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Post by Keith on Mar 14, 2013 13:53:10 GMT -6
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Post by Bud on Mar 21, 2013 6:13:11 GMT -6
Know Your Bible: Isaiah
Isaiah the first book in the group of 17 Prophetic books in the Old Testament.In this group of 17 the first 5 are considered the major prophets and the last 12 considered the minor prophets.
Isaiah prophesied in Judah before they were carried off into captivity to Babylon.Isaiah also had word concerning the 10 northern tribes which is referred to as Israel as that nation was nearing it's destruction by Assyria and being carried off into captivity.
Jewish tradition says that Isaiah lived until the reign of Manasseh under who he suffered a horrible martyrdom being placed in a hollow tree trunk and sawed asunder.It is thought that Hebrews 11:37 refers to this.
Isaiah was married and we know of two sons.Shear-jashub in (7:3) which means (A remnant shall return)Mahershalal-hash-baz in (8:3) which means (Haste-ye-haste-ye-to-the-spoil)His wife also had the gift of prophecy (8:3).
In Isaiah we have Israel's King and Savior presented.
The book of Isaiah is divided into 2 parts.
Chapters 1-39 Part one.
Chapters 40-66 Part two.
I realize that chapters and verses were added by translators but it is very interesting that there are 66 chapters in Isaiah with 39 chapters in the first part and 27 chapters in the second part.This is the same as the Bible as a whole with 66 books with 39 in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.There are also some other comparisons we'll look at.
When we back off and look at the O.T. as a whole we can see the creation of man and his fall.Then we see God's plan of redemption for the human race as it begins to unfold.He does this through a nation of His choice,Israel.
He begins by showing His Holiness,Righteousness and Justice by giving the Law and what His righteous standard is and what is required for man to stand before Him and in doing that He proves to man his total condemnation before God and man's utter helplessness in coming up to God's righteous standard.God's righteous judgement of man.
He then gives instruction for that nation in what they are to do in types of the redemption that God would eventually provide for the human race.
Then in the N.T.we see God's Love,Mercy and Grace as we see the Redemption that God promised in types in the O.T. come into fulfillment when His Son comes into the world in a human body,go to the cross and dies,is buried and resurrected for the human race's Redemption.
In Isaiah we see this same pattern.In the first part,the first 39 chapters we see Justice,Righteousness and Holiness of God with much to do with judgement.
In the second part we see Love Mercy and the Grace of God as the second part begins with Comfort.(Isa.40:1)
In the first part we see the King.(The Lion)
In the second part we see the Savior (The Lamb) In the first part we see the Throne.
In the second part we see the Cross
In the first part the key chapter is chapter 6.
Here we see the Lord sitting on His throne,high and lifted up.We see the Seraphim crying Holy,Holy,Holy is the Lord of Hosts and Isaiah proclaiming that he has seen the King the Lord of Hosts.(The Lion of the tribe of Judah)(6:1-5)
In the second part Chapter 53 is the key chapter.Here we see the Savior despised and rejected,bearing our griefs and sorrows,wounded for our transgressions,bruised for our iniquities,oppressed and afflicted taking the sins of the world upon Himself.(The Lamb of God)
We see a similar scene in the book of Revelation in chapters 4 and 5.There we see in chapter 4 the Seraphim referred to by John as beasts or living creatures and they are described by John the same way Isaiah describes them and they are crying Holy,Holy,Holy the Lord God Almighty.Here we see the throne.
In chapter 5 of Revelation the Lion of the tribe of Judah is introduced and we behold the "Lamb"as it had been slain.Here we see the Lamb that had been to the cross.Then we hear that proclamation in 5:12-13
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
And:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
The Lamb becomes a Lion,the Savior becomes King.
We might note that chapters 36,37,38 and 39 seem to be a historical interlude.These 4 chapters deal almost exclusively with King Hezekiah.
Chapter 36-Hezekiah's Trouble
Chapter 37-Hezekiah's Prayer
Chapter 38-Hezekiah's Sickness
Chapter 39-Hezekiah's Folly
The 27 chapters of the second part of the book are divided into 3 groups of 9 chapters each.Each end with a solemn result for the wicked.
48:22-"There is no peace,saith the Lord,unto the wicked."
57:21-"There is no peace,saith my God,to the wicked."
66:24- "And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."
It is also interesting to note that chapter 53 is the center chapter of the center group of 9 chapters.Also note that at the center of that chapter is the word "LAMB" Someone once said that Isaiah chapter 53 is the physical center of the Bible and that "The Lamb"is the center of the chapter.That would make "The Lamb Of God"the central focus of God's redemptive plan for the human race,don't you think?
"Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."John 1:29
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Post by Bud on Mar 28, 2013 8:27:15 GMT -6
Jeremiah: Jeremiah lived and prophesied about 80 years after Isaiah.He was the son of a priest,(Hilkiah)who lived in the land of Benjamin. Probably the most heart-wrenching prophecies in our Bible.Jeremiah referred to as the "Weeping Prophet", prophesied during the saddest time for the nation of Israel,(Judah) in it's history,up until that time.The time when the nation of Judah was coming to it's end,Jerusalem and the Temple being destroyed and the people being taken captive to Babylon.Israel(the 10 northern tribes) had already been taken captive to Assyria. According to his own words (Jeremiah 1:2-3) his ministry begin in the 13th year of Josiah's reign (Judah's last great and righteous king)and extended through the last 4 kings Jehoahaz,(Son of Josiah),Jehoiakim,(son of Josiah)Jehoiachin,(son of Jehoiakim)and Zedekiah,(son of Josiah) To quote G. Campbell Morgan about the man Jeremiah: "Jeremiah watched the ruin of his people,saw them rush headlong to the final calamity,constantly uttering the Word of God to them out of a heart filled with despair." Not only do we see and read the prophesies of Jeremiah,we see the heart of the man.He suffered with his people.He spoke for God but also felt the hurt and pain as God felt.He spoke to the people and also felt their hurt and pain.He was scorned,humiliated,ignored and punished.We can see the persevering love of God struggling to express itself in and through this man,to the extent that the man himself becomes the message. Jeremiah is more that a type of Christ,he is like a mirrored image of our Savior as He walked the shores of Galilee,the streets of Jerusalem and in the Temple itself.As we look at the man Jeremiah as he brought the message of God through pain and tears,we can almost see our Savior as He approaches Jerusalem and makes the statement through His own tears: "Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. (Luke 19:41,42) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!(Luke 13:34,35) Yes in Jeremiah we see the very heart of God displayed.
The prophesies in the book doesn't seem to be in chronological order,but are in the order arranged by the Spirit of God and presented in the way God would have them. After an introduction in chapter 1:1-10 the book seems to be divided into 3 major groups of prophesies,with some subgroups.
Chapters 1-39 we have prophesies before the fall of Jerusalem . Chapter 1-20: General prophesies undated. Chapter 21-39:Particular prophesies dated.
Chapters 40-44 we have prophesies after the fall of Jerusalem.
Chapters 40-42:Prophesies to the remnant in the land. Chapters 43-44:His ministry in Egypt.
Chapters 45-51 we have prophesies concerning the nations. Chapter 52 We have a recap or retrospect and the conclusion.
The highlight of the book is in chapter 31,with the promise of the regathering of all the tribes and the new covenant which will materialize in it's fullest when the Messiah (Christ)is ruling this earth.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2013 18:13:54 GMT -6
and bud! thank you for your ongoing ministry of serving Bible bread! That there is some meat.
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Post by Bud on Apr 6, 2013 5:33:36 GMT -6
Lamentations In this short book we see the heart of Jeremiah as he describes the destruction of Judah,Jerusalem,the Temple and the people by the Babylonians. We can almost see Jesus as He approaches Jerusalem and proclaims in Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! And in Luke 19:41-42 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes."
Someone once said that this book of Lamentations is a elegy or a poem of sorrows written in a graveyard. In the Hebrew grouping of the Scriptures it is one of the 5 scrolls called the "Megilloth" or "Rolls."The 5 are Ruth,Esther,Ecclesiastes,Song of Solomon and Lamentations.They are read at certain Jewish feasts. Ruth at the Feast of Weeks,(Pentecost)Esther at the Feast of Purim,Ecclesiastes at the Feast of Tabernacles,Song of Solomon at the Feast of Passover and Lamentations at the anniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem on the 9th of Av. Jewish tradition says that 5 calamities occurred on this date. 1.Beginning of 40 years wandering. 2.Destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians. 3.Destruction of Herods Temple by the Romans. 4.Razing of Jerusalem by the Romans 71AD. 5.Bar Kokhba failed revolt and fall of Betar 135AD.
The book itself is divided into 5 lamentations or poems of sorrow.Each chapter is an individual lamentation.The first two,(chapter 1&2) and the last two (chapter 4&5) all 22 verses each and the middle one (chapter 3) is 3 times as long with 66 verses.
Chapter one:The first 11 verses the prophet describes the city.The second 11 verses the city speaks.
Chapter two:Lamentation over the nation and the daughter of Zion. (Jerusalem)
Chapter three:Jeremiah laments and also praises the Lord.
Chapter four:Lamentations over the people,prophets and priests and even mentions the punishment of Edom.
Chapter five:A lamenting prayer for the people and Jeremiah.Note the "our's" "we's" and "us."
