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Showing posts from September 27, 2026

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Browse at Your Own Pace

Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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32. Abomination of Desolation: Returning to the Question of God’s House

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I began this study with a question: what does Scripture call God’s house? Following that question brought me through passages about dwelling, occupation, allegiance, deception, and restoration. Along the way, I found that examining what enters a holy place also requires attention to what belongs there, how it is treated, and the people involved. As I bring this series to a resting place, I want to gather those connections without closing questions that still deserve study. The Dwelling That Began the Discussion In 1 Corinthians 3:9–17 , Paul describes people as God’s building, identifies Jesus Christ as the foundation, and speaks of God’s Spirit dwelling in them. The holiness of that dwelling gives weight to his warning about its destruction. That remains central to how I approach this subject. I do not understand God’s indwelling as something an institution owns or controls. The relationship among believers matters, and so does the person in whom Spirit dwells. Being physically alone ...
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31. Abomination of Desolation: He Comes to His End

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After following the ruler’s advance, his possessions, and those who escape his hand, I arrive at the final verses of Daniel 11. The account has described considerable power. Yet its closing words leave me with a different picture: the ruler reaches his end, and no one helps him. Before reaching that statement, I want to notice what happens when his confidence is disturbed. Read along: Daniel 11:44–45 . The Reports That Disturb Him Verse 44 describes reports from the east and north that alarm the ruler. He responds with great anger and goes out intending to destroy many. The contents of those reports are not explained here. What the verse does give me is his response. That response matters to the question we have been following about power. How does someone act when events no longer appear to support their control? Does the interruption bring reflection, or does it produce further destruction? I want to notice that movement without filling in the report itself. The words direct attentio...
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30. Abomination of Desolation: The Lands He Enters, and Those Who Escape

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In the previous post, I followed what the ruler honors and what he gives those who acknowledge him. Land appeared among the things he distributes. That brings me to the next part of Daniel, where his advance reaches other territories. As I read, certain names interrupt the description of his success. Some escape his hand. Those names brought an earlier passage back into our study—one where Jehovah identifies land He has already given to others. Read along: Daniel 11:40–43 . An Advance With Exceptions Verse 40 describes conflict involving the kings of the South and North, with chariots, horsemen, and ships. The movement spreads through lands, overwhelming them. The Beautiful Land appears again in verse 41. Yet alongside the falling of many, the account names those rescued from the ruler’s hand: Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. I want to notice those exceptions as carefully as the advance itself. The description of power does not erase the details of its limits. Egypt r...
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29. Abomination of Desolation: What He Honors, and Whom He Rewards

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After following the distinction among the people in Ezekiel, I want to return to Daniel and continue examining the power associated with this conflict. Earlier, we considered what enters the sanctuary and what is displaced. Now another detail comes into view: what the ruler values, where he directs his resources, and what he offers those who acknowledge him. These details help me look beyond the position he occupies and consider how his influence grows. Read along: Daniel 11:36–39 . Exalting Himself Verse 36 describes the king acting according to his own will, elevating himself above every god, and speaking against the God of gods. Yet his success has a limit: the completion of what has been decreed. This connects with the self-exaltation we considered in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 . There, the man of lawlessness opposes what is called God or worshiped and presents himself as God within the sanctuary. The shared description draws my attention to authority being claimed for oneself. I am fol...
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28. Abomination of Desolation: Those Who Grieve Over What God Sees

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In the previous post, I considered what had been permitted within the place associated with Jehovah’s dwelling. But that raises another question: what about those who are troubled by what is happening around them? The study now brings me to a distinction within the city itself. A different response to the same surroundings In Ezekiel 9:1–4 , a man clothed in linen carries a scribe’s case. Glory moves to the threshold, and Jehovah gives him an assignment: mark the foreheads of those grieving over the abominations committed in Jerusalem. These people are within the city, yet their response differs from those practicing its corruption. That matters to me. Sharing a location does not mean sharing approval of everything happening there. The distinction comes before judgment The others are instructed to follow the man who marks the foreheads. Those bearing the mark are not to be touched. Judgment begins at the sanctuary, with the elders before the house. Ezekiel 9:5–7 The sanctuary setting p...
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27. Abomination of Desolation: What Belongs in His Dwelling?

