Come Follow Me with Sam

 Welcome! Its the last week of the old testament! We survived! If you have read my past posts on the old testament, you know there is still lots of great learning to gain, so feel free to post comments as they come, whether this year or in the future Malachi Malachi is very fitting to end the Old Testament with; he gives almost a summary of events past present and future Ch 1 and ch 2 he talks of the broken covenant of the house of Israel, the ministry going to the gentiles, and some of the consequences of this Ch 3 he talks of of the coming of Christ, the steps that will be required to regain the covenant, and the promise due those to successfully obtain it Ch 4 he talks of the final redeeming day of the millenium, the coming of elijah, and the final redeeming work of the dead before the redemption of the earth. So end the last words of the last prophet among the Jewish nation, sealing the work of the old testament as the Jewish people fall into a 400 year period of prophetic dark...

 Welcome! Temple time! Haggai and Zechariah are about temples. There are very few christian denominations that have temple-like spaces and rituals, and only 1 that I know of, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which also have formalized temple rituals as part of that temple. The argument that many christians have against a temple is something along the lines of 'since Christ came in the flesh, we have no more need of temples, which is a great theory and seems plausible at first but material evidence and divine revelation both contradict this notion. Here in these chapters, God describes a specific temple to be built in the last days, including rooms and dimensions. So obviously He cares about temples post-risen-Messiah. Adding to that, multiple scholars have identified the forty days of Christ's ministry on the earth as the teaching of the 'mysteries of the kingdom' which in greek refer to the passing of certain knowledge through symbols etc. There is also...

 Welcome! Nahum Nineveh being destroyed is a type of the last days Habakkuk Habakkuk's discussion is on why bad people are allowed to prosper against the enemies. The short of it is God says its a bad deal all around. The long of it is actually quite profound. Zephaniah Zephaniah is a mind preparation for the second coming

 Welcome! Jonah The normal story of jonah goes something like this - Jonah was commanded by God to do something, but he didn't so he got swallowed by a whale so he repented and did what God wanted, the end. If we are lucky, we get that bit at the end where Jonah is angry that God delivered the people and God basically showed him that he was under God's mercy just like the others. Jonah is a story with many layers. I like to start by looking at its chiasm form, the apex of which is reached at the end of Jonah 3 8  They that observe  a lying  vanities forsake their own mercy. 9  But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay  that  that I have  a vowed .  b Salvation   is  of the  Lord . Jonah is speaking for himself as much as he for the people. He mentions the temple multiple times. For the second portion, Jonah's experience with the gourd leaf and the worm, I like to flip it around. Not focus on Jona...

 Welcome! Amos and Obadiah, like many of the other old testament prophets, have significant parallels to the new testament epistles in the sense that they both knew that the party was going to come to an end and that apostasy was coming. many prophets before the fall, like Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah spelled out the captivity of Judea. Likewise, Paul and others warned that the primitive Christian church would suffer apostasy and fall. The redeeming message of both times was that in the last days, Christ's church would be restored, and God would work again His work to fulfill the promises given.

 Welcome! As we keep going through these prophets in exile, this is the conversation that keeps going through my head. Prophets: Look what happened to Ephraim. It could happen to you Judah: We don't care Prophets: You need to change your path if you don't want this to happen Judah: We don't care Prophets: No seriously, if you don't change this now, it is going to happen. Judah: We don't care Prophets: Well its imminent at this point, it is about to happen Judah: We don't care Babylonians: Hello there Judah: why did this happen? Prophets: Glad you are finally ready to listen Also Prophets: at this point, think less of deliverance now and more about deliverance in the meridian of time and in the last days. (Judah: we don't care??) Hosea Hosea prophesied before the fall of Judah, but we can see in his writings that he knew exactly what was going to happen and he walked them through it. The overall narrative of Hosea is walking through the covenant relationship,...

 Welcome! Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Daniel is a prophet in a foreign land. He has a gift of prophesy that is more famous than perhaps any old testament prophet. the book is only 12 chapters but almost every chapter has a prophecy of some sort tied into it.  Daniel was also able to withstand great adversity in a foreign land. He created Zion in the midst of Babylon. There is a lesson here that in the midst of adversity, some of the most beautiful flowers arise. When Judah was its own sovereign country, would they have raised up a Daniel? If such a person had walked among them, would anyone have listened. If anyone had listened, would anyone have understood? Like in the parable of the vineyard in Jacob, when Israel was scattered, it could be planted on other trees, and there draw nourishment so that one day when it was gathered again, it could produce good fruit. Daniel is also many times overlooked as an apocalyptic writer, despite the renown of his 'stone cut without hands' visi...

 Welcome! I mentioned that Jeremiah was a transitory prophet; at the point of Ezekiel, the Israelites are in captivity. Ezekiel's message has parallels with Jeremiah's in the sense that there is fall and redemption. Jeremiah was the one warning this would happen. Now it happened and the Israelites are wrestling with what this cataclysmic event meant and why it happened and what it means for them. There are also many parallels to what Christ would say during his earthly ministry. imagery of seeking that which was lost, watching over a flock, and caring for those in need. Chapter 33 grabbed my attention the most. There are some specific and important understandings as to the obligations of those commissioned with a message, and those to whom the message should be delivered.

