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Tag: 2 kings

7 Epistles of John with the same Revelation
~ A.D. 95 – from Patmos:

John, Pastor and Elder of the Church at Ephesus

As we observed in our chronology of ACTS of the Apostles, the Disciple John was a young man when he followed Jesus.

The Elder John and Leadership of the Church

Now, the Apostle has outlived the other Eleven, Paul, beloved family and many other first generation Christians.

The Elder John wrote the three short Epistles we are studying about ten years ago, but today we are looking ahead at John’s brief revelation to seven churches.
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I suppose you may not have thought of the introduction to 'The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John' as — SEVEN pointed epistles to 7 different churches. 
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~ A.D. 80’s – 90’s – a Cultural context for JOHN’s 10 Epistles

The Greco-Roman world at the close of the first century A.D. was in a state of cultural, philosophical, and religious ferment. Religious syncretism and inclusivism.. ‘the combination of various ideas and beliefs from different sources to form new or aberrant religions. This was the age of developing mystery religions, the age of the occult, the age of the proliferation of Gnostic sects.’

The MacArthur New Testament Commentary 1-3 John

Throughout Italy and the broader empire, new challenges arose: major earthquakes in Campania, famine and pestilence in Rome, and volcanic eruptions ranging from Mount Etna to the cataclysmic destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum by Vesuvius in AD 79.

The Julio-Claudian dynasty—embodied by Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—witnessed both grand construction projects (like the amphitheater at Alba Fucens) and notorious episodes of tyranny and scandal. .. After Nero’s fall in AD 68, civil war engulfed the empire until Vespasian founded the Flavian line, ushering in reconstruction efforts (such as the Colosseum) and culminating in the more stable governance of Nerva and Trajan by century’s end.

source: RomanHistory.net

an A.D. First Century culture of 7 Asian churches

Do you remember from back in Acts of the Apostles how the Spirit, at first, had instructed Paul NOT to preach in Asia?

Acts on Mission to Macedonia

And do you recall that Ephesus (in Asia) became a major city for Christian worship where later Paul had appointed Timothy as Pastor of the Ephesian Church?

PLACE AND TIME OF WRITING.

–The best authorities among the Fathers state that John was exiled under Domitian (IRENAEUS [Against Heresies, 5; 30]; CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA; EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 3.20]). VICTORINUS says that he had to labor in the mines of Patmos. At Domitian’s death, A.D. 95, he returned to Ephesus under the Emperor Nerva. Probably it was immediately after his return that he wrote, under divine inspiration, the account of the visions vouchsafed to him in Patmos ( Rev 1:2, 9 ). However, Rev 10:4 seems to imply that he wrote the visions immediately after seeing them.

source: Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Introduction to Revelation
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Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἣν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός δεῖξαι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει καὶ ἐσήμανεν ἀποστείλας διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου αὐτοῦ τῷ δούλῳ αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννῃ
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The Revelation of Jesus Christ

which God gave Him
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The Disciple who knew the Lord best refers to GOD THE FATHER simply, as God.
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to show His servants

that is, the saints or followers of JESUS, bond-servants redeemed by His blood on the Cross

—things which must shortly take place.

The Elder writes this same introduction to ALL seven churches who John has shepherded in the Way of Christ Jesus.

What he means by ‘shortly‘ is much debated in the immediacy of what these beloved saints have endured through the end of this A.D. first century. — Or perhaps God intends this epistle of revelation more millennially for all saints of every age.

Christ makes certain that Christians know the cost of faith until the unknown Day of His return.

He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:1b-2 NIV

The risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ sends an apokalypsis via and angelic messenger to John on Patmos — and the Elder to these seven churches consequently, by his apostolic duty, sends out this same ‘disclosure of divine things formerly unknown’ and testifies to the truthfulness of what is to follow.
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It makes little difference if John had opportunity to send it from Patmos with a human messenger much in the way the Apostle Paul sent epistles to his churches OR if the Elder would have written it later upon John's return to Ephesus. 
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“Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” – Question of the angel messenger in Revelation 5:2

a Book Sealed within: Addressed to 7 mortal Elders

What does John’s epistle enjoin each Elder to do?
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Set aside for a moment the imagery of the apocalypse with its angels, seven stars and seven candlesticks — the Elder John is FIRST to address issues of his own current church. 
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Most Christians know both exhortation and encouragement offered to the seven churches.

