Passage: The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim. But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them. And the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and will wave His hand over the River with His scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and He will lead people across in sandals. And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of His people, and there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.
Journal: There is much debate over whether this passage (and, specifically, the "in that day" language referenced in the previous verses) is a reference to the eternity of heaven or whether it is a reference to an actual restoration of the Jewish nation in the future (for instance, the restoration of the Jews to Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948). It is a difficult thing, at least for me, to make a determination of what part of prophetic writing is to be taken symbolically and what part is to be taken literally. Some view this restoration of Israel to likely take place during the millennium. Others believe that this "second" recovery of the Jews was fulfilled when the Jews returned from their exile in Babylon (as covered in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah), and that the "first" recovery is a reference to the exodus from Egypt in the time of Moses. Still others believe that these events will take place just prior to the second coming of Jesus. I don't pretend to be able to provide the answer. I will note that it is somewhat of a contorted process when folks try to trim around a historic event to make it fit hand and glove over a prophetic passage.
John Dee Spicer
Arkivi i blogut
About Me
I started the Daily Journal in 2000. I sent it as an email to a few friends (it was a round number, either 10 or 20, I can't remember exactly). It has grown over the years, primarily due to those original few forwarding it to others. During this time, I have journaled through Genesis, selected Psalms, the Gospel of John, Acts, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and Peter's letters. (These are the books I can remember for sure this morning, anyway.) I don't have seminary training and don't claim to have special wisdom. Rather, I simply desire that others develop a love for God's word. There is only one interpretation for any Bible passage, and I will rely on the wisdom of scholars through the ages (at least those at my disposal) to help with that one interpretation. I will also attempt some practical application. Somewhere along the way I started sharing some funny things my kids would say, and this became known as "Heard 'Round the House." I will continue to share these priceless nuggets as my kids provide material. The "Daily" Journal is a bit of a misnomer, since I only do it Monday through Thursday. I don't do it on Friday because I attend a 6 am Bible Study. I don't do it on the weekends because so many received it at work (I may revise this approach since I have gone to the "Blog" format). I do read my Bible on a daily basis, and strongly recommend a chronilogical daily Bible - you will read the Bible completely each year, and the events unfold in a historical fashion.