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In the previous post, I followed the promise of Jehovah dwelling with His people. That brings me to another part of Ezekiel, where the promise of His presence is accompanied by an examination of what has been allowed near His sanctuary. As I follow this study, I want to keep both in view: the promise of restoration and the things Jehovah identifies as incompatible with His dwelling. Glory returns In Ezekiel 43:1–5 , Ezekiel sees Glory coming from the east and entering the house. Spirit lifts him into the inner court, where Glory fills the house. The passage gives us movement, direction, and distinct actions. I want to notice those details without rushing past them. Jehovah then identifies this as the place of His throne and His dwelling among Israel. Alongside that promise, He addresses the ways His holy name had been defiled. Ezekiel 43:6–9 Restoration includes putting away what had corrupted the relationship. Near the sanctuary, yet acting against its purpose Verse 8 describes their ...
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26. Abomination of Desolation: His Dwelling With His People

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  This study began with questions about Jehovah’s house: what belongs there, what enters, and what happens when something destructive occupies a place meant for Him. As I follow the closing promises of Ezekiel 37, I want to keep the restoration in view. The chapter carries us through gathering and cleansing toward a people living with Jehovah’s presence among them. A dwelling that remains In Ezekiel 37:23–28 , Jehovah promises cleansing, one shepherd, and an enduring covenant of peace. His sanctuary will remain among His people, and the nations will know that He sanctifies Israel. Read Ezekiel 37:23–28 . The relationship is central: He will be their God, and they will be His people. Earlier, we considered a sanctuary being profaned and the regular sacrifice being removed. Here, the promise concerns a dwelling that remains. That contrast helps me follow the study beyond the destructive power’s actions. What does restoration look like when the people themselves are gathered, cleansed...
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25. Abomination of Desolation: The Person and the Role

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As I follow connections through Scripture, I keep returning to a distinction that matters to this study: who someone is, what they represent, and the role they carry. A similar action or description may appear in more than one passage. Before deciding what that means, I want to look closely at the participants, their relationships, and what each is doing. Could a role appear through different people at different stages? Could one figure represent something larger than an individual? One representing many In Ezekiel 37:16–20 , the names Judah and Joseph appear on two sticks, together with the Israelites associated with them. The sign concerns named houses and the people belonging to them. Read Ezekiel 37:16–20 . Daniel provides another example of representation. Daniel 7:17 describes the beasts as kings, while verse 23 identifies the fourth beast as a kingdom. The imagery connects a ruler with a larger realm. Read Daniel 7:17, 23 . These details remind me to ask what a singular figure ...
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24. Abomination of Desolation: One in His Hand

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  After the vision of the dry bones, Ezekiel is given another sign. Two sticks bear different names, and he is instructed to join them. As I follow this part of the chapter, I want to keep both the distinctions and the promised unity visible. Becoming one does not mean that every earlier role, experience, or stage was the same. Two named houses In Ezekiel 37:15–20 , one stick represents Judah and the Israelites associated with him. The other represents Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and the Israelites associated with him. Jehovah explains that He will bring them together as one in His hand. Read Ezekiel 37:15–20 . The names are given before the joining. I want to begin with those identifications rather than assign different groups to the sticks simply because there are two. The hand imagery also returns here. Earlier in this study, we considered destruction in a ruler’s hand. Here, Jehovah’s hand holds together what had been divided. Gathering and cleansing The explanation continues...
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23. Abomination of Desolation: They Stood on Their Feet

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In the previous post, I followed the holy people being overcome and the witnesses being killed. Those accounts led me beyond what the opposing power appeared to accomplish. Now I want to pause over what happens next: life from God enters the witnesses, and they stand on their feet. That wording brings me back to Ezekiel’s valley. Can these bones live? In Ezekiel 37:1–6 , Jehovah brings Ezekiel into a valley filled with very dry bones and asks whether they can live. Ezekiel places the answer with Him. He is then instructed to speak Jehovah’s word to the bones. Read Ezekiel 37:1–6 . The condition before Ezekiel offers no visible reason to expect recovery. Yet the question directs his attention to what Jehovah can do. As I read, I wonder how often an appearance of finality becomes the limit of what I am willing to consider. Assembled, then alive The bones come together, followed by sinews, flesh, and skin. At that stage, there is still no breath in them. Ezekiel speaks again as commanded;...
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22. Abomination of Desolation: When the Holy People Are Overcome

