In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
The above is Daniel 2:44, from a chapter on which much time is spent trying to identify the kings and kingdoms therein described. Its true focus is the time of the final kingdom, and the king whose it is, who is therein seen as “the stone cut out of the mountain without hands.”
The phrase “without hands” refers to this event as the work of God, not man. This aspect is shown in Daniel’s declaring the work of revealing secrets is not from him. Through revelation, he says the God of heaven gives understanding, which changes times and seasons, removing kings and setting up others in their place. This work is depicted as Daniel, after the revelation, is made ruler over confusion (the province of Babylon).
The one who sees this, whose dream is revealed and eventually declares it, is Nebuchadnezzar, a name we know describes him as the conglomerate of false prophets, whose lies and misleading have forever ruled over kingdoms and caused their eventual desolation and fall. In the end (of the chapter and this age – now), is when the false prophets themselves come to the revelation that this is the work of God and realize He is revealing to them what they could never understand themselves. They are the clay (men with bad advice) that weakens kingdoms and causes their fall.
Daniel 2
1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans [all those who interpret events, understanding nothing, but rather saying it means something it doesn’t to manipulate and control people into doing as they think they should], for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live forever: tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me [he doesn’t remember His own dream – he just knows it’s the source of his troubled mind]: if you will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
6 But if you show the dream, and the interpretation thereof, you shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor: therefore, show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
7 They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.
8 The king answered and said, I know of certainty that you would gain the time [you are just buying time], because you see the thing is gone from me.
9 But if you will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for you have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed [the change away from this corruption, their misleading: understanding its consequence on humanity: this now devolution into perishing]: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me the interpretation thereof.
10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh [here showing Ignorance of the true God, and lacking understanding of His ways: working in men, through who He chooses to reveal Himself].
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon [confusion].
13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel [including the one in who God is revealing His judgment and justice] and his fellows [those understanding with him] to be slain.
14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch [‘arak – drawing out – at the appointed time] the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah [who God favors], Mishael [those who are as God is – in the flesh], and Azariah [who Jehovah has helped], his companions:
18 That they would desire mercies [freely giving understanding] of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows [those who receive this understanding and God’s mercy] should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision [seeing what is only hidden by men’s ignorance of God’s ways]. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21 And he changes the times and the seasons [by removing ignorance]: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
22 He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness [what causes ignorance], and the light [understanding] dwell with him.
23 I thank you, and praise you, O you God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have made known unto me now what we desired of you: for you have now made known unto us the king’s matter.
24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch [‘arak – drawing out – at the appointed time], whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.
25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah [among God’s elect remnant, captive in confusion and ruled by the lies of false prophets], that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar [“LORD of the straitened’s treasure”], Are you able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;
28 But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days [this appointed time, of the change]. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, are these;
29 As for you, O king, your thoughts came into your mind upon your bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that reveals secrets makes known to you what shall come to pass.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their [all humanity’s] sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that you might know the thoughts of your heart.
31 You, O king, saw, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay [the precarious place, listening to the advice of ignorant men {clay} who call themselves wise men, upon which all the kingdoms of the earth have in their end stood throughout time, and because of which they have all fallen].
34 You saw till that a stone was cut out without hands [the one who is the work of God – listening to His good advice and following His leading], which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors [this judgment]; and the wind [the Spirit of God – His working unknown and unseen] carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth [with light: God’s understanding which shall stand forever and ever].
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 You, O king [the kings of God, as they were intended], are a king of kings: for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And where-so-ever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven has he given into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are this head of gold.
39 And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you [the devolution of good leadership, into confusion and now mass-delusion], and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things: and as iron that breaks all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay [men, now fallen away from God and returned to the state from where He made them], and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided [and thereby unable to stand]; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men [the ideas of men without God]: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 Forasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands [this work of God, giving understand], and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odors unto him.
47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, “Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a LORD of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you could reveal this secret.”
