Chapter 23 continues the lewd allegory that began in Chapter 16. Both feature the covenant people’s unfaithfulness through graphic marriage metaphors. Chapter 23 rivals Chapter 16 in its pornographic imagery and R-rated content. Guaranteed, neither chapter makes it into many sermons or Bible studies.
Chapter 23 continues the lewd allegory that began in Chapter 16. Both feature the covenant people’s unfaithfulness through graphic marriage metaphors. Chapter 23 rivals Chapter 16 in its pornographic imagery and R-rated content. Guaranteed, neither chapter makes it into many sermons or Bible studies.
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This week I am interviewing Ted Wright! Ted Wright is the founder and Executive Director of EpicArchaeology.org. He has a B.A. in Anthropology & Archaeology from the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University, and a M.A. degree in Christian apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. 

For over a decade, Ted has been a speaker on Christian apologetics as well as Biblical Archaeology across North America & internationally. One of the super cool things he is doing is currently working as field assistant, photographer, and videographer for the “Agri Regional Archaeological Survey” in Eastern Turkey, co-sponsored by Andrews University and Istanbul University. In fact, Ted just got back from Mount Ararat (Yes, you heard that right….Noah’s Mount Ararat) yesterday. We talk all things Mount Ararat, ancient flood epics, and glacial moraines at 13,000 feet.

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

In this episode, we explore Ezekiel 22, offering unique insights into the religious life of Judeans during the Babylonian exile. 

Key points to look forward to:

• Gain an insider's view of the exiled community's spiritual atmosphere
• Discover Ezekiel's harsh critique of Jerusalem's sins and their consequences
• Explore powerful metaphors of metallurgy used to describe God's judgment
• Understand the prophet's role in reframing the mindset of the exiles
• Learn how this chapter helps explain the fall of Jerusalem from a theological perspective

Whether you're a biblical scholar, history enthusiast, or simply curious about ancient prophecies, this episode promises to offer fresh perspectives and thought-provoking analysis. Don't miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of the Bible and its historical context!"

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

In our study of Ezekiel 21, I go over the complex tapestry of Ezekiel's fire and sword oracles. The prophet uses vivid imagery as he foretells Jerusalem's impending doom and God's judgment on surrounding nations. Ezekiel is a big believer in bringing his message to life!

From cryptic allegories to stark warnings, this episode explores:

-The connection between divine fire and sword prophecies

- Ezekiel's struggle with his audience's skepticism

- The fate of the righteous and wicked in times of judgment

- The downfall of Jerusalem 

- God's ultimate justice for Babylon and Ammon

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

This week we are studying Ezekiel 20. Through parables, fables, laments, allegories, and riddles, the prophet spent the previous five chapters undermining the exiles’ ingratitude and blame shifting. However, Ezekiel must have grown tired of delivering opaque messages (20:49). In Chapter 20, Ezekiel broke from a long streak of metaphorical language and finally delivered a straightforward history lesson. By recasting their history from God’s viewpoint, Ezekiel’s overview contrasts Israel’s chronic rebellion with God’s persistent mercy. 

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

This week we are reading Ezekiel 19. God instructs the prophet to “raise up a lamentation for the princes of Israel” (19:1). Hebrew lamentations, or funerary songs, are a common style in the Old Testament. Often sung at gravesides, traditional laments praised the admirable qualities of the departed and mourned their loss. When King David heard of Jonathan’s death on the battlefield, he composed a sorrowful lament acknowledging their strong bond (2 Sam. 1:25-27). Lamentations is an entire book composed of songs mourning the destruction of Jerusalem. Laments also pop up in the Psalms. Thanks to Bob Marley’s 1977 track “By the Rivers of Babylon,” biblical laments have even made their way into pop culture.

Hebrew poets composed laments with a particular poetic meter with musical qualities that do not come through in English translations, but Ezekiel’s audience would have recognized his style immediately. What they may not have comprehended was the essence and underlying meaning of his lament. Unlike classical laments that focus on personal or communal suffering, Ezekiel 19 uses entirely allegorical language. Rather than focusing on the virtues of the departed, it emphasizes the vices of the deceased. 

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

This week we are parsing Ezekiel 18, the prophet’s extended theological sermon on individual responsibility and divine justice. We can divide Ezekiel’s message into two themes. First, individuals will not face judgment for the sins committed by their ancestors, nor will God credit them for the righteousness of their ancestors (18:1-20). Second, God judges everyone based on their current faith and obedience status, not the sins of their past (18:21-32). He is willing and ready to forgive those who sincerely repent.

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

This week we are pausing our study of Ezekiel to talk to my friend Derek Gilbert who was recently on a solidarity mission to Israel. 

Derek has been in the world of broadcasting for decades. He is producer and host of the web radio programs A View from the Bunker and P.I.D. Radio. He also co-hosts Unraveling Revelation with his wife Sharon Gilbert. They are both part of the SkyWatchTV team. We met back in 2019 when I had the chance to visit their studios in Missouri and another time at one of SkyWatch’s Defender Conferences. 

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

As an innovative prophet, Ezekiel never ran out of teaching methods, whether it was a mime, public shaving, small scale enactment of a siege, judgement speech, or a twisted fairytale. In Chapter 17, God commanded Ezekiel to compose a riddle (17:1). The riddle was supposed to expose the treachery of King Zedekiah, a favorite subject of his condemnations. He had already performed an elaborate charade portraying King Zedekiah’s botched escape from Jerusalem (12:7-14). His ever-changing communication styles hammered home similar messages. Riddles were a popular party trick in ancient times. Perhaps when he first presented the riddle, bored exiles gathered who were looking to be entertained. However, if his listeners expected amusement rather than condemnation, they had to be disappointed. 

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Consider donating (one-time or recurring) to www.TheJerusalemConnection.us so we can continue to bring valuable content via podcasts free to the public. Help us increase our audience reach and improve production quality. Your donation is 100% tax-deductible to our non-profit organization. Bible Fiber and The Red Alert Report are available via YouTube and all major podcast platforms. The Jerusalem Connection also engages in additional educational and advocacy programs. Check our "Projects" tab for all the endeavors we invite YOU to be part of.

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As an innovative prophet, Ezekiel never ran out of teaching methods, whether it was a mime, public shaving, small scale enactment of a siege, judgement speech, or a twisted fairytale. In Chapter 17, God commanded Ezekiel to compose a riddle (17:1). The riddle was supposed to expose the treachery of King Zedekiah, a favorite subject of his condemnations. He had already performed an elaborate charade portraying King Zedekiah’s botched escape from Jerusalem (12:7-14). His ever-changing communication styles hammered home similar messages. Riddles were a popular party trick in ancient times. Perhaps when he first presented the riddle, bored exiles gathered who were looking to be entertained. However, if his listeners expected amusement rather than condemnation, they had to be disappointed. 

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