In Jeremiah himself we see an image of God's attitude towards sin,God's suffering for sin and God's victory over sin. I believe we could sum up the book of Jeremiah and The Lamentations with Romans 11:22. "Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God"
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Post by Bud on Apr 11, 2013 7:35:20 GMT -6
Ezekiel:
Like Jeremiah,Ezekiel was a priest and also a prophet.Whereas Jeremiah was in the Land for most of his prophesying,Ezekiel was in exile.He was probably carried off in the 2nd wave and before Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed.He was probably taken when King Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon.(Ezekiel 1:2)This would have been when King Zedekiah,Judah's last king,began his reign.(2 Kings 24:11-18)That would have meant Ezekiel would have been in captivity for 11 years before Jerusalem and the Temple was finally destroyed.
If in Ezek.1:1 Ezekiel is referring to his age and it does appear that is what he is referring to,then he was 25 years old when he was taken captive.Also according to the Law in reference to the age when priests began their ministry which was 30,this would fit.Ezekiel would be prophesying in his ministry,but there would be much prophecy concerning the temple and he would also be transported in the spirit to Jerusalem and the Temple.He would witness the abominations being done there prior to it's destruction and he would witness the Spirit of God leave the Temple prior to it's destruction.(Chapter 8-12)
His exile home was in Tel-abib just north of the city of Babylon and on the banks of the river Chebar.(Ezekiel 1:1,3:15)
Ezekiel was to give major prophesies concerning Judah and Jerusalem during his time and on into the future right up until the time of the Messiah coming and setting up His Kingdom and the Kingdom Temple.He would also be giving major prophesies concerning the nations in his time and right on until the end-times.To prepare Ezekiel for this and to remind him that God was in control through it all,that He was all powerful,all knowing and all presence,he gave him some visions at the beginning to assure him of this.
The visions that he has and his call in the first 3 chapters may seem a little unusual until we realize that Isaiah had a similar vision in chapter 6 and the apostle John in chapter 1 and 4 in the Revelation.They all three saw glimpses of heaven and the throne and angelic beings that I believe manifest attributes of God.Ezekiel like Isaiah and John were describing heavenly things with earthly terms.The key words are "a likeness of"or what it looked like or appeared to be.
The angelic beings that Ezekiel saw are described the same way that John describes them in Revelation chapter 4.The faces of a lion,an ox,a man and an eagle.These four descriptions have to do with "Strength","Service",Intelligence"and "Heavenliness".
We see these four descriptions of Christ presented in the 4 Gospels.
In Matthew He is presented as King of the Jews,the Lion,(strength).
In Mark He is presented as a Servant,the Ox,(Service).
In Luke He is presented as the Son of Man,the Man,(Intelligence)
In John He is presented as the Son of God,the Eagle,(Heavenliness).
(See reply #15 on page 1 of Know Your Bible posts)
Ezekiel is given several visions and signs to prepare him for the many prophesies of judgements he is given and to assure him and us as we read them that God is in control.Just the same way He did with John on the isle of Patmos as God gave him the book of Revelation.
I believe the book is divided into 5 main parts.
In chapters 1-3 we see Ezekiel 's opening visions and commission as a watchman.
In chapters 4-24 we see the judgements that were to come on Jerusalem and the nation.In chapter 20 we see the judgement of Israel just prior to Christ setting up His Kingdom.We see in this group of chapters concerning Israel and Jerusalem that Ezekiel is transported in spirit to Jerusalem and witnesses first hand the abominations going on there in the Temple and he witnesses the Spirit of God leave the Temple.
In chapter 24 halfway through the book and just before he begins the prophesies concerning the nations and on the very day that the king of Babylon began the siege against Jerusalem (Ezekiel 24:1-2)God tells Ezekiel that He will begin to take away from the nation their strength,the joy of their glory,the desire of their eyes and that on which they set their minds.(Ezekiel 24:25).On that same day God told Ezekiel his wife would die,the desire of his eyes and that was a sign that the Temple was being destroyed and he was not to mourn and he told the people they were not to mourn for the city and the Temple.(Ezekiel 24:16-25)
In chapter 25-32 We see the prophesies concerning judgements on the nations around Israel.
In chapter 33-39 We see him turn again to Israel and in chapter 33 as he is giving instruction concerning the ones in captivity he gets word from the messenger from Jerusalem,that God told him in Ezekiel 24:26 would come to him telling him that the city had been destroyed.Then in chapter 34-37,he begins to tell of the future regathering of Israel.Then in the middle of this prophecy concerning Israel and their return in chapter 35 He turns to Edom (Esau) and tells of their destruction because they claim that the land given to Israel is theirs.(Ezekiel 35:10,12,15,36:5)Sounds like the Palestinians today.In chapter 38 and 39 when Israel is back in the land the invasion from the north and God destroys them.
Then in chapters 40-48 we see the description of the Temple and the city and the division of the land among the 12 tribes for the Kingdom rule of the Messiah.
In this book we see Ezekiel deal with Israel,then the nations,then Israel again,then the nations again as it concerns Israel,then Israel in the Kingdom.A back and forth sweep.This pattern is used by Daniel and by John in the Revelation.
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Post by Bud on Apr 18, 2013 9:19:46 GMT -6
Daniel:
In my opinion this book is the key to Bible prophecy.Without it,trying to understand prophecy,whether it be fulfilled prophecy or events yet to be fulfilled would be near impossible if not impossible.By not using Daniel to gain understanding of future events would be like breaking into a house with the key hanging by the door. Daniel was probably taken to Babylon in the first wave around 606 BC.He was just a teenager and was probably tied into the royal family.(Daniel 1:1-3)Even at that young age he was becoming well known for his wisdom and understanding.Ezekiel refers to Daniel 3 times. (Ezek.14:14,20 and 28:3) Two of those times he is coupled with Noah and Job.Daniel was probably in his 30's when Ezekiel referred to him and he was already in high position under Nebuchadnezzar's rulership.Daniel lived on into the Persian rulership under King Cyrus and Darius.He could have seen some of the returning remnant as they began their move back to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel. Yes there is the miraculous,the supernatural in this book.I believe there is a special reason for it.Israel was now in captivity.Jerusalem and the temple are in ruins.As far as the Gentiles were concerned Jehovah,the God of Israel was no match for the gods of the Babylonians.Maybe some of the Jews were tempted to believe this also.So God raises up a man and puts him right in the middle of the Babylonian courts.Here he was right in the heart of the Gentile world empire.When the testimony of Jehovah ceased at Jerusalem,God raises up this man,and his witness was not only to the Jews to assure them that Jehovah's watchful eye was still looking over His chosen people,but He was also going to impress upon the Gentile world powers that their authority was delegated by God and it was to Him that they were accountable.I do believe this authority and accountability is still in effect today. This could also be the reason that half of the book is written in Aramaic,the language of the Babylonians.Beginning at chapter 2:4 thru 7:28 it is written in Aramaic and the rest in Hebrew. I also believe this is why this statement is made 3 times in chapter four,in verses 17,25 and 32:"THAT THE LIVING MAY KNOW THAT THE MOST HIGH RULETH IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN AND GIVETH IT TO WHOMSOEVER HE WILL."I believe this is the key thought and main purpose of the book.This statement holds true then and right on through the fulfillment of all the prophesies Daniel gives us concerning the Gentile world powers during these "Times of the Gentiles"which began there with Daniel and the captivity of Israel and will carry right through until Jesus comes back to this earth at the end of the 7 year tribulation and sets up His Kingdom.
The book itself is divided into two main parts.Chapter 1-6 part 1 and chapter 7-12 part 2.
Part 1 deals with a lot of history and some prophecy and part 2 deals with a lot of prophecy and some history.The history part in the first part of the book deals mainly with the Babylonian empire and eventually it's fall to the Medes and Persians which was prophecy being fulfilled.The prophetic part in the first part of the book is mainly chapter 2 which is king Nebuchadnezzar's dream and it's interruption by Daniel.The prophecy in the first part of the book has to do with future events and how it effects the nations more than it does with Israel. In the second part of the book the prophecy hinges mainly on Daniel's dream and vision in chapter 7.As we venture on through the second part of the book,we can see some history from our standpoint as some of the prophecies that Daniel gives have already been fulfilled.We'll look a little closer at that as we take a chapter by chapter breakdown.Whereas the prophecy in part one has to do mainly with how they effect the nations,the prophecies in part two has to do mainly with how they effect Israel. Let's do a basic breakdown of each chapter and I believe that will help us to see the structure of the book.
Chapter 1:Here we have an introduction to Daniel and 3 of his friends.As youths,probably teenagers and probably of the royal family,they were taken to Babylon and probably in the first wave of deportation around 606BC.
Chapter 2:Here we have the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel's interpretation of it.We have presented here the 4 great world empires,Babylonian,Media/Persian,Greek and the Roman and it's decline and revival under the endtime rule of the antichrist.Then the destruction and the rule of Christ.These 4 empires cover the period of time the Bible refers to as "The Times of the Gentiles."The time period that began when Israel is carried into captivity and will end when Christ begins His rulership on this earth.
Chapter 3:Here we see the pride of Nebuchadnezzar.Daniel had told him that he was the head of gold on the statue in the dream he had had.So Nebuchadnezzar made a complete statue of gold and demanded that everyone would bow to it.We see Shadrach,Meshach and Abednego's refusal to bow,them being cast into the furnace and their miraculous preservation.Then Nebuchadnezzar's blessing of God.
Chapter 4:Here we have a proclamation by Nebuchadnezzar.He tells of his dream and Daniel's interpretation.The king would be brought down and literally loose his mind.He would graze with the cattle as it appears for 7 years.This happened just as Daniel said and Nebuchadnezzar affirms that it did and at the end of the period of time,he lifted his eyes to heaven and his mind and kingdom was restored to him.Here in chapter 4:34,35 we have the statement by him.
