Introduction

The Bible study is dedicated in the name of Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Savior
The Bible study is dedicated in the name of Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Savior. May the Lord Jesus Christ be honored by our devotions, our study and in our fellowship. May all the people be blessed and grow in the grace and knowledge of the love and presence of God our creator and our savior. - Amen!

blog Bible Study - Complete
blog Bible Study - Old Testament
blog Bible Study - New Testament

The current plan for the 'blog Bible Study' is to complete the study in 10 segments:
01. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua
02. Matthew, James, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews
03. Judges, Ruth, 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel, 1st Kings, 2nd Kings
04. Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum {Early period Prophets - Assyrian activity, attack on Jerusalem thwarted}
05. Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Obadiah, Daniel, Ezekiel {Middle period Prophets - destruction of Jerusalem, Solomon's Temple destroyed and the Babylonian captivity}
06. Luke, Acts, 1st Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st Thessalonians, 2nd Thessalonians
07. Mark, 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1st Peter, 2nd Peter
08. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations
09. 1st Chronicles, 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, Malachi {Later period Prophets - The return from Babylon, awaiting the coming Messiah}
10. John, 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John, Jude, Revelation

blog History Study - Complete
11. The 8 Kingdoms of the World
12. Church History

01. BasicChristian_Complete.rss

The blog Bible Study has concluded the Bible study portion! - Sometime after Holy Week and Resurrection Day (Easter) the study will continue with some ancient history and Church history segments - Thanks to everyone for your participation and especially for your prayers!
The blog Bible Study concluded fairly quickly - I had looked at the website visitor logs a couple of weeks ago and saw that people were scattered all throughout the study though primarily in the New Testament while the study was blogging O.T. studies at the time and that's a good thing because the material is designed to be a self-help service but with people so scattered [though many people were current] I decided to move along and if at all possible conclude the study and the study has been concluded. The material is now available as a complete resource for the convenience of anyone who wants to use it. The study really turned into an amazing, fascinating study! I learned a lot during the study and I mostly learned that I need to spend more time reading the Bible and being in prayer, and in fellowship and just in general being in a Christian life. We serve a Great God!!! Thanks to everyone especially for your prayers - the study truly encountered the heights of Heaven and the depths of other things unmentionable and through it all it was the prayers of the Saints in fellowship that gave us a tremendous victory! After Holy Week we will continue with the history portion of the study but in the time before Holy Week it seems like a good opportunity to look at some areas and aspects of the events of Holy Week as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week 2010. Then after Holy Week and some history segments the blog will continue with some basic Topical Bible studies and devotions. -- God bless everyone! ~ David Anson Brown [article link]

Note: Next the blog Bible study will return to the Old Testament starting in the pivotal Book of Job
The Bible's book of Job is considered the oldest manuscript of the Bible and it is going to be a pivotal book for the blog Bible study. The book of Job is going to be foundational in marking the transition from the time period before Abraham into Abraham and his Jewish descendants and also in understanding the further transition into the Church era and ultimately into the End Times period of the book of Revelation. God bless everyone ~ David Anson Brown

Note: I think the Basic Christian blog Bible Study is back on track and the postings should soon resume at the normal pace - Have a Blessed and Joyous 2010 New Year in the peace and love of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Also Note: All further controversies have been postponed at least until the Book of Revelation! I don't expect to many more controversies and I'm going to try to smooth out the study for a while so then if any controversies do happen to arise in the Book of Revelation we will at least be rested and ready to get through them, though no controversies are planned and I expect to be able to cover the Book of Revelation with minimal controversy. - God bless everyone! David Anson Brown

Note: There is going to be a slight shift in the emphasis of the blog Bible Study regarding the Church Epistles (part of study segment #6) 1st Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st Thessalonians and 2nd Thessalonians - During the study of the Church Epistles the blog Bible Study is going to study and emphasize the rampant Deception currently taking place within the modern Evangelical Christian Church
Of the many problems and perils that face the current Christian Church the main problems and breakdowns within Christianity itself are not from the outside forces such as the events of the day as portrayed on the nightly news or by secular authorities or even by cults and groups that openly oppose Christianity the main peril and problem in modern Christianity is a breakdown in the leadership, the pastors, the teachers and the organizations of the current Christian Church. While studying the Bible's Church epistles the blog Bible Study is going to explore and examine some of the aspects of modern Christian leadership and current Church practices that are both unbiblical and unstable and that are now wreaking havoc and destruction on the Church, the body of Christ, from within the Church. Pastors, men and ministries that even a few short years ago seemed to be faithful and honest have now in a short time become so compromised and compromise is a byproduct of corruption so we have to assume corrupt, that they are now openly and outwardly opposing the work of God, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. The blog Bible Study is going to actually look at two aspects of deception. 1. How we ourselves as true worshipers of God can over time and usually through hardships, bitterness, neglect or misconceptions can become deceived. 2. How outright wolves in sheep's clothing are deceiving and taking advantage of the Christian Church. Note: As important as it is to be able to discern and avoid the workings of the wolves and the false shepherds I think it is much more important that we ourselves the individual Christian worshipers of God be able to present ourselves to God as holy and undefiled (Romans 12:1-3) because ultimately our relationship and accountability with God is going to be the final result of our actions and our intentions and not the actions and intentions of others or of organizations.

The blog Bible Study has completed the Book of Romans and next is the Book of Galatians - The study pace has been fast though in the future the pace will probably vary a little bit more and there might even be some pauses in the study it depends mostly on the quality of material being presented - I have some other things scheduled but I think we can keep studying around any other events
The blog Bible Study has been continuing at a fairly quick rate but it isn't the intention of the study to go at a fast pace and to set some sort of speed record though we might have set some record at the pace we have been going. The intentions are to only go as fast as we can get good material posted and we are getting good Bible study material posted at this rate however the rate should fluctuate from time to time. My intentions and concerns when committing to and starting the blog Bible Study were 1. That it wouldn't become a 2-3 year project as I don't even remotely have a schedule for that to happen. 2. Another major concern is that the study might not get finished and the slower the pace the more likely it won't finish in this window of opportunity that we have for the study. 3. Another concern was that the Bible study might go at such a slow pace that people didn't have enough material to study. There are few thing worse than going to a website to do a Bible Study and they have incomplete studies though that is fine and understandable for a study in progress however it is the intention of this website to have enough material so that people can do more than just get started in their studies but that everyone visiting the site, at all levels of Christian maturity will be able to find enough material to make good progress in their Christian Studies. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers and understanding. Keep up the excellent work in staying with the Bible study! God bless everyone, David Anson Brown

The Gospel of Matthew has now been completed - next is the book of James - probably starting tomorrow!
The blog Bible Study has been going exceptionally well we are making good progress and really getting blessed! I have been learning a lot this time through the Bible. Thanks for everyone's participation and especially for your prayers regarding the study and for one another. If people could take even more time to pray for the study and pray for me that would be appreciated. The Bible study has only gone as well as it has because many people are praying for it and the prayers of the Saints are what is making a difference between an academic study and a living Spiritual Bible study. I also have to say that it is really amazing how much of a difference that the light of the Bible has in removing darkness there have been some real dramatic spiritual moments during this study and it seems that the study is bringing some light into some new areas that were previous dark. Keep up the good participation! God bless everyone, David Anson Brown.

The newest plan for the Bible Study is that after finishing Deuteronomy to do the next book Joshua that will complete this first O.T. segment [it will make more sense when we read Matthew having gotten to the point where Israel is in the land] then doing a segment in the New Testament with the Gospel of Matthew and four epistles (James, Romans, Galatians, Hebrews) then back to the O.T. for another segment or two - Then around the Christmas Holidays to make sure we do the Minor Prophets just before Christmas and the Gospel of Luke during the week of Christmas
A job well done to everyone! The Bible study is going well, we have covered a lot of material some of it at a fast pace but people are doing a great job of keeping up and I apologize if the speed has added any difficulty to anyone's studies. I already plan on going back and looking at more material after we finish the study. There is a lot of exciting material that we still have yet to cover and the Book of Revelation will conclude the study if God enables us to do the entire study. God bless everyone! David Anson Brown

Basic Christian - Monthly Memo: Fall 2009: Bible Study, Prayer, Devotions and Fellowship
Monthly Memo: Fall 2009: Bible Study, Prayer, Devotions and Fellowship - 1. The Basic Christian info/news feed is probably going to transition this fall from the conspiracy, headline news events of the day into a more Bible, Christian doctrine and current Christian seminar-events centered info/news feed. 2. I'm thankful for the patience that everyone had while we covered so many difficult topics in such a short period of time. I always try to maintain a focus that people are looking at the material and I defiantly try to spread the material out not putting too much of a burden on people at any one time. When Basic Christian started as a discussion forum it was basically all interaction all the time but now without a forum the website has little or no interaction though I still keep in mind the interaction of the past forum and do try not to overload everyone. 3. The Summer 2009 links to other websites and particularly to the Podcast Shows have been some of the best links that the Basic Christian website has been able to provide and I'm very grateful to all of the Podcast ministries for providing such a great and challenging time of Christian growth for everyone involved. 4. There are more Mp3s and now Video downloads available via Basic Christian. Some of the material tends towards conspiracy topics and some of it is a bit on the fire and brimstone side and it isn't necessarily what I would normally provide however these are materials that are increasingly being removed from the internet and becoming harder to locate so they are the files being provided in order to give others an additional chance to obtain them. In other words Hill Song videos are not disappearing from the internet but the conspiracy, hidden news materials and mature preaching topics are harder to locate and obtain so therefore those are the materials that are being provided. -- Thanks again to everyone for sticking it out through so much material and through so much unplanned controversy. I personally look forward to spending much more time in Bible study, in personal prayer time, in devotions and in fellowship this fall and into next spring. I'm really looking forward to Studying through the Bible as in the past it has changed my life for the better so I'm very much looking forward to spending some daily time in Bible study, devotions, prayer, fellowship and Christian service. All the very best! God Bless you, David Anson Brown [article link]

Basic Christian is presenting the 'blog Bible Study' - This is your invitation to join in the Through the Bible Study and discover your ancient family history as well as revealing your own personal, eternal and future destiny with God!
Starting in Genesis the Bible is the recorded history and the story of all mankind it is your story, your history and concluding in the book of Revelation your destiny and the destiny of all mankind. The Bible reveals the history and holds the destiny of all mankind! This is your invitation to join in the Through the Bible Study and discover your ancient family history as well as revealing your own personal, eternal and future destiny with God! [article link]

Basic Christian Theology: Answers to Bible Questions (132 Topics)
A Complete handy Reference - Study Guide/Tutorial. It covers 132 Christian Subjects and Topics from Adoption - Yahweh in an easy to read and understand format. An extensive resource, unparalleled in convenience and ease of use yet advanced in topic research. [article link]

KJV 1611 Holy Bible - Red Letter Edition {A Free PDF KJV Bible} (PDF)
The King James Version (KJV) 1611 with the Words of Jesus Formatted in Red is a complete Bible containing both the Old and the New Testaments. [article link]

How Can I Download (YouTube) Videos? - Download online videos with SaveVid.com [Enter Video URL:] (Utility)
Savevid.com is a tool which gives you the ability to download videos from streaming video sites. You can download videos from YouTube, Google Videos, MetaCafe, Spike and more in FLV, AVI, MOV, MPG or WMV formats. [article link]

KJV (Hebrew-Greek) Key Word Study Bible - A Bible Recommendation for Studying Through the Bible - The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible is a complete English Bible text for cross-reference study to the original languages from which the Bible was translated (KJV Bible - $29.99)
The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible combines essential tools for Hebrew and Greek with translations that accurately and clear. An easy-to-use style plus the benefits of the Strong's Dictionary numbering system makes this study Bible one for every student of God's Word, no matter what age. The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible is a complete English Bible text for cross-reference study to the original languages from which the Bible was translated. Key Features: Book Introductions - Footnotes on Key Passages - Red Letter Edition - System of Study - Key Words in the English Text Identified by James Strong's Numbering System - Codes in the New Testament Text Identify Grammatical Structure of Key Greek Words - Notations Explain the Significance of the Grammatical Codes - Hebrew and Greek Word Studies - Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries - Center-column Reference System - Concordance. [article link]

NLT Jesus Bible, Softcover - A Bible Recommendation for Studying Through the Bible {Note: since the teachings are KJV some people might want to follow with a different translation. It's always important to have a KJV in the Bible Study if the teacher is not using a KJV make sure you have one. The NLT (New Living Translation) is a good alternate translation I would defiantly avoid the NIV and NKJV versions. -- NLT is available at most bookstores and WalMart.} (NLT Bible - $14.99)
The Jesus Bible shows that the real Jesus -- as described throughout all of Scripture -- is alive today and relevant to everyday life. Through The Jesus Bible, you will meet the Savior and experience his ability to break through all boundaries, all preconceived ideas, and all stereotypes. Special Features: 500 unexpected notes show how we can find Jesus in unexpected situations - 100 Real Expressions devotionals that are tied to Bible characters, and are based on stories from real teens - 600 X-Focus call-outs highlight key Scripture verses and passages that address God's plan of salvation through Christ - 24 Explicit Answers show key sayings of Jesus spread throughout the Bible - 200 Xtraordinary, But True articles in the OT highlight unusual stories of people and prophets and show their relevance to today - New Living Translation - 9 point text - Two-column layout - Softcover. [article link]

The Word Bible Study Software - One of the very best Bible study software programs available, commercial or otherwise - Although the price tag for The Word is free, do not be fooled into thinking that its price tag reflects its feature list (software)
Find out what you can do with The Word: In the Beginning was the Word Bible software (The Word) was created in order to be a valuable, everyday tool for every Christian that wishes to read and study the Bible, the Word of God. We believe that In the Beginning was the Word Bible Software is one of the very best Bible study software programs available, commercial or otherwise. The Word is comparable to and in many cases, if not most, better than its commercial counterparts. Although the price tag for The Word is free, do not be fooled into thinking that its price tag reflects its feature list. ... The Word is designed to be a tool for everyday use, always running in the background and ready to respond whenever you need to look-up a verse, read the Bible, or study a passage or theme of the Bible in depth. It's quick to load, easy to customize and intuitive to use. We feel that its value and quality cannot be fully presented through a feature list, so we urge you to try it out. Each little detail has been carefully contemplated, designed and implemented with many options and customizations. This is exactly what makes people stick with The Word, once they give it a try. That's the best way to make up your mind too! [article link]

InstaVerse the Bible at your Fingertips - just point your mouse at a verse reference, and the [Bible] text pops up in your preferred translation! - Note: The KJV Bible is free other Bible Versions require a purchase.
Do you visit Christian web sites or receive daily devotional emails? Ever want to look up a scripture fast? InstaVerse™ by WORDsearch will let you instantly see the actual Bible text for scripture references like John 3:16 - just point your mouse at it, and the text pops up in your preferred translation! The best part is that InstaVerse with the KJV Bible is FREE! [article link]

How to Study the Bible - Start with Prayer!
Probably one of the most common reasons why Christians don't study the Bible is based on this complaint, "I just don't understand it!" Before you start each study session, begin by praying and asking God to open your spiritual understanding. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." (NIV) So, as you pray, realize that the words you are studying are inspired by God. Psalm 119:130 tells us, "The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." (NIV). [article link]

Bible Study & Prayer - There are few things more important to Christian life than prayer - Prayer is our method of communication with Jesus our Lord and Creator (16 Short Text Studies)
There are few things more important to Christian life than prayer. Prayer is our method of communication with our Lord and Creator. And yet far too few understand prayer or have taken any time to study it. As I prepared this study, I was impressed more and more about how prayer is centered on relationships. Just like in any other relationship, if we don't communicate, the relationship is strained. When we don't communicate with God, our relationship with Him is strained. This study is based on Andrew Murray's classic, "With Christ in the School of Prayer." Several quotes are taken from there and are noted throughout the text. The studies do not cover every chapter in the book but instead give a highlight of the overall theme Murray writes about. The chapter on the Prayer of Corporate Repentance is my own addition and is not based upon the book. [article link]

