,
Numbers 7:19 (ESV)He offered for his offering one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Numbers 7:25 (ESV)his offering was one silver plate whose weight was 130 shekels, one silver basin of 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
Nehemiah 5:16 (ESV)I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
Genesis 19:3 (ESV)But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Acts 21:24 (ESV)take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.



Jeremiah 31:10 (ESV)“Hear the word of the Lord , O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’
Jeremiah 35:13 (ESV)“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord .
Jeremiah 35:15 (ESV)I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, ‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me.
Deuteronomy 12:6 (ESV)and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
Song of Solomon 4:9 (ESV)You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.
Song of Solomon 4:11 (ESV)Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
2 Kings 12:13 (ESV)But there were not made for the house of the Lord basins of silver, snuffers, bowls, trumpets, or any vessels of gold, or of silver, from the money that was brought into the house of the Lord ,
Deuteronomy 28:49 (ESV)The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand,
Deuteronomy 28:52 (ESV)“They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the Lord your God has given you.
Deuteronomy 32:30 (ESV)How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had given them up?
Amos 5:12 (ESV)For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.
Isaiah 55:3 (ESV)Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
Ezra 6:8 (ESV)Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River.
Jeremiah 40:11 (ESV)Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in Moab and among the Ammonites and in Edom and in other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over them,
Judges 16:25 (ESV)And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars.
2 Chronicles 2:6 (ESV)But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?
Judges 19:18 (ESV)And he said to him, “We are passing from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, from which I come. I went to Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to the house of the Lord , but no one has taken me into his house.
1 Samuel 1:23 (ESV)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
Joel 2:20 (ESV)“I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things.


​Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 ESV / 982 helpful votes For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ...
Daniel 2:21 ESV / 704 helpful votes He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
Genesis 8:22 ESV / 667 helpful votes While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
Galatians 6:9 ESV / 503 helpful votes And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Acts 1:7 ESV / 466 helpful votes He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
Psalm 104:19 ESV / 397 helpful votes He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
Psalm 1:3 ESV / 316 helpful votes He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Genesis 1:14 ESV / 272 helpful votes And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,
1 Thessalonians 5:1 ESV / 244 helpful votes Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV / 215 helpful votes “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV / 202 helpful votes For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
Matthew 24:32 ESV / 191 helpful votes “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV / 156 helpful votes For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ...
1 Peter 1:6 ESV / 148 helpful votes In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
2 Timothy 4:2 ESV / 146 helpful votes Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Song of Solomon 2:11-13 ESV / 136 helpful votes For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV / 130 helpful votes He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Exodus 12:2 ESV / 125 helpful votes “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.
Psalm 145:15 ESV / 113 helpful votes The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV / 109 helpful votes “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Romans 8:28 ESV / 101 helpful votes And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Ecclesiastes 3:2 ESV / 92 helpful votes A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
Ezekiel 34:26 ESV / 91 helpful votes And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.
Jeremiah 5:24 ESV / 88 helpful votes They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’
Acts 14:17 ESV / 87 helpful votes Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
Hosea 10:12 ESV / 84 helpful votes Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Psalm 31:15 ESV / 83 helpful votes My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
Matthew 21:41 ESV / 81 helpful votes They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Proverbs 15:23 ESV / 81 helpful votes To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!
Deuteronomy 11:14 ESV / 80 helpful votes He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.
Hebrews 13:8 ESV / 77 helpful votes Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Revelation 21:1 ESV / 76 helpful votes Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV / 75 helpful votes For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Leviticus 23:4 ESV / 73 helpful votes “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.
Psalm 139:16 ESV / 72 helpful votes Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 65:11 ESV / 71 helpful votes You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
Daniel 2:20-21 ESV / 70 helpful votes Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
Psalm 104:1-35 ESV / 68 helpful votes Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. ...
Revelation 1:1 ESV / 67 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Psalm 1:1-3 ESV / 67 helpful votes Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Mark 12:2 ESV / 66 helpful votes When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 66 helpful votes For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Psalm 74:17 ESV / 63 helpful votes You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.
Genesis 1:1 ESV / 63 helpful votes In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
John 15:1-27 ESV / 62 helpful votes “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ...
Job 14:5 ESV / 62 helpful votes Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
Jude 1:12 ESV / 61 helpful votes These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted;
Psalm 147:8 ESV / 60 helpful votes He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 60 helpful votes A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...
Genesis 1:1-31 ESV / 60 helpful votes In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. ...
James 1:17 ESV / 58 helpful votes Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Daniel 7:12 ESV / 55 helpful votes As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
James 5:7 ESV / 53 helpful votes Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.
Psalm 1:1-6 ESV / 49 helpful votes Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ...
Luke 18:8 ESV / 48 helpful votes I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
John 3:16-17 ESV / 46 helpful votes “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jeremiah 33:20 ESV / 46 helpful votes “Thus says the Lord: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time,
Psalm 8:3 ESV / 44 helpful votes When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
Romans 15:13 ESV / 43 helpful votes May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Zechariah 10:1 ESV / 42 helpful votes Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and he will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field.
Amos 5:8 ESV / 42 helpful votes He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lordis his name;
Matthew 24:1-51 ESV / 39 helpful votes Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ...
Job 5:26 ESV / 37 helpful votes You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
Daniel 2:1-49 ESV / 36 helpful votes In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. ...
Proverbs 26:1 ESV / 36 helpful votes Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.
Psalm 84:6 ESV / 35 helpful votes As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
Acts 1:1-26 ESV / 34 helpful votes In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” ...
Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 ESV / 34 helpful votes Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. ...
Psalm 19:1 ESV / 34 helpful votes To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-26 ESV / 33 helpful votes I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. ...
1 Chronicles 12:32 ESV / 33 helpful votes Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.
Hosea 6:3 ESV / 32 helpful votes Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”
Isaiah 1:1-31 ESV / 31 helpful votes The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. ...
Job 38:32 ESV / 30 helpful votes Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children?
Revelation 1:1-20 ESV / 29 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ...
Acts 17:10-11 ESV / 28 helpful votes The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Titus 1:3 ESV / 27 helpful votes And at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;
Mark 1:35 ESV / 27 helpful votes And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Matthew 24:32-33 ESV / 26 helpful votes “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
Song of Solomon 2:11-12 ESV / 26 helpful votes For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
Acts 1:8 ESV / 25 helpful votes But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Luke 2:10 ESV / 25 helpful votes And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Isaiah 30:15 ESV / 25 helpful votes For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling,
Numbers 29:1 ESV / 25 helpful votes “On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets,
Numbers 23:19 ESV / 25 helpful votes God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Leviticus 23:24 ESV / 25 helpful votes “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation.
John 15:1 ESV / 24 helpful votes “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Habakkuk 2:3 ESV / 24 helpful votes For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
John 10:22 ESV / 22 helpful votes At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,
John 3:16 ESV / 22 helpful votes “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Jeremiah 8:7 ESV / 22 helpful votes Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the Lord.
1 Kings 8:2 ESV / 22 helpful votes And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
Hebrews 4:6 ESV / 21 helpful votes Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience,
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 ESV / 21 helpful votes For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ...
Proverbs 31:10-31 ESV / 21 helpful votes An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. ...
Isaiah 30:19 ESV / 20 helpful votes For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 ESV / 19 helpful votes Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Luke 23:29 ESV / 19 helpful votes For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’
Exodus 18:22 ESV / 19 helpful votes And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
Ecclesiastes 3:7 ESV / 18 helpful votes A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;



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