Which ones speak to YOU with some urgency (and hopefully, perhaps, to any Elder of your local church? (So which church looks like yours?)

Ἐφεσῖνος – Ephesus
- “I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,
- and that you cannot tolerate evil people.
Of course, John knows all this personally.

And does the Elder imply that the Ephesians will not be inclusive of those who insist on evil works opposed to Christ’s love?

You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars.

Revelation 2:2 CSB

And do your Elders test the theology and witness of your church leaders and members?
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And the pattern of this pointed epistle for each church now turns to exhortation and rebuke demanding repentance. 
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“But I have this against you:

You have abandoned the love [agapē] you had at first.
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Look it up.. IF you don't quite remember what agape love is.
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“Remember then how far you have fallen;

repent, and do the works you did at first.

Do YOU? Do christians ever repent more than once (that time we claim to have come to Christ)?

OR will He return to say, “I never knew you…?’

“Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the *Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

*Revelation 2:6 CSB

“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who conquers,
I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 2:7 CSB

Σμύρνῃ – Smyrna
- “I know your affliction and poverty,
- but you are rich.
- I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Do YOU know any who avoid the Name of Christ? Do some swear to be Jew or Christian while afflicting others? Who then, do they truly worship?

“Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer.

Does your prosperity preacher dare suggest suffering for the Lord Jesus Christ? OR REMIND of the Lord’s Judgment of all?

The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.

Πέργαμος – Pergamum

“I know where you live — where Satan’s throne is.

.. where Satan lives. [Another mention of the nearby Nicolaitans]

But I have a few things against you.

You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
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Again, the common issue *even of this era is worship of idols and fornication. 
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In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the *Nicolaitans. So repent!

Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:15-16

“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Doesn't this even sound like the preaching of JESUS? 
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I AM the Bread of Life

To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna…

Revelation 2:27b

Θυάτειρα – Thyatira
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Just a REMINDER of Who Is speaking:
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Thus says the Son of God,

the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:

Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 2:18b CSB
- “I know your works —
- your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance.
- I know that your last works are greater than the first.
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Quite an encouragement and blessing to believers.
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“But I have this against you:
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This one thing of importance to the Lord Jesus Christ
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Jezebel

You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.

Revelation 2:20-21 CSB

WHY is this issue of idolatry so important (in addition to God’s prohibition in the Ten Commandments of worshiping other gods)?

Ἰεζάβελ – Jezebel – the symbolic name of a woman who pretended to be a prophetess, and who, addicted to antinomianism, claimed Christian liberty of eating things sacrificed to idols.

Of Hebrew origin אִיזֶבֶל (H348) (used as a synonym of a termagant or false teacher):—Jezabel.

אִיזֶבֶל

Jezebel recalls the opposition to the LORD’s prophet Elijah.

Jezebel = “Baal exalts” or “Baal is husband to” or “unchaste”

queen of Israel, wife of Ahab, daughter of Ethbaal (King of Tyre)

It’s a contest of serious consequence between the LORD God and the false gods, false prophetesses, false priestesses — brash and shameless sinners claiming sin as worship of their gods.

This disaster happened because the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt and because they worshiped other gods.

They abandoned all the commands of the LORD their God. They made cast images for themselves, two calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed in worship to all the stars in the sky and served Baal.

2 Kings 17:7,16 CSB

And it all goes back to Ahab and Jezebel in 1 Kings.

Ahab also made an Asherah pole. Ahab did more to anger the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
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Just one last application from Revelation, the mention of Jezebel, the Nicolaitans and (from a theological definition {above}) - antinomianism.
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Antinomianism is the belief or teaching that since believers are saved by grace through faith, there is no further obligation to follow any moral law or command.

.. At its core, antinomianism proposes that under the New Covenant, Christians are completely exempt from all moral guidelines because divine grace supersedes any need for abiding by commandments.

source: Biblehub.com

Σάρδεις – Sardis

I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.

Revelation 3:1b CSB
- “Be alert
- and strengthen [guard] what remains, which is about to die,
- for I have not found your works complete before my God.
- “Remember, then, what you have received and heard;
- keep it, and repent.
- If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.
“But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.

Revelation 3:4-5

And the Lord Jesus again seals His warning to the Sardinian church calling on the MANY to follow the example of the FEW.

“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:5 CSB

Φιλαδέλφεια – To the Church in Philadelphia

Permit me first to remind you that simply as the name, Christian, witnesses the Name of Christ; Philadelphia or Philedelphos φιλάδελφος witnesses [From φίλος (G5384) and ἀδελφός (G80)]as a FRIEND and BROTHER.