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In the previous post, I considered waiting and the appointed end. There is another part of Daniel’s answer that I want to examine before moving forward: the shattering of the holy people’s power. What does it mean when those who belong to Jehovah are overcome? Can their suffering be mistaken for evidence that the power opposing them has prevailed completely? The power of the holy people In Daniel 12:7 , the completion of the events is connected with the shattering of the holy people’s power. The LSB’s footnote identifies the underlying word translated “power” as “hand.” Read Daniel 12:7 . That brings me back to the hand imagery we have followed: being given into another’s hand, destruction in a ruler’s hand, and the limits of the authority someone holds. Here, the people are still described as holy while their power is being shattered. The suffering itself does not establish that they have ceased to belong to Jehovah. Overcoming has an “until” In Daniel 7:21–22 , the horn wages war aga...
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21. Abomination of Desolation: The One Who Keeps Waiting

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As I consider the time markers in these passages, I want to keep asking what is connected with them. What begins? What comes to an end? What are people called to do during the interval? Daniel 12 brings those questions together with something very personal: Daniel hears the words, yet does not understand everything he has heard. Hearing and still asking In my earlier study, I considered whether “a time, times, and half a time” refers to appointed times rather than automatically meaning one year, two years, and half a year. The Hebrew word used here, moʿed , can mean an appointed time or season. That does not settle the duration, but it gives me reason to examine what Jehovah has appointed and what marks its completion before assigning a calendar measurement. Daniel 12:7 — Hebrew wording . In Daniel 12:6–9 , one figure asks how long the wonders will continue. The answer includes a time, times, and half a time, and the completion of the shattering of the holy people’s power. Daniel then ...
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20. Abomination of Desolation: The Eleventh Hour and the Time Before a Change

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  Reading Daniel’s evenings and mornings brought me back to a comparison I had explored earlier: the eleventh-hour workers, the last hour, and the midnight cry. What interests me is the interval before something changes. What is happening during that time? Who is responding, what is being revealed, and what follows? The workers called late In Matthew 20:1–16 , the landowner hires workers at different times throughout the day. Those called at the eleventh hour explain that no one has hired them. He sends them into the vineyard too. When evening comes, payment begins with the last workers. They receive a denarius, as do those who began first. The earlier workers object to being paid the same, but the landowner reminds them of their agreement and challenges their response to his generosity. Read Matthew 20:1–16 . The sequence matters: the final workers are called, they work, evening arrives, and wages are paid. The payment also reveals something about the workers’ expectations. Those ...
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19. Abomination of Desolation: The Beautiful Land and the Destructive Hand

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Throughout this study, I have been considering what belongs to Jehovah and what happens when another power enters, takes possession, or claims authority. Returning to Daniel brings a description into view that I do not want to pass over: the Beautiful Land. Why does the passage draw attention to the land this way while describing the destruction approaching it? Standing in the Beautiful Land In Daniel 11:16 , an advancing ruler acts according to his will. No one stands before him, and he stands in the Beautiful Land with destruction in his hand. Read Daniel 11:16 . The description holds two things together: the land’s beauty and the ruler’s destructive power. His ability to stand there does not establish that he cares for what he has entered. The passage describes what his hand brings with him. This returns me to a question raised earlier in the study: how much can we determine from someone’s position alone? If I see only that a person has gained control, I may overlook what that contr...
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18. Abomination of Desolation: When Appearance and Conduct Do Not Agree

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In the previous post, I followed a question about security: what makes someone believe they have Jehovah’s approval? That question leads me to look more closely at conduct. When worship is visible and religious words are familiar, what happens if the way people are treated tells a different story? What is being neglected? In Amos 5 , gatherings, offerings, and songs exist alongside the mistreatment of the poor and the rejection of justice. Jehovah’s response reaches into both worship and daily conduct. The people are called to seek good, reject evil, and establish justice. Read Amos 5:10–24 . This makes me ask what I am looking at when I recognize something as faithful. Am I noticing the activity alone? Do I also notice what happens to the person who needs help, speaks honestly, or has little influence? Jesus brings the contrast into view In Matthew 23:4–7 , Jesus describes leaders who place burdens on others without helping carry them. Their desire for recognition appears in their dee...
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17. Abomination of Desolation: What Makes Us Feel Secure?

