I had a dream it was raining very hard. I was outside of an old church and I knew it was getting ready to flood. I knew that I needed to leave soon before I wouldn't be able to. It was hard for me to leave because I was enjoying the rain.
I was drenched and enjoying every second of the rain so much so that I was joyfully singing "Its raining". I thought about an old post; it was from 2012. I am reposting it today.
It has been raining since early morning in the area I live in. I went for a drive anyway. Streets were flooded; cars were stuck. It rained so much where a relative of mine lives that water started coming in the house. I knew I needed to pray and felt led to post but I feel the post should be a repost of some posts. Below are Reposts
This morning I heard Zerubabbel and later I began to study. What I have found so far is very interesting.Ezra returned with a remnant from Babylon and God stirred the spirit of King Cyrus and King Cyrus made a proclamation that the God of heaven had charged him to build him a house in Jerusalem.Adversaries attempt to join the building of the temple but Ezra refuses and then Ezra is met with opposition and the building of the temple is put on hold. Haggai and Zechariah prophesy to the people and the building resumes this reminds me of Malachi Chapter 3
7. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said , Wherein shall we return ?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say , Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.,br>9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10.Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
11. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
So often we get consumed with the cares of our own lives and forget the weightier matters. The bible says that the elders weeped when they saw the foundation laid
Ezra 3:12
But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the firsthouse, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:
Haggai 2:1-9
1 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying ,
2.Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying ,
3 Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?
4. Yet now be strong , O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong , O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong , all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work : for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:
5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remainethamong you: fear ye not.
6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come : and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.
9. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
Haggai again prophesies about the uncleanliness of the nation. At one point Ezra goes on a fast and cries and weeps because of the transgressions of the people
Ezra 10:
9.Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain.
10 And Ezra the priest stood up , and said unto them, Ye have transgressed , and have takenstrange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do .
13.But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing.
14. Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand , and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
It also reminds me of a scripture I read on Sunday.
Ezekiel 33:1-16
1. Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying ,
2.Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land takea man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman :
3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
4. Then whosoeverheareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning ; if the sword come , and take him away , his blood shall be upon his own head.
5. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning ; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
6. But if the watchmansee the sword come , and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned ; if the sword come , and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman'shand.
7. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
8. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surelydie ; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
9. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
10. Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak , saying , If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live ?
11.Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die , O house of Israel?
12.Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth .
13. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live ; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered ; but for his iniquity that he hath committed , he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right;
15. If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surelylive , he shall not die .
16. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live .
God is calling his people to lay the foundations for the latter rain and we must be holy if we are not to be consumed by his glory
Hosea 6
1.Come , and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn , and he will heal us; he hath smitten , and he will bind us up .
2. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up , and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know , if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
4. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the earlydew it goeth away .
5. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth .
6. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
7. But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.
8.Gilead is a city of them that workiniquity, and is polluted with blood.
9. And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent : for they commitlewdness.
10.I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.
1 Kings Chapter 18
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying , Go , shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
2 And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive , that we lose not all the beasts.
6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab wentone way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said , Art thou that my lord Elijah?
8 And he answered him, I am: go , tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
9 And he said , What have I sinned , that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said , He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
11 And now thou sayest , Go , tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.
13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
14 And now thou sayest , Go , tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.
15 And Elijah said , As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand , I will surely shew myself unto him to day.
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 And it came to pass, when Ahab sawElijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?
18 And he answered , I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
19 Now therefore send , and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
20 So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said , How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces , and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:
24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said , It is well spoken.
25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.
26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying , O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered . And they leaped upon the altar which was made .
27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said , Cry aloud : for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked .
28 And they cried aloud , and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them
. 29 And it came to pass, when midday was past , and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer , nor any that regarded.
30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down .
31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying , Israel shall be thy name:
32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
33 And he put the wood in order , and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said , Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
34 And he said , Do it the second time . And they did it the second time . And he said , Do it the third time . And they did it the third time . 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near , and said , LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37.Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38. Then the fire of the LORD fell , and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said , The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape . And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
41. And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up , eat and drink ; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink . And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up , and looked , and said , There is nothing. And he said , Go again seven times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said , Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said , Go up , say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down , that the rain stop thee not.
45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode , and went to Jezreel.
46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
