Shepherds at Christmas

A 5-Day Journey Exploring Moses’ Burning Questions

Love Where You Are

What You Earn Isn't Who You Are

Beyond the Stable: Christ's Mission on Earth

Advent: The Light That Rises in the Darkness

The Strength Approach to Christian Wellness

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And He Shall Be Called: Advent Devotionals, Week 3

Christmas: The Things We May Have Missed

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkEZK">
 <div class="chapter ch43" data-usfm="EZK.43">
 <div class="label">43</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Glory Returns to the Temple</div><div class="p"> 1Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, 2and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory. 3The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he#43:3 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts I came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown. 4The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.</div><div class="p"> 6While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7He said: &#8220;Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel will never again defile my holy name&#8212;neither they nor their kings&#8212;by their prostitution and the funeral offerings#43:7 Or the memorial monuments; also in verse 9 for their kings at their death.#43:7 Or their high places 8When they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they defiled my holy name by their detestable practices. So I destroyed them in my anger. 9Now let them put away from me their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their kings, and I will live among them forever.</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;Son of man, describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider its perfection, 11and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple&#8212;its arrangement, its exits and entrances&#8212;its whole design and all its regulations#43:11 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts regulations and its whole design and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations.</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;This is the law of the temple: All the surrounding area on top of the mountain will be most holy. Such is the law of the temple.</div><div class="s1">The Great Altar Restored</div><div class="p"> 13&#8220;These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits,#43:13 That is, about 21 inches or about 53 centimeters; also in verses 14 and 17. The long cubit is the basic unit for linear measurement throughout Ezekiel 40&#8211;48. that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span#43:13 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: 14From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge that goes around the altar it is two cubits high, and the ledge is a cubit wide.#43:14 That is, about 3 1/2 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 105 centimeters high and 53 centimeters wide From this lower ledge to the upper ledge that goes around the altar it is four cubits high, and that ledge is also a cubit wide.#43:14 That is, about 7 feet high and 1 3/4 feet wide or about 2.1 meters high and 53 centimeters wide 15Above that, the altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upward from the hearth. 16The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits#43:16 That is, about 21 feet or about 6.4 meters long and twelve cubits wide. 17The upper ledge also is square, fourteen cubits#43:17 That is, about 25 feet or about 7.4 meters long and fourteen cubits wide. All around the altar is a gutter of one cubit with a rim of half a cubit.#43:17 That is, about 11 inches or about 27 centimeters The steps of the altar face east.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18Then he said to me, &#8220;Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings and splashing blood against the altar when it is built: 19You are to give a young bull as a sin offering#43:19 Or purification offering; also in verses 21, 22 and 25 to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 20You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it. 21You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary.</div><div class="p"> 22&#8220;On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect for a sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull. 23When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. 24You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 25&#8220;For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. 26For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they will dedicate it. 27At the end of these days, from the eighth day on, the priests are to present your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, declares the Sovereign Lord.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkEZK">
 <div class="chapter ch44" data-usfm="EZK.44">
 <div class="label">44</div><div class="s1">The Priesthood Restored</div><div class="p"> 1Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. 2The Lord said to me, &#8220;This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered through it. 3The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the Lord. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple of the Lord, and I fell facedown.</div><div class="p"> 5The Lord said to me, &#8220;Son of man, look carefully, listen closely and give attention to everything I tell you concerning all the regulations and instructions regarding the temple of the Lord. Give attention to the entrance to the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary. 6Say to rebellious Israel, &#8216;This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Enough of your detestable practices, people of Israel! 7In addition to all your other detestable practices, you brought foreigners uncircumcised in heart and flesh into my sanctuary, desecrating my temple while you offered me food, fat and blood, and you broke my covenant. 8Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary. 9This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh is to enter my sanctuary, not even the foreigners who live among the Israelites.</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;The Levites who went far from me when Israel went astray and who wandered from me after their idols must bear the consequences of their sin. 11They may serve in my sanctuary, having charge of the gates of the temple and serving in it; they may slaughter the burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people and stand before the people and serve them. 12But because they served them in the presence of their idols and made the people of Israel fall into sin, therefore I have sworn with uplifted hand that they must bear the consequences of their sin, declares the Sovereign Lord. 13They are not to come near to serve me as priests or come near any of my holy things or my most holy offerings; they must bear the shame of their detestable practices. 14And I will appoint them to guard the temple for all the work that is to be done in it.</div><div class="p"> 15&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards.</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes; they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. 18They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire. 19When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated through contact with their garments.</div><div class="p"> 20&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;They must not shave their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed. 21No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests. 23They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.</div><div class="p"> 24&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals, and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.</div><div class="p"> 25&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself. 26After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days. 27On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering#44:27 Or purification offering; also in verse 29 for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I am to be the only inheritance the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. 29They will eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted#44:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord. to the Lord will belong to them. 30The best of all the firstfruits and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal so that a blessing may rest on your household. 31The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead or torn by wild animals.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2PE">
 <div class="chapter ch2" data-usfm="2PE.2">
 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">False Teachers and Their Destruction</div><div class="p"> 1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them&#8212;bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.</div><div class="p"> 4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,#2:4 Greek Tartarus putting them in chains of darkness#2:4 Some manuscripts in gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)&#8212; 9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh#2:10 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 18. and despise authority.</div><div class="p">Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from#2:11 Many manuscripts beings in the presence of the Lord. 12But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.</div><div class="p"> 13They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.#2:13 Some manuscripts in their love feasts 14With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed&#8212;an accursed brood! 15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer,#2:15 Greek Bosor who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey&#8212;an animal without speech&#8212;who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet&#8217;s madness.</div><div class="p"> 17These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity&#8212;for &#8220;people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.&#8221; 20If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22Of them the proverbs are true: &#8220;A dog returns to its vomit,&#8221;#2:22 Prov. 26:11 and, &#8220;A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.&#8221;</div>
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