How to Mark Your Bible - for EFFECTIVE Bible Study! By far the most useful method is [notes and use of] a color scheme {Using different color pens to put categorized () around Bible verses for easier and quicker future references.}
Underscoring: It is often wise to underscore or underline key words or phrases that you want to stand out in order to find them quickly. I use two colored fine-line pens for my underscoring, black for generally important verses and red for very important verses. Do not overdo this by underlining every time a new thought strikes you or the time will come when you will have more underlined than non-underlined and this can lead to a confusing hodgepodge. ... COLOR TOPIC(S) TO REMEMBER COLOR - TOPIC: Light Blue - Prayer - Think of prayers going up into a BLUE sky. Dark Blue - Healing/Sickness - Think of BLUE cross or a dark BLUE wound. Orange - Resurrection - Sons of God RISING (remember: SUNRISE). Red - Sabbath and Holy Days - Stop, Rest, Relax, (Think of a STOP light). Pink - Marriage/Divorce - Think of PINK, fluffy clouds of marriage. Light Green - Millennium/God's Kingdom - When earth will be GREEN & beautiful. Dark Green - Man's Mortality - Man's days are like GRASS - Psalm 103:15. Black/Gray - Satan/Demons (spiritual warfare) - EVIL, Darkness, Blackness. Purple - Promises to Israel and Heirs - Purple color of ROYALTY. Yellow/Gold - Law and Commandments - GOLDEN rule; Law worth more than GOLD. Brown - Repentance/Baptism - Picture AUTUMN LEAVES falling, dying of old self. {Feel free to use any colors in any way, in any combination and also not to use any color codes at all.} [article link]

walmart.com: Pigma Micron Pen Set - [Possible Pens for writing notes, marking and underling in Bibles] - See also the Pilot G2 Gel-ink Pens [only in black ink but with blue refills available] for writing notes in a notebook or on a notepad [the G2 pens are excellent for regular writing and notes but they use way too much ink to write in a Bible] {Another option in note taking is to write notes on a computer word program or some type of notes program or even make voice recordings. I'm going to write notes in a 'composition' paper notepad and then at a later time I might type them into a computer -- though I'll also put most of my notes - comments [hopefully the better ones] on the RSS new/info feed as well.} (Color Pen Set - $15.88)
SAKURA-Pigma Micron Pens #05.45mm. Heritage Collection (1 each): Sepia, Royal Blue, Burgundy, Hunter Green, Blue/Black, Fresh Green. A fine point drawing and writing pen offering a waterproof quick drying pigment ink. Micron pens will not clog or dry out. Ink will not feather or bleed through even the thinnest papers and is smear proof once dry. The pigment in the ink remains colorful and will not spread when applied. It is fade proof against sunlight or UV light; and is permanent and washable on cotton fabrics. Archival Quality. Acid Free. Imported. [article link]

Basic Christian: eBook Version (.CHM)
Possibly the best Basic Christian resource! Download it and give it a try! Includes the Red Letter Edition Holy Bible KJV 1611 Version. To download Right-Click then Select Save Target _As... [article link]

Basic Christian: Full Content (PDF)
Basic Christian Full Content PDF Version. The BasicChristian.org most complete resource. [article link]

Basic Christian: Extended Version - News-Info Feed (RSS)
The a current Extended Basic Christian info-news feed. [article link]

Basic Christian: Complete Version - News-Info Feed (RSS)
The a current Extended Basic Christian info-news feed. [article link]

Free Downloads: (PDF - MP3) from BasicChristian.org
It is our Commitment to provide a Varity of FREE and useful Downloads. It is also our Commitment to provide them in a convenient way without pop-up advertisements, redirects and other annoying interferences between you and the information you are seeking. We also encourage everyone to have a safety offline backup version of the Basic Christian material. [article link]

Old Testament

THE FIRST BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED

GENESIS

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God - How long has God existed? There is a dimension in which time does not exist, timelessness/eternity - God has existed from eternity - Before God created the physical universe He thought about you and provided for your redemption - Jesus was crucified for us before the foundation of the world [Revelation 13:8] - In John 1:1 we also read "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God"
Note: In the beginning God ... God is upfront and open about His existence, about who He is, about His availability to us and about why He has created us [for His pleasure - Revelation 4:11]. The Bible is about God, the Bible is about mankind and the Bible is about God's special, ordained and unique relationship He has with all of mankind. It is therefore the opportunity and the ability of each individual human to acknowledge God and to enter into that special childlike relationship that mankind is intended to have with God. A relationship that God has thoughtfully and diligently provided for each of us in a relationship that is recorded for us in the scripture verses on the pages of His Holy Bible.

Bible verse: John 8:12-19 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I Am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life ... {The complete Bible is available at ChristianFaithDownloads.com}
John 8:12-19 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I Am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. The Pharisees therefore said unto Him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man [physically]. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true [spiritual]: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I Am one that bear witness of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me. Then said they unto Him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: if ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also. -- Holy Bible [article link]

BasicChristian.org: An Eight Part Article Introduction - The 7 physical and spiritual realms as unfolded in the 7 Days of the Genesis creation model {the 8th realm being God's realm of unrestricted eternity}
Coming Soon the Basic Christian Article: Who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20) is a higher multidimensional being. Melchizedek exists outside of our own human time and space dimensions (restrictions). Humans exist in and are limited to the first three physical dimensions (length, height, width) and also the fourth dimension (restriction) of time. The spiritual realm of demons, angels and in part the coming Antichrist exists in the less restricted 5th and 6th dimensions. In fact the coming Antichrist is going to bring down or "contact" the 5th and 6th dimensions and infuse 4th dimensional human beings with 5th dimensional demons [Nephilim spirits] and 6th dimensional fallen [Satanic] angelic spirit beings consequently orchestrating 5th and 6th dimensional miracles and signs and wonders in order to deceive mankind. So who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek is the manifestation of the infinite dimensional (infinite dimensions - no restrictions - unrestricted) God in Person. Melchizedek is God the Holy Spirit in Person. Melchizedek is the Order of the Holy Spirit Priesthood. -- Note: In the Basic Christian article "Who is Melchizedek?" the 8 dimensions (restrictions) are listed in conjunction with the original creation week (Genesis 1:1-2:4) and are categorized as follows: 1. Length [Day one creation - light separated [Judgment] (length) from darkness] 2. Height [Day two creation - divided the waters above from the waters below] 3. Width [Day three creation - dry land and plants] 4. Time [Day four creation - sun, moon, stars for times and seasons] 5. Demonic - demons [Day five creation - fish from the waters below, birds from the waters above] 6. Angelic - Holy Angels and also Satan with all of his fallen angels [Day six creation - land animals and humans (pre-fall) - humans the highest part of creation created separate and above the animals and equal to the angels but with sin mankind fell from the 6th dimension to the 4th dimension, in fact with the sin of mankind all of creation also fell from its original creation status] 7. Human Salvation redeemed by the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Day seven creation - Rest] 8. Unrestricted [outside of creation] - The only Unrestricted, Eternal, Wise, ∞ Infinite, Almighty God consisting of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. -- Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [dimensions] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ... [article link]

Dr. John Morris Institute for Creation Research - Evidence for Creation
Institute for Creation Research (ICR) equips believers with evidence of the Bible's accuracy and authority through scientific research, educational programs, and media presentations, all conducted within a thoroughly biblical framework. [article link]

Highly Recommended!!! -- DrDino.com: Creation Seminar Boxed Set, 8 DVDs - This new boxed set is the 2007 edition of the seminar! ($89.95)
Dr. Hovind's Creation Seminar Series is his most popular set of videos, capturing the attention of all, young and old alike. God has used his fast-paced, fully illustrated seminar to bring thousands of people closer to Him. This 17-hour series comes on eight DVDs and is frequently updated to provide the most current information available. This new boxed set is the 2007 edition of the seminar! The set includes the Seminar Notebook and the Seminar Workbook on CD-ROM. A total savings of $43.10! [article link]

amazon.com: Earth in Upheaval by Immanuel Velikovsky (Book)
Comments: Velikovsky compiled this huge list of catastrophic data in answer to one of the foolish criticisms of 1950's "Worlds In Collision" -- that it relied on 'tales and stories'. Catastrophists often rely on bits and pieces from this book, perhaps indirectly, but nowhere else can they all be found, except perhaps for William Corliss' catalogs and sourcebooks. The only thing that has happened since "Earth In Upheaval" was published in 1955 is that even more evidence has emerged along with even more outlandish rationalizations and apologia for uniform "explanations". While this 19th century delusional system perishes, its grip on power has slipped away. Catastrophism triumphs everywhere, even in the consideration of celestial disasters in historical times. In 1960 the Chicxulub crater was discovered by PEMEX. In 1970 someone first suggested that the dinosaurs went extinct due to an impact. In 1972 impact was shown to be the dominant force on the lunar surface. In 1980 the Alvarez team suggested it again, supporting their view with the iridium found at the K-T boundary layer. Others found similar iridium in other boundary layers. By 1990 the Chicxulub crater finally came to the attention of the impact theorists. Impact wasn't the fully accepted consensus until the 1994 impacts of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's fragments into Jupiter. The text has the same ease and command of Velikovsky's other books, and I found it to be a pleasure to read 20 plus years ago. I highly recommend it, particularly for those considering other books. There is still a great deal of ill-temper, hostility, and ignorance regarding Velikovsky's works, and these often take the form of a single dismissive sentence or paragraph. Living writers seem to go out of their way to dump on him, and this is particularly true among fringe authors. See also Velikovsky's other works (new and used), David Rohl's "Pharaohs and Kings", Peter James' "Centuries of Darkness", Ryan and Pitman's "Noah's Flood", Mary Settegast's "Plato Prehistorian", and Robert Schoch's "Voices of the Rocks". ... I have read this book as well as others by this author and found it fascinating, well researched. It does challenge established science. Strict guidelines have to be followed when emitting a theory; Mr. Velikovsky seems to have done just that even though his detractors find him sensationalistic to say the least. However, science has to be challenged. That is how new discoveries are made, quite often, at the expense of the scientist's career, especially if he goes against the grain of accepted theories or so called "known facts". Unfortunately, Sciences' motives are not always as pure as one would want to believe. Scientists are human, therefore fallible and like everybody else, they like to protect their turf. [article link]

Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith - As a true pioneer of the alternatives to evolutionary theory, Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith fearlessly confronted the seemingly all-powerful theory of evolution in universities and churches all over the world (Mp3s)
A..E. Wilder-Smith studied natural sciences at Oxford, England. He received his first doctorate in Physical Organic Chemistry at Reading University, England, 1941. During World War II, he joined the Research department of ICI in England. After the war, he became Countess of Lisburne Memorial Fellow at the University of London. Subsequently, Dr. Wilder-Smith was appointed Director of Research for a Swiss pharmaceutical company. Later he was elected to teach Chemotherapy and Pharmacology at the Medical School of the University of Geneva for which position he received his "habitation" (the senior examination required for professorial appointments to European continental universities). At Geneva, he earned his second doctorate, followed by a third doctorate from the ETH (a senior university in Switzerland) in Zurich. -- In 1957-1958 Wilder-Smith was Visiting Assistant Professor at the Medical Centre of the University of Illinois, 1959-1961 Visiting Full Professor of Pharmacology of the University of Bergen Medical School in Norway. After a further two years at the University of Geneva, he was appointed Full Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Illinois Medical Centre. Here he received in three succeeding years - three ``Golden Apple Awards" for the best course of lectures, together with four senior lecturer awards for the best series of year lectures. Dr. Wilder-Smith's last Golden Apple award was inscribed, "He made us not only better scientists, but also better men." [article link]

'Evolution Cruncher' PDF e-Book This is the original edition of this book (PDF)
Evolutionary theory has ruined the lives of millions. This book will help eliminate its grip over the minds of those who read it. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS BOOK - GIVE IT to every young person you know. Share a copy with everyone you meet. It is needed everywhere. Let's win the world back from the deadly effects of evolution. Give boxfuls to church schools, academies, and churches to distribute. [article link]

Photo of Fossil Footprints: shows how the dinosaur impression affected the human footprint when it (dinosaur) stepped into it (human footprint) - the stone's impressions indicate that the human stepped first, the dinosaur second (Photo)
A closer view of the 'Alvis Delk Cretaceous Footprint' gives a closer view of the two prints, and shows how the dinosaur impression affected the human footprint when it stepped into it. Courtesy of David Lines / Creation Evidence Museum. / Mineral Wells Index. Order photo reprints. [article link]

Rock-solid proof? A discovery by a former Mineral Wells resident might hold proof man and dinosaur walked the Earth together - Baugh said he believes both sets of prints (human and dinosaur) were made "within minutes, or no more than hours of each other" about 4,500 years ago, around the time of Noah's Flood - He said the clay-like material that the human and dinosaur stepped in soon hardened, becoming thick, dense limestone common in North Texas - the stone's impressions indicate that the human stepped first, the dinosaur second (Photos)
A slab of North Texas limestone is on track to rock the world, with its two imbedded footprints poised to make a huge impression in scientific and religious circles. The estimated 140-pound stone was recovered in July 2000 from the bank of a creek that feeds the Paluxy River near Glen Rose, Texas, located about 53 miles south of Fort Worth. The find was made just outside Dinosaur Valley State Park, a popular destination for tourists known for its well-preserved dinosaur tracks and other fossils. The limestone contains two distinct prints - one of a human footprint and one belonging to a dinosaur. The significance of the cement-hard fossil is that it shows the dinosaur print partially over and intersecting the human print. In other words, the stone's impressions indicate that the human stepped first, the dinosaur second. If proven genuine, the artifact would provide evidence that man and dinosaur roamed the Earth at the same time, according to those associated with the find and with its safekeeping. It could potentially toss out the window many commonly held scientific theories on evolution and the history of the world. ... Baugh said the scans prove that the impressions are real and could not have been carved or etched into the stone. ... He also noted how the dinosaur's impression pushed up material from the human print and altered its shape in the area of the intrusion. [article link]

Fossil: Meister Sandal Track with Trilobite (beetle-bug) embedded [click 'Museum Displays' on the menu] - The oldest fossil (human) footprint yet found was discovered in June 1968 by William J. Meister on an expedition to Antelope Spring, 43 miles west of Delta, Utah - Amazingly the human was wearing a sandal! The sandal that seems to have crushed a living trilobite was 10 1/4 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide; the heel is indented slightly more than the sole, as a human shoe print would be - A trilobite crushed within a human sandal print Found on June 1, 1968 (Photo)
Meister Sandal Track: The oldest fossil footprint yet found was discovered in June 1968 by William J. Meister on an expedition to Antelope Spring, 43 miles west of Delta, Utah. He was accompanied by his wife and two daughters, and by Mr. and Mrs. Francis Shape and their two daughters. The party had already discovered several fossils of trilobites when Meister split open a two-inch-thick slab of rock with his hammer and discovered the print. The rock fell open "like a book." revealing on one side the footprint of a human with trilobites right in the footprint itself. The other half of the rock slab showed an almost perfect mold of the footprint and fossils. Amazingly the human was wearing a sandal! The sandal that seems to have crushed a living trilobite was 10 1/4 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide; the heel is indented slightly more than the sole, as a human shoe print would be. The Meister Sandal Track is another strong piece of evidence that the evolutionary theories promoted in class rooms across the nation and world do not promote "Truth", but instead promote theory that is bankrupt at its core. [article link]