"And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?”
Chapter 5:Here we see Daniel jump ahead to near the end of the Babylonian empire and king Belshazzar's (who was probably Nebuchadnezzar's grandson)handwriting on the wall and Daniel's interpretation of it which was the fall of the empire that very night to the Medes and the Persians.
Chapter 6:Here we have Daniel placed as a high ranking official under the rule of king Darius a Mede king.There is some jealousy among other officials concerning Daniel and through their conniving Daniel is placed into the lion's den.God preserves him and we have a proclamation by the king in 6:26,27. "I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."
Chapter 7:Here we have Daniel's dream and vision of the 4 great world empires and eventually with Christ ruling on the earth.Here we receive even more detail and especially about the revival of the fourth under the rule of the antichrist.Here and in chapter 8 we see Daniel go back to during the reign of the Babylonian king Belshazzar before the fall of that empire and we see the vision's of chapter 7 and 8 was during the Babylonian reign.
Chapter 8:Here we see Daniel's vision of the fall of the Babylonian empire to the Medes and the Persians and the fall of that empire to the Greeks under Alexander the Great and then the dividing of that empire among his four generals upon his death.
Chapter 9:Here we see Daniel during the reign of king Cyrus the Persian king who was to give permission for the Jews to return to Jerusalem which was prophesied nearly 200 years before in Isaiah in chapter 44 and 45.Daniel was also reading in Jeremiah about the 70 years of captivity and it was nearing completion and he goes to the Lord in prayer about it.Here is where,in answer to his prayer Daniel is given the 70 weeks prophecy.The time period that covers from the decree to return to rebuild Jerusalem through the rejection of the Messiah and His crucifixion right on through the 7 year tribulation and the return of Christ back to this earth to rule.
Chapter 10:Here we have the vision of Daniel of the pre-incarnate Christ and he gives a similar description as John does in Revelation chapter 1.Daniel's strength leaves him and he is ministered to most likely by the angel Gabriel.Daniel doesn't give any information about what he received,in this chapter anyway.Some believe he gives what he received and that is what the remainder of the book is.(Chapter 11 and 12)
Chapter 11:Here we have Daniel going in to strengthen and confirm king Darius.Here he begins by telling him what is to happen in his kingdom and it's fall to the Greeks and how it will divide among Alexanders 4 generals.Then we have a very detailed description of the rule of two of these generals and their descendents and how it effects the remnant of the Jews that have returned and are living in the land of Israel.These two generals are Ptolemy who ruled Egypt and Seleucide who ruled Syria.They battle each other along with each one's descendents and Israel is caught in between.This chapter covers the battles,treaties and personalities of that time and gives details that proved out in history.In verse 36 he jumps to the endtime and the rule of the antichrist.
Chapter 12:Here we see Michael the archangel protecting the remnant of Israel during the tribulation,the resurrection after Christ's return and the kingdom.The time period of the wrath or the last 3 and half years of the tribulation and a 75 day period between Christ's return and His setting up of the kingdom.
So you can see why this book is so important in understanding endtime prophecy. The pattern that Daniel uses of going over information and then going back and giving more information from a different standpoint was used by Ezekiel and we will find was used by Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 and 25 and by John in Revelation.
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Post by Bud on Apr 25, 2013 5:38:42 GMT -6
Hosea:
Hosea the first of the 12 minor prophets.He prophesied to the 10 northern tribes,(Israel) beginning about 40 or 50 years before they were carried off into captivity to Assyria and right up through the nations fall.He probably went to Judah and spent his last years there bringing his prophetic writings with him.He mentions king Hezekiah in Hosea 1:1 and that would have been the time of the Assyrian captivity of the northern tribes.
If we can call Jeremiah the weeping prophet for Judah,then we can call Hosea the same for the northern tribes or nation of Israel.He would have seen his beloved nation being dragged off into captivity.In Hosea "Ephraim" is used as representing all of the 10 tribed nation of Israel.It was an awful,deplorable time politically,morally and spiritually.There was anarchy,conspiracies and very little loyalty to the throne.Hosea describes the murder,bloodshed,robbery,adultery,perversion,false-dealing,oppression,idolatry,drunkenness,perjury,violence,etc.
Then on top of all this Hosea's own marital life was in shambles,which becomes a symbol of the relationship between Jehovah and Israel which is what the first 3 chapters cover.Here in these first 3 chapters we have the faithless wife and her faithful husband and in the remaining 11 chapters the faithless Israel and her faithful God.
The prophet himself experiencing the heartbreak and the tragedies in his own marriage comes to see the awful sin of the nation against God.We can see Gomer his wife as a type of the nation and her children a type of the people.We can see in Hosea with his patience,compassion and his act of redeeming,chastening and restoring Gomer the sorrow,patience,compassion and love of God towards sinning Israel.We can see in these 3 chapters the whole tragic story of Israel and the final triumph when God can say to her in verse 2:19,20 and 23:
“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In loving-kindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord."
"Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!"
Here in this book and in these first few chapters and in this type we can see the "love that suffers long and is kind" love that never let's go and never gives up.Hosea as was with Jeremiah their lives themselves becomes the message. As mentioned above the book seems to be divided into two main parts.
Part 1 Chapters 1-3
Hosea and his life itself becomes the example of the relationship between God and the nation.We can see God presenting His case against the nation in chapter one by the names of Hosea's children.But we not only see the Holiness of God but also His Faithfulness in the future restoration of the nation.
In chapter 2 we see God using Hosea's wife as an example of His Justice with His judgement on the nation,but we also see His Faithfulness again as He reminds them of their future restoration in the kingdom.
In chapter 3 we see the Love of God for the nation presented in Hosea's love for his wife and again the reminder of their future restoration.
It seems that in these first 3 chapters God prepares Hosea for what he is about to present in the remaining chapters of the book.
In chapters 4-7 we see God presenting His case against the nation and His Holiness is presented.
In chapters 8-10 we see Gods verdict and judgement on the guilty nation.Here God's Justice is presented.
In chapters 11-14 we see the Love of God presented as we see God reminisce about the nation and His regret for having to bring judgement on it and the future forgiveness and restoration.
It seems to me the message of the book is the last verse. "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them." Hosea 14:9
In this book we see God's justice,but also His love and mercy,coupled with His patience and long-suffering.
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Post by Bud on May 2, 2013 6:31:05 GMT -6
Joel:
We know very little about Joel other than he is the son of Pethuel and the name Joel means "Jehovah is God." We can't determine for sure when Joel lived but there are some clues.He doesn't mention anything about the Babylonians or the Assyrians being world powers.He does mention the Phoenicians,Philistines,Edomites and Egyptians.These weren't that great a threat to Judah after the Assyrians and Babylonians came to power.So with me that would indicate that Joel was one of the earlier prophets after the division of the nation into two nations (Israel and Judah)Joel was a prophet to the southern nation of Judah as his prophecies are mainly directed to Judah and Jerusalem (Zion).
Joel's theme through the short book is "The Day of the Lord." We are familiar with that day and relate it to the 7 year tribulation or 70th week of Daniel and that is true,but it also covers the 1000 year reign of Christ or the Kingdom Reign of Christ and Joel covers that full period in his book.
He starts off describing a plague of locusts that invaded the land and practically destroyed it.I believe that really happened and probably during Joel's day.He gives a very detailed description of these locusts like an army invading and the results of their invasion.I believe it is a type of how it will be in the tribulation when Israel is invaded by literal armies and it looks like a demonic army also.We can read about this in the 5th trumpet in Revelation 9:1-12.John even uses locusts in describing this invading army out of the bottomless pit.
In Chapter 1 I believe we see an invasion of locusts in the Land and the destruction it brought described like an army invasion.I believe also we can see a projection to the future from Joel's day and from our day to the endtimes when Israel will be invaded and will ultimately end up at the battle of Armageddon and the return of Our Lord to this earth to reign.
In Chapter 2 we see 2 trumpets sounded in verses 1 and 15.(Joel 2:1,Joel 2:15)The first is an alarm and a warning and the second an alarm with instructions given.Verses 1-10 could still be describing the locust invasion,but it definitely must extend to the endtimes,the Day of the Lord beginning in the 7 year tribulation.If you read verse 4-10 (Joel 2:4-10)it sounds very much like the 5th trumpet that John describes in Revelation 9:1-12 and also locusts are used there to describe this army released from the bottomless pit.
When we look at this chapter with the perspective towards the tribulation we can see in verses 1-10 (Joel 2:1-10) a glimpse of the destruction.Then in verses 11-17 (Joel 2:11-17) instruction for the people to repent,then in verse 18-27 (Joel 2:18-27) what the Lord will do.
In verses 28,29 (Joel 2:28-29) we see the promise of the pouring out of the Spirit during that time.Peter quotes this in Acts chapter 2 with the coming of the Spirit and the examples of how it would be in the tribulation and in the Kingdom.The believers in Acts chapter 2 were looking for the tribulation to come anytime and then Jesus would come back and set up the kingdom.We can look back now and see that the tribulation and kingdom were postponed and the Church age came in and we believers now are indwelt of the Spirit but the fulfillment prophesied in Joel is yet to be fulfilled.Then in verses 30-32 (Joel 2:30-32) what it will be like just before the Lord comes back at the end of the tribulation to rule.This description is like the one our Lord gives in Matthew 24:27-31.