“I know your works.

Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Quite a compliment of Christian LOVE of these saintly brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.

A.D. first century followers of the Messiah Jesus considered themselves to be true Jews, who have now been redeemed. And the love they hold in Christ will include Romans (like much of the population of this city of Philadelphia) and Hellenists, Greeks or gentiles as they worship God in truth side by side.

“Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

Revelation 3:10 CSB

Λαοδίκεια – Laodicea

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 3:14 NKJV
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an urgent CAUTION, perhaps, for many a 21st century Common Era christian church claiming Jesus in some lesser way than in Truth.
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“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

Revelation 3:15 NKJV

“So then, because you are lukewarm,

and neither cold nor hot,

I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Laodicea: Lukewarm Prosperity
- Banking hub, black-wool trade, renowned medical school with eye powder.
- Water arrived by aqueduct, lukewarm by the time it reached town.
- After the AD 60 quake, the city rebuilt itself without Rome’s help—boastful self-sufficiency reflected in the church.
Source: BibleHub.com commentary
Because you say…

“I am rich

and have acquired great wealth,

and need nothing,”

but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,

take my advice

and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich!

Buy from me white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness will not be exposed,

and buy eye salve to put on your eyes so you can see!

Revelation 3:17-18 New English Translation

Do you know of a Common Era Church like this — so in need of taking this advice from the risen and returning Christ Jesus ?

LISTEN! Hear His Voice. Open the door of your lukewarm heart. Allow the Lord to give you manna and living water of eternal life.

Sit on His Throne with Him.. just as He too conquered and sat down with His Father on His throne.

“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”

the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John 3:22 CSB

Next: INTRO — 3 Letters (10 yrs earlier) from the Apostle John
April 3, 2026
2 Timothy 3 Standing Strong against Apostasy
Apostasy

to fall away – The abandonment of one’s religion.

The word apostasy is rarely found in the Eng. Bible.. But the reality expressed by the word is found frequently. Israel’s history was one of continual apostasy as the people deliberately turned away form the God who had redeemed them out of Egypt, and followed false gods and sinful ways… In the NT apostasy occurs when men turn aside from following Jesus and deny Him after having previously confessed Him as Lord.

The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, p.216

Why is the Apostle Paul so concerned for some small misleading by men within the church?

How do some teachers oppose the true worship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Who are they?

But Mark This:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

2 Timothy 3:1 NIV

χαλεπός – chalepos –
- perhaps from G5465 through the idea of reducing the strength; difficult, i.e. dangerous, or (by implication) furious:—fierce, perilous.
The Apostle Paul continues in his second epistle to pastors, beginning a central section we label, 2 TIMOTHY 3, with a reminder of danger announced in the NIV, “But mark this: ..”

Paul’s WARNING from his previous epistle

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will [aphistēmi] fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by the hypocrisy of liars, who have been seared in their own conscience, ..

1 Timothy 4:1-2 LSB

The great enemy of God is not Nation or Ruler who turns upon God’s people from without, but the strong-speaking leader weakening the Lord’s elect from within.

Roger@TalkofJesus.com

2 Timothy 3:

The Apostle has already cautioned in his second epistle to beware of men like Jannes and Jambres who betrayed Moses. Now Paul reminds Timothy and others of his personal example to them from the time he first witnessed to them.

You, however, know all about my teaching,

my way of life,

my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—

Second pastoral Epistle of Paul to Timothy 3:10-11a NIV

And Paul then outlines some life-threatening events many of them witnessed which proved his faith through several persecutions and many injuries suffered:

—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured.

Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

2 Timothy 3:11b NIV

Iconium – A Pattern of Persecution
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Who would endure such suffering for Jesus Christ if not a witness to Truth? 
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And it will not ONLY be Apostles, cautions Paul:

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

2 Timothy 3:12-13
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HOW do faithful believers discern the difference between true Christ-followers and those misrepresenting JESUS for their own worldly gain?
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The DANGER WITHIN threatens the CHURCH often unnoticed during DIFFICULT TIMES, because its leaders overlook Scripture.

Last Days and Difficult Times

2 Timothy 3 Danger Within during Difficult Times
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The last days — eschatos hēmera, difficult times — chalepos kairos... 
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kai toutous apotrepō – from such turn away.

Avoid such people!