Wikipedia.com: NASA Surveyor Program 1966 - 1968: The Surveyor Program was a NASA program that, from 1966 through 1968, sent seven robotic spacecraft to the surface of the Moon - Several Surveyor spacecraft had robotic shovels designed to test lunar soil mechanics - Before this project, it was unknown how deep the dust on the Moon was - If the dust was too deep, then no astronaut could land - The Surveyor program proved that landings were possible [possible due to the small depth of moon dust coating the moon surface but numerous other challenges like distance and radiation remain] - There were seven (NASA) Surveyor missions; five were successful, Surveyors 2 and 4 failed - Surveyor 6 (November 10, 1967) was the first spacecraft to lift off from the Moon's surface [to return moon dust and moon rocks back to the earth] - Each consisted of a single unmanned spacecraft designed and built by Hughes Aircraft Company
The Surveyor Program was a NASA program that, from 1966 through 1968, sent seven robotic spacecraft to the surface of the Moon. Its primary goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landings on the Moon. The program was implemented by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to prepare for the Apollo Program. The spacecraft are still on the Moon; none of the missions included returning them to Earth. Some parts of Surveyor 3 were returned to Earth by Apollo 12. The camera is on display at the National Air and Space Museum. ... The program performed several other services beyond its primary goal of demonstrating soft landings. The ability of spacecraft to make midcourse corrections was demonstrated, and the landers carried instruments to help evaluate the suitability of their landing sites for manned Apollo landings. Several Surveyor spacecraft had robotic shovels designed to test lunar soil mechanics. Before this project, it was unknown how deep the dust on the Moon was. If the dust was too deep, then no astronaut could land. The Surveyor program proved that landings were possible. Some of the Surveyors also had alpha scattering instruments and magnets, which helped determine the chemical composition of the soil. ... There were seven Surveyor missions; five were successful. Surveyors 2 and 4 failed. Each consisted of a single unmanned spacecraft designed and built by Hughes Aircraft Company. ... Surveyor 6 (November 10, 1967) was the first spacecraft to lift off from the Moon's surface [to return moon dust and moon rocks back to the earth], and Apollo 12 landed within walking distance of the Surveyor 3 landing site. ... During the time of the Surveyor missions, the United States was actively involved in a Space Race with the Soviet Union. Thus the (USA) Surveyor 1 landing in June 1966, only four months after the Soviet Luna 9 probe landed in February, was an indication the programs were at similar stages. [article link]

Russian Luna programme 1959 - 1976: Another major achievement of the (Soviet) Luna programme, with Luna 16, Luna 20 and Luna 24 spacecrafts, was the ability to collect samples of lunar soil and return them to Earth [the NASA probes can return both dust and rocks], by 1970 The (Soviet) program returned 0.326 kg [0.798 lbs - 12.76 oz] of lunar samples - The Luna missions were the first space-exploration sample return missions to rely solely on advanced robotics - Luna 15, also designed to return soil samples from the lunar surface, holds the significance of undergoing its mission at the same time as the historic (1969) Apollo 11 mission - Map: Locations of missions on the Moon (Click to enlarge)
The Luna programme (from the Russian word "Luna" meaning "Moon"), occasionally called Lunik or Lunnik, was a series of robotic spacecraft missions sent to the Moon by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976. Fifteen were successful, each designed as either an orbiter or lander, and accomplished many firsts in space exploration. They also performed many experiments, studying the Moon's chemical composition, gravity, temperature, and radiation. Twenty-four spacecraft were formally given the Luna designation, although more were launched. Those which failed to reach orbit were not publicly acknowledged at the time and not assigned a Luna number and ones which failed in low Earth orbit were usually given Cosmos designations. The estimated cost of Luna Program was about $4.5 billion. ... Achievements: Luna 1 missed its intended impact with the Moon and became the first spacecraft to fall into orbit around the Sun. In 1959, the Luna 2 mission successfully impacted upon the lunar surface, becoming the first man-made object to reach the Moon. Luna 3 rounded the Moon later that year, and returned the first photographs of its far side, which can never be seen from Earth. Luna 9 became the first probe to achieve a soft landing on another planetary body (February 1966). It returned five black and white stereoscopic circular panoramas, which were the first close-up shots of the Lunar surface. Later that year Luna 10 became the first artificial satellite of the Moon. Luna 17 and Luna 21 carried roving vehicles which roamed around on the Moon's terrain (see Lunokhod programme). Another major achievement of the Luna programme, with Luna 16, Luna 20 and Luna 24 spacecrafts, was the ability to collect samples of lunar soil and return them to Earth, by 1970. The program returned 0.326 kg of lunar samples. The Luna missions were the first space-exploration sample return missions to rely solely on advanced robotics. -- Other notable missions: Luna 15, also designed to return soil samples from the lunar surface, holds the significance of undergoing its mission at the same time as the historic Apollo 11 mission. Arguably a last-ditch attempt to steal thunder from the potential American success, it would have returned lunar samples to Earth before the Apollo astronauts could do so. However, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were already on the lunar surface when Luna 15 began its descent, and the spacecraft crashed into a mountain minutes later. [article link]

What Neil & Buzz (1969) Left on the Moon - Cutting-edge Science Experiment Left by Apollo 11 astronauts Still Running Today - a 2-foot wide panel studded with 100 mirrors pointing at Earth: the "lunar laser ranging retroreflector array" - [also] in the Sea of Serenity There's a set of mirrors there onboard the parked Soviet Lunokhud 2 (1959) [unmanned] moon rover [probe] - "Using these mirrors" explains Alley, "we can 'ping' the moon with laser pulses [from earth] and measure the Earth-moon distance very precisely - The moon is spiraling away from Earth at a rate of 3.8 cm per year - Why? Earth's ocean tides are responsible
University of Maryland physics professor Carroll Alley was the project's principal investigator during the Apollo years, and he follows its progress today. "Using these mirrors," explains Alley, "we can 'ping' the moon with laser pulses and measure the Earth-moon distance very precisely. This is a wonderful way to learn about the moon's orbit and to test theories of gravity." Here's how it works: A laser pulse shoots out of a telescope on Earth, crosses the Earth-moon divide, and hits the array. Because the mirrors are "corner-cube reflectors," they send the pulse straight back where it came from. "It's like hitting a ball into the corner of a squash court," explains Alley. Back on Earth, telescopes intercept the returning pulse--"usually just a single photon," he marvels. ... Targeting the mirrors and catching their faint reflections is a challenge, but astronomers have been doing it for 35 years. A key observing site is the McDonald Observatory in Texas where a 0.7 meter telescope regularly pings reflectors in the Sea of Tranquility (Apollo 11), at Fra Mauro (Apollo 14) and Hadley Rille (Apollo 15), and, sometimes, in the Sea of Serenity. There's a set of mirrors there onboard the parked Soviet Lunokhud 2 moon rover--maybe the coolest-looking robot ever built. [article link]

August 24, 2006: Lunar probe aims to crash into the Moon - The European Space Agency is gearing up for its first ever lunar landing - On 3 September, its lunar orbiter SMART-1 will crash onto the Moon
The European Space Agency is gearing up for its first ever lunar landing. On 3 September, its lunar orbiter SMART-1 will crash onto the Moon - hopefully in spectacular style - as its mission comes to a close. Mission controllers have used the last remaining fuel on the spacecraft to make it crash onto the nearside of the Moon. The crash should happen at approximately 0530 GMT as the spacecraft lands on a volcanic plain called the "Lake of Excellence" on the southwest of the Moon's disc. But the impact might occur one orbit (about 5 hours) earlier if the low-flying spacecraft happens to hit a mountainside. SMART-1 will hit the lunar surface at about 7000 kilometers per hour, just over three times the maximum speed of the supersonic Concorde. "It's likely that it's going to ricochet off the surface," said chief mission scientist Bernard Foing at a press conference in London, UK, on Thursday. [article link]

November 12, 2008: TV-sized probe to strike Moon's surface - India's Chandrayaan spacecraft is set to eject a television-sized probe that will crash onto the lunar surface on Friday - When the probe hits the surface, it is expected to kick up a huge amount of dust that will be analyzed by instruments on the Chandrayaan orbiter
India's Chandrayaan spacecraft is set to eject a television-sized probe that will crash onto the lunar surface on Friday. The probe will make observations as it descends, testing systems needed to land future robotic spacecraft on the Moon. Chandrayaan, which launched on [Wednesday] 22 October, has been travelling on an elongated path around the Moon since it went into orbit there on Saturday [a four day journey]. ... An altimeter will measure the probe's height as it nosedives, helping to test technologies needed to make 'soft' landings on the Moon. India's next lunar mission, scheduled for 2010, involves not only an orbiter but also a Russian-built lander that will study samples of lunar soil. "I think the main purpose [of the Moon Impact Probe] is preparations for future soft landings," says Christian Erd, mission project manager at the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. "It is a demonstration of the separation mechanism and getting to the surface." The probe will also carry a mass spectrometer that will measure traces of gas and dust floating above the Moon. Signals from all three onboard instruments will be relayed back to the spacecraft and from there to ground stations on Earth. [article link]

June 11, 2009: Japan's first lunar probe ends mission - Japan's first lunar probe made a controlled crash landing on the moon Thursday, successfully completing a 19-month mission to study the Earth's nearest neighbor, Japan's space agency said - During the Kaguya project, Japan launched two other orbiters to relay data - One landed on the moon in February, while the other has been measuring gravity around the moon and is still in orbit
(AP) -- Japan's first lunar probe made a controlled crash landing on the moon Thursday, successfully completing a 19-month mission to study the Earth's nearest neighbor, Japan's space agency said. The remotely controlled satellite, named after the folklore princess Kaguya, had been orbiting the moon to map its surface and study its mineral distribution and gravity levels. It was dropped onto the surface of the moon at 3:25 am. (1825 GMT), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said in a statement. ... "With data from Kaguya, we hope to shed light on the evolution of the moon," Sobue said. During the Kaguya project, Japan launched two other orbiters to relay data. One landed on the moon in February, while the other has been measuring gravity around the moon and is still in orbit. Japan launched a moon probe in 1990, but that was a flyby mission. Japan launched its first satellite in 1970 and has achieved several major scientific coups in space, including the launch of a probe that made a rendezvous with an asteroid. The Japanese-produced H-2A rocket is one of the world's most advanced and consistent. ... A mission to Mars had to be abandoned in 2003 after a probe moved off course. [article link]

Genesis 2-3 - Being made in the likeness and image of God no doubt referring to the spiritual aspects of God's nature - Love, God's chief emotional characteristic is love as God is Love, we are created with the capacity to love - God's chief governmental attribute is that of self-determination so given to us is the capacity of choice - God is a Spirit so He made man a spiritual being because we are made like God -- God made us spiritual beings - I am a spirit, I live in a body, I possess a conciseness a self-awareness - the physical body [a temporary tent] is not the real me I'm going to move from it one day into a real house [heaven] - what will the new [spiritual, heavenly] body look like? I don't know but I know it will be perfect [complete]
God created Adam's physical body from the dirt of the ground. The same 17 elements found in [common] dirt are the same 17 elements found in our physical body. Note: Adam (man) was uniquely created spiritually (spirit/soul) in the image of God [Genesis 1:26] and physically from the dust of the ground. The fish/water animals and birds were first created through the water [Genesis 1:20 - creation day 5] while the land animals and Adam were created through the ground [Genesis 1:24 - creation day 6]. Later the female animals (helpmates) were all created separately through the ground [Genesis 2:19] their creation was an event Adam witnessed and participated in with his naming all of the animals. Eve (the woman) was not created separately from the ground as the animals were but from the side of Adam. Eve is not a separate creation like the animals male and female are separate from each other. Eve is a part of the exact same unique [Genesis 1:27] creation of Adam. Originally Adam was formed through the dust of the ground but now humans are formed through the water; the water of the womb. -- Also Note: since the original creation sin has entered into creation and creation now represents both the creation abilities of God and also the fallen sinful nature of mankind and the results of sin show in all of creation. With the fall and along with the thorns and thistles [Genesis 3:18] some animals became poisonous, decay and fermentation (alcohol) entered creation and some plants became toxic; plants like marijuana that before the fall would have been suitable for humans but since the fall have an alternate and adverse effect on the human body, mind (soul) and spirit.

Darwin Taught Male Superiority "males are more evolutionarily advanced than females" {Genesis 1:26-28 And God said, Let us (Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, after Our likeness: ... So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; *male and *female created He them - And God blessed them, -- Holy Bible. Mankind, male and female are created in the "image" of God so we can communicate and interact with God. If we did not have some of the emotions, understanding and feelings of God we would have nothing in common with God. Note: Our human emotions and thoughts are now tainted by sin while God remains pure and Holy.}
According to Darwinian theory, women were less evolved than men, and because of their smaller brains, they were "eternally primitive," childlike, less spiritual, more materialistic, and "a real danger to contemporary civilization." The supposed intelligence gap that many leading Darwinists believed existed between human males and females was so large that some leading Darwinists classified them as two distinct species-males as Homo frontalis and females as Homo parietalis. The differences were so great that Darwin was amazed "such different beings belong to the same species." Reasons for male superiority included the conclusion that war and hunting pruned the weaker men, allowing only the most fit to return home and reproduce. Women, in contrast, were not subject to these selection pressures but were protected by men, allowing the weak to survive. ... Darwin's writings and those of his disciples reveal that the belief of women inferiority was central to early evolutionary theory. In The Descent of Man Darwin argued that adult females of most species resembled the young of both sexes and that "males are more evolutionarily advanced than females." [article link]

Highly Recommended!!! -- Many Infallible Proofs by DR. Henry Morris - Packed with facts and proofs about Christianity, Christ, God, creation, science and more - Includes 666 [mark of the beast numerology] discussion (Book $9.99)
Henry Morris - the grandfather of Scientific Creationism - shows what impact God's Word can have on the world. At once shining light on little known truths of the faith, strengthening believers through the Scripture, and providing information for skeptics or unbelievers, Many Infallible Proofs can also be a valuable tool in evangelism by showing where we can engage the individual we may be witnessing to. Henry Morris was on the forefront of the Christian anti-evolution movement until his death in 2006, producing many books and contributing greatly to the Young Earth model for creationism. This book, updated from his 1974 classic, is indicative of his commitment to the glory of God through biblical truths. [article link]

Dr. Henry Morris books in print - The Genesis Record ($22.99) - The Genesis Flood ($13.99) - Many Infallible Proofs ($9.99) - (Books)
The Genesis Record is a scientific devotional commentary on the book of beginnings written by a creationist scientist. This book is written in the narrative rather than a verse-by-verse analysis form. In this work Morris guides the reader through the earth's early history showing his expertise in hydrology and geology so Scripture can be better understood. -- When The Genesis Flood first appeared reviewers predicted that it would be quoted, referred to, and widely discussed in the years ahead. Carefully written and well-documented, the book has since become a classic apologetic for Biblical creationism and the universality of the Flood described in the Book of Genesis. -- Packed with facts and proofs about Christianity, Christ, God, creation, science and more, Henry Morris - the grandfather of Scientific Creationism - shows what impact God's Word can have on the world. At once shining light on little known truths of the faith, strengthening believers through the Scripture, and providing information for skeptics or unbelievers, Many Infallible Proofs can also be a valuable tool in evangelism by showing where we can engage the individual we may be witnessing to. ... Henry Morris was on the forefront of the Christian anti-evolution movement until his death in 2006, producing many books and contributing greatly to the Young Earth model for creationism. This book, updated from his 1974 classic, is indicative of his commitment to the glory of God through biblical truths. [article link]

Highly Recommended!!! -- Dr. Dino Creationist Kent Hovind Reveals The Truth About The Garden of Eden and Creation! {Discusses the earth's original water canopy covering.} (Google Video)
Kent Hovind - 1 hr 56 min 19 sec - Mar 2, 2006 - www.drdino.com [article link]

What is the Canopy Theory? It is interesting to note that if a frozen [water][or not frozen but a pure liquid water] canopy were able to exist in the atmosphere despite cosmic bombardment, its ability to stay in orbit [rain clouds of water orbit the earth today], and its transparency (sunlight has to get through it) [sunlight goes through water], its collapse into liquid rain [the water canopy could have been water then became in part flood water, rain, chunks of ice, comets, etc. after the canopy broke apart initiating the flood of Noah's day] would have an extreme cooling effect and might be an explanation for the commencement of the Ice Age - Despite the fact that we know that it [ice age] happened, the complex factors involved in getting an Ice Age started makes it seem impossible and baffles modern science to this day
Answer: The canopy theory seeks to explain the reference in Genesis 1:6 to "the waters above the firmament," assuming that "firmament," or "expanse," as the Hebrew word is alternatively translated, refers to our atmosphere. According to the canopy theory, there was a canopy of water above the atmosphere until the cataclysm of Noah's day, at which point it disappeared either by collapsing upon the earth or by dissipation into space. It is presumed to have consisted of water vapor because a canopy of ice could not have survived the constant bombardment of celestial objects like meteoroids which perpetually barrage the earth's atmosphere. ... Advocates of the canopy theory once speculated that the collapse of such a vapor canopy might have provided the water for the heavy rains which inundated the earth during Noah's flood. ... It is interesting to note that if a frozen canopy were able to exist in the atmosphere despite cosmic bombardment, its ability to stay in orbit, and its transparency (sunlight has to get through it), its collapse into liquid rain would have an extreme cooling effect and might be an explanation for the commencement of the Ice Age. Despite the fact that we know that it happened, the complex factors involved in getting an Ice Age started makes it seem impossible and baffles modern science to this day. Advocates of the canopy theory also cite it as a possible cause for a variety of pre-flood anomalies, including human longevity and the apparent lack of rain or rainbows. They claim that such a canopy would filter out much of the cosmic radiation that is harmful to humans and cause the lack of rain or rainbows. However, opponents dispute such a canopy's ability to produce these results. [article link]