In Chapter 3 We see the remnant of Israel saved for the Kingdom (Joel 3:1).We can see the judgement of the nations described in verses 2-8 (Joel 3:2-8) similar to Jesus's description in Matthew 25:31-46.Then in verses 9-16 (Joel 3:9-16) a retrospect of how it will be just prior to the Lord coming back at the battle of Armageddon.Verse 13 sounds very much like John's description in Revelation 14:14-20.Then in verses 17-21(Joel 3:17-21) a glimpse of the Kingdom when the Messiah will be ruling and the blessings for Israel.
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Post by Bud on May 9, 2013 11:20:42 GMT -6
Amos:
A most obscure man that seem to come on the scene from out of nowhere.He say's himself "I was no prophet or son of a prophet,but a herdsman and a gatherer of fruit"(Amos 7:14) from Tekoa a sort of wild rustic area about 6 miles south of Bethlehem probably in the area that David had kept his fathers sheep.He hadn't been trained in any of the school of the prophets.A simple man that had been given a message from God and with everything in him he meant to deliver it. He being from the southern wilderness area of Judah and being sent by God into the northern kingdom of Israel,right into their capital,Bethel and the presence of their king.His vocabulary and figure of speech,illustrations and bluntness just didn't fit in with their lifestyle. Not only did he have a powerful message to deliver and he did deliver it,the apostle James hundred's of years later used a passage from Amos to explain salvation going to the Gentiles.(Acts 15:14-18) It looks like he lived and prophesied about the same time of Hosea.(Hosea 1:1 and Amos 1:1) He begins by telling them of the judgements coming on the nations around them even on Judah the southern kingdom and they probably readily received that,but then he begins telling them of the judgements coming on the northern kingdom of Israel and that is what most of the rest of the book concerns.It gets to the point where they tell him to leave and head back down south to your own land of Judah and prophesy there.(Amos 7:10-13) In chapters 1 and 2 we have 8 prophetic burdens or messages concerning 8 nations.Syria which is addressed through it's capital Damascus,Philistia which is represented by it's city of Gaza with mentions of the cities of Ashdod,Ashkelon and Ekron,Phoenicia represented by Tyre,Edom,Ammon,Moab,Judah and Israel.Note the phrase "For three transgressions and for four" in reference to each which could mean that God had been bearing with them long enough.They had gone 1 too many and had tipped the scale so to speak.Note that the reason for judgement on each one except for Israel and Judah is for their cruelties against other peoples. In chapters 3,4,5 and 6 we have three sermons and each one begins with the phrase "Hear this word."The first is chapter 3,the second chapter 4 and the third chapter 5 and 6.Each sermon gives what judgement is deserved and what judgement is decreed. In chapters 7-9 we have 5 visions and they look to be successively.The first is an invasion of grasshoppers or locusts that devour the land,but Amos entreats the Lord and the judgement is averted.(Amos 7:1-3) The second vision is a devouring fire and Amos entreats the Lord and the judgement is restrained.(Amos 7:4-6) The third is a plumb-line and the nation has been weighted in the balances or they haven't lined up so to speak and Amos doesn't intervene because the Lord say's "I will not again pass by them anymore"(Amos 7:7-9) and so judgement is determined. Before the 4th vision is given we see through Amaziah the priest of Bethel,a rejection of the message that God has sent to the nation through Amos.(Amos 7:10-17) The fourth vision is a basket of summer fruit,which probably refers to dead ripe or rotten.Here God repeats the message "I will not again pass by them anymore"(Amos 8:1-3)so judgement is imminent. Here in chapter 8 is a mention of a most harsh of judgements,a famine of hearing of the Word of the Lord.(Amos 8:11-12). Then in (Amos 9:1) the fifth vision is the Lord standing upon the alter and judgement is executed. Even though judgement came and Israel was invaded and carried off into captivity they will be regathered from the nations for kingdom blessing.(Amos 9:11-15)
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Post by Bud on May 16, 2013 7:12:43 GMT -6
Obadiah: Obadiah is one prophet we know very little about.His father isn't mentioned or what tribe he was from.Even though Obadiah was a common name and several people from different tribes had that name and are mentioned in the Scriptures from the time of David right up until the time of Nehemiah,we can't definitely tie any one of them to the writer of this short book.He does mention the "children of Judah"in reference to the southern nation and their destruction which would have been during the Babylonian captivity.(Obadiah 10-14)He states this as if it had already happened,so that would make him living after the captivity.But he could have been prophesying a future event from his time.But it really doesn't matter when he lived or the Word would have been more specific in identifying the messenger.The message is what is important. He tells us in the first verse what his message concerns.It concerns Edom or Esau the brother of Jacob and the nation that descended from him.The battle between these twin brothers was predicted before they were born when they struggled in the womb of their mother Rebecca.The struggle began nearly 4000 years ago and I believe it continues even today.I believe (Obadiah 19) is referring to what Jacob will eventually possess from Edom or Esau.The plain of the Philistines is Gaza today and the fields of Ephraim and Samaria are what the world calls the West Bank today.That to me means that the Palestinians of today are probably the descendents of Esau.It seems to me that there is no greater hatred for Israel today than the hatred of the Palestinians for them.A hatred between brothers that has festered for 4000 years. I believe we can draw some parallels with Obadiah's description of Edom then and with the Palestinians today.(Obadiah 2) say's they were greatly despised.Their pride had deceived them,(Obadiah 3)they were deceived by them that made peace with them and entrapped them,(Obadiah 7)The other Arab nations today just use the Palestinians for their own purpose.Jordan tried to kill them off by keeping them in refugee camps.Iran another Muslim nation keeps saying they will destroy Israel from off the face of the earth when they get nuclear weapons and the Palestinians support Iran and look to them for support.If Iran bombs Israel the Palestinians will be destroyed also.With their hatred for Israel so strong they are blind to reality.(Obadiah 8) God say's He will destroy the wise men and the understanding of Edom. Look at some of the things Obadiah lists in verses(Obadiah 10-14) that Edom did to Judah. 1.They stood against her as they were carried off into captivity. 2.They cast lots for Jerusalem with the foreigners that entered her gates. 3.They gazed and rejoiced as Judah was carried off into captivity. 4.They spoke proudly against Judah and entered the gates of Jerusalem with the invaders. 5.They gazed on the affliction of Judah with gladness. 6.They laid hands on their substance and took it for their own. 7.They even cut off the ones of Judah that escaped and turned them back over to their captives. Compare all this with what the Palestinians do today to Israel.
In (Obadiah 1-9) we can see the pride of Edom,that leads to their deception and loss of wisdom and understanding. In (Obadiah 10-14) we see God bring His case against Edom. In (Obadiah 15-16) we see the judgement on Edom. In (Obadiah 17-22) we see the deliverance of Israel,the possession of the Land and the Kingdom when the Lord will be ruling.
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Post by Bud on May 23, 2013 5:56:43 GMT -6
Jonah: A very short book but oh the message, the truths and types we can see there.Jonah states himself that he is the son of Amittai.He is also referred to in (2Kings 14:25). "In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years.And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin.He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher." (2Kings 14:23-25) This seems to indicate that he lived during the reign of Jeroboam the 2nd.This would make him a contemporary of Hosea and Amos (Hosea 1:1 and Amos 1:1) and was from Gath Hepher which according to Joshua 19:13 belonged to the tribe of Zebulun.There is a possibility Jonah could have been born and lived before Elisha died. Jonah lived during the time of the Assyrian empire that eventually destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and carried then off into captivity and Jonah along with the inhabitants of Israel would have known this was to happen.This was probably the most wicked empire that ever existed.Everyone in Israel would have known the barbaric cruelties that followed the takeover of towns,villages and cities by the Assyrians. There would be piles of decapitated bodies and pyramids of human heads.People were literally tied down where they couldn't move a muscle and were inch by inch skinned alive.The leaders of the towns would have a sharpened pole driven into their lower chest.Then the pole would then be raised with the end of the pole planted in a hole with the body stuck in the air to suffer and die a most painful death.People were blinded,arms,legs,feet,ears and noses cut off.They would actually reach into a persons mouth and pull their tongues out by the roots.Jonah knew of the blood-curdling savagery of the Assyrians and that they would eventually destroy his own land and people. It was to this city,Nineveh the capital of the Assyrian empire that God told Jonah to go and preach a coming judgement too and to tell them to repent.Some have thought Jonah was afraid to go there,and that was why he didn't go at first,but I don't think so.Jonah tells us in chapter 4:2 why he didn't go at first. "So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? "Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm."(Jonah 4:2) The best news that Jonah or Israel could have heard was that God was going to destroy Nineveh.Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh and tell them about coming destruction because they just might repent and He knew God well enough that He would relent and not destroy them.So it was either go to Nineveh and preach and they might repent and be spared and that would assure Israel's destruction or disobey God and not go and maybe Nineveh would be destroyed and maybe Israel wouldn't be destroyed. Let's briefly look at the story.Jonah was told to go to Nineveh and proclaim that God was going to bring judgement on it.Jonah decides not to go and get's passage on a ship going to Tarshish which was probably Spain.Note in chapter one it is said 3 times that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord and Jonah even tells the other men on the ship that.This would probably draw questions from them and Jonah probably told them why he was fleeing,about Nineveh etc.When the storm came that God had prepared,Jonah realized he was the reason and told them to cast him overboard and when the storm ceased the men no doubt knew that God had brought it on and this message that God gave Jonah to take to Nineveh was very important. We can't say for sure but they might have seen the fish that God also prepared,swallow Jonah.Well they had emptied their cargo so there was no reason for them to continue their voyage so they probably returned to Joppa with a very wild story to tell.Then when Jonah reappears I'm sure there was a story to tell.I say all this and kinda reading between the lines because when this man Jonah a Hebrew appears in Nineveh and tells them that in 40 days God is going to destroy the place,they took him serious.I believe they had already heard about Jonah and his experiences and when they saw this bleached out man that had been in the belly of a fish for three days and nights they knew that this God of Jonah's was very serious. There might be a couple of other things the people of Nineveh were considering.They new the cruelty that their army brought on their captives and God might just be feed up with that cruelty.Then in 2Kings 14:25 in speaking of a prophecy of Jonah's it might seem to Nineveh that the God of Jonah's might be permitting Israel to regain land and just maybe Nineveh could be seeing their last days as an empire. "He restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher." 2 Kings 14:25 From what I can find out about that period,Judah,Syria and Israel had refused to continue paying tribute to Assyria and there was other revolts in the empire and also Babylon was becoming stronger and was refusing further submission. In Matthew 12:40 Jesus say's that the 3 days and nights that Jonah was in the fish was a type of Him being 3 days and nights in the heart of the earth,referring to His death,burial and His body being in the grave 3 days and nights and all that He did during that time in Spirit form.Then in Luke 11:30 Jesus states that Jonah himself was a sign to the people of Nineveh as Jesus was to His generation. I'm sure when this man Jonah appeared in Nineveh,he was certainly a sign to them and it had it's effect. The great fish prepared by God and His preservation of Jonah was for sure a great miracle and of course that is where many people dispute the fact of Jonah's story.But what is sad is that these same people overlook the greater moral miracle of all these thousands of people repenting and the other miracles of the storm and it relenting and the miracles in chapter 4 where God is teaching Jonah some spiritual truths. So we come to chapter 4 and find Jonah angry because God didn't destroy Nineveh and here we find out why he chose to disobey God and attempt to flee to Tarshish.He say's to God that he knew He would do this and spare Nineveh.Well God teaches Jonah some lessons here.Here we see God's patience,tenderness and love as He teaches Jonah some valuable lessons about God Himself and His dealings with other nations and peoples other than Israel. We see God prepare a vine to grow and provide him some shade from the heat and Jonah was thankful for that.Then God prepared a worm to destroy it and then prepared an east wind which would have been a very hot air blowing on him.Jonah becomes even more angry over the vine dying.God tells him that he (Jonah)had more concern for the vine than he did for the many thousands of human beings in Nineveh that had repented and God had spared.The story leaves us here but I believe God planted many questions in Jonah's mind for him to ponder and also in the minds of Israel as a nation and to us as individuals.I believe right here we see the very heart of God and that is what the book has been leading up to. In these last 3 verses we can see the message to Jonah and to Israel as a nation,that even though God had extended special favor toward Israel,didn't mean that His love for other people had been lessened.God had not chosen Israel just for their own sake,but to fulfill a divine purpose and that in the end would bless all peoples.The election of one nation didn't mean the rejection of all others.God loves all His human creatures without respect of persons,yes even the wicked sinners in Nineveh. And to us individually,we can get a glimpse of John 3:16 and the world embracing that message.We can see how precious each one of us are to the very heart of God. So with all that I believe we can see 4 main movements in the book. Chapter 1:Jonah and the Storm.Jonah's Disobedience. Chapter 2:Jonah and the Fish.Jonah's Preservation. Chapter 3:Jonah and the City.Jonah's Proclamation. Chapter 4:Jonah and the Lord.Jonah's Correction. In chapter 1 he is fleeing from God. In chapter 2 he is praying to God. In chapter 3 he is speaking for God. In chapter 4 he is learning of God. I don't believe it would be fair to leave the book without briefly looking at the beautiful types that are presented here. Jonah himself is a type of the nation Israel.As we see Jonah's movements,we see the movements of Israel as a nation of people. The nation disobedient to the heavenly commission as Jonah was. The nation out of their own land as Jonah was. The nation finding refuge among the Gentiles as Jonah did. The nation as trouble to the Gentiles as Jonah did on the ship. The nation a witness of the true God as Jonah was to the sailors on the ship. The nation cast out by the nations as Jonah was by the troubled seamen. The nation miraculously preserved amid all their troubles as Jonah was miraculously preserved in the deep. The nation calling on God at last in penitence and re dedication as Jonah did from inside the fish. The nation eventually finding salvation and deliverance in Jehovah-Jesus as Jonah found salvation and deliverance from the deep by declaring in his prayer "Salvation is of Jehovah." The nation eventually becoming missionaries to the Gentiles as Jonah did.
Then there is the type of the death,burial and resurrection of Christ as Christ Himself declares that Jonah was."As Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the fish's belly so shall the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth."
A very small book but chocked full of truths and Godly blessings,if we would just allow the Spirit of God to reveal them to us.
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Post by Keith on May 23, 2013 9:20:21 GMT -6
Wonderful, Bud!
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Post by Bud on May 30, 2013 6:50:09 GMT -6
Micah: When we look at (Micah 1:1) and (Isaiah 1:1) we can see that Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and his prophesies concern Samaria and Jerusalem which were the capitals of the two nations,Israel and Judah.He calls himself a Morasthite or a man from Moreshah,or as he refers to it as Moresheth-Gath in (Micah 1:14) and Mareshah in (Micah 1:15).This was a town about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem near Gath on the Philistine border,(Gaza today) in the nation of Judah. Micah is referred to in Jeremiah about a hundred years later by the elders of Jerusalem when some were desiring to put Jeremiah to death.
"So the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying:“Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest.” Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? And the Lord relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. But we are doing great evil against ourselves.”(Jeremiah 26:16-19) Micah had prophesied against Jerusalem and they didn't put him to death,but they wanted to put Jeremiah to death for prophesying against Jerusalem.This was the argument presented by some of the elders before the assembly that was considering killing Jeremiah.Note what they say about Micah.
"Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? And the Lord relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them." Micah is also referred to by the chief priests in (Matthew 2:4-6) when Herod asks them where the "Christ"or the "Messiah" would be born when the wise men came seeking Him that had been born "King of the Jews."This was in (Micah 5:2).
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” Micah also receives a very similar prophecy as Isaiah in (Micah 4:1-3) concerning the Kingdom when Christ would be ruling on the earth.
(Micah 4:1-3) "Now it shall come to pass in the latter day That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore."
(Isaiah 2:2-4) "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore."
As I have mentioned several times before when God repeats Himself,it's for emphasis and is deemed very important. These two passages are not only important to Israel then,but also think of the ones in the tribulation as they are looking forward to that time and the nations also when the Kingdom rule begins.Even to us in the Church age,they are a great reminder and blessing as we can read of what it is going to be like when our Savior is ruling as King of Kings.
The book seems to be in 3 parts.Chapters 1-3 has to do with God's judgements,chapters 4 and 5 with God's blessings and chapters 6 and 7 with God's pleas and mercy.
Part 1:God's Judgements Chapter 1 seems to deal more with God directing His judgements toward the cities.Note verse (Micah 1:5) and verses (Micah 1:10-16).
Chapter 2 seems to deal more with God directing His judgements toward the people or individual judgement.Note the words those,their,they,them,a man,his,this family,you,your,My people,women etc.(Micah 2:1-13)
Chapter 3(Micah 3:1-12)seems to deal more with God directing His judgements toward the leaders of the people.Note the words the heads,the seers,the diviners,the rulers,the priests and the prophets.He states in verse 12 that the judgements will be brought on because of them.(Micah 3:12)
Part 2:God's Blessings Chapter 4 (Micah 4:1-13)the promise of the Kingdom even though they will be sent to Babylon they will be preserved and delivered. Chapter 5(Micah 5:1-15) the promise of the King(even where He will be born (Micah 5:2)and even though He is rejected and the nation given up for a period of time,a remnant will be preserved as they will go through a time of pain like a woman in birth pains and a nation will be born.Even though they will be carried off into captivity they will be preserved and return and the King will rule.
Part 3:God's Pleas and Mercy Chapter 6 we see God's pleas in verse 1 and 2 and 9.(Micah 6:1,2,9)In verses 3-5 (Micah 6:3-5)we see a question that God presents to them and a reminder of all that He has done for them in the past.Then in verses 6 and 7 (Micah 6:6-7),questions the people should ask God and the answer in verse 8.(Micah 6:8)Then in verse 9 (Micah 6:9) God's plea and the question of whether He should continue to put up with their ways in verse 10-12 (Micah 6:10-12) and the answer in verse 13-16.(Micah 6:13-16) Chapter 7 we see Micah confessing for himself and the nation that God is right and that should be the attitude of the nation.Then the future regathering of the nation and the blessings and the enemy nations being ashamed.
Then the last 3 verses of the book we see Micah praising God for His mercy,compassion and forgiveness.These 3 verses are read in the synagogues on the Day of Atonement.
"Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob And mercy to Abraham, Which You have sworn to our fathers From days of old."(Micah 7:18-20)
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Post by Bud on Jun 6, 2013 5:46:53 GMT -6
Nahum:
We know little about Nahum himself,other that he states himself that he was a Elkoshite,which would indicate that he was from Elkosh.It's hard to determine exactly where Elkosh was.Some think it was somewhere in Assyria. The subject of his prophecy is the destruction of Nineveh the capital of the Assyrian empire,which had destroyed the nation of Israel (the northern kingdom)and carried them into captivity.Nahum could have been carried off or could have been born in captivity. In chapter 3:8 (Nahum 3:8-9)he mentions the city of "Populous No" or from what I can find out that was also referred to as "NoAmon",a city where the god "Amon" was worshiped where Ethiopia and Egypt were it's strength and Put and Luban was it's helpers.This was probably referring to the city Thebes the ancient city in Egypt where "Amon" was worshiped and was destroyed about 664 or 665 B.C.by the Assyrians. Nahum refers to this destruction to prove to the Ninevites that if Thebes,which wasn't as corrupt as Nineveh,could be destroyed then Nineveh would surely be destroyed.Thebes had already been destroyed when Nahum wrote his prophecy.So that tells me that Nahum would have written between 664 BC and 609BC when Nineveh was destroyed.Israel(the northern kingdom) was carried off into captivity between 735 and 720 BC,so Thebes was destroyed between 55 to 70 years after Israel had been destroyed and carried into captivity.That is why Nahun could have been in captivity when he wrote.Where he was really doesn't matter that much but what he wrote is what's important. Jonah had gone to Nineveh some hundred or more years before this and had preached to Nineveh and the whole city including the King had repented but soon afterward they went to greater lengths of wickedness than ever before.Nahum picks up where Jonah left off.Like Jonah he tells them that "The Lord is slow to anger but he also adds that God is "great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked."(Nahum 1:3). These words in verse 3 are really the key to the "doomsday"report that Nahum gives to Nineveh and I believe holds true today.When you read through this short book and see how vividly Nahum describes the destruction of Nineveh you will see some very close comparisons to the way John describes the fall of this world system in chapter 18 of Revelation. God chose to write two books about Nineveh (Jonah and Nahum) and I believe for a special purpose.In Romans 11:22 Paul states "behold the goodness and the severity of God."In Jonah we see His goodness and in Nahum His severity.I believe we have here a special lesson to all rulers and nations.God has always been gracious and He has also always been intolerant of wickedness.The Gospel of Grace is the supreme expression of Divine Graciousness,but that doesn't change the principles of righteousness by which God governs nations.Reaping and sowing I believe also enters in the equation whether it be with individuals(saved and lost) and with nations. I believe the 3 chapters of the book give us it's 3 divisions.When it comes to the "burden of Nineveh"I think Nahum gives us "the what","the how",and "the why"of it.
Chapter 1 "the what" Here we have the verdict and doom declared.
Chapter 2 "the how" Here we have the visualization or the doom described.
Chapter 3 "the why" Here we have the vindication or the doom is deserved.
Verse 3:19 the last verse in the book seems to sum it up for Nineveh's destruction,permanent with rejoicing.
"Your injury has no healing, Your wound is severe. All who hear news of you Will clap their hands over you, For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually."(Nahum 3:19)
This is very similar to the rejoicing described in Revelation chapter 18:20 and 19:1-6 when this world system is destroyed,of which I believe the destruction of Nineveh was a type of and Christ is about to come back to rule.(Revelation 18:20,19:1-6)
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Post by Bud on Jun 13, 2013 6:12:05 GMT -6
Habakkuk: Another prophet that we know very little about,but what a precious message and blessing this short book gives us and so applicable to today as we shall see.We can't say for sure when he lived and wrote but there are some clues.He does mention that the Chaldeans (Babylonians)would be raised up to destroy the nation.This they did to Judah.There is no mention of Nineveh or the Assyrians being a threat,so that empire probably had already been destroyed.Nineveh fell about 608BC and Babylon begin to carry off the people of Judah into captivity around 606BC.Habakkuk probably wrote sometime prior to that.That would have made him a contemporary of Jeremiah. The book starts out somewhat different than others,with Habakkuk presenting his own burden to God.Then God answers him and that gives Habakkuk even more of a burden,but this draws out the faith of the prophet and the book ends with praises to God. There are 3 parts to the book and they follow the chapters except for verse 1 in chapter 2.I believe it would fit more as the last verse in chapter 1.In chapter 1 we have "A Burden"(Habakkuk 1:1),in chapter 2 "A Vision"(Habakkuk 2:2) and in chapter 3 "A Prayer" or a song (Habakkuk 3:1).The book starts with a "sob"of doubt and ends with a "song"of trust.In the book we see a conflict and a triumph of faith. Chapter 1 A Burden: We are presented with Habakkuk's burden.He sees the wickedness in Judah and their disregard for God and His Law.He wonders just how long God is going to put up with their disobedience.Then God tells him that He will do a work that he will not believe.He is going to allow the Chaldeans (Babylonians),a much more wicked people and permit them to destroy Judah the nation and carry them into captivity.This presents Habakkuk with an even greater burden.He just couldn't understand how a Holy and Righteous God would punish Judah with a people far more wicked and ruthless than the Jews themselves.The second burden out weighs the first and he presents his feelings to God and we see his thoughts and his conclusion in chapter 2:1.
"I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected."
He says I have presented my thoughts to God and now I will await His answer.
Chapter 2 A Vision: Here we see the vision Habakkuk receives from God in answer to his burdens.Five woes are presented in verses 6,9,12,15 and 19.(Habakkuk 2:6,9,12,15,19)They are presented as stealing,coveting,killing,deceiving and worshiping idols.These would be things that Judah and Babylon both were guilty of and Babylon would eventually be destroyed also.God gives Habakkuk two promises or assurances in this chapter(Habakkuk 2:4,2:14), to comfort him because of the two burdens he has.
“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith."v 4
"For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea."v 14
Habakkuk received the answer he needed.He was to live by faith,that God has His plans and everything would work out according to those plans.
Chapter 3 A Prayer:(or literally a Song) With the hope he had Habakkuk presents two praises to God,(Habakkuk 3:2-15) for what He has done and (Habakkuk 3:16-19) for what He will do.Even though the invasion is coming and he trembles at the thought of it(Habakkuk 3: 16) he makes the assuring statement in (Habakkuk 3:18,19) "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills."
Why I say this is a song is the word "Shigionoth"in (Habakkuk 3:1) which means "a song set to music" and in the last verse the statement:"To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments."
So we see Habakkuk go from a sob of sorrow to a song of praise,from despair to a shout of confidence.In chapter 1 faith questions and waits.In chapter 2 faith sees.In chapter 3 faith rejoices.
I believe we have presented in this book applications that can apply to us today.We live by faith and stand on the promises God has made concerning the Church and we are assured by His Word about the future for Israel and the nations,the judgements that are to come and the future deliverance of humanity and the earth itself,when Christ comes to rule just as He assured Habakkuk in chapter 2:14.(Habakkuk 2:14)
Yes we see the wickedness in the world today and in our own individual countries and I'm certain we have wondered how much longer God is going to put up with it and maybe have even asked Him about it.Well we can be assured from His Word that eventually He will bring judgement on this world system and many will suffer,believers and non-believers.He will allow another "Babylon"to rise up,(The reign of the AntiChrist) and He will use it to deliver a remnant of Israel that will look to Him as their Savior and King. Just as He allowed Israel to be carried right into the middle of idoltry,to Babylon, to cure them of it,He will allow Israel to be carried into the reign of the Antichrist and deceived by him in accepting him as their Messiah to cure them of their disobedience in rejecting their true Messiah.The remnant will recognize that deception and look to Jesus their true Messiah. He will also purge the nations and judgement will be brought on them and there will be people of the nations that will believe and go into the Kingdom when Christ will rule. Just as Habakkuk stood by faith on the promises of God,the believers during the tribulation will stand by faith on the promises of God.We today in the church also stand by faith,knowing what is to happen with this world system and the judgements that are to come.We walk with our blessed hope of our Savior coming for us,to meet Him in the air.As we are seeing all that is going on in the world and the signs that point to that endtime judgement,we need to continually reassure ourselves of this hope. As we see all these problems and they might be effecting us individually and our lives as we have known it,may be changing from day to day and we find ourselves rebelling against it and we just seem helpless in doing anything about it.It seems that the leaders in the world today are being controlled by powers beyond their control.It seems that what many of us see that is wrong is totally ignored by them as they rush headlong into destruction.It seems their minds are set with an agenda they fully don't understand themselves but are blindly convinced they are doing the right thing.Eventually they will come together and commit themselves to the rulership of one man.We need to remind ourselves that even though things seem to be coming apart,they could be just coming together.We can rejoice in our hope that God knows what He is doing and He will succeed. We can state as Habakkuk did:
"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills."
Doesn't this sound very much like (Philippians 4:4,6,7,13)
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Is this not what Habakkuk did?He had burdens,he took them to the Lord and waited with patience.The Lord assured him,gave him peace,strengthened him and he is found rejoicing and praising God that He is his strength.
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Post by Bud on Jun 20, 2013 6:21:23 GMT -6
Zephaniah: The last of the pre-exile prophets.A most interesting prophet,because of who he was,when he prophesied and what he prophesied.It appears that he is the great-great-grandson of King Hezekiah and would be in the same generation as King Josiah's sons of whom three of them were among the last kings of Judah.He prophesied during the reign of King Josiah (a time of much reforms)but yet his message was of coming judgement on the nation. This doesn't say much for the reforms during the reign of Josiah.Zephaniah doesn't mention these reforms even though he was living during them.Outwardly these reforms were very impressive,but inwardly they were far from what was needed.It was outward reforms brought on by the King,rather than a spiritual revival brought on by the people.The prophetess Huldah in her words to Josiah in (2 Kings 22:15-20) in so many words say's "go ahead and do what's in your mind to do Josiah,but these people's minds and hearts are not in a real heart-turning desire towards God to a point that judgement will be averted."