YES, they may be prominent members, even Elders, leaders, priests or pastors in Christ’s church where you worship.

They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.

2 Timothy 3:5 New English Translation

Knowing What You Know

The Apostle compares his own life to a different life promised by false teachers.

(For these are only the beginning of the last days before Christ’s return).

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14-15 NIV
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So how does a pastor like Timothy, or Elder, or simply a humble saint know who to believe? 
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Questions for a Common Era christian church
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Have any priestly men of your parrish repented of the calf replaced by idols of a woman worshiped?
 
Did episkopois above bishops elevate hagios long passed as ancient intercessors worshiped? 

Do spotlights illuminate your idols on stage for a multitude little different than what Moses witnessed on descent from Sinai?

Does your vaulting cathedral show wooden pillars of pastoral vision as the calf gathering those led by Jannes and Jambres into the worship of a new King? 

Has worldly refreshment replaced Scripture in the house of the Lord?

Is the Christ of true Scripture rejected in place of some other calf-like JESUS proclaimed king without taking up a Cross? 
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But they won’t get away with this for long.

Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.

2 Timothy 3:9 NLT

Recognizing Apostasy from Scripture

As mentioned earlier we will not find the word “apostasy” frequently in the Bible, but Scripture reveals apostate acts of turning against God and Christ throughout.

Follow the meaning and connection of some of these related root words from both the Greek and Hebrew of the Bible:

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it has not come unless the [apostasia] apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, exhibiting himself as being God.

Second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians 2:2-3 LSB – regarding letters from false teachers
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ἀποστασία apostasía, ap-os-tas-ee'-ah; feminine of the same as G647; defection from truth 
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And they said, “Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE G647 [apostasion] AND [apolyō] SEND her AWAY.”

But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote for you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE…”

Gospel of Mark 10:4-6 LSB
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ἀποστάσιον apostásion, ap-os-tas'-ee-on; neuter of a (presumed) adjective from a derivative of G868; properly, something separative, i.e. (specially) divorce:—(writing of) divorcement. 
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“And those on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy,
and these have no root;
they believe for a while,
and in time of temptation
fall^G868 away^G868.
Gospel of Luke 8:13 LSB — Strong’s G868 – aphistēmi – to remove, i.e. (actively) instigate to revolt; usually (reflexively) to desist, desert, etc.:—depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.

LXX – Septuagint – O.T. translations from the Greek

Old Testament
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The Septuagint, often abbreviated as LXX, is the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, traditionally said to have been translated by seventy or seventy-two Jewish scholars in the 3rd century BC. 
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The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek was necessitated by the dispersion of the Jewish people throughout the Hellenistic world, particularly in Egypt, where many Jews had lost their Hebrew language skills.

The Septuagint holds particular significance in early Christianity, as it was the version of the Old Testament most frequently quoted by the New Testament authors.

The use of the Septuagint by the early Church Fathers further solidified its role in Christian theology and exegesis.

source: BibleHub.com

Strong’s G868 – aphistēmi – LXX
- to make stand off, cause to withdraw, to remove
  - to excite to revolt
- to stand off, to stand aloof
Strong’s Number G868 matches the Greek ἀφίστημι (aphistēmi),
which occurs 150 times in 138 verses in the LXX Greek.

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.

Exodus 23:7 KJV

For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.

Deuteronomy 7:4 KJV

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.

2 Kings 15: (4X)

Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.

Psalm 6;8
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 Hear, ye that are far off, what I have done; 
and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. 
 The sinners in Zion are afraid; 
fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. 
 Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? 
who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 

- Isaiah 33:14-15 KJV 
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more Apostasy from the Hebrew Bible [O.T.]

Various Hebrew words could be translated into English as ‘apostasy.’

If you read more books of the Prophets, such as Isaiah {above}, you will see their turning against God repeatedly.

Your evil will chastise you,
and your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and bitter
for you to forsake the LORD your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

Jeremiah 2:19 ESV
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Strong's H4878 - mᵊšûḇâ
turning away, turning back, apostasy, backsliding 
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Hosea

The entire book of Hosea essentially outlines the faithlessness of God’s ‘chosen people.’

Historical Context [8th century B.C.]:
Hosea’s prophetic career spanned the reigns of several kings of Israel, including Jeroboam II, and possibly extended into the early years of the Assyrian conquest. This period was marked by political instability, social injustice, and rampant idolatry. The Northern Kingdom was prosperous but spiritually bankrupt, having turned away from Yahweh to worship Baal and other Canaanite deities.

source: BibleHub.com

.. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

Hosea 1:2a KJV

Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Bethaven, nor swear, The LORD liveth.