The Origin of Comets - Comets [outer space remnants of the original creation water canopy], which are primarily ice [frozen water], have rocks in their cores
Comets may be the most dynamic, spectacular, variable, and mysterious bodies in the solar system. They contain even organic matter which many early scientists concluded was "decomposed organic bodies." Today, a popular belief is that comets brought life to Earth. Instead, comets may have traces of life from Earth. [article link]

The Origin of Asteroids [outer space remnants of the original creation water canopy] and Meteoroids - Asteroids are rock piles, often with ice [frozen water] acting as a weak "glue" inside - Large rocks that began the capture process are nearer the centers of asteroids
The "fountains of the great deep" launched rocks as well as muddy water. As rocks moved farther from Earth, Earth's gravity became less significant to them, and the gravity of nearby rocks became increasingly significant. Consequently, many rocks, assisted by their mutual gravity and surrounding clouds of water vapor, merged to become asteroids. [article link]

wikipedia.org: Drop liquid - Impact of a drop of water {View a photo of a drop of water impacting a pool of water or any surface then view a photo of an impact crater on the moon both the drop of water impact and moon craters have identical features - showing that the moon craters were indeed created from numerous impacts of comet [ice, rocks] debris.} (Photos)
A drop or droplet is a small volume of liquid, bounded completely or almost completely by free surfaces. A drop may form when liquid accumulates at the lower end of a tube or other surface boundary, producing a hanging drop called a pendant drop. Drops may also be formed by the condensation of a vapor or by atomization of a larger mass of liquid. ... Impact of a drop of water (Photo). Backjet from drop impact (Photo). A drop of water hitting a metal surface (Photo). ... A triple backjet after impact (Photo). [article link]

wikipedia.org: Impact crater on the Moon - the term is used for the approximately circular depression in the surface of a planet, moon or other solid body in the Solar System, formed by the hyper-velocity impact of a smaller body with the surface - Impact craters typically have raised rims, and they range from small, simple, bowl-shaped depressions to large, complex, multi-ringed impact basins - Meteor Crater is perhaps the best-known example of a small impact crater on the Earth - A laboratory simulation (Video Demo) of an impact event and crater formation - The prominent impact crater Tycho on the Moon (Photo)
In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with larger body. In most common usage, the term is used for the approximately circular depression in the surface of a planet, moon or other solid body in the Solar System, formed by the hyper-velocity impact of a smaller body with the surface. This is in contrast to the pit crater which results from an internal collapse. Impact craters typically have raised rims, and they range from small, simple, bowl-shaped depressions to large, complex, multi-ringed impact basins. Meteor Crater is perhaps the best-known example of a small impact crater on the Earth. Impact craters provide the dominant landforms on many solid Solar System objects including the Moon, Mercury, Callisto, Ganymede and most small moons and asteroids. On other planets and moons that experience more-active surface geological processes, such as Earth, Venus, Mars, Europa, Io and Titan, visible impact craters are less common because they become eroded, buried or transformed by tectonics over time. Where such processes have destroyed most of the original crater topography, the terms impact structure or astrobleme are more commonly used. In early literature, before the significance of impact cratering was widely recognized, the terms cryptoexplosion or cryptovolcanic structure were often used to describe what are now recognized as impact-related features on Earth. -- In the early Solar System, rates of impact cratering were much higher than today. The large multi-ringed impact basins, with diameters of hundreds of kilometers or more, retained for example on Mercury and the Moon, record a period of intense early bombardment in the inner Solar System that ended about 3.8 billion years ago. Since that time, the rate of crater production on Earth has been considerably lower, but it is appreciable nonetheless; Earth experiences from one to three impacts large enough to produce a 20 km diameter crater about once every million years on average. This indicates that there should be far more relatively young craters on the planet than have been discovered so far. [article link]

wikipedia.org: Moon Rilles [riverbeds] - Rille (German for 'groove') is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels - Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length - However, the term has also been used loosely to describe similar structures on a number of planets in the Solar System, including Mars, Venus, and on a number of moons - All bear remarkable structural resemblance to each other {Another theory about rilles and canyons is not that they were lava flows from extinct volcanoes but that the majority of rilles and canyons are dry riverbeds from temporary rivers that as comets composed of ice impacted our moon, other planets (Mars) and other moons that the ice shattered and melted on impact creating a temporary river but only until the water quickly evaporated back into space as the moon and other planets do not have enough gravity or their own atmosphere to trap and retain the liquid water on their surface like the earth does.} (Photos)
Rille (German for 'groove') is typically used to describe any of the long, narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Typically a rille can be up to several kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers in length. However, the term has also been used loosely to describe similar structures on a number of planets in the Solar System, including Mars, Venus, and on a number of moons. All bear remarkable structural resemblance to each other. Three types of rille are found on the lunar surface: Sinuous rilles meander in a curved path like a mature river, and are commonly thought to be the remains of collapsed lava tubes or extinct lava flows. They usually begin at an extinct volcano, then meander and sometimes split as they are followed across the surface. Vallis Schröteri in Oceanus Procellarum is the largest sinuous rille. Arcuate rilles have a smooth curve and are found on the edges of the dark lunar maria. They are believed to form when the lava flows that created a mare cool, contract, and sink. This are found all over the moon, examples can be seen near the south-western border of Mare Tranquillitatis and on the south-eastern border of Mare Humorum. Straight rilles follow long, linear paths and are believed to be grabens, sections of the crust that have sunk between two parallel faults. These can be readily identified when they pass through craters or mountain ranges. Vallis Alpes is by far the largest graben rille, indeed it is regarded as too large to be called a rille and is itself bisected by a straight rille; Rupes Recta in Mare Nubium is a clearer example. Rilles which show more than one structure are termed hybrid rilles. Rima Hyginus in Sinus Medii is an example, initially formed through a fault and subsequently subject to volcanic activity. [article link]

Hawaii.edu: Ice on the Bone Dry Moon - the lunar surface is bombarded with water-rich objects such as comets {It seems the comets [ice chunks] would have to originate from the earth's atmosphere in order to so significantly saturate the earth side of the moon with impact craters. There are nearly as many impact craters on the near side of the moon as there are on the far side [dark side - outer space side] of the moon.}
An abundant supply of water on the Moon would make establishment of a self-sustaining lunar colony much more feasible and less expensive than presently thought. Study of lunar samples revealed that the interior of the Moon is essentially devoid of water, so no underground supplies could be used by lunar inhabitants. However, the lunar surface is bombarded with water-rich objects such as comets, and scientists have suspected that some of the water in these objects could migrate to permanently dark areas at the lunar poles, perhaps accumulating to useable quantities. The discovery of ice on the Moon has enormous implications for a permanent human return to the Moon. Water ice is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, two elements vital to human life and space operations. Lunar ice could be mined and disassociated into hydrogen and oxygen by electric power provided by solar panels deployed in nearby illuminated areas or a nuclear generator. This hydrogen and oxygen is a prime rocket fuel, giving us the ability to refuel rockets at a lunar "filling station" and making transport to and from the Moon more economical by at least a factor of ten. Additionally, the water from lunar polar ice and oxygen generated from the ice could support a permanent facility or outpost on the Moon. The discovery of this material, rare on the Moon but so vital to human life and operations in space, will make our expansion into the Solar System easier and reaffirms the immense value of our own Moon as the stepping stone into the universe. [article link]

Study: Dinosaur loss wasn't mammals' gain - "I was flabbergasted," said study co-author Ross MacPhee, curator of vertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York {More proof that evolutionist are simply groping their way through theories and making them up as they go along.}
NEW YORK (AP) -- The big dinosaur extinction of 65 million years ago didn't produce a flurry of new species in the ancestry of modern mammals after all, says a huge study that challenges a long-standing theory. Scientists who constructed a massive evolutionary family tree for mammals found no sign of such a burst of new species at that time among the ancestors of present-day animals. ... Some experts praised the large scale of the new evolutionary tree, which used a controversial "supertree" method to combine data covering the vast majority of mammal species. It challenges paleontologists to find new fossils that can shed light on mammal history, said Greg Wilson, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. William J. Murphy of Texas A&M University, who is working on a similar project, said no previous analysis had included so many mammal species. But, "I don't think this is the final word," he said. The study's approach for assigning dates was relatively crude, he said, and some dates it produced for particular lineages disagree with those obtained by more updated methods. So as for its interpretation of what happened when the dinosaurs died off, "I'm not sure that conclusion is well-founded," Murphy said. [article link]

Genesis 4 - Remove from your mind the notion that Satan is a vile, repulsive creature - Satan came to Eve masquerading himself as an angel of light - in order that sin may look not like the destruction it is but attractive and appealing - Satan came questioning the Word of God - trying through his questions to cast doubt on the Word of God and on the nature of God - The questions of Satan are designed to suggest that there is an unfairness with God that God is withholding something from us - today most people have a wrong concept of God because Satan is working to give people a wrong concept - the right concept of God is that God loves us and that He cares very much for each one of us {It was Satan that deceived Eve and then worse of all Satan wanted Eve to take the blame for disobeying God. This is a very important Biblical concept that Satan the instigator is also Satan the accuser. Satan instigates the problem, the thought, the motive but then Satan departs when any blame or accountability is to be issued out. Do not under any circumstance be tempted like Eve was tempted to accept the full blame and responsibility all by yourself apart from telling the situation to God. Tell everything to God! Get God involved in your life! Involve God in all the issues of your life especially those things that don't work out and that do go wrong, get God involved and then let God decide how it should be handled. God knew full well that Satan had tricked Eve and that Satan wanted Eve to take the full responsibility for the disaster that is why God didn't ask Eve what had happened. God knew Eve would accept responsibility for something that she did not instigate therefore God asked Adam what had happened knowing Adam would put the disaster at the feet of Eve and that then Eve would finally be willing to put the responsibility for the disastrous, disobedient act at the feet of Satan where it belongs.}
The [very] moment you open yourself up to dialogue with Satan you are subjecting yourself to trouble. ... The harmful notions of Satan are that you can violate the laws of God and not harm yourself and that you can obtain fulfillment in yourself apart from Jesus Christ apart from His (redemptive) cross and His (eternal life) resurrection. - Jesus is often not giving condemnation but He is giving an accurate representation of the consequences there will be in rejecting God's word and in our sinning. ... The Woman will have a redeemer seed (Jesus Christ) [virgin birth] and Satan will have a seed as well in the antichrist 'the seed of the serpent.' ... Sin is desiring to rule over us but we must rule over sin and the only way to conquer sin is through the provision of the Holy Spirit - only the power of Jesus Christ is sufficient to defeat sin - with Jesus Christ in our life we can have victory over sin. Note: The first born children Cain and Abel might have been twins but it's unlikely, it's speculated that they were twins because the Bible [Genesis 4:2 'And she (Eve) again bare his brother Abel'] doesn't mention Eve conceiving again before she gives birth to Abel. Early mankind was to multiply to fill the earth so the multiplying would include many multiple births. Isaac and Jacob were twins [Genesis 25:23], though it is unlikely that Cain and Abel were twins because it's not directly mentioned in the Bible and if it is an important Biblical concept it will be plainly mentioned usually sever times throughout the Bible. Even if Cain and Abel were twins it is not a representation that good and evil are twins or even brothers for that matter and it certainly would not be a representation that Jesus and Satan are brothers. The Bible clearly and unequivocally states that Jesus Christ is unique that He alone is God and the only begotten [manifested] Son of God.

wikipedia.com: Mona Lisa a 16th century portrait painted [1503-1506] in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance - Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing, and parody {The Mona Lisa painting is thought by some to be a depiction of Eve, the first mother of every person. It is also thought to be a Satanic depiction with Eve seated on her unseen throne, as Queen of the earth [in the ancient Eve joined Satan as his wife/Queen] 'Serpent Seed' heresy, using the Garden of Eden as her backdrop Eve (Mona Lisa) is smiling at her own personal delight in her part in ruining Paradise [a place where none of her descendants will ever place a foot, in the painting the path stops at the Garden not allowing anyone in, also in the painting background on the right side is one of the four rives of the Garden of Eden but in the Garden itself there are no longer any paths for mankind to walk on] and helping to bring in sin, rebellion and death to all of her descendants. Of course Mona Lisa is a modern painting depicting nothing of the real Eve however the depiction of the stubborn Satanic delight in evil is a work of the art of sin that has not yet left us.} (Painting)
Also note: in the painting (Mona Lisa) Eve is not wearing a wedding band 'Detail of Lisa's hands, her right hand resting on her left - Leonardo chose this gesture rather than a wedding ring to depict Lisa as a virtuous woman and faithful wife [faithful to who?]' in the "Serpent Seed" hoax Eve has divorced Adam and has united with Satan. The Eve of the painting is also painted without eyebrows and eyelashes 'Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair-including eyebrows and eyelashes' because perspiration was not a part of the Garden of Eden and neither were tears. Perspiration entered into creation after the fall as a part of the labor, sweat and toil that Adam and all of their offspring were to endure [including the real Eve so the painting is a complete fabrication]. -- wikipedia.com: Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. The work is owned by the Government of France and is on the wall in the Louvre in Paris, France with the title Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. It is perhaps the most famous painting in the world. The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic. The ambiguity of the sitter's expression, the monumentality of the half-figure composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the painting's continuing fascination. It is probably the most famous painting that has ever been stolen from the Louvre and recovered. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing, and parody. ... Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that models her hands. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Leonardo referred to a seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of seated Madonna, which were widespread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as a dividing element between Mona Lisa and the viewer. ... The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome them to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to even greater extent. Thus, the composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature. There is no indication of an intimate dialogue between the woman and the observer as is the case in the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (Louvre) painted by Raphael about ten years after Mona Lisa, and undoubtedly influenced by Leonardo's portrait. -- The painting was among the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape. The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence. The sensuous curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created through sfumato, are echoed in the undulating imaginary valleys and rivers behind her. The blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo's style. Due to the expressive synthesis that Leonardo achieved between sitter and landscape it is arguable whether Mona Lisa should be considered as a traditional portrait, for it represents an ideal rather than a real woman. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting-especially apparent in the sitter's faint smile-reflects Leonardo's idea of a link connecting humanity and nature. -- Mona Lisa has no visible facial hair-including eyebrows and eyelashes. Some researchers claim that it was common at this time for genteel women to pluck them out, since they were considered to be unsightly. For modern viewers the missing eyebrows add to the slightly semi-abstract quality of the face. [article link]

Genesis 5 - The Generations of Adam - The Bible traces the genealogies of Adam --> Noah, Noah --> Abraham, Abraham --> King David [and lastly] King David --> Jesus Christ - The New Testament book of Matthew [Matthew 1:1-25] traces the Jewish genealogy from Abraham to Jesus Christ - God created Adam in His likeness and now Adam in sinful nature is going to have sons (children) in his sinful nature - at 130 years old Adam had the son Seth [the lineage of Noah - Jesus] - Adam lived for 930 years and was still alive for 100 years when Lamech (Noah's father) was born - Adam almost lived until Noah was born - because of the long lives the people were not separated and the whole story of creation could have been [spoken] by Adam to Noah's father then to Noah and his three sons including Shem who was still alive when Abraham was born - the events of creation were not that removed from the early generations up until Abraham - The 'Sons of God' a reference to angels [Job 1:6] - in this particular case fallen angels so we are dealing with an abnormal angelic & human female [sexual activity] - The days preceding and up until the Flood of Noah were a time of great immorality including abundant Satanic activity
Enoch a prophet [the eight from Adam - Jude 1:14] is interesting because he did not die he was 'translated' by God and brought directly into heaven to God. Enoch was a prophet and prophesied of the [2nd] coming of Jesus Christ - [Genesis 3:15 is the first Messianic prophecy in the Bible being about the 1st coming of Jesus]. Enoch again prophesied in the naming of his son Methuselah [Metushélach "Man of the dart/spear", or alternatively "when he dies/died, it (Noah's flood) shall be sent/has been sent") is the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, given as 969 years - The name Methuselah has become a general synonym for any living creature of great age -- wiki.com] the year Methuselah passed away the flood of Noah occurred. -- Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the [2nd] coming of [Jesus Christ] the Son of man be. -- In the days preceding the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ the days are going to resemble the hectic days of the time of Noah before the flood. A time of great satanic activity and satanic worship. Note: The Biblical concept of 'Sons of God' is that Son is given in designation only to those who have been in the actual presence of God [in heaven] therefore no human while on earth is actually a 'Son of God' but a 'Child of God' until entering into the actual presence of God in heaven. Currently the only designation for 'Son of God' could be for angels or for Jesus Christ who is both 'Son of God' and 'Son of man' an angel would not be called a 'Son of man.'