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon [God’s judgment ruling over man’s confusion], and chief of the governors over all the [so-called] wise men of Babylon [to rein in confusion].
49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach [the great scribe – this written word of God], Meshach [telling of the quest of the king – unity in ONE BODY], and Abednego [to His servants the prophets], over the affairs of the province of Babylon [confusion]: but Daniel [the judgment of God] sat in the gate of the king.
The Aramaic word glah, rendered seven times above as several forms of the word “reveal,” appears only twice elsewhere. In these occurrences, Ezra 4:10 & 5:12, it cryptically describes how what is above called “secrets” were carried away into darkness (ignorance). It says, in a pattern, they are part of a communist attack, intended to demoralize, meaning to destroy our Christian culture and morality in general, so God’s people wouldn’t (NOW don’t) know their right hand from their left, or good (leadership) from evil (misleading).
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of demoralize is: 1 to cause to turn aside or away from what is good or true or morally right: to corrupt the morals of; 2a to weaken the morale of: discourage, dispirit; 2b to upset or destroy the normal functioning of; 3 to throw into disorder.
Ezra 4 begins by telling of the enemies of God’s people, who were intentionally mixed among them by an Assyrian king named Asnapper. As we know, the name Assyrian represents the communists in our time. The name Asnapper only appears this one time in Scripture (Ezra 4:10). It, according to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, means “horned bull: thorn abolished,” and represents the son of perdition, the heir who shall not excel (not remain).
As we know, thorns represent misleaders, who spring up, as in a garden due to neglect of the gardener. As seen in previous posts, in Numbers 33:55, we’re told of the consequence of allowing enemies to remain mixed among us. “But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which you let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes [and you will not see], and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein you dwell.”
Ezra 4
1 Now when the adversaries [sown into the land and not assimilated into our better Christian culture] of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
2 Then they came to Zerubbabel [the king, yet without a kingdom, who came to life by coming out of confusion], and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as you do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon [this is the one called Asnapper in verse 10 below – the thorn who will not remain in the land] king of Assur [Assyria – communists], which brought us up hither.
3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua [Joshua the son of Josedech], and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, You have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.
4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
5 And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.
8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:
9 Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites [these names tell of all those throughout eternity, who God has shown the favor and grace of His good leading, understanding they’ve rejected, because their deeds are evil, brought here, from the other side of the river, NOW for judgment],
10 And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over [glah – which caused to be hidden, in ignorance, and now revealed], and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time.
The Aramaic word rendered “at such a time,” is the four times used word k’eneth, meaning now, from the word k’an (only used by Ezra and Daniel). Now, on the other side of the river (death), it’s what Daniel is describing as he first uses the word k’an, in Daniel 2:23 above, there rendered “now.”
Daniel 2
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision [seeing what is only hidden by men’s ignorance of God’s ways]. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21 And he changes the times and the seasons [by removing ignorance]: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
22 He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness [what causes ignorance], and the light [understanding] dwells with him.
23 I thank you, and praise you, O you God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and might, and have made known unto me now [k’an] what we desired of you: for you have now made known unto us the king’s matter.
24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch [‘arak – drawing out – at the appointed time], whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.
Ezra 5
1 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua [Joshua] the son of Jozadak [Josedech], and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
3 At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who has commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?
4 Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?
5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.
6 The copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai and his companions the Apharsachites, which were on this side the river, sent unto Darius the king: [These names tell of the “gift,” who is “the star of splendor” “who will divide the deceivers” work from the work of “the LORD.”]
7 They sent a letter unto him, wherein was written thus; Unto Darius the king, all peace.
8 Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is built with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goes fast on, and prospers in their hands.
9 Then asked we those elders, and said unto them thus, Who commanded you to build this house, and to make up these walls?
10 We asked their names also, to certify you, that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them.
11 And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and set up.
12 But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean [names meaning – the lies of the false prophets that cause desolation and the confusion that now rules over the world controlled by those using deception to manipulate God’s people into destroying themselves], who destroyed this house, and carried the people away [glah] into Babylon [confusion].