"Then she said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me,“Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read— because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched."But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard— because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. “Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.(2 Kings 22:15-20)
The calamity that she spoke of did come and Zephaniah told them that it would come and describes it.His description also gives a description of the endtime judgements on Israel and the nations,that will come during the 7 year tribulation.But he does remind of the coming Messianic Kingdom,when Christ rules this earth.It will embrace all nations even though the covenant nation (Israel)will be the center of that Kingdom. To me there are some key words that stand out in the book.Note the "I wills",the "He wills"and the "my's",the "she's"and the "her's". The key verse to me seems to be the latter part of verse 12 in chapter 1.This is a description of the peoples attitude towards God.
Who say in their heart, "The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil."(Zephaniah1:12)
They were saying that God was neutral,that He just didn't bother or matter.Or to say that God doesn't act in human affairs.He neither blesses or punishes.That the world is governed by natural laws and that God doesn't interfere with these laws to give answers to prayers.They say God exists but His interest in human affairs is denied or is not needed.This is very similar to the attitude towards God today by nonbelievers and unfortunately by some believers. Yes we are living in the age of grace and it is evident that God does put up with a lot as He is building the Church for His Son,but that doesn't mean that He has ruled out all His intervening into the affairs of man and nations.He is still the God of His creation. Yes there is a judgement coming on this earth and it appears we are nearing that time.We can see the signs pointing towards that time.No we don't have a special revelation from God as the Hebrew prophets received because the Word of God is now complete.But we do have the indwelling and the illumination of the Holy Spirit of God and as we honestly interpret the Scripture we can and should proclaim that the "Day of the Lord" is at hand just as Zephaniah proclaimed in his day that judgement was coming,even though there was an apparent new burst of religious activity,he saw it for what it really was. As for the structure of the book it seems to be divided into 3 parts.
Chapter 0ne (Zephaniah 1:1-18)deals with the coming judgement on Judah,which came when Babylon invaded and it also reflects the future judgement coming in the tribulation period during the "Day of the Lord"as Zephaniah along with Joel and other prophets when describing the judgements of their day called it.The "Day of the Lord" was a term they used to describe the judgement in their day and it is also a description of future judgement to come.The term also refers to the "Lords Day " when the Messiah will be ruling this earth.
Chapter two (Zephaniah 2:1-15)deals with the judgements of the nations around Judah and also refers to the future judgements of the nations.(Matthew 25)If you note the judgements Zephaniah refers to are the nations West,East,South and North of Judah in that order.Gaza to the West,Ammon and Moab to the East,Ethiopia to the South and Assyria and Nineveh to the North.
Chapter three (Zephaniah 3:1-20)begins describing the moral state of Jerusalem and Judah in general with a call for repentance,but (Zephaniah 3:7) indicates that it didn't happen and judgement came.I believe they will have this call in the tribulation period also.I believe (Zephaniah 3:8) describes the battle of Armageddon and God's intervention.The rest of the chapter and the book describes the regathering of Israel and the blessings of the remnant as they go into the Kingdom with the Messiah ruling and Israel being a blessing to all nations.
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Post by Bud on Jun 27, 2013 6:04:21 GMT -6
Haggai: Another prophet that we no very little about.He is the first of the post-exile prophets,the other two being Zechariah and Malachi.Haggai and Zechariah were contemporaries.They both could have been born in Babylon and came back in the first wave in 536BC.The first group to return from captivity had been in the land about 16 or 17 years when Haggai and Zechariah began their ministry around 519-520BC.Haggai and Zechariah need to be read along with Ezra,Nehemiah and Esther which also concern the post-exile period and especially the first 7 chapters of Ezra which concerns the same years in the land as Haggai and most of Zechariah. Haggai presents his prophecies over a period of only about 4 months from the 1st day of the 6th month to the 24th day of the 9th month about 114 days.This would cover the time period from about August thru most of November.This would cover the time of the last 3 of the yearly Feast's of Jehovah,Feast of Trumpets,Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles. Most of what Haggai is concerned with is the rebuilding of the Temple,promised blessings then and promise of future blessings in the Kingdom. There are four messages or prophecies given by Haggai and he gives in great detail the date they are given,the day,month and year.These specific dates are most interesting as we will look at some other mentions of a specific date that is recorded 3 times in three different places and I believe it has a connection with the time Haggai is prophesying and the command for them to build the Temple,which they had been delaying in building.They even mention in chapter 1:2 as to the delay,that the time to build the Temple had not come and Haggai informs them that the time had come and to stop delaying. “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, saying: ‘This people says, “The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.”(Haggai 1:2)
I'm not sure if they were using the 70 years of desolation of the Land,Temple and Jerusalem as the excuse to not build or not but there are some dates given in Scripture that are very interesting concerning the desolation. Jeremiah refers to this in (Jeremiah 25:11-12)
"And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. ‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; ‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation."
Daniel refers to this in (Daniel 9:1-2) "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem."
Daniel was concerned because they had been in Babylon almost 70 years.The first ones were taken to Babylon in 606BC of whom Daniel was one of.Soon after Daniels prayer the first group were allowed to come back to the Land.This was under King Cyrus in 536BC.That was 70 years that the people had been in Babylon.But had the desolation of the Land,Jerusalem and the Temple been completed?That's where I believe this specific date that is mentioned 3 times in 3 different places in Scripture comes into play.Let's look at the 3 mentions.
(2Kings 25:1) "Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around."
(Jeremiah 52:4) "Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around."
(Ezekiel 24:1-2) "Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,“Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day"
Then in (Jeremiah 39:1) we find out whose reign we are concerned with. "In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it."
This was when the desolation of the Land,Jerusalem and the Temple began and was given for emphasis 3 times (exactly to the day) and 4 times if you count (Jeremiah 39:1) which gives the year and month.
Zedekiah was the last King of Judah and he reigned 11 years from 597-586BC.The 9th year and 10th month and 10th day would have been 589BC.70 years from that date would have been the time Haggai was telling the people to begin building the Temple,the time had come. It seems to me there were 2 periods of 70 years during an 87 year period.One period from 606BC until 536BC that the people were in Babylon and from 589BC until 519BC that the Land,Jerusalem and the Temple was in desolation. Let's read again what Jeremiah said in (Jeremiah 25:11-12) "And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. ‘Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; ‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation."
Well the people served the king of Babylon 70 years from 606BC until 536BC.Then Babylon fell and the king and nation of Babylon were punished and became a desolation and the people of Israel were allowed to go back to the land under the rule of the Persian king Cyrus.Then the 70 years desolation of the Land,Jerusalem and the Temple was fulfilled 17 years later.This seems to be the very time that Haggai is telling them to begin building the Temple. It seems that Haggai picks a certain day that stands out and emphasizes it twice for them to consider.I believe that is the date that the desolation of the Land,Jerusalem and the Temple was complete and to begin building. (Haggai2:10)"On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,"
(Haggai 2:15):"And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord"
(Haggai 2:18): "Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it"
(Haggai 2:19):"Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you."
I believe the book is divided into 4 parts and they are the 4 messages that Haggai gives.
1.Message 1:(Haggai 1:1-15) Date:Sixth month,1st day. This first message is to reprove them and arouse them to build the Temple.
Verse 8 "Build the house"
2.Message 2:(Haggai 2:1-9) Date:Seventh month,21st day. This message is to encourage them.His covenant with them still stands and His Spirit is still with them.
Verse 4 "I am with you"
3.Message 3:(Haggai 2:10-19) Date:Ninth month,24th day. This message is to confirm the blessing.
Verse 19 "From this day I will bless you" 4:Message 4:(Haggai 2:20-23) Date:Ninth month,24th day. This message is directed to Zerubbabel and is to assure them of the destruction of the nations and I think with Zerubbabel as a type of Christ we see the future reign of the Messiah.Note the 6 things God say's He will do in these 3 verses.
"I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother. In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the Lord, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of hosts.”(Haggai 2:21-23)
Verse 23 "In that day"
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Post by Bud on Jul 5, 2013 6:12:41 GMT -6
Zechariah:
Zechariah is the second of the post-exile writing prophets and was a contemporary of Haggai.As a matter of fact his prophecy and visions that he gives in the first six chapters are in the same year as Haggai gave his.The warning that he gives in the first 6 verses of chapter 1 (Zechariah 1:1-6) was given just before Haggai gave his last prophecy. Zechariah states that he is the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo the prophet who was also a priest that came from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:4)about 16 years before this in 536BC.He states that it was in the 2nd year of Darius which would have been 520BC that he began to write.Zechariah was probably born in Babylon and returned to the land in the first group in 536BC. Zechariah is referred to as one of the 12 minor prophets,but his message certainly isn't minor in importance.He covers a lot of ground in these short 14 chapters.The 2nd coming of Christ,His reign,His priesthood,His kingship,His humanity,His Deity,His building of the temple of the Lord,His coming in lowliness,His bringing of permanent peace,His rejection,His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver,His return to Israel as the crucified one and His being smitten by the sword of the Lord.The last chapter itself is a masterpiece considering what he covers in 21 verses. I believe the key to the understanding of the book is the Lord's statement that He is jealous for Jerusalem which He states 3 times.(Zechariah 1:14)and twice in (Zechariah 8:2)Jerusalem is the center of attention in the book.It is mentioned 41 times and Zion 8 times.Every vision and prophecy in the book relates to Jerusalem in some fashion.His mention of Jerusalem is only exceeded in the prophets by Isaiah and Jeremiah.The Temple is also mentioned 15 times in some form. Another interesting mention is God referred to as "The Lord of Hosts"(Jehovah-Sabaoth)53 times.This word "Hosts"or "Sabaoth"refers to large groups like armies the the Lord is over.The first time "Lord of Hosts"is used in the Bible is in (1 Samuel 1:3).It seems that it is used when Israel needs special assurance. The word "hosts"is used in (Genesis 2:1)(Nehemiah 9:6) and refers to the heavenly bodies or the physical universe.In (Luke 2:13) it refers to angels.In (Joshua 5:15),(2Samuel 10:16) and (2 Kings 5:1) it refers to humans.It simply means that Jehovah is sovereign Lord and Master of His universe. So by this we can see why "Lord of Hosts" is used when Israel needed special assurance.Picture the scene.Here is a small remnant,about 50,000 or so back in the land.They have no power,no army or any organization for that matter,with enemies all around them and Satan doing his best to defeat any purpose God might have in this returning remnant.I might mention also that "Lord of Hosts" is also used quite frequently in the other two post-exile prophets.Haggai 14 times and Malachi 24 times for a total of 91 times by these 3 prophets to this returning remnant.