The Christian Basics 132 Topics - Easy to Use & Easy to Understand - 'Sons of God' (PDF)
Studying Theology: Is just like piecing together a puzzle. Individual Theology pieces fit together and the picture begins to emerge. The picture Theology displays is the image of Jesus! -- Sons of God see also Child of God, Adoption, Inheritance -- First Use: Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. Job 38:7 When [at the designing and building of the earth] the morning stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy? The sons of God are individual spirit life creations of God the Father. As sons they are also inheritors of the Father's kingdom. Sons currently exist in the kingdom of God. Angels are referred to as Sons of God because they currently exist in the kingdom of God and each of them is a unique individual creation of God. Adam being a unique creation of God and originally living in God's kingdom is also called a Son of God. Currently each human is a son of man. When a human enters into the covenant relationship with God by acknowledging God, then the human becomes also a child of God and a son of God. A human fully becomes a son of God when we physically die and enter into the perceivable presence of God, where we are adopted as sons; we receive a new unique spiritual body and an inheritance in the kingdom of God. [article link]

Holy Ghost Revival Sermons Online: "Conviction and the Altar" The Days of Noah (Mp3)
You are hearing a 12 minute preview of the sermon "Conviction and the Altar" The full 1 hour sermon link is listed below! [article link]

As it was in the Days of Noah - The time leading up to the Great Flood was a lot like our time in that it was characterized by a deliberate and increasing disregard for the ways of God
As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matt 24:37). The time leading up to the Great Flood was a lot like our time in that it was characterized by a deliberate and increasing disregard for the ways of God. Finally "the Lord saw how great man's wickedness on earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time" (Gen. 6:5). ... the sequence of events suddenly became so obvious to me. Enoch was taken alive from earth and the Holy Spirit was withdrawn. Then in Gen. 6:5 man's behavior is described as having become unbearably wicked and in Gen. 7 the judgment came, in that order. Enoch's name means teaching and according to Jude 14-15 he gave the first prophecy of the 2nd coming. ... If Enoch is indeed a model of the church and if the Lord's prophecy of Matt 24:37 includes the sequence of events, as seems likely, then one day soon we will be taken alive (raptured) from earth, the Holy Spirit withdrawn. Man's behavior will become unbearably wicked and the judgment will come, all in that order. As it was in the days of Noah. Selah. [article link]

The "Days of Noah" Are Here - The Bible tells us that we are to live "holy and righteous" in this age - We are to be actively sharing the gospel in order for others to be redeemed - precisely because "the days are evil"
That describes today quite accurately. Those who have normalized homosexual behavior have done so to the point of thinking anyone who opposes it are "crazy," "homophobic," "intolerant," and "bigots." -- For Bible believing, Christ following born-again Christians, such derogatory views and labels are only perpetuating deception about this dangerous behavior. Furthermore, homosexual activism both secular as well as in the church distracts people from what is truly most important in this life - that is - confessing and repenting of sin and knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Bible tells us that we are to live "holy and righteous" in this age. We are to be actively sharing the gospel in order for other to be redeemed - precisely because "the days are evil." ... This world is filled with lust, murder, theft, adultery, fornication, lying, idol worship and the list could go on and on. Yet, most sane people do not advocate for churches to accept such concepts as "sanctified." However, this is exactly what is being done in liberal "Christian" churches throughout America! Claiming that a particular sin should be allowed to be "sanctified" within Christ's church body meaning, all believers is an abomination to God! It is a form of idol worship. It is, in fact, as the Scriptures inform us, "exchanging the truth for a lie!" [article link]

As The Days of Noah Were - Luke 17:26: "And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man"
The Reason for the Flood: It was the infusion of these strange (demonic) beings into the human predicament that brought on the Flood of Noah. The Flood was preceded by four generations of prophets/preachers warning of the coming judgment: Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. It seems that this was part of Satan's stratagem to corrupt the line of Adam to prevent the fulfillment of the Messianic redemption. Noah was apparently unique in that his genealogy was still uncorrupted. The strange events which led to the flood are also alluded to in ancient mythologies. The legends of the Greek "titans"---partly terrestrial, partly celestial---embrace these same memories. (The Greek titan is linguistically linked to the Chaldean sheitan, and the Hebrew satan.) [article link]

Jesus said, "As in the Days of Noah" Violence Filled the Earth
Jesus spoke far ahead of his time relating to us what life would be like just prior to his coming. He says in Matt. 24:37-38: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." [article link]

AS IT WAS IN NOAH'S DAY
The Lord Jesus Christ informs us that before He returns certain conditions will exist in society in general. These conditions are a sign to believers that His Second Coming is near. There has always been corruption in society, but the idea here is of such decadence and depravity reaching the point of no return. The Lord makes use of two Old Testament characters to illustrate the characteristics and conditions that will exist at all levels of humanity prior to His Second Coming. As it was in the days of Noah and as it was in the days of Lot. [article link]

NWO Hoax Alert*** World Net Daily Book - Bible [False] fact No. 19: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob not Jews {[Genesis 14:12-13 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the *Hebrew; (it is later Abraham with the -ah- breath of life from God added to Abram and his wife Sarai after receiving the breath of life from God becomes Sarah - Genesis 17:15).] The word Hebrew means "Wanderer" Judah in Hebrew means "Praise - Praise to God" the person and tribe of Judah was named after an already existing Hebrew-Jewish word. Abraham is the Father of the Jewish (Judaism - "people of praise" [Wikipedia]) nation it was Abraham then his son Isaac and then Jacob (Israel) that each received the promises of God (Covenant of circumcision Genesis 17:8-14) that are passed down to the Nation Tribes of Israel. Noah lived before Abraham and Noah is the Father of All Nations (all modern post flood Nations) while Abraham a descendant of Noah is the Father of the Hebrew-Jewish Nation and Abraham in receiving the -ah- "born again" Spirit-breath of life from God, Abraham is the Father of Faith (Romans 4:16) "...of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us (Christians) all." Judah is not the start of the Jewish nation [Abraham is] and has NEVER been presented as being the start as Judah is a brother (a 12th) of the 12 Tribes of Israel (Jacob), you can't be born into something that already exists and then be considered the start of it. Note: Most or all False bible teachings come out of twisting and misrepresenting Bible words and passages. God has a plan for mankind and the Jews-Hebrews the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 6:3-4, Acts 3:13) are the chosen center piece of God's plan (Genesis 12:1-3) for mankind.}
One of the most common misconceptions some people have about the Bible is that the Old Testament centers only on Jews and Judaism, while the New Testament focuses on Christians and Christianity. Many assume some of the most well-known heroes - including Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) - were Jews. Though these worshippers of God were the ancestors of the Jews, when the Holy Scriptures are read without any preconceived notions, it is impossible for themselves to have been Jews. How can this be? The answer is simple. Those people were all born before a man named Judah, whose name is the origin of the word "Jew." This is just one of the stunning facts brought to light in "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told," the stunning new best-seller by Joe Kovacs, the executive news editor of WND. [article link]

NWO Hoax Alert*** Texas (school) Update: Islam-promoting principal out [reassigned] - In the 40-minute (school) session, representatives of the Houston office of the controversial Council on American- Islamic Relations, an organization critics link to terrorist groups, presented a 40-minute lesson in the religious beliefs and requirements of Islam - The CAIR representatives instructed [school] students that Adam, Noah and Jesus are [Islamic] prophets; announced "there is one god, his name is Allah"; taught the five pillars of Islam {Note: Adam and Noah are prophets who prophesied of the coming Jewish Messiah the Redeemer-Savior Jesus Christ, Jesus being God is also a prophet and Jesus is Jewish a physical descendant of the Jewish lineage from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.}
The controversy erupted at Friendswood Junior High when students were diverted from a scheduled physical education class and taken to an assembly set up by Principal Robin Lowe. In the 40-minute session, representatives of the Houston office of the controversial Council on American- Islamic Relations, an organization critics link to terrorist groups, presented a 40-minute lesson in the religious beliefs and requirements of Islam. ... The CAIR representatives instructed students that Adam, Noah and Jesus are prophets; announced "there is one god, his name is Allah"; taught the five pillars of Islam; told students how to pray five times a day; and gave instruction on Islamic religious requirements for dress. The assembly had not been authorized by the district, officials confirmed. ... Hanks told parents in a memo she had authorized the presentation for staff members only, not students. "My concern for our community and for our students is not as much with the content of the presentation as explained to me," she wrote, according to a Houston Chronicle report, "but with the fact that a group had an audience with our students without consent from parents or this administration. "I am not surprised by the community's reaction," she continued. "Most of you receiving this letter have had years of experience with this district and know the kinds of activities your child has been exposed to in school. This was an isolated incident and a mistake." Texas Education Agency officials confirmed that state law allows parents to remove their children from activities or classes that violate their religious or moral beliefs. There was no information available on Lowe's new position. The district's brief statement said Lowe "has accepted another administrative position effective immediately." [article link]

amazon.com: The true story of Clarita Villanueva - A seventeen-year old girl bitten by devils in Bilibid Prison, Manila, Philippines by Lester Frank Sumrall
Out of Print--Limited Availability. [article link]

The strange story of Clarita Villanueva - a 17-year-old Filipina girl, had known a life of tragedy - She did not remember her father - She did not know if he had died or had deserted her mother - Her mother was a spiritualist and a fortune teller by vocation - The girl was brought up watching her mother holding séances, communicating with the dead, and using clairvoyance to predict to sinful people what they could expect in the future - From: Lester Sumrall, Alien Entities - A look behind the door to the spirit realm, printed in the USA by Whitaker House (PA), 1995, pages 131-138
Clarita Villanueva, a 17-year-old Filipina girl, had known a life of tragedy. She did not remember her father. She did not know if he had died or had deserted her mother. Her mother was a spiritualist and a fortune teller by vocation. The girl was brought up watching her mother holding séances, communicating with the dead, and using clairvoyance to predict to sinful people what they could expect in the future. Her mother took money from people for her services, and then laughed at them behind their backs. To her it was all just a game, a means of making a living by duping unsuspecting and gullible people. When Clarita was still very young, about twelve years old, her mother died. Since she did not have any immediate family to take her in and care for her, she became a vagabond. She fell into the hands of harlots and at the tender age of 12 was selling her body as a prostitute. The harlots taught her how to handle men, how to get money for her services. Clarita worked her way up from her island home to the capital city of Manila. The big city was a hiding place, a center of money and vice for her business. The local harlots became her teachers and she learned the night life in the big capital city. In Manila there were more men to seduce. By the time she was 17 years old, Clarita was frequenting the bars and taverns of Manila, living the 'gay life' by soliciting men for harlotry. But one morning at 2 a.m. on the streets of down-town Manila, Clarita made the mistake of offering her services to a plainclothes police officer. The policeman called for a vehicle and Clarita was taken to the ancient Bilibid Prison, used as the city jail. Bilibid has been a prison for over 300 years. It was built by the Spanish and used by the Americans, the Filipinos, and the Japanese as a prison and a place of torment. Two days after Clarita was incarcerated, there struck the strangest phenomenon to ever hit Bilibid Prison in its 300-year history. This young harlot was bitten severely on her body by unseen and unknown alien entities. There were two of them - a huge monster-like spirit and a smaller one. They sunk their fangs and teeth deep into her flesh making deep indentations. They would bite her neck, back, legs and arms simultaneously. Blood flowed, mostly underneath her skin, from the bites. The 17-year-old girl screamed in horror and fainted. ... Because I was a foreigner in the Philippines, I went to the mayor's office and asked permission to see Clarita. He granted me his permission but warned me that several people had been injured by the girl and that two had been cursed and were dead. I went with the understanding that I would not sue the government if I was hurt, and that I would not complain if mistreated. When I arrived at the prison, the head doctor of six physicians, Dr. Lara, was skeptical of this foreign minister, but he finally permitted me to see the girl. Clarita was brought into a special room where I was waiting with a large group of news reporters, foreign members of the press, university professors, and medical doctors, who had been invited by Dr. Lara. -- As Clarita was being led into the room, she looked at them and said nothing, but when she saw me she screamed violently: 'I hate you!' Instantly I inserted: 'I know you hate me. I have come to cast you out'. That was the beginning of the confrontation. There was a raging battle with the girl blaspheming God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Her eyes were burning coals of fire and full of hate. I commanded the evil spirit to loose her. After a three-day confrontation with the devil in her, the miracle of God came upon her. She relaxed, smiled, and said: 'He's gone'. 'Where did he go?' I asked. 'He went out that way', she replied. 'He's gone'. The local newspapers, magazines and radio told the story. One headline read: ''He dies; the devil is dead!' Another one said: 'Devil loses round one'. Dr. Lara became so excited he took me over to the office of the mayor. When he walked into the office, he said: 'My God, mayor. The devil is dead'. I said: 'Mr. Mayor, Dr. Lara may be a good doctor, but he's a poor theologian. The devil is not dead. The girl I came and talked to you about yesterday is healed'. [article link]

NEW METHOD OF ESTIMATING THE AGE OF NIAGARA FALLS: In 1841 Sir Charles Lyell and the late Prof. James Hall visited the falls together - (they 'guessed') the time required for its erosion at this rate would be thirty-five thousand years - Mr. Bakewell, another eminent English geologist, at about the same time estimated the rate of the recession as threefold greater than Lyell and Hall had done, which would re-duce the time to about eleven thousand years - In 1856 Mr. Woodward, of the United States Geological Survey, made a new survey, and found that the actual amount of recession in the center - in 1886, when it was proved, to the satisfaction of every one, that, if the supply of water had been constant throughout its history the whole work of eroding the gorge from Lewiston to the Falls would have been accomplished, at the present rate of recession, in about seven thousand years - But the question was immediately raised, Has the supply of water in Niagara River been constant? {Always in a flood the most water and the greatest amount of erosion occurs at the beginning of the flood in the first hours and days then things stabilize a bit with a continued erosion rate based on the amount of water and the type of rock and material the water is eroding.}
In 1841 Sir Charles Lyell and the late Prof. James Hall visited the falls together; but, having no means of determining the rate of recession, except from the indefinite reports of residents and guides, they could place no great confidence in the "guess," made by Sir Charles Lyell, that it could not be more than one foot a year. As the length of the gorge from Lewiston up is about seven miles, the time required for its erosion at this rate would be thirty-five thousand years. The great authority and popularity of Lyell led the general public to put more confidence in this estimate than the distinguished authors themselves did. Mr. Bakewell, another eminent English geologist, at about the same time estimated the rate of the recession as threefold greater than Lyell and Hall had done, which would re-duce the time to about eleven thousand years. ... In 18S6 Mr. Woodward, of the United States Geological Survey, made a new survey, and found that the actual amount of recession in the center - Looking north from below the Whirlpool, showier the electric road at the bottom of the east side of the gorge, and the steam road descending the face about halfway to the top. of the Horseshoe Fall had proceeded at an average rate of about five feet per annum. The subject was thoroughly discussed by Drs. Pohlman and Gilbert, at the Buffalo meeting of the American Association in 1886, when it was proved, to the satisfaction of every one, that, if the supply of water had been constant throughout its history the whole work of eroding the gorge from Lewiston to the Falls would have been accomplished, at the present rate of recession, in about seven thousand years. But the question was immediately raised, Has the supply of water in Niagara River been constant? It was my privilege, in the autumn of 1892 to bring forth the first positive evidence that the water pouring over Niagara had for a time been diverted, having been turned through Lake Nipissing down the valley of the Mattawa into the Ottawa River, following nearly the line of Champlain's old trail and of the present Canadian Pacific Railroad. The correctness of this inference has been abundantly confirmed by subsequent investigations... [article link]