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When I paused over the words about peace and security, I wanted to understand more than the announcement itself. What makes someone feel safe? What are they trusting, and does that confidence agree with what Jehovah has said? In 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 , Paul describes people speaking of peace and safety when destruction suddenly comes upon them. He compares it to labor pains arriving upon a pregnant woman. He then addresses the brothers differently: they are children of light and are called to remain awake and sober. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 . That distinction brings me back to Matthew. Life continues until something interrupts it In Matthew 24:37–39 , Jesus describes people eating, drinking, and marrying before the flood. These are familiar activities of ordinary life. The warning centers on their failure to understand until the flood came. How easily can the continuation of everyday life become a reason to assume that everything is well? Both Matthew and Thessalonians use the thie...
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16. Abomination of Desolation: What They Intended, and What God Accomplished

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While reading back through the previous post, I began thinking again about God’s sovereignty. We had been considering the difference between someone being given into another’s hands and someone being taken captive. But even when people take, their actions do not place them beyond God’s authority. Jesus came to mind. He was delivered into hostile hands and put to death, yet Scripture also describes God’s purpose and Jesus’ willingness within that same event. That brought two passages into my thoughts: Isaiah’s words about Jehovah being pleased, and Paul’s statement that the rulers would not have crucified the Lord of Glory if they had understood. Delivered Over According to God’s Purpose Acts 2:23–24 places God’s predetermined plan alongside the actions of those who crucified Jesus. Their actions are still described as lawless. God then raises Him from death. I find that distinction important. God’s purpose does not make their intention righteous, and their wrongdoing does not mean His...
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15. Abomination of Desolation: Given Into Another’s Hands, Yet Still Belonging to God

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  As we followed the woman in Daniel, inward allegiance, and Jubilee, another distinction came to mind: a person can be given into someone’s service or taken captive. Those circumstances deserve attention. How someone enters another person’s hands matters, but it does not, by itself, tell us where their heart belongs. This brings me back to the beginning of Daniel. Who Gives, and Who Takes? Daniel 1:1–2 begins with Nebuchadnezzar besieging Jerusalem. The account also says that the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hand, together with some vessels from God’s house. Both details are present: the king’s military action and what God gives into his hand. That makes me slow down with the words given and taken . I cannot build a fixed meaning around either word without asking who is acting, what is being transferred, and what the passage says about it. Being given into another’s hand does not mean the person being handed over has willingly chosen that allegiance. Nor does a ruler’s success e...
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14. Abomination of Desolation: When the Words Say Peace

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During the discussion of the woman in Daniel 11:17, I also brought up Paul’s words about peace and safety. I was considering the difference between what an arrangement appears to offer and what it actually accomplishes. We had already followed questions about outward position, inward allegiance, and a joining that does not hold. Now the words used around those arrangements deserved attention. A Proposal and Its Purpose Daniel 11:17 places an equitable proposal alongside a destructive purpose involving the daughter. Her response does not support the ruler’s intention. That combination caught my attention. The terms of an arrangement and the purpose behind it need to be examined together. Later, Daniel 11:27 describes two kings speaking falsehood at the same table, with both hearts intent on evil. Sharing a table does not establish honesty between them. An agreement can be discussed while the people involved are pursuing something very different. These details contributed to my questio...
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13. Abomination of Desolation: Service, Allegiance, and the Limits of Possession

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While discussing the woman in Daniel 11:17, I raised another thought: someone can be made to do things without their heart willingly belonging to the one directing them. That brought Jubilee into the discussion. I was considering the difference between having power over someone’s circumstances and having their allegiance. This continues the question raised by the woman who does not stand for the ruler, even though she has been placed within his arrangement. A Limit on Human Possession In Leviticus 25:39–43 , an impoverished Israelite who sells himself to another Israelite is to be treated as a hired worker. At Jubilee, he and his children are to leave and return to their family and ancestral possession. Jehovah gives a reason: the Israelites belong to Him as those He brought out of Egypt. That is what draws my attention. A person’s circumstances could place him in another person’s service, but the purchaser’s claim had a boundary. These particular release instructions concern Israelite...
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12. Abomination of Desolation: A Joining That Does Not Hold

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After considering the woman in Daniel 11 and the ruler’s unsuccessful intentions, I wanted to compare the passage with Daniel 2:43. That brought the iron and clay into the discussion. The connection I was following concerned a joining that does not accomplish the unity intended. It continues the question from the previous post: does an outward arrangement establish inward allegiance? Mixed Together, Yet Divided In Daniel 2:41–43 , the feet and toes contain both iron and clay. The kingdom is described as divided, with strength and brittleness together. Verse 43 speaks of combining through human seed, yet the joining does not hold, just as iron does not combine with clay. What catches my attention is that both materials appear within the same image. Their placement together does not remove their differences or produce a lasting bond. For me, this raises a question about the difference between being brought together and becoming united. Something can have an outward form of connection whi...
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