The MAJOR & MINOR Prophets - The 16 Writing Prophets Of The Hebrew Canon

himself over to evil, he opens the door for dark forces to influence his life. King Saul, for instance, IRXQG WKDW KLV UHEHOOLRQ DQG ZLWFKFUDIW KDG UREEHG KLP RI *RG·V DQRLQWLQJ DQG RSHQHG WKH GRRU IRU evil influences to take over. Here are some tell-tale statements from Ezekiel 28 addressed to the Prince of Tyre, showing that certain parts of the prophecy went beyond the human king to the spiritual force influencing him. ‡ ´ Because your heart LV OLIWHG XS DQG \RX VD\ ¶, DP D JRG·µ v. 2). ‡ ´%HFDXVH \RX KDYH VHW \RXU KHDUW DV WKH KHDUW RI D JRGµ Y ‡ ´ Wi OO \RX VD\ EHIRUH KLP ZKR VOD\V \RX ¶, DP D JRG·µ" Y ‡µ

The Temple Vision

The closing chapters 40- WKH ´UHVWRUDWLRQµ contain three main divisions and present a formidable challenge to interpreters:

1. The Kingdom Temple (chaps. 40-43) 2. The Kingdom worship (chaps. 44-46) 3. 7KH .LQJGRP·V boundaries and divisions of the land (chaps. 47-48)

These chapters are unusual, the material futuristic -- and not in conformity with anything clearly explained elsewhere in the Bible. They describe the restoration of a Jewish temple, a renewed Jewish worship and the redistribution of the Holy Land. Bible interpreters tend to gravitate toward one of two basic possibilities: 25 23 &RQVLGHU KRZ WKHVH VWDWHPHQWV DUH *RG¶V UHSO\ WR WKH DXGDFLRXV ILYH ³, ZLOOV´ RI 6DWDQ LQ ,VDLDK -15. 24 The Holman Christian Study Bible , p. 1229. 25 I suggest three reference sources: 1) Hobart E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets , pp. 308-324; 2) J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book, ³(]HNLHO ´ SS -35; and, 3) Kevin J. Conner, The Temple of Solomon, pp. 220-232.

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