Genesis 6-9 - Noah a Righteous man - and also a man not tainted with fallen angelic [DNA] interaction - would build an Ark for God (approximately the size of the R.M.S. Titanic luxury liner) - Genesis 6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he -- Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation -- God invited Noah to enter into the Ark [and safety] where God was already waiting for him to enter into God's presence and to receive from God's Salvation and Divine providential provision
Genesis 8:4 And the ark rested [touched the safety of the new earth] in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. Jesus [the Ark and safe passage of our eternal soul and salvation touching and resting safely into heaven] would later Resurrect from the grave on the 17th day of the 7th [civil] month [Nisan] {Nisan is the 1st month in the Jewish religious calendar year and also the 7th [civil] month in the original (Noah) calendar year cycle.}. Passover is on the 14th [Leviticus 23:5] of the 7th month and Jesus was in the grave 3 days and three nights. -- The flood wiped out the [original Garden of Eden earth] but it did not wipe out sin or the sin nature of humans. Noah a descendant of Adam has a sinful nature. God addressed this and God provided a Redemptive Plan for all of mankind included in God's redemptive plan is that God will not destroy the earth again with a flood. God made a covenant with Noah the 'Noahic Covenant' and also with all of the descendants of Noah which includes all of mankind because all of mankind has descended from Noah and his three sons. Up until the present day God has kept the [Noahic] covenant [the orderly functioning of the earth and sky] with all mankind as the earth has not flooded again and seedtime and harvest have continued. -- Genesis 8:20-22 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar [according to the Jewish customs - later codified into Jewish law through Moses]. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Discovery of the real Noah's Ark - Ron Wyatt - Part 1 (YouTube)
Archaeologist Ron Wyatt and his team discover Noah's Ark! Extremely interesting to watch. [article link]

Discovery of the real Noah's Ark - Ron Wyatt - Part 2 (YouTube)
The continuation and conclusion of Ron Wyatt's discovery of Noah's Ark! Conclusive evidence that shows the Great Flood is not a myth! [article link]

AnswersInGenesis.org: Was There Really a Noah's Ark & Flood? - The account of Noah and the Ark is one of the most widely known events in the history of mankind. Unfortunately, like other Bible accounts, it is often taken as a mere fairy tale - The Bible, though, is the true history book of the universe, and in that light, the most-asked questions about the Ark and Flood of Noah can be answered with authority and confidence
History has shown that technology can be lost. In Egypt, China, and the Americas the earlier dynasties built more impressive buildings or had finer art or better science. Many so-called modern inventions turn out to be re-inventions, like concrete, which was used by the Romans. Even accounting for the possible loss of technology due to the Flood, early post-Flood civilizations display all the engineering know-how necessary for a project like Noah's Ark. People sawing and drilling wood in Noah's day, only a few centuries before the Egyptians were sawing and drilling granite, is very reasonable! The idea that more primitive civilizations are further back in time is an evolutionary concept. In reality, when God created Adam, he was perfect. Today, the individual human intellect has suffered from 6,000 years of sin and decay. The sudden rise in technology in the last few centuries has nothing to do with increasing intelligence; it is a combination of publishing and sharing ideas, and the spread of key inventions that became tools for investigation and manufacturing. One of the most recent tools is the computer, which compensates a great deal for our natural decline in mental performance and discipline, since it permits us to gather and store information as perhaps never before. [article link]

The Epic of Gilgamesh Flood and the Bible (YouTube)
Podcast Summary: Nowhere to Run (NTR) is a Revere Radio Network based conspiracy theory related talk show, hosted by Chris White of www.conspiracyclothes.com - New shows air every Wednesday night at 5pm central on revereradio.net [article link]

Working Replica of Noah's Ark Opens In SCHAGEN, Netherlands (Photos)
The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was thrown open Saturday for the first crowd of curious Pilgrims and townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it's only a replica of the biblical Ark , built by Dutch Creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible. The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That's two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house. Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold. A contractor by trade, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine -Biblical Scholars debate exactly what the wood used by Noah would have been. Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and with occasional help from his son Roy. Construction began in May 2005. [article link]

ArkDiscovery.com: Noah's Ark Overview - Top Points to Consider - #7 matching [94 A.D.] Flavius Josephus' statement "Its [Noah's Ark's] remains are shown there by the inhabitants to this day" (Photos)
Friends, please prayerfully consider the evidence you will see on Noah's Ark. It may not be important or necessary for you to learn of this discovery, but there are millions of people who need confirmation of biblical artifacts in order to strengthen their faith in God and the Bible. Satan is strongly attacking this and other discoveries in order to deceive men of God's truth. All the false stories about finding Noah's ark were created by Satan to "muddy the water," and cause disbelief in the genuine. [article link]

ArkDiscovery.com: Biblical Archeology - Ron Wyatt's "Discovered Series" (5 DVD Set $22)
The entire DVD series of the late Ron Wyatt's discoveries. This amazing series will show such discoveries as: The Red Sea Crossing site, Mt. Sinai, Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Ark of the Covenant and dozens of other faith building discoveries! 4 hour, 20 minute DVD covering the all the discoveries, plus Ron Wyatt presentations. Select a larger quantity of 10 or 50 and receive a price reduction, perfect for you to resell or give away while spreading the word about the discoveries. [article link]

WyattMuseum.biz: Biblical Archeology - Ron Wyatt's "Discovered Series" (5 DVD Set $100)
The entire DVD series of the late Ron Wyatt's discoveries. This amazing series will show such discoveries as: The Red Sea Crossing site, Mt. Sinai, Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Ark of the Covenant and dozens of other faith building discoveries! [article link]

Creationism.org: INVESTIGATING GENESIS SERIES by Stephen Caesar - "Glaciers and the Flood" The Greenland ice cores have shown that it is a mistake to regard our own, relatively benign experience of the climate as the norm - The ice shows that the past was a period of intense instability (32 articles)
The last Ice Age, known as the Wisconsin, supposedly occurred about 20,000 years ago (according to flawed old-earth assumptions). By drilling down into the glaciers that currently cover 80% of Greenland, North GRIP has provided geologists with a witness to the rapid transition out of the Wisconsin. The New Yorker reported: "What the record [in the ice] shows is that it was a period of intense instability. The temperature did not rise slowly, or even steadily; instead, the climate flipped several times from temperate conditions back into those of an ice age, and then back again. Around fifteen thousand years ago, Greenland ABRUPTLY warmed by sixteen degrees IN FIFTY YEARS OR LESS. In one particularly traumatic episode some twelve thousand years ago, the mean temperature in Greenland shot up by fifteen degrees IN A SINGLE DECADE" (Kolbert 2002: 34 [emphases added]). The article noted that "scientists working on the Camp Century core [one of North GRIP's locations] weren't sure themselves what to make of what they had found" (Kolbert 2002: 34). Sigfus Johnsen, one of the scientists on the research team, commented, "It was too incredible, something we didn't expect at all" (Kolbert 2002: 34). The magazine also noted that another GRIP location, called Dye 3, "confirmed all the most significant Camp Century results, demonstrating that findings which had seemed anomalous were at least reproducible" (Kolbert 2002: 35). -- Most important is the apparent cause of these catastrophic temperature fluctuations - a massive infusion of fresh water into the oceans. This coincides with the Genesis Flood, which included a gargantuan amount of rain, as well as fresh water from below the earth's surface (Gen. 7:11). The New Yorker reported: "No known external force, or even any that has been hypothesized, seems capable of yanking the temperature back and forth as violently, and as often, as these cores have shown to be the case. Somehow, the climate system - through some vast and terrible feedback loop - must, it is now assumed, be capable of generating its own instabilities. The most popular hypothesis is that THE OCEANS ARE RESPONSIBLE. Currents like the Gulf Stream transfer heat in huge quantities from the tropics toward the poles, and if this circulation pattern could somehow be shut off - by, say A SUDDEN INFLUX OF FRESHWATER - it would have A SWIFT AND DRAMATIC IMPACT" (Kolbert 2002: 35 [emphases added]). -- Phrases such as "a sudden influx of freshwater" and "a swift and dramatic impact" certainly invoke images of the Biblical Flood. Moreover, as the article pointed out, the evidence for neo-catastrophism is so overwhelming that it has been embraced by nearly all geologists. [article link]

Ancient Brass BELL Found Encased IN COAL supposed to be about 300 million years old! - the bell is an antediluvian [before the deluge, pre-flood] artifact made before the Genesis Flood (Noah's Ark) - For more detailed pictures of the bell and the [idol] demon-like figure on top, click here (Photos)
In 1944, as a ten year old boy, Newton Anderson dropped a lump of coal in his basement and found that it contained this bell inside. The bituminous coal that was mined near his house in Upshur County West Virginia is supposed to be about 300 million years old! What is a brass bell with an iron clapper doing in coal ascribed to the Carboniferous Period? According to Norm Sharbaugh's book Ammunition (which includes several "coal anecdotes") the bell is an antediluvian artifact (made before the Genesis Flood). The Institute for Creation Research had the bell submitted to the lab at the University of Oklahoma. There a nuclear activation analysis revealed that the bell contains an unusual mix of metals, different from any known modern alloy production (including copper, zinc, tin, arsenic, iodine, and selenium). -- Genesis 4:22 states that Tubal-Cain was "an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron..." Perhaps when his civilization came to an end in the flood, this bell was buried with a mass of vegetation that became coal and ended up thousands of years later in Newt Anderson's coal bin. ... Later on, Newton Anderson spent a great deal of time researching the demon atop the bell. He discovered similarities to the Babylonian Southwest Wind Demon and the Hindu deity Garuda. Garuda is sometimes depicted on top of bells, as is the Egyptian Isis. [article link]

OOPARTS (out of place artifacts) & ANCIENT HIGH TECHNOLOGY -- Evidence of Noah's Flood? - Do unexplained technologies of the ancients provide possible proofs of Pre-flood civilizations? - If you believe that the flood of Noah actually happened, what was the state of the technology of (antediluvian) pre-flooders? Could they have left physical evidence of their existence? - We expect you to use your own knowledge filter (Christian discernment) on this site
Point of View: We have a Biblical viewpoint on the world. Ooparts are evidence, we think, that the Flood actually happened. News items or magazine articles that report them may not have the same perspective that Christians do. When we read for instance, a scientific article that puzzles over our lack of genetic variability, we think of the Flood of Noah. We would include that article here, without editing, because we expect Christians to use their filters on such an article. That does not mean that we agree with the evolutionary timeframe given in said article. -- We think it's more interesting when general newspaper articles or science articles observe data that they might see one way, but that Christians might see another way given our own knowledge about God, creation and the flood. It's more interesting to quote Stephen Jay Gould saying that "the lack of transitional fossils is the trade secret of paleontology", than it might be to hear another Christian say it. So, no we don't believe the universe is millions or billions of years old. We don't know how old it is-we just know who created it and how long it took Him. We do not believe in pre-Adamic races, though we do believe that there were "civilizations" prior to the Flood. We don't believe in space aliens or cooties. We expect you to use your own knowledge filter on this site. [article link]

Genesis 10 - The original League of Nations - Table of Nations from Genesis Chapters 10-11 - God's Covenant relationship with Noah is extended to include all of mankind and all flesh upon the earth - Once departing from the Ark Noah and his family are commanded by God to again fill/populate the earth - The genealogy of the Table of Nations was probably compiled by Noah's son Shem - these early descendants of Noah became the founders of the civilizations of the earth - The sons of Japheth [European Nations]: Gomer the Germans, Magog led to Scythian and Russian origins ... The sons of Ham [African and Asian Nations]: ... The sons of Shem [Hebrew (Jewish) and Arabic Nations]:
Note: [Genesis 9:1] Noah is again told to replenish the earth and to have dominion over it and over the animals. Mankind has been given dominion (government) over the earth but man does not have ownership of the earth. At no time was ownership ever given to mankind only dominion was given to Adam & Eve and later to Noah and his descendants but the ownership of the earth has not yet been provided to mankind. Since mankind did not at any time own the earth therefore the ownership of the earth has never been forfeited or lost by mankind and transferred to Satan or anyone else. Satan does not own the earth though Satan does continue to be a trespasser upon the earth. God is the original, continual and true owner of the earth -- Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. - Psalms 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. - Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. -- The meek shall inherit the earth because the ownership of the earth is going to remain in the possession of God. -- Psalm 2:7 I (God) will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto Me (Jesus), Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen [gentile nations] for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession [ownership].

The Rainbow - God's Covenant With The World
The rainbow is a beautiful token of the Lord that continues to testify of the covenant that He made with the world and all flesh (Genesis 9:11-13). It is a perfect reminder of our Lord's protection and the keeping of His promises. In 2 Peter 3:3-6, Peter speaks of scoffers of the word who, in the last days, will deny the creation and the flood. This has most assuredly begun. In just the past one hundred and fifty years, creation has been mocked by many and replaced by theories of inorganic evolution and spontaneous generation. The flood has been denied as a universal event and is affirmed to be nothing more than a legendary story of oral tradition that has made its way into the holy Scriptures. The testimony of both creation and the flood has been forgotten by many in the world. ... Even though man might forget the promise God gave through the rainbow, the Lord has not forgotten. He is not slack concerning His promises, and He will follow through with them. Our Lord is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). [article link]

The Table of Nations: Genesis Chapters 10-11 - Formal nations and their boundaries were established after the Flood in the Covenant with Noah. Before the Flood the earth was governed, evidently, by patriarchal family units
Formal nations and their boundaries were established after the Flood in the Covenant with Noah. Before the Flood the earth was governed, evidently, by patriarchal family units. The above insights show up in Paul's sermon Mars Hill in Athens: So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for 'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring.' Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead." (Acts 17:22-31). [article link]

Genesis 11 - Nimrod the mighty Hunter of Sin and the Tower of Babel 'Genesis 11:3 they had brick for stone, and slime [apparently the word slime in Hebrew denotes a tar (petroleum) product and led John D. Rockefeller to take his Standard Oil Co. over to Iraq to drill for oil] had they for morter [to build the tower of babel]' - The confounding of the languages of people and the diversifying and spreading out of all people groups among the earth - The book of Job likely comes into history at this point just prior to Abraham being called by God - Abraham was probably not the oldest son of Terah but one of the younger sons, possibly the youngest son - Noah's son Shem was still alive at this time and lived until Abraham was about 58 years old [possibly even living until after Abraham passed]
Note: It's doubtful that Abraham met Shem personally because Abraham is designated as the Father of the Faith 'Romans 4:11 that he (Abraham) might be the father of all them that believe' in other words Abraham is the first in the lineage to believe in the faith like we are all to believe today. we don't even have the faith of the Apostles, they saw the resurrected Jesus we still basically have the faith of Abraham the faith of hearing/reading the words of God and then obeying them. Before Abraham the world had Noah to tell of the flood and before that Adam to tell of creation. With the witness of Adam and creation and also the later witness of Noah with the Ark and the flood and then much later in the Upper Room after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with the witness of the Apostles then faith is witnessed and is based in part on the witness and interpretation of the person who witnesses the event or events. -- 'John:20-24-29 But Thomas, one of the twelve (Apostles), called Didymus [twin], was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and My God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.' Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' -- Faith is to be based completely on the Words and promises of God and not in human works or accomplishments, not in the seeing of the eyes or even by the experiencing with emotions or intellect but only by hearing in our heart the Words of God and believing in our heart in the Words as God has promised them to us.

