TERMINATION OF TYRE

“I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken, says the Lord GOD” (Ezek. 26:14 NKJV).

One of the most intriguing prophecies of the Old Testament has to do with the ancient city of Tyre. It was located in Phoenicia (modern day Lebanon) on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Tyre was about 100 miles due north of Jerusalem. In Old Testament times it was one of the greatest cities of civilization with a great commercial seaport. But it was a wicked city and became opposed to the Jews. God’s judgment upon Tyre had been prophesied by a number of the prophets. Ezekiel has an especially amazing prophecy concerning its judgment. Our verse speaks of the four parts of this prophecy - flatness, fishermen, finished, and fiat.

Flatness - “I will make you like the top of a rock.” The great city of Tyre was to be made flat like the top of a rock. This occurred when Alexander the Great invaded the land and scraped off the ruins of the city’s first location to make a causeway about a half mile into the sea where the city of Tyre had moved. Alexander used the causeway to transport his army to invade the island city. God has unique ways of fulfilling His Word.

Fishermen - “You shall be a place for spreading nets.” The ruins of the city made good places for fishermen to lay their nets to dry. The greatness of the devastation to the city is certainly emphasized by this prophecy.

Finished - “You shall never be rebuilt.” One of the judgments predicted by God against Tyre was that it would never be rebuilt. Prophecy may not always be fulfilled at once, but in due time it will. Around 1300 A.D., the city was deserted by its inhabitants after it was conquered by a sultan of Egypt. Tyre eventually ceased to be a great city.

Fiat - “I the Lord have spoken.” This judgment against the great city of Tyre came to pass just as God had decreed it. God’s Word may be opposed and assaulted by critics, but it will not fail; God will always be vindicated. His judgment upon sin is certain. The city of Tyre is proof of that.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of His mercy, the jeer of His patience, the slight of His power, and the contempt of His love!”

John Bunyan (1628 - 1688)

English Author, and Puritan Preacher

Word Study

Earnestly

In Luke 7:4 we read, “And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving!”(NKJV).

Earnestly is the Greek word spoudaiōs (σπουδαίως = spoo-dah'-yoce). It means with haste, in a serious manner, with special urgency, promptly. The word carries with it the idea of concern, and in the present context, eagerly, earnestly, zealously since the time was short; the individual was about to die.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – The Messiah would turn many to righteousness (Mal. 4:6).

New Testament Fulfillment – Luke 1:16-17

Did You Know…

The Bible states that in the last days, God is speaking to us by His Son (Heb. 1:1-2).

Bible Quiz

According to Micah, what does the LORD require of those who follow Him?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: How long was Moses on Mount Sinai with God to get the Ten Commandments? 40 days and 40 nights (Deut. 9:9).

Names For God Found in the Bible

“The Everlasting God”

"Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God” (Gen. 21:33 KJV).

1. Meaning – The Everlasting God speaks of God as the One who endures.

2. Insights – In context, Abraham had just made a covenant with the residents of the land, a covenant that allowed him to dwell there in peace and prosperity. However, he was not ashamed to build an altar in the presence of his pagan neighbors and offer his worship to the Lord. Here we are introduced to the name: El Olam, “the Everlasting God.” This is the first place in Scripture that this name of God occurs. Abraham already knew El Elyon, “God Most High” (14:19, 22) and El Shaddai, “God Almighty” (17:1). But now he had a new name to use in his worship. It is important as we go through life that we learn more and more about God so we can worship Him better. What an encouragement to know “the Everlasting God!” Wells would disappear, trees would be cut down, ewe lambs would die, altars would crumble, and treaties would perish; but the Everlasting God would remain.

Did You Know...Christian History

Wilhelm (William) Nast was born June 15, 1807 in Stuttgart, Germany. He was a German-born religious leader and editor.

Nast was educated at the University of Tubingen with a view to entering the ministry. However, disgusted with the rationalism being taught at the University, he had dropped theological studies. After graduation Nast became involved in journalism.

In 1828, Nast immigrated to the United States, taught at the United States Military Academy, and subsequently became a professor in Kenyon College. Then in January of 1835, Nast had a life changing conversion experience. He received a license to exhort – entry level for Methodists preachers.

By July of that same year, he was recognized as a local preacher, and in September Nast was admitted on a trial basis as a member of the Ohio Methodist Conference. At the conference in 1837, Nast was appointed to establish a German mission in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nast found the work hard. The spirit of rationalism was strong among these German speakers. Opposition to his message was intense and he found it hard to get listeners together. Moreover, he was embarrassed to preach in German because he found it hard to express Methodist ideas in his native tongue. He was harassed by hecklers and rowdies. People even walked out in the middle of his sermons. However, Nast persevered. He handed out Methodist tracts and preached anywhere he could get a listener. Hard as the ridicule was to bear, it drew attention to his work. One by one, Germans joined him. Several of his early converts became Methodist leaders themselves.

He was so successful in that enterprise that in the course of twenty years German Methodist churches were established in almost every state in the Union, and in various parts of Germany, Norway, and Sweden. By the time of his death, there were ten German Methodist conferences in the United States, numbering about 60,000 converts. In Germany, there were close to 20,000 German Methodists.

Nast died of pneumonia on May 16, 1899. Methodist deaconesses sang hymns at his bedside and witnesses said his face glowed with the glory of God. One of the last things he said reported as saying was “Come Lord Jesus.”

A Little Humor

The originator of a new religion came to the great French diplomat-statesman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord and complained that he could not make any converts. “What would you suggest I do?” he asked. “I should recommend,” said Talleyrand, “that you get yourself crucified, and then die, but be sure to rise again the third day.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Just because God is ignored doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist!”