Hosea 4:15

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind:

it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.

Hosea 8:7-8

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt…

And my people are bent to backsliding [mᵊšûḇâ – מְשׁוּבָה ] from me:

though they called them to the most High, none at all would exalt him.

Hosea 11:1,7 KJV

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.

I will heal their apostasy [mᵊšûḇâ];
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.

Hosea 14:1,4 KJV

live a godly life in Christ Jesus

But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.

2 Timothy 3:13-14 NLT

NEXT: All Scripture

Talk of JESUS . com

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
February 3, 2026
Elijah – on a Prophetic Path to Gethsemane
Today, in the first of a 2-part look at ordinary men chosen as extraordinary Prophets speaking for God, we will glance briefly at Moses and Elijah.

Prophets Before Christ

Recall that true Prophets of God speak for the LORD God.

NOT every man who claims to be a be a Prophet of God truly speaks God’s word. Nor is every mortal who speaks a prophesy of God is a worshiper of the LORD.

And not every prophesy of a true Prophet is an oracle into the future or an eschatological look into the fulfillment of days.

Yet many prophesies do point us to places and times not yet seen by any man but the appointed Prophet of the LORD.

The Prophet Moses
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What could be more prophetic than the written words of the man who encountered the 'I AM' speaking the very commands of the Almighty? 
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Moses brought the Law – the very words of the LORD – to the Hebrew people.
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The LORD had called Moses, age eighty to lead the Hebrews out from Egypt. Moses was 120 years old as the Hebrews prepared to cross the Jordan.
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Before he led them from bondage in Egypt into Arabia for forty year prior to crossing the Jordan into Canaan, Moses instructed God’s chosen in the LORD’s ways and means of redemption.

So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.

“It is Yahweh your God who will cross ahead of you..

Deuteronomy 31:1,3a,5a LSB

Yet the LORD instructs Moses with a prophecy of what the Hebrews will surly do:

a Prophesy through Moses:

.. and this people will arise and play the harlot with the foreign gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have cut with them.

“Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide My face from them, and they will be consumed…

Deuteronomy 31:16c-17a LSB

When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.

Deuteronomy 32:8 BSB
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This general reference to humanity and God's 'chosen' would be worthy of your separate study, but we cannot cover it here. 
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from Canaan to Babylon

Let’s go quickly across the Jordan through the years (centuries, really) with the chosen sons until fulfillment of a foreseen time of Hebrew prophesy from Babylon.

In order to move so quickly we must overlook and pass many important scriptural milestones.

Moving past Joshua,
- the capture of much of the promised land
  - 14th c. B.C.
- a time of the Judges
  - 14th-11th c. B.C.
- a king of the people (Saul)
  - 11th c. B.C.
David King of Judah united with Israel
- David united Israel and Judah
  - ~1000 B.C.
- Solomon expands his influence back to Egypt and east to Babylon and beyond
  - 973-931 B.C.
- then, a civil war between Solomon’s sons and their heirs,
A quick glance at the timeline below will reveal the book of 1 KINGS where we will find Elijah’s story.

Old Testament Books timeline

The Prophet Elijah

~870 B.C. – 849 B.C.

Later, as prophesied:
- defeat of ISRAEL the Northern Kingdom
  - 722 B.C.
- eventual fall of JUDAH the Southern Kingdom…
  - 586 B.C.
The Man of God

The LORD sent powerful Prophets to both Israel and Judah during a divisive time when most every leader (king) “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.”
- This includes EVERY KING of ISRAEL for a little more than 200 years !
Wouldn’t a NATION claiming GOD repent — when confronted by the man of God showing great signs and even raising a man from the dead?
- Furthermore the Kings of JUDAH fared no better in their 334 years with only eight of twenty kings who “did right in the eyes of the LORD.”
Elijah was a man of God WARNING the evil LEADERS of a NATION.

Taking a brief stop on our timeline Before Christ, we proceed past Moses and beyond the break-up of the Kingdom of David to a time of evil kings infamously represented by King Ahab of Israel who reigned for about twenty years from 874 B.C. until 853 B.C. when he was killed in battle.
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Jezebel, the King's wife - arguably a head of Ahab - also proved infamous with her own evil legacy. 
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Elijah’s Prophetic proofs:

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab,

“As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand, there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command! ”

1 Kings 17:1 CSB
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The severest of droughts - over one thousand dry days in the land - people  and animals will die. 
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Elijah left and lived at the Wadi Cherith where it enters the Jordan.