 Welcome! This week, we are finishing out Jeremiah and getting into lamentations. The stark feeling you get with the reading is that this is the end of the party. Jerusalem is doomed. The king is willfully blind. The people will not (cannot?) turn from their path. This is the end of Israel. In this sense, Jeremiah is a transitional prophet. He is transitioning from the kingdom of Israel to captive Israel. From now on, Israel will never experience true freedom from then all the way up until 1948 AD (or further for covenant Israel?). Jeremiah uses many types of language that we saw in Isaiah. It is like Jeremiah is saying that Isaiah's prophecies are being fulfilled in his time. Jeremiah also talks of Israel as doomed for the present, but that there will be redemption, and he points toward the last days as the time of that redemption. After the captivity, many prophets hinge their hopeful message in the same way; that Judah is captive now but will at last be redeemed with Israel.

 Welcome! Finally out of the Isaiah chapters! Jeremiah was a contemporary of Lehi, and in a sense, a capstone to Isaiah. Isaiah was around 100 years earlier and warned of all the things that would happen. Israel then had some ups and downs, mostly downs, to the point where we get to Jeremiah and Zedekiah. Jeremiah was basically the last Prophet before Jerusalem was destroyed and the kingdom came to an end. Here are a couple keys from Jeremiah. Jeremiah's humility at not being able to speak is reminiscent of Isaiah 6. Both prophets suffered the same challenge that they knew they had weaknesses that would come out into the open if they opened their mouths. Both times, albeit in different ways, God reminded them that it is the call that sanctifies the word, not the person. When God commissions you to speak, it is good to speak whatever the consequences. Like Isaiah, Jeremiah speaks directly to the terrible hypocrisy and neglect of the leaders to follow the gospel. There were ups and d...

 Welcome! Finishing out Isaiah below! This is actually from a couple weeks back when I thought Isaiah was over (HA!).  A tentative way to view the organization of Isaiah I also feel like I can put together a tentative shot at how I think about the organization of Isaiah. Keep in mind that there are lots of ways to organize Isaiah in your mind. Some are better, some are worse. This one is sure to have mistakes but it should highlight some important parts as well. Keep in mind that although I speak a lot  in terms of which dispensation, epoch, or time Isaiah is talking about, I believe Isaish looks at this more spiritually and that is why his words represent multiple times and places. He is describing spiritually what is happening in the hearts of men, and as men are falling into the same traps, and need the savior in the same way across time, hiis words apply across those places. Chapters 1 - 5 (6) chapters 1 through 5 are an introduction and summary to Isaiah's main messa...

 Welcome! I'll admit it. I made a mistake. I thought we were only doing isaiah for 3 weeks but we are in this for 5. so here is part 4 of the Isaiah readings for come follow me. Isaiah 50 Chapter 50 is my favorite Isaiah chapter. I broke this one down when I was going through 2 Nephi 7 and have nothing to add to that besides this really is Isaiah's 'Abinadai' moment - where he knows he is doing the right thing and knows he will speak the words of life whatever the consequences. Isaiah 51 Isaiah 51 is really fun chapter in a number of ways. Before diving in, read these verses, then read the first 4 verses of Isaiah 51, and let me know what you think. 1  In the land of the  a Chaldeans , at the residence of my fathers, I,  b Abraham , saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of  c residence ; 2  And, finding there was greater  a happiness  and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I ...

 Welcome! This is part three of the Isaiah reading Isaiah 40 will update at a later date Isaiah 41 will update at a later date Isaiah 42 will update at a later date Isaiah 43 will update at a later date Isaiah 44 will update at a later date Isaiah 45 will update at a later date Isaiah 46 will update at a later date Isaiah 47 will update at a later date Isaiah 48 will update at a later date Isaiah 49 will update at a later date Isaiah 50 will update at a later date Isaiah 51 will update at a later date Isaiah 52 will update at a later date Isaiah 53 will update at a later date Isaiah 54 will update at a later date Isaiah 55 will update at a later date Isaiah 56 will update at a later date Isaiah 57 will update at a later date Isaiah 58 will update at a later date Isaiah 59 will update at a later date Isaiah 60 will update at a later date Isaiah 61 will update at a later date Isaiah 62 will update at a later date Isaiah 63 will update at a later date Isaiah 64 will update at a later ...

Welcome! We get to continue the Isaiah Journey! Isaiah 13 - Isaiah 23 Isaiah 13 - 23 start with 'the burden of x' kingdom, or in other words, the oracle or the prophecy that hangs over them. Some of these chapters can be difficult to understand without an event, a time, or an idea to anchor what Isaiah is explaining. Some, like the burden of Babylon and Egypt, have some helpful details to understand what is going on, while others like the burden of Moab, is harder to crack. Here are a couple thoughts. Each Burden may represent a certain people or type of people; Babylon is the decadent materialism and overt power of the world, Moab is perhaps those who are not of the covenant, were invited in, but ignored it for the distractions of the world, Damascus represents those in the covenant, but they have forgotten God and turned back to idols, Egypt represents the secondary main power of evil, following the more cunning ancient rites than the outright babylonian hedonism, the Valley ...

 It's Isaiah time!!! First, as you may well know, I tackled a lot of Isaiah chapters during the book of 2 Nephi back in 2020. This can be a great study guide for this week, but I will not actually be referencing them. at all. I won't even look at them during this time. Of course their will be many similarities to what I write today vs 2 years ago because I can't and wouldn't just magically clear my mind of all previous conceptions, but I won't actively seek to influence my writing by what I said previously. The reason is that I have new perspectives and thoughts and I want to capture them without unduly influencing them with what I already said. This means there may be different foci, interpretations, or even straight up contradictions to what I said previously. At a later date, I will go through both of them and compare what I know then and what I know now and synthesize the sides. But for now, this is a technique for me to put down my thoughts without subconscio...