We’re picking up where we left off in the collection of visions that Zechariah saw, today looking at visions six, seven and eight. The vision of the flying scroll is an indication that God’s just law is about to be executed in the land. Wickedness is personified as a woman who is taken captive and sent away to Babylon to be worshiped. The eighth vision, like the first, includes four horses who patrol the earth, signifying God’s sovereignty over all creation. After this Zechariah addresses questions of fasting and declares that a day of fruitfulness and feasting is coming for those who seek the Lord. He then predicts judgment on Zion’s enemies and declares that their king is coming.

Zechariah 5 - 1:03 .

Zechariah 6 - 3:24 .

Zechariah 7 - 6:26 .

Zechariah 8 - 10:01 .

Zechariah 9 - 15:13 .

Proverbs 30:1-17 - 19:16 .

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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The prophet Zechariah was a contemporary of the prophet Haggai and you probably remember hearing his name mentioned along with Haggai in our last reading. Both prophets spoke to the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem, but while Haggai focuses mainly on rebuilding the temple, Zechariah sees visions of a future king. As such is the case, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John incorporate more passages from Zechariah than from any other prophet. In today’s reading, Zechariah prophesies through night visions; we’ll cover 5 out of 8 of them in this episode. One is of horsemen who patrol the world, another of horns and craftsmen, another of a man who surveys and measures Jerusalem, a fourth of the high priest Joshua and a servant called the Branch, and a fifth of a gold lampstand.

Zechariah 1 - 1:04 .

Zechariah 2 - 5:39 .

Zechariah 3 - 8:50 .

Zechariah 4 - 11:11 .

Proverbs 29 - 13:56 .

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Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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Within the historical account written down in the book of Ezra, we learn of a prophet named Haggai who turned the hearts of the people toward the Lord. We’ll begin this episode by reading from the book of Haggai wherein the prophet addresses the people of Judah. Having just returned from exile they had prioritized making their homes comfortable while neglecting to rebuild the Lord’s temple. This leads us back into Ezra, where the people prioritize building the temple. The rulers that oversee the region west of the Euphrates alert King Darius that the Jews are rebuilding the temple. The king’s reply? Leave them alone! If anyone tries to stop them, they will be impaled on a beam from their own house!

Haggai 1 - 1:06 .

Haggai 2 – 4:09 .

Ezra 5 - 9:16 .

Ezra 6 - 13:12 .

Proverbs 28:15-28 - 18:33 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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Our chronological reading of the Old Testament is approaching completion, which means we are now beginning to cover Israel’s return to the land of promise. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally part of one book but they got separated along the way as the book was translated. We’ll use these books as our historical backbone in the final weeks reading Haggai, Zechariah, Esther, and Malachi along the way. Once we make it through some of the population tallies at the beginning of today’s reading, we’ll see what happens when God’s people return to Judah. Before they even begin to rebuild the walls of the city, they prioritize rebuilding the temple, but even before that, they begin to worship God according to the Scriptures.

Ezra 1 - 1:01 .

Ezra 2 - 3:25 .

Ezra 3 - 11:54 .

Ezra 4 - 15:11 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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Contrary to Victorian era illustrations and Michelangelo’s chubby cherubs in the Sistine Chapel, angels are always described as glorious and fear-inducing. Whenever someone sees a vision of an angel in Scripture, the person who sees them is dumbfounded and crippled by fear. In most instances, the angel has to tell the person not to fear and followed by supernatural help to recuperate. Such is the case with Daniel, who receives an interpretation of his vision from an angel. There’s far too much to talk about concerning the historical fulfillment of Daniel’s vision, but the prophesy moves from near future to the end of days when it is mentioned that the king will do whatever he wants.

Daniel 9:20 - 1:03 .

Daniel 10 - 3:21 .

Daniel 11 - 7:29 .

Daniel 12 - 17:47 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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We are now in the second half of Daniel which focuses on the dreams and visions that Daniel himself received. These visions include imagery of beasts, animals, and horns, representing kingdoms and the kings who come from them. Some of what Daniel sees is explained within the text itself while some remains the topic of debate and speculation to this day. Some, however, has clearly been fulfilled, like the goat which tramples the ram. The goat is the Greek Empire and it’s conspicuous horn is Alexander the Great, who trampled the Medo-Persian empire only to die suddenly at the peak of his power. Antiochus emerges from one of the four new kingdoms, a ruler who persecutes the Jews, stops regular sacrifices, and defiles the temple.

Daniel 7 - 1:07 .

Daniel 8 - 8:39 .

Daniel 9 - 14:28 .

Proverbs 28 - 19:16 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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There are a few different ways to look at the structure of the book of Daniel, and one of them is to note that the first six chapters are comprised of narratives that contain prophecy, while the last six chapters are prophecies that contain history. The first four chapters occurred under Nebuchadnezzar, while today’s chapters occur in further successive time periods under Belshazzar, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus the Persian. Later chapters, however, do not maintain a chronological order. Each account shows God’s supreme authority over all kings and kingdoms as those who attempt to thwart the Lord’s authority are all shown to be weak and handily defeated.

Daniel 5 - 1:03 .

Daniel 6 - 9:01 .

Proverbs 27:14-27 - 15:37 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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Through their wisdom and through their service to the king, Daniel and his friends bear witness to the power and glory of God through their faithful witness. Many of us know the account found in today’s reading, wherein Daniel’s friends (here called by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) are forced to decide between paying homage to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol or burning alive in a giant furnace. They choose the difficult path of faithfulness, confessing that God can save them if he so desires. In chapter 4, the king recounts a dream and Daniel’s interpretation of it, followed by the fulfillment of the dream wherein the king is humbled by God Almighty.

Daniel 3 - 1:04 .

Daniel 4 - 8:58 .

Proverbs 27:1-13 - 17:59 .

:::

Christian Standard Bible translation.

All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.

Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.

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