John D. Rockefeller - John D. Rockefeller, a Trustee for what is now known as Exxon Corporation (formerly Standard Oil of New Jersey), first became interested in oil in 1863 - It began operation in the Middle East in 1928
Everyone has for many years been lead to believe that the Rockefellers were the people that owned and founded the Standard Oil Company and that the Rockefellers were the owners of banks and vast fortunes even from the mid-eighteen hundreds. The Rockefellers really were part of an elite group of men that became the front men for one family that really owned the wealth of this country. Because of the vastness of this empire the family had to have key people to head up the large corporation. They were put in controlling position of these companies and were made to look like they were the owners when in reality they were only the 'TRUSTEES', of these companies. John D. Rockefeller, a Trustee for what is now known as Exxon Corporation (formerly Standard Oil of New Jersey), first became interested in oil in 1863 when he was sent to Pennsylvania by a group of Cleveland. Ohio businessmen to investigate oil operations. At that time he was not impressed with, the producing end of the business, but he did see a future for the refining and marketing side. And on this premise he and his associates developed their holdings until Standard Oil Company was incorporated in 1877. -- These people were convinced that small local firms could be bought out because then they could not survive in the highly competitive oil business. Small businesses were bought out and they all became part of the huge Standard Oil Trust in 1882. Decisions were made bv an executive committee with Rockefeller as head. Standard Oil Company was incorporated in New Jersey on August 15, 1882, by the Standard Oil Trust. This oil company really owns all oil companies everywhere and all their subsidiaries. This oil company is owned by a little railroad line in North Carolina and that little railroad line was merged into the 1906 Southern Railway Merger that J. P. Morgan was so famous for. All of this was owned by one man by the name of Louis Cass Payseur. -- The true ownership has been hidden from the public eye because the family did not want to be known and also to avoid anti-trust laws. So it was set up with trustees to operate the company. The first Standard Oil marketing operation outside the United States was the formation of Anglo-American Oil Company. Ltd. in 1888. Next came the purchase of Deutsch-Amerikanische Petoleum-Gesellschaft in 1890, resident agents were established in the Far East by 1893. By 1895 the company had built up an ocean going fleet of ships (which were the extension of the railroad around the world) to supply this growing foreign trade. Its first tanker was built in 1886. The increasing need for crude oil forced the company to engage in larger production of crude oil. The company had production operations in Pennsylvania. Ohio and Indiana by 1889. In the late 1890's and early 1900's new oil was discovered to the West, so the company engaged in the search for oil in Illinois. Kansas. Oklahoma. Louisiana. Texas, and California. These discoveries required that the manpower be increased and new subsidiaries be formed and a new TRUSTEE had to be appointed to head these companies in oil rich western America. Names like Sinclair, Getty, Kerr-McGee, Phillips. Champlin just to name a few. Are you beginning to get the big picture. All this can be backed up with legal courthouse documents. ... It just makes good sense to own the companies that produce the goods that supply another facet of your business empire. All part of transportation and communication. Some of the other names that you can connect to Standard Oil are Esso. -- The Carter oil Company formed in 1893 to produce oil in West Virginia. International Petroleum Company was established in 1917 to operate newly acquired properties in Peru. Then came Humble Oil refining Company of Texas. Just to make note of some other names it does business as is Amoco, Sunoco, Vaccum Oil etc. and the list goes on and on. A policy set in the 1920's showed that Standard intended to continue interest in foreign production. It began operation in the Middle East in 1928 and investigated oil prospects in Mexico and Colombia. The country of Colombia was an important oil source for the company by 1926. -- The unbalance in transportation facilities was corrected by creating a new United States flag fleet operating directly by the parent company. ... Standard Oil Company of New Jersey's name was changed in 1948 to Esso Standard Oil Company and under the new name continued to operate all refineries and marketing facilities. Foreign marketing facilities were strengthened in 1948 by the acquisition of Soc. du Naphte S. A. (Switzerland) which marketed in various Middle East countries. Foreign production was added by acquisition of a large interest in Arabian American Oil Company in 1948. November 1, 1972, the company changed its name to Exxon corporation. The name was also adopted by the company's United States subsidiaries. Divisions and affiliated companies of Exxon Corporation operate in the United States and about 100 other countries. Their principal business is energy, involving exploration for and production of crude oil and natural gas, manufacturing of petroleum products and transportation and sale crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products, exploration for and mining sale of coal. [article link]

Genesis 12-14 - Abraham comes back from Egypt and Returns to Bethel (House of God) in the Promise land (Israel) - Abraham and his Nephew Lot come to an amenable parting of the ways - Lot seeing with his eyes chooses to dwell near Sodom while Abraham choosing to dwell with God moves to Hebron [near modern Jerusalem] - Abraham was to arise and walk through the land 'Genesis 13:17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee' - to take possession and appropriate the promises of God into his life - Later Abraham meets Melchizedek King of Righteousness and Peace the Priest of the Most High God - Abraham gives a tithe a tenth of all he owns to Melchizedek - Melchizedek blesses Abraham - 'Genesis 14:22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand [in praise and worship] unto the LORD, The Most High God, The Possessor Of Heaven And Earth'
Melchizedek the name means King of Righteousness and Peace, He is the Priest of the Most High God. This is the first mention of a Priest in the Bible. The idea of a priest comes from the conciseness of the Holiness of God and of the sinfulness of man, in order for a man to touch God to go into the presence of the Holy God man will need a mediator a go between, a priest. The ministry of the priest was twofold the priest was to go before God for the people and then the priest [or a prophet] would return and tell the people a message from God if there was one. - Melchizedek's birth is not recorded and his death is not yet recorded because Melchizedek is eternal, without genealogy and without death He lives on forever 'Hebrews 7:3 [Melchizedek] Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest Continually.' ... 'Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou (Jesus Christ) art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.' Jesus is our [Christian, heavenly] High Priest after the order of Melchizedek not after the earthly Levitical/Aaronic priesthood. The episode of Melchizedek was enacted into the Bible's history of the Old testament to reveal to mankind even before the establishing of the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood that mankind would know that there is indeed a better priesthood a holy, eternal, established priesthood of Melchizedek. As Jesus reigns He is Melchizedek "The LORD, The Most High God, The Possessor Of Heaven And Earth."

wikipedia.org: Abraham - Abraham was the tenth generation from Noah and the 20th from Adam - Judaism, Christianity and Islam are sometimes referred to as the "Abrahamic religions" because of the progenitor role Abraham plays in their holy books - In the Jewish tradition, he is called Avraham Avinu or "Abraham, our Father" - [In the Christian tradition,] God promised Abraham that through his offspring (Jesus), all the nations of the world will come to be blessed (Genesis 12:3), interpreted in Christian tradition as a reference particularly to Christ - For Muslims, he is a prophet of Islam and the ancestor of Muhammad through his other son Ishmael
Abraham features in the Book of Genesis as the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Midianites and Edomite peoples. He is widely regarded as the patriarch of Jews, Christians, and Muslims and a prime believer in monotheism. According to Genesis 17:5, his name was changed by God from Abram (probably meaning "the father is exalted") to Abraham, a name which Genesis explains as meaning "father of many". -- Abraham was the tenth generation from Noah and the 20th from Adam. His father was Terah, and his brothers were Nahor and Haran. According to Genesis, Abraham was sent by God from his home in Ur Kasdim and Harran to Canaan, the land promised to his descendants by Yahweh. There Abraham entered into a covenant: in exchange for recognition of YHWH as his God, Abraham will be blessed with innumerable progeny and the land would belong to his descendants. -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam are sometimes referred to as the "Abrahamic religions" because of the progenitor role Abraham plays in their holy books. In the Jewish tradition, he is called Avraham Avinu or "Abraham, our Father". God promised Abraham that through his offspring, all the nations of the world will come to be blessed (Genesis 12:3), interpreted in Christian tradition as a reference particularly to Christ. Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider him father of the people of Israel through his son Isaac (cf. Exodus 6:3, Exodus 32:13) by his wife Sarah. For Muslims, he is a prophet of Islam and the ancestor of Muhammad through his other son Ishmael - born to him by his servant, Hagar. (Jews and Christians refer to Hagar as Sarah's servant). Abraham is also a progenitor of the Semitic tribes of the Negev who trace their descent from their common ancestor Sheba (Genesis 10:28). [article link]

Basic Christian Article: Who is Melchizedek? - An Eight Part Article Introduction
Coming Soon the Basic Christian Article: Who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20) is a higher multidimensional being. Melchizedek exists outside of our own human time and space dimensions (restrictions). Humans exist in and are limited to the first three physical dimensions (length, height, width) and also the fourth dimension (restriction) of time. The spiritual realm of demons, angels and in part the coming Antichrist exists in the less restricted 5th and 6th dimensions. In fact the coming Antichrist is going to bring down or "contact" the 5th and 6th dimensions and infuse 4th dimensional human beings with 5th dimensional demons [Nephilim spirits] and 6th dimensional fallen [Satanic] angelic spirit beings consequently orchestrating 5th and 6th dimensional miracles and signs and wonders in order to deceive mankind. So who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek is the manifestation of the infinite dimensional (infinite dimensions - no restrictions - unrestricted) God in Person. Melchizedek is God the Holy Spirit in Person. Melchizedek is the Order of the Holy Spirit Priesthood. -- Note: In the Basic Christian article "Who is Melchizedek?" the 8 dimensions (restrictions) are listed in conjunction with the original creation week (Genesis 1:1-2:4) and are categorized as follows: 1. Length [Day one creation - light separated [Judgment] (length) from darkness] 2. Height [Day two creation - divided the waters above from the waters below] 3. Width [Day three creation - dry land and plants] 4. Time [Day four creation - sun, moon, stars for times and seasons] 5. Demonic - demons [Day five creation - fish from the waters below, birds from the waters above] 6. Angelic - Holy Angels and also Satan with all of his fallen angels [Day six creation - land animals and humans (pre-fall) - humans the highest part of creation created separate and above the animals and equal to the angels but with sin mankind fell from the 6th dimension to the 4th dimension, in fact with the sin of mankind all of creation also fell from its original creation status] 7. Human Salvation redeemed by the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Day seven creation - Rest] 8. Unrestricted [outside of creation] - The only Unrestricted, Eternal, Wise, ∞ Infinite, Almighty God consisting of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. -- Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [dimensions] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ... [article link]

Genesis 15-16 - God's Covenant Relationship with Abraham - The land of Israel belongs to the Jews, there would be many future descendants, the Messiah (Christ) would appear through the line of Abraham [though King David] - The first mention of the appearance of the "Angel of the Lord" an appearance to humans of Jesus Christ in human form - A covenant is a final agreement as final as a Will or a Testimony - Abraham was not yet accounted as righteous either by circumcision [24 years later] or by the law [430 years later] as both were not yet given - Abraham was accounted righteous by belief in the Word of God the acceptability of the covenant and the acceptability of the blood sacrifice sealing the covenant - Note: a Biblical covenant is revealed to be irreversible [given life] by sealing the covenant in blood (Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood - the life of the covenant is in the blood) the life of the blood transfers into the life of the covenant [the final (life) covenant between God and man is sealed on the cross in the blood and death of Jesus Christ - In Jesus Christ we have received the ultimate eternal sacrifice and life covenant - His is both a New and an Eternal Living covenant in that Jesus has Resurrected from the dead and is eternally Alive!
Note: Along with the covenant with Abraham God revealed that Abraham and his descendants would be not be settled into their own land (Israel) for at least another 400 years. 'Genesis 15:13-14 And He (God) said unto Abram (Abraham), Know of a surety that thy seed (descendants) shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation [Egypt], whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.' - It's probable that the account of the 400 years of affliction was from the night of the covenant between God and Abraham "and they shall afflict them four hundred years" until the night of the Passover in Egypt 430 years to the day later [only 30 years during that time were not years of affliction]. It's likely that the affliction included their time in Canaan as well as the other places where they sojourned before eventually going into Egypt where Joseph was serving Pharaoh. The Hebrews (Jews) didn't need to go to Egypt to be afflicted, Egypt and the policies of Egypt afflicted the whole world and also their wanderings and travels in and around Canaan (ancient Israel) itself were generally a time of affliction, famine, peril and distress for them long before going down to Egypt. The events of Isaac with Abimelech [Genesis 26], Jacob with his brother Esau [Genesis 28], Jacob with his father in law Laban [Genesis 29-31], Shechem raping Dinah and the revenge of her two brothers Simeon and Levi [Genesis 34] are just a few examples of the many perils the Hebrew family faced. -- 'Exodus 12:40-41 Now the sojourning [since the night of the covenant with Abraham] of the children of Israel, who [later] dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day [the exact same day 430 years later as the covenant with Abraham] it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out [the night of the Passover] from the land of Egypt.' -- 'Genesis 35:28 And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore (180) years. And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.' 'Genesis 15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [Canaan] is not yet full.' - Abraham was 75 years old when he made the covenant with God [430 years to the day before the Passover Exodus night] then Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born [Genesis 21:5] and Isaac lives for 180 years and died about the time Joseph was sold into slavery into Egypt where later Jacob and the rest of the family follow Joseph into Egypt. Approximately twenty-five years from the night of the covenant with God until the birth of Isaac and then 180 years in the life of Isaac makes about 205 years before Jacob's family went into Egypt as a family to later emerge from Egypt as a Nation, the Nation comprised of the 12 family tribes Judah and Israel. That would be about 225 years in Egypt for the total of 430 years. Certainly there were only four generations in Egypt from Levi to Moses [Levi -> Kohath -> Amram {father} -> Moses] or [Jacob -> Levi -> Jochebed {mother} -> Moses] it was about 225 years and four generations in Egypt before the Passover night.

GotQuestions.org: What is the Abrahamic Covenant? - There are three main features to the Abrahamic Covenant - 1. The promise of land - 2. The promise of descendants - 3. The promise of blessing and redemption (the Messiah - Jesus Christ)
There are three main features to the Abrahamic Covenant: 1. The promise of land (Genesis 12:1). God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees to a land that He would give him (Genesis 12:1). This promise is reiterated in Genesis 13:14-18 where it is confirmed by a shoe covenant; its dimensions are given in Genesis 15:18-21 (precluding any notion of this being fulfilled in heaven). The land aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is also expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1-10, which is the Palestinian Covenant. 2. The promise of descendants (Genesis 12:2). God promised Abraham that He would make a great nation out of him. Abraham, who was 75 years old and childless (Genesis 12:4), was promised many descendants. This promise is amplified in Genesis 17:6 where God promised that nations and kings would descend from the aged patriarch. This promise (which is expanded in the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12-16) would eventuate in the Davidic throne with Messiah's kingdom rule over the Hebrew people. 3. The promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). God promised to bless Abraham and the families of the earth through him. This promise is amplified in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; cf. Hebrews 8:6-13) and has to do with "Israel's spiritual blessing and redemption." Jeremiah 31:34 anticipates the forgiveness of sin. The unconditional and eternal nature of the covenant is seen in that the covenant is reaffirmed to Isaac (Genesis 21:12; 26:3-4). The "I will" promises suggest the unconditional aspect of the covenant. The covenant is further confirmed to Jacob (Genesis 28:14-15). It is noteworthy that God reaffirmed these promises amid the sins of the patriarchs, which fact further emphasizes the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic Covenant. [article link]

amazon.com: The Witness of the Stars by E. W. Bullinger (Paperback)
Product Description: Building upon ancient astronomical sources and modern scientific data, Bullinger shows how the constellations witness to the accuracy of biblical prophetic truths. A classic Kregel bestseller. -- About the Author: E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913) was a direct descendant of Johann H. Bullinger, the Swiss reformer. Bullinger was a lifelong scholar and writer studying at King's College, London. In 1862 he was ordained in the Church of England. He is also the author of the notes and appendixes of The Companion Bible and the author of numerous works including Commentary on Revelation, Great Cloud of Witnesses, How to Enjoy the Bible, and Number in Scripture. [article link]

Mazzaroth (Zodiac in Hebrew is Mazzaroth) - Chuck Missler -- Signs in the Heavens #2 - Chuck Missler (FREE Mp3's)
Mazzaroth - Chuck Missler #00452.mp3 -- Signs in the Heavens #2 - Chuck Missler #00066.mp3 [article link]

K-House: Signs in the Heavens - Is there a message hidden behind the 'Signs of the Zodiac'? - Are there secrets hidden in the original names of the constellations? (Purchase Audio)
What we know as the "Signs of the Zodiac" is known in Hebrew as "the Mazzaroth." This briefing pack explores the possibility that the Mazzaroth, the pre-Babylonian original, anticipated God's total plan for mankind. [article link]

Genesis 17-18 - Abraham is told to walk before God and to be blameless (complete) [completed not in works but in a Spiritual relationship and fellowship with God] - Abram's name is changed to Abraham with the -ah- breath of life [God inside] added to Abram and Sarai receiving the breath of life from God becomes Sarah - Abraham receives the covenant of circumcision (the cutting away of the life of flesh and the new life of walking with the spirit of God) - the birth of Isaac is promised and Isaac is to be born as Abraham's heir [his only son] to receive the inheritance of the covenants and promises of God to Abraham - The destruction of the cities Sodom and Gomorrah is foretold
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - the outcry is great. There is an outcry to God in horrible unrighteousness. 'Genesis 4:9 9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And He said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.' Note: in the destruction of the cities Sodom and Gomorrah the main sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was idleness of hands and a misdirected life. They had misdirected their purpose and being of life into other various non-godly pursuits. 'Isaiah 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we [Israel - those governed by God] should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.' -- "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me." -- 'Ezekiel 16:48-50 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou [Israel - those governed by God] hast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.'