1 Kings 17:4b CSB

So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering wood…

But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked — only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”

1 Kings 17:10a, 12 CSB

Drought. Famine everywhere — and for days upon end.

Have you ever considered the gravity of the fragile mortal lives of those already suffering under the evil reign of Jezebel and Ahab?

But a miracle of God through Elijah: the widow’s flour and food never ran out. But then —

Her son becomes ill and dies. (Probably a common occurrence in these desperate conditions of a three year drought.)

She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me?

Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death? ”

1 Kings 17:18 CSB

That’s some accusation from the widow who has just lost her only son. Yet note the widow’s contrite acceptance of God’s authority to punish sin (iniquity).

עָוֹן
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Note the long list of Scriptures [above] from the Law of Moses (beginning with Cain) pointing to punishment for our iniquity. 
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Elijah raises the widow’s son from the dead!

He cried out to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, please let this boy’s life come into him again! ”

So the LORD listened to Elijah, and the boy’s life came into him again, and he lived.

Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know you are a man of God and the LORD’s word from your mouth is true.”

1 Kings 17:20-22, 24 CSB

Elijah – a contest to the DEATH

Three years of drought. The King will not like this and consequently blame the righteous man of God.

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him,

“Is that you, the one ruining Israel? ”

He replied,

“I have not ruined Israel, but you and your father’s family have, because you have abandoned the LORD’s commands and followed the Baals.

1 Kings 18:17-18 CSB
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Tell me if this does not apply to Israel in this day (except that their gods are dreams of their past)? 

Tell me how King Herod and the religious rulers of Judea were so different from Ahab as the King of Israel challenged the true Prophet of the Lord? 
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Then Elijah approached all the people and said,

“How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.”

But the people didn’t answer him a word.

18:21 וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלִיָּהוּ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר עַד־מָתַי אַתֶּם פֹּסְחִים עַל־שְׁתֵּי הַסְּעִפִּים אִם־יְהוָה הָאֱלֹהִים לְכוּ אַחֲרָיו וְאִם־הַבַּעַל לְכוּ אַחֲרָיו וְלֹא־עָנוּ הָעָם אֹתוֹ דָּבָר׃

Much later King Ahab will publically repent! But it will be too late…

Next Contestant

~852 B.C. After the death of Ahab

“Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down! ’ ”

.. “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.”

Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

2 Kings 1:9- excerpts CSB

So the king sent another captain with his fifty men to Elijah.

“Man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Come down immediately! ’

“If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.”

So a divine fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

Then the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. The third captain went up and fell on his knees in front of Elijah and begged him,

“.. Already fire has come down from heaven and consumed the first two captains with their companies, but this time let my life be precious to you.”

Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken.

2 Kings 1:11-17 excerpts CSB

The Ascension of Elijah.

The time had come for the LORD to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal,

2 Kings 2:1 CSB

Elijah’s departure is unique, as he is one of only two people in the Bible, along with Enoch (Genesis 5:24), who did not experience death.

The whirlwind signifies God’s powerful presence, often associated with divine intervention (Job 38:1, Nahum 1:3).

Elijah’s ascension prefigures Christ’s ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9-11), symbolizing victory over death and the promise of eternal life.

2 Kings 2:1:: Biblehub.com STUDY BIBLE commentary
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First Century A.D.
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A Son of David, the Son of Man, rides victoriously into Jerusalem now captive of Rome, challenging Jerusalem’s leaders to a duel to the death –

+ His +

– for the redemption of sinners.

“King Jesus, King Jesus, King Jesus, Hosanna!, they cry out…

And within a few days their KING of the JEWS will be crucified on a Roman cross.

An Uplifting Recollection

The Son of Man walked once more toward a familiar hillside covered with an olive grove.

What must Jesus have recalled as the Lord approached Gethsemane with His eleven dear friends one last time?

Remember?

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain by themselves to be alone. He was transfigured in front of them, and his clothes became dazzling — extremely white as no launderer on earth could whiten them.

Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.
Gospel of Mark 9:4 CSB

A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud:

“This is my beloved Son; listen to him! ”

Mark 9:7 CSB

.. They kept this word to themselves, questioning what “rising from the dead” meant…
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NEXT: Ezekiel 
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April 8, 2025