13 But in the first year of Cyrus [the LORD of the furnace] the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God.
14 And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus [the LORD of the furnace] the king take out of the temple of Babylon [out of confusion], and they were delivered unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar [this is Zerubbabel, a “worshiper in the fire”], whom he had made governor;
15 And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in his place.
16 Then came the same Sheshbazzar [Zerubbabel, while worshiping in the fire of the furnace], and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now has it been in building, and yet it is not finished.
17 Now therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be search made in the king’s treasure house [the cloud where these treasure of heaven are held, unseen until revealed by the LORD to those He chooses], which is there at Babylon [here among the confusion], whether it be so, that a decree was made of Cyrus [The LORD of the furnace] the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter.
Zechariah 4
6 Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
7 Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also [on the other side of the river, NOW] finish it; and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me unto you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet [assessing the true condition] in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven [the Church united with the king, in ONE BODY]; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro [increasing knowledge and understanding] through the whole earth.
2 Peter 1
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our LORD Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star [phosphoros] arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily [secretly, from their own imaginations, create lies] shall bring in damnable [apoleia – that cause them and those who follow their ways to perish] heresies, even denying the LORD that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction [apoleia – perdition].
2 And many shall follow their pernicious [aploeia – the ways that lead to their own destruction] ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of [as it is this day].
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation [apoleia – perishing, perdition] slumbers not.
Daniel 3
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach [the great scribe – this written word of God], Meshach [telling of the quest of the king – unity in ONE BODY], and Abednego [to His servants the prophets], do not you serve my gods, nor worship the golden image [the lies of false prophets and false teachers among us] which I have set up?
15 Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made [see Matthew 11:17 below]; well: but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer you in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spoke, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
Matthew 11
15 He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,
17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and you have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and you have not lamented.
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a devil.
19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
21 Woe unto you, Chorazin [the furnace of smoke, and fire]! woe unto you, Bethsaida [the houses that hunt the souls of the living in the sea]! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
23 And you, Capernaum, which are exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in you, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank you, O Father, LORD of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in your sight.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
28 Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden [by the words of false teachers and false prophets among you], and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke [joining with me] is easy, and my burden [my word] is light.
Isaiah 4
1 And in that day seven women [the church] shall take hold of one man [one shepherd], saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by your name [joining in marriage], to take away our reproach.
2 In that day shall the branch [tsemach] of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
4 When the LORD shall have washed away [by renewing the mind] the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood [the words draining the life] of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense.
6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
Isaiah 44
23 Sing, O you heavens; for the LORD has done it: shout, you lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.
24 Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, and he that formed you from the womb, I am the LORD that makes all things; that stretches forth the heavens alone; that spreads abroad the earth by myself;
25 That frustrates the tokens of the liars, and makes diviners mad [insane]; that turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;
26 That confirms the word of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messengers; that says to Jerusalem, You shall be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
27 That says to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers:
28 That says of Cyrus [the LORD in the furnace with us], He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built; and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.
Psalms 102
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto you.
2 Hide not your face [paniym – presence] from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline your ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a hearth.
4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad [insane] against me are sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.
10 Because [paniym – in the presence] of your indignation and your wrath: for you have lifted me up, and cast me down.
11 My days are like a shadow that declines; and I am withered like grass.
12 But you, O LORD, shall endure forever; and your remembrance unto all generations.
13 You shall arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come.
14 For your servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof.
15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
19 For he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
23 He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: your years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old [paniym – by the presence of the LORD] have you laid the foundation of the earth [which you now reveal]: and the heavens [full understanding] are the work of your hands.
26 They [understanding] shall perish [from among men], but you shall endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shall you change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But you are the same, and your years shall have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall continue [excel – remain], and their seed shall be established before you [paniym – by the presence of the LORD].