The Physical remains of Sodom and Gomorrah - Ron Wyatt Part 1 (YouTube)
Ron Wyatt shows you actual physical remains of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah! [article link]

The Physical remains of Sodom and Gomorrah - Ron Wyatt Part 2 (YouTube)
The conclusion of Ron Wyatt's discovery of the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. [article link]

Genesis 19-20 - The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - Righteous Lot is spared the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah - Abraham once again sojourns towards Egypt but this time does not cross the border into Egypt - In the Philistine city of Gerar [near Egypt] Sara becomes a part of the Philistine King Abimelech's harem though God prevents Abimelech from touching Sarah - The pagan King Abimelech rebukes the children of God Abraham and Sarah for their conduct in pretending to be brother and sister when in fact they were husband and wife
How tragic it is when the servants of God fail to the point of being rebuked by the pagan world. We are each like Abraham and Sarah in that God will often put us in circumstances to point out the areas of weakness in our life but only for the purpose that He might make us stronger. Abraham's faith did develop and grow as in the next event in Abraham's life he offered up to God his greatest moment of faith. The faith of Abraham in trusting God to continue the life of Isaac continuing the generations of promised seed even after God calls for Isaac to be a sacrifice as a burnt offering. Note: In Biblical times in becoming a harem member for a King there was at least a yearlong process for the girls that involved a grooming, training, instruction and Etiquette that each harem members underwent before they went to be with the King. There were already plenty of harem members for the King so there wasn't a rush for members but a major factor in the long delay before being with the King was the ability to assess the health and stability of the women the King's servants didn't want to stricken the King with an illness or an unpleasant experience if they could help it. So in the context of the times Sarah would have been in Abimelech's harem but God orchestrated events to have her removed before her instruction and orientation time was completed.

Genesis 21-22 - Abraham the Prophet enacts the sacrifice of his beloved only son Isaac - In what would become Abraham's greatest moment of faith - The faith that God is life and that He can raise his son from the dead if indeed he had been sacrificed as a burnt offering accordingly as God had instructed -- 'Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac [at Mt. Mariah]: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure [a type of Jesus Christ].' - 'Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself (Jesus Christ) a lamb for a burnt offering' and 2,000 years later Jesus Christ the Son of God on that very place provided Himself as a lamb for our eternal sacrifice offering
For three days Abraham counted Isaac as dead [three days in the grave] as he journeyed to Mt. Mariah to place Isaac upon an alter that would be made from wood the wood that Isaac himself would carry up the hill (Golgotha) as a part of the sacrifice to God then the third day [resurrection] God spared Isaac's life as God declared that He would offer Himself the sacrifice on Mt. Mariah and 2,000 years later the sacrifice of the beloved Son of God the only begotten Son Jesus Christ was offered on a wooden cross that like Isaac Jesus Himself carried to the place of sacrifice. Note: Abraham the Prophet was sent by God to Mt. Mariah (Calvary) to enact the sacrifice of his "only son" [the future sacrifice of Jesus Christ also on Mt. Mariah]. -- 'James 2:21-23 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? [Yes.] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect [complete]? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God [Abraham believed God to continue (resurrect) the life of Isaac, the life of promise as Abraham laid Isaac upon the alter of sacrifice], and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God' -- Abraham in his lifetime had many children but only one child Isaac was elevated to a son in status. Isaac received the inheritance of the covenants of God from his father Abraham. In the Biblical concept of Sonship the children do not receive the inheritance only the sons do. A child once adopted and received by the father as a son then receives the blessings and inheritance of a son. A child is first born into the family ('born again' by the Holy Spirit in the case of a Christian) then the child enters into the presence of the father and in the presence of the father the [earthly father can choose to adopt the child or not] [God the Father in Heaven adopts all of His children 'Ephesians 1:5 Having "predestinated" us unto the adoption of children (lit. sons huiothesia 5206) by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will'] the father then Adopts his child giving him adult authority and adult privileges and makes him a partaker in his kingdom to receive an inheritance of the kingdom of the father.

Holy Bible: Genesis 22:1-18 ... Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off ... I and the lad [Isaac] will go yonder and worship [acknowledge that God gives life to the dead], and come again to you, And Abraham took the wood [cross] of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son ... and they went both of them together [they waked together in agreement] ... And he [Isaac] said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering
Genesis 22:1-18 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains [Mt. Mariah - Calvary] which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. [article link]

Genesis 23-24 - The death and passing of Sarah - [Genesis 23:6] Abraham "a mighty prince" of God pays the full price for a burial plot for Sarah - The oldest [most reliable] servant is sent off to the ancestral land to find a bride for the beloved only son Isaac - Many Biblical 'types' are in use during these events of the Bible - Abraham is a type of God the Father, Isaac is a type of the beloved only son Jesus Christ, Sarah is a type of the Nation of Israel [removed from the scene after the sacrifice offering] and Rebecca as the bride of the son is a type of the Christian Church {Note: now the Nation of Israel (Sarah) is back on the scene and the Hebrews are once again in Israel signifying a wrapping up and a near conclusion to the Christian Church (Rebecca) age with a corresponding End Time reemergence of the Israel (Sarah) age.}
Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave at Machpelah. -- 'Genesis 23:16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.' Note: Abraham was offered the land and the cave as a burial plot for Sarah for free however Abraham knowing that death is not free and knowing that death has a price Abraham asked the price of the burial plot. The price was steep and Abraham knowing that death cannot be negotiated with did not negotiate but paid the full asking price for the burial location. Jesus Christ also knowing full well that death has a price, a steep price, and that death will not be negotiated with Jesus Christ paid the price of sin and death and He like Abraham paid it in full forever releasing us from our sin burden and of the resulting debt to death. 'Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.' ... The 'oldest servant' a type of the Holy Spirit is sent to woo a bride for the son. The servant tells the bride of the majesty of the son, of the status of the son and of their future together in close intimate fellowship. Like Rebecca as we respond to the call of the servant to unite with the Son Jesus Christ the servant adorns us with gifts, with raiment and with adorning. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are a foretaste of the glory of God's eternal Kingdom. 'Genesis 24:58 And they called Rebekah (Rebecca), and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.' Rebecca responded "I will go [and be the bride]" like Rebecca we are invited to go, to become the bride of the beloved son Jesus Christ. 'Psalms 45:11 So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.'

Genesis 25-26 - After the passing of Sarah then Abraham [Genesis 17:4] the father of many nations took Keturah as a wife and among their descendants are the nations of Medan, Midian, Sheba, and Dedan - Abraham lived to be 175 years old and at his passing Abraham was buried with Sarah at the cave of Machpelah - Both Isaac and Ishmael attended the funeral of their father Abraham - Rebecca becomes pageant with twins 'Genesis 25:23 And the LORD said unto her (Rebecca), Two nations (Jacob/Israel and Esau/Edomites) [Herod the Great was an Edomite - Herod was the (Rome/Cesar inserted) King over Israel at the time of Jesus] are in thy womb' - Esau sells his firstborn 'birthright' to Jacob - Isaac is blessed by God and received a hundredfold blessing [the only mention of a hundredfold blessing in the Bible because Isaac is a type of Jesus Christ who is blessed a hundredfold beyond measure]
Isaac was commanded to remain in the promise land (Israel) his entire life not to depart from it and actually not to settle in one place but to wander and sojourn throughout the land. -- 'Genesis 26:2-3 2 And the LORD appeared unto him (Isaac), and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land (Israel), and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father' -- but like his father Isaac also ventured to the Philistine city of Gerar near the border of Egypt and like his father the journey to the border, to the edge of the promise land was also a near disastrous for Isaac. Both Abraham and Isaac ventured to Gerar a place where they really didn't belong because of a famine [or a perceived famine] in the promise land [many others remained in Canaan throughout the 'famine' times] and just like his father Abraham when Isaac came into Gerar he instructed his wife Rebecca to tell the people that she was his sister because like his father he feared for his life in the city. This is a real good illustration that we each have to face our own trials just because or parents or others faced certain trials it doesn't mean that we will not face them and surprisingly enough we can often fail in the same challenges that our fathers failed and in the same trials that we see others failing in even though we know the outcome of the testing before we are even tempted. ... Also Note: Abraham and Isaac the children of God were opening up wells in the desert and Abraham marked his wells with a Tamarisk tree [a tree with bright flowers] so others could find the wells and drink from them. Yet the enemies of God spent their time closing and concealing the wells to deny people the opportunity to drink from them. -- Isaiah 12:2-3 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Genesis 27-28 - Jacob with the help of his mother Rebecca he puts on a disguise and steals Esau's firstborn 'blessing' - Esau a man after the flesh wanted just the blessings of God though he didn't want to repent before the blessings - his tears were not over repentance but over the loss of the blessing - During her pregnancy with the twins God had given her the sovereign declaration that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob) - however Isaac now in his soul not serving God in his spirit wants' to bless Esau not Jacob as God had informed Rebecca years earlier to do - Rebecca and Jacob took matters upon themselves to try to bring about the promises of God - the results were disastrous and Rebecca in a sense lost her son Jacob as he had to flee the anger of his brother and she never again saw her Jacob - Isaac who thought he was on his deathbed lived for another 43 years and did see Jacob again [Genesis 35:27] at the end of his life after Jacob had returned from his 20 year flight from his brother Esau's vengeance
The purposes and declarations of God are going to stand regardless of what mankind does, we cannot stop or advance beyond their time the purposes of God. God will accomplish His plans if not through His people then through others including non-believers. Rebecca and Jacob were following the terrible philosophy of the day that the end result [the desired blessing] would justify (make right) the wrong deeds [the deceit and lies] along the way. The Apostle Paul calls this a damnable heresy "whose damnation is just" -- 'Romans 3:8 And not rather, as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.' -- After the deception Jacob flees for his life and while passing through Bethel Jacob like his grandfather Abraham encounters God at Bethel and God reiterates to Jacob the promises given to Abraham and later God will reiterate those same promises to King David. Note: Jacob's ladder, Jacob with his head at rest upon the rock (Jesus Christ) sees heaven open and angels ascending and descending upon a ladder that is able to connect both Heaven (the dwelling of God) and the earth (the dwelling of man). In the Gospel of John it is recorded that Jesus himself did confirm that He is Jacob's ladder the only access for mankind to the Father in Heaven. - 'John 1:51 And He (Jesus) saith unto him (Nathanael - one of the twelve disciples), Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.' Jacob had become aware of the presence of God in his life 'Genesis 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not' then Jacob took the rock exalting it by making and alter with it he anointed the rock with some of his oil of acceptance. -- 'Genesis 28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.'

Genesis 29-30 - Jacob completed his 500 mile journey escaping to his Uncle Laban's - Jacob meets Laban's daughter Rachael - Jacob agrees to work for Laban for seven years for Rachel's hand in marriage - Laban tricks Jacob into seven more years of labor by substituting her older sister Leah in the marriage ceremony - Note: Jacob had tricked his father by substituting himself for the blessing of his brother Esau and now he is deceived in receiving Leah in marriage instead of Rachel
Note: Jacob had to renegotiate his working wages with Laban 10 times and the last agreement was that Jacob would get the speckled and striped animals from the flocks and herds while Laban would keep any purebred animals in his flocks. Jacob took some tree branches and stripped the bark from them and placed the bare branches at the bottom of the water troughs. It's though that Jacob having the tougher mongrel sheep and goats thought that if the branches under water looked like snakes then the purebred animals wouldn't want to drink from the water and wouldn't enter heat but his mongrels would drink and would reproduce more abundantly. 'Genesis 30:42 so the feebler [livestock] were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.' -- Laban himself had been practicing 'enchantments' Genesis 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience (enchantments) that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.' Jacob probably thought that he had to fight witchcraft with his own version of manipulations however that turned out not to be the case as Jacob was just practicing a needless wives' tale and in the end after Jacob's latest round of work and manipulations Jacob admitted that it was indeed God that had prospered his flocks and not his schemes or manipulations. -- 'Genesis 31:5 ... the God of my father hath been with me.'

Genesis 31-32 - God reminds Jacob of the vow Jacob made back in Bethel to follow God 'Genesis 28:21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God' - Jacob takes his two wives (Rachael and Leah) his children and all of his possessions to depart Laban's company and go back to his birthplace in the land of Canaan - In route back to Canaan Laban catches up with Jacob from behind - While Esau rides out with 400 men to meet and possibly destroy Jacob from the front - In the midst of all of Jacob's dilemmas the 'Angel of the Lord' steps in and Jacob strives and wrestles not just with men but now also with the Lord 'the Angel of the Lord' and through wrestling with the Lord Jacob comes to the end of his abilities he submits to God and being transformed he is no longer Jacob he now becomes Israel
Note: 'Genesis 31:29 It is in the power of my (Laban's) hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. 'Genesis 32:7-8 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.' -- Jacob found himself between two hard places and a rock, he couldn't go back because of Laban and he couldn't go forward because of Esau and he wouldn't really look up because of his own stubborn limitations. Much of Jacob's dilemma was due to his own making in his own ability to outwit and swindle those around him. Jacob's strengths of seeing an opportunity and taking it had turned into his weakness in dealing with both man and God. Now alone and stranded between two opposing forces Jacob discovers again that there is yet another dimension 'the Angel of the Lord' a more crucial dimension to his situation. 'Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man [the Angel of the Lord] with him until the breaking of the day.' 'Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.' Jacob in his sense of insecurity wrestles the entire night with 'the Angel of the Lord' unwilling to let go until he is blessed by God but not knowing that letting go was exactly what he need to do to become blessed. 'The Angel of the Lord' finally put Jacob's leg out of joint and now physically ailing Jacob prevailed and submits to God Who acknowledging that Jacob was no longer striving with God blessed Jacob and made him Israel the Nation of the Redeemer. -- Hosea 12:4-5 Yea, he (Jacob) had power over [to encounter] the Angel [the Angel of the Lord], and prevailed [in finally coming around to allowing God's plan for his life]: he wept, and made supplication [asking for a blessing] unto Him [He blessed him and changed his name from Jacob to Israel]: he found Him in Bethel, and there He spake with us; Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.

Genesis 33-34 - Faced with the dangers of Esau's approach Jacob separates his family exposing Leah and her children to the dangers up front while retaining Rachael and Joseph back in relative safety with himself - The separating of the children highlighted and