Hebrews 1 starts out with one of the most fantastic openings in the whole Bible. The other twos are Genesis 1:1-4 and John 1:1. The rest of the chapter includes Old Testament passages to support the supremacy of Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel 12. Things were getting worse, people would see visions of peace where there is no peace, Judah’s future captivity is portrayed and the judgment is not to be postponed.
Ezekiel 13 proclaims woe to the false prophets.
Philemon. The Apostle Paul’s letter to Philemon is a letter from one person to another, and as such should not be for general consumption, and certainly not in the Holy Scriptures. But it is, and by divine inspiration it is a beautiful example of human redemption and how a former, thieving slave was given his freedom and welcomed into the fellowship of believers as a brother.
Ezekiel 10. The vision God gave Ezekiel continued with him seeing the same whirling wheels as in Ezekiel 1, and while they were hovering over Jerusalem the Glory of God departed from the Temple.
Ezekiel 11. The prophet saw in a vision hat God will bring judgment on wicked counselors, and that He will eventually regather and restore Israel!
Titus 3. The Apostle Paul urged Titus to remember to telling the believers they are heirs of grace, so avoid dissension and maintain good works. The letter ends with a final greeting.
Ezekiel 5. God told Ezekiel to prepare himself and prophesy that there will be a sword against Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 6. God proclaimed judgment on idolatrous Israel.
Ezekiel 7. And this judgment on Israel was to be in their near future,
Ezekiel 8. Because there were abominations in the Temple.
Ezekiel 9. The prophet Ezekiel saw in a vision how the idolaters were to be slain.
First, let us acknowledge that the Nordic Countries are not socialistic. They are welfare states, and as such have government controlled medical care paid for by taxpayer dollars. In Sweden the Value Added Tax is 22% and it is paid by everybody for all purchases. Of course gasoline and other luxury items such as cosmetics and spirits are taxed much higher, but you get the point. The important part is that all pay their fair share of taxes, so all contribute to the welfare state. But other than that, the Nordic countries are less socialistic than U.S.A. Even the railroads are privatized. It is true they all flirted with socialism in the 1970’s but found it was unsustainable (read Pomperipossa in Monismania), so they turned back from the brink and are now doing better than most countries. In fact, their 2021 economic freedom index is mostly higher than the U.S.A’s. They are as follows: Denmark is ranked 10th, Iceland 11th, Finland 17th, Sweden 21th and Norway 28th. By comparison U.S.A. is 20th out of 178 ranked countries.
Now to the Nordic countries and COVID-19. Almost alone in the western world Sweden decided to take the route of achieving herd immunity rather than using masking and shutdowns. Only sports and other large gatherings were prohibited. At first it looked like a catastrophe for Sweden, this was before any vaccines, but then some form of herd immunity started to form. More than a month ago Norway decided to treat Covid-19 just like a flu and abolished all Covid restrictions. Three weeks ago Sweden decided to “pause” the Moderna vaccine for people under the age of 31 years of age. Their reason was that there are more severe vaccine cases than cases in that age group. Denmark, Finland and Iceland followed.
What is the current COVID-19 situation in the Nordic countries?
. Fully Total since beginning of pandemic Last 7 days average per day
Country Vaccinated Cases/million Deaths/million Cases/million Deaths/million
Sweden 67% 114,137 2,465 58 0.40
Finland 66% 27,000 201 103 0.54
Denmark 78% 63,128 460 112 0.20
Norway 68% 35,760 161 73 0.36
Iceland 81% 36,197 96 122 0.00
(U.S.A) 56% 137,120 2,230 1,405 4.22
As we can see, Sweden, with a horrendous start is now near or at herd immunity having less than one tenth of the death rate of the U.S. The other Nordic countries are doing equally well, and this is without forced wearing of masks. Their vaccination rates are higher than In the U.S.A, but the difference in result is staggering. The masks will actually increase COVID cases.
Titus 2. The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus that in order to have a sound church he must teach sound doctrine. And it is all done through saving grace. Quote to remember: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
Ezekiel 2 is about Ezekiel’s call to a rebellious Israel.
