Walls and Temples.
The temple in this case is the temple of Jerusalem which has a central place in end time prophecy. So at least in some respect the student has to make sure that they watch very carefully the circumstances around them.
This will help you figure out naturally what may be taking place supernaturally.
The Seeing Student
This was one of the characteristics of good students and prophets in the old testament.
1. The first question that God used to ask the initiates was what do you see?
The Practical Student
In addition to this, I would also like you to think very carefully about what you read and study in Scripture if you do not have some concrete method of testing it out practically. Do not write about the builder of the wall unless you are ready to dig in an actually participate in some construction. Do not talk about the trenches unless you are ready to get into some fox holes.
So the second question has to do with fortifying knowledge by engaging yourself practically. Becoming your message...or brand!
2. What can you do to reinforce what you are learning or doing?
Ravi Zacharias links the prophet with his message.
Ezekiel 4:4-17
Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it:according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days:so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days:I have appointed thee each day for a year. Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it. And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.
Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day:from time to time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin:from time to time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted:for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem:and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.
The prophet who is asked to sleep on his side to signify the days of captivity. The message would be felt in the prophets body and so became much more personal. The prophet was also asked to cook using human waste (knowing full well the implications of this on rituals and cleanliness).
The prophet who is asked to marry a wayward women to signify the love of God over his people.
Hosea 1:3-11
So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim; which conceived, and bare him a son. And the Lord said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
And she conceived again, and bare a daughter. And God said unto him, Call her name Loruhamah:for I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them away. But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.
Now when she had weaned Loruhamah, she conceived, and bare a son. Then said God, Call his name Loammi:for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land:for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
3. Finding the link between history and modern day events and places (Persia, Babylon).
Reading the introduction to the book of Ezra I can see why this will be a useful study. The first reason is that in the book of Daniel, there were mentions of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and finally Rome.
The image that Daniel saw was a combination of these different metals. They all combined in a delicate balance until it culminated into a blend of iron and clay (my personal thought is to think of this as a time when men will combine humanity with more powerful metallic machines to form a super human). In the prophecy a rock that is used to crush the feet and bring about the collapse of the whole image.
4. Finding historical characters in scripture that can be studied for relevance in the modern day (Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezra and Nehemiah).
The introduction of this book (Ezra) has references to Persia which I think bears some relevance with the present day. Maybe the battle between modern day Iraq and Iran was the beginning of a move from one civilization to another or the transition from one part of the image to another. But to think solely of physical Babylon and relate that to a region and it's overly enthusiastic leader, would be foolhardy. Some researchers point to a closer relation between not the Arabs but the Blacks as descendants of Ham who happens to be the great grandfather and founder of Ancient Babylon. But this complexities are subjects for another forum.
5. When you are assigned people under your care, the chances are, a lot of what you go through will trickle down to them. So the dreams you have at night will also probably be related to the people that are under you. Like a father who is in charge of the security of his home, your scope of concerns have expanded now that you are overseer of a congregation.
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