Are you going to be here for the destruction surrounding the day of the Lord?
What do the scriptures say about cremation or burial?
These chapters look prophetically to the day of the Lord. This will be a day when God will come in wrath and will judge the wicked. However, all is not lost. Those who fear the Lord will be remembered and will be spared. To them, the Sun of righteousness will rise will healing and will care for them as calves that are brought up in the stall. In closing, they are told to look backward to the law of Moses and forward to the coming of Elijah as the herald of the day of the Lord and the Messianic Kingdom to follow.
The story follows Israel as a nation. However, the nation can be used as a type of an individual. As in the case with Israel, an individual can receive the word of God, become a child of God, and then rebel against His commandments. An individual can reject God’s judgment against their sin and make things even worse. Hebrews 12:5-11 can help you make this comparison. Follow the story of the rebellion and punishment of the nation of Israel as if they represented one person.
The Fall of Samaria and the Assyrian Captivity of Israel are dated at 722BC. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian Captivity of Judah are dated at 586BC, 136 years later. Much of this chapter deals with the sins of the people of Israel that led to their judgment. The last part of the chapter deals with the sins of the people who continue to inhabit the land after the captivity. This chapter actually describes the beginning of the Samaritans who will show up again in the New Testament.