As for the structure of the book,it looks to be two parts.The first part is visions chapter 1-6 and the second part is prophecies chapter 7-14. After the introduction and a warning in the first 6 verses of chapter 1 we have a series of 8 visions and evidently they were all given on the same day,the 24th day of the 11th month in the 2nd year of king Darius.( Zechariah 1:7)Note how the visions seem to concern Jerusalem and the Temple in some fashion or other. He sees 4 horsemen that are patrolling the earth and report that the nations are resting quietly while Jerusalem and Judah are suffering.We see how God is displeased with the nations and His love and concern for Jerusalem and Judah,His promise of return and the Temple built and the cities will prosper. Then he sees 4 horns which are the 4 empires that scattered Judah,Israel and Jerusalem among the nations,and 4 craftsmen that are the means or agents by which God will judge those nations. Then he sees a man that is going to measure Jerusalem but it looks like it is going to be blessed so in the Kingdom that it was beyond measurement. Then he sees the spiritual leader Joshua encouraged and the priesthood reinstated and he is also a type of Christ as the "Branch." Then he sees Zerubbabel the civil leader encouraged and that he will build the Temple.And I believe we see from verse (Zechariah 4:14) that this Joshua and Zerubbabel are types of the two witnesses of Revelation chapt 11. Then he sees a flying scroll that I believe is exposing wickedness. Then with the woman in the basket we see the wickedness transported to Shinar (Babylon) where all false religion began and will eventually be destroyed as we see described in Revelation chapters 17 and 18. Then he sees 4 chariots that are bringing swift judgements on the nations. The last 7 verses of chapter 6 we see the coronation of Joshua and by a crown being placed on him,he becomes a type of Christ as the King-Priest.The King-Priest on His throne in the Temple.
The second part of the book concerns prophecies and it is amazing the "ground"so to speak that Zechariah covers in these remaining 8 chapters.It seems that God wants to bring back to the memory of this small returning remnant the many promises that He has made to this small nation and the purpose He has for them and to their city Jerusalem and the Temple that will stand there. We start out in chapter 7 with a question to the priests about some fasts that the people had instituted while in captivity but wasn't instructed by God and they wanted to know if they should continue to observe them.The rest of the chapter answers that question.God tells them to observe the former prophets words and obey them which their ancestors failed to do and that is why they were carried off into captivity anyway. In chapter 8 they are reminded of God's concern for the nation and His zeal for Jerusalem.He reminds them of His regathering of them and what it will be like in Jerusalem in the Kingdom and how Jerusalem will be the religious center of the nations.He also instructs them to listen to the prophets that He has raised up for this returning remnant and how He is going to treat this remnant. In chapter 9 judgement on the cities around Israel and then in verse (Zechariah 9:9) the triumphal entry of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the donkey and of course we know from the Gospels of His rejection as King.The rest of the chapter jumps to the future deliverance of the nation. In chapter 10 the scattering,the regathering and strengthening of the nation is described. In chapter 11 the first advent of Christ is described,His rejection and in verse (Zechariah 11:13) what He was worth to them (30 pieces of silver) and then the raising up of the foolish shepherd or worthless shepherd which I believe will be the antichrist that they won't reject for a short time anyway.I believe this is what Jesus is referring to in (John 5:43). "I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive." In chapter 12 the description of Jerusalem as a "cup of drunkenness"and a "burdensome stone" to the nations that come against her.Jerusalem attacked but delivered and the future believing remnant will look upon Him that they pierced. In chapter 13 the false prophets in the tribulation destroyed and the two thirds of the Jews that die in the tribulation and the one third refined as silver and tested as gold,the remnant that will call upon the Lord. In chapter 14 we have the capstone of Zechariah's prophecies.He describes how the nations will gather against Jerusalem and the destruction and How the Lord will fight against those nations.Then His coming back and His feet coming down on the Mount of Olives to the same spot that He was lifted up from and went to Heaven.(Acts chapter 1)Then all that His coming back and standing on the mount entails is described.Then the judgement on the nations that came against Jerusalem is described.Then what it will be like in the Kingdom is described in the last 6 verses. What is so interesting as I mentioned before is how all the visions and prophecies center so much on Jerusalem.It's no wonder that Jerusalem is such a "hotspot"today and so much concern by the nations.Satan knows that it is the center of so much of God's plans for the future and of course he will do all he can to try and thwart those plans.The more he tries to do that,the more it seems to be "a cup of trembling"and "a burdensome stone."
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Post by Bud on Jul 10, 2013 6:20:42 GMT -6
Malachi:
The last of the post-exile prophets of the O.T.The last Word of the O.T.The last "Messenger of God"of the O.T. The name Malachi means "My Messenger" and comes from the Hebrew word "Malak" which means messenger and is used three times in the book.Once in (Malachi 2:7) and twice in(Malachi 3:1). Whether the people knew this would be the last word from God for 400 years or not is a question.The next word from God would be to the priest Zacharias the father of John the Baptist as he was performing his priestly duties in the Temple.(Luke 1:5-25)It would be understandable that this last messenger would give the prophecy of this event.
“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.(Malachi.3:1)
I also believe the last 2 verses in the book is also referring to John the Baptist.
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” (Malachi.4:5-6)
Jesus refers to this when asked the question by the disciples concerning Elijah coming.(Matthew 17:10-13)
"And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” "Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.'Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
Also in (Luke 1:16-17) in describing the birth of John to his father in the Temple.
"And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
As a result of Jesus being rejected by the nation,I believe there will be a further fulfillment of this in the two witnesses in (Revelation 11:3-14).They will also be fore-runners of Christ in His coming back to the earth and He will be accepted then as King and Savior by the believing remnant.The witnesses will also come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
As for the time that Malachi wrote and his being the last writer as the O.T. closes some think and I tend to believe also that (Daniel 9:25) gives us an answer to consider.
“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times."
This is the 70 weeks prophecy or the 490 years (70 times 7)determined on the nation that was given to Daniel.483 of those years(or 69 weeks)was fulfilled when Jesus was rejected by the nation and crucified.7 more years are yet to be fulfilled after the parenthesis between the 69th and the 70th week of the church age is complete.Thus the 7 years tribulation. Note that Daniel divided up the first 69 weeks into 7 and 62.The first 7 or 49 years from the going forth of the commandment to "restore and build Jerusalem",(not the Temple which was given earlier)"there shall be seven weeks (49 years) and sixty-two weeks (434 years). I believe the dividing of the weeks was for a purpose and it could be that the first 49 years was giving the time until the last word from God to be written before 400 years of silence.Thus Malachi could have been written after the end of the first 49 years of the 70 weeks prophecy.Then it would be 434 more years until the Messiah would be rejected and crucified.Whatever it is some good food for thought. At the time Malachi writes the remnant nation has fallen into apostasy and have left their Love.(God) God starts off by saying that He loves them in verse (Malachi 1:2) and then a series of questions and answers follows for 3 chapters.Some are questions by the people and priests as they try to justify their behavior.Other questions are presented by God Himself to show them up. With the questions being asked by the priests and the people we can get a glimpse of the infancy of Pharisaism and Sadduceeism beginning,which by the time of Christ's coming it had grown into maturity.Pharisaism is really "formalism" and Sadduceeism is "skepticism." Sadly these two things curse us today within Christendom.Religious formalism and self-righteousness and then the skeptics and their worldly and self-educated wisdom and both questioning God and trying to justify their behavior and both convinced they are right."Having a form of godliness.""Having left their first love." The "formalist" doesn't like to have his formalism disturbed and the "skeptic"doesn't like to have his skepticism disproved. Look at some of the questions they ask in trying to justify themselves. 1.When did you love us?(Malachi 1:2) 2.When have we despised your name?(Malachi 1:6) 3.When have we polluted you?(Malachi 1:7) 4.When have we wearied you?(Malachi 2:17) 5.What way shall we return to you?(Malachi 3:7) 6.When have we robbed you?(Malachi 3:8) 7.When have we spoken against you?(Malachi 3:13)
In the first part of the book in chapter 1 and 2 we see appeals,to the priests (in chapter 1:6-2:9) and to the people (in chapter 2:10-17.) Then in the second part in chapter 3 still in the midst of their justifying questions,He jumps to the future and the coming messenger and judgement and the believing remnant.Then in chapter 4 the coming "Lord's Day"and the return of Christ.Then that last prophecy of the O.T. concerning Elijah. When we close the O.T.we have a group among the remnant having the hope"He is Coming."Then they seem to disappear from sight for 400 years then reappear in the persons like the aged Simeon and Anna in the Temple waiting for the Messiah and the Consolation of Israel. Likewise today many of us are looking for the completion of the church and Christ coming back for her with the hope that He could come any moment.
"HE IS COMING"
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