Ezekiel 3. Ezekiel got the call from God to rebellious Israel and was given the charge to be a watchman.
Ezekiel 4. Ezekiel was told by God to portray the siege of Jerusalem.
Psalm 99. The LORD reigns. Exalt Him for He is holy.
Psalm 100. Six verses telling us to make a jubilant noise to the LORD.
Titus 1. After the customary greeting, the Apostle Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders and listed the qualifications for elders and their duties. Be careful, some Cretans are corrupt!
Ezekiel 1 tells of Ezekiel’s vision from God. As a 23 year old I read of the Swiss author Erich von Däneken and his wild hypotheses about aliens visiting us and mentioned the wheel in a wheel from Ezekiel’s vision. And this was before I believed! Read the chapter carefully and see what you think. Däneken was speculating widely, but what God showed Ezekiel will challenge your imagination!
Psalm 96 was written to “declare His glory among the nations“, and ends up with “Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.”
Psalm 97 tells what it means to rejoice “for the LORD reigneth” and “For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.”
Psalm 98. Let us celebrate! Sing unto the LORD a new song!
2 Timothy 4. The Apostle Paul gave the charge to Timothy: Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. At the end of the letter Paul gave his farewell message. Although he called himself the abandoned apostle, the Lord is faithful, now and forever.
Proverbs16 , Proverbs of Solomon. God looks at the heart, take heed and do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, not men.
Psalm 94. This time the psalmist prayed for the LORD to execute vengeance on all who disobey the LORD, and bring comfort to all who follow the LORD.
Psalm 95 is a song of praise to God, but also a warning that they should not harden their hearts as they did in the wilderness and thus were not allowed to enter God’s rest.
2 Timothy 3. The apostle Paul spoke of perilous times and perilous men, but as for Timothy, he was to be the man of God, and keep in mind“ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Lamentations 3 displays the Prophet Jeremiah’s anguish and hope.“Great is thy faithfulness!“
Lamentations 4. Trouble continues, the dirge continues with the degradation of Zion. And yet, there is a glimmer of hope.
Lamentations 5. Although this chapter has 22 verses, it is not an acrostic, but it is an urgent prayer for restoration.
Psalm 93. A Psalm of only five verses: The LORD reigns!
2 Timothy 2:14-26. The Apostle Paul defended his motives and his conduct, they were all pure. Then he gave thanks to God for the conversion of the Thessalonians and mentioned his longing to see them.
Lamentations 1. It was written as dirge poetry at the time when Jerusalem was afflicted and captured. It is a true acrostic, which means the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used in succession to begin the lines and sections of those songs.
Lamentations 2. It too is dirge poetry written in an acrostic form emphasizing God’s anger over Jerusalem.
Psalm 91. The author is anonymous. Charles Spurgeon commented: “In the whole collection there is not a more cheering Psalm, its tone is elevated and sustained throughout, faith is at its best, and speaks nobly.” He also quoted (in English) Siméon Marotte deMuis: “It is one of the most excellent works of this kind which has ever appeared. It is impossible to imagine anything more solid, more beautiful, more profound, or more ornamented.”
Psalm 92. A Song for the Sabbath day. Give thanks to the LORD. God judges His enemies, and He makes His people flourish.
2 Timothy 2:1-16. God, through the apostle Paul gave advice to the young Timothy, such as: Be strong in grace, be not ashamed of the truth as you are an approved worker.
Proverbs 16, Proverbs of Solomon. God looks at the heart, take heed and do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, not men.
Psalm 89, of Ethan the Ezrahite. “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever“. A Psalm of praise to God and His covenant with David, His glory and holiness, His faithfulness to deliver His promises, but also the trouble with the unfaithful. It ends up with a plea for a speedy restoration.
Psalm 90, a Prayer of Moses, the Man of God. This is his prayer in the wilderness, and is the only song of Moses in the Psalms, but there are two others in the Pentateuch (Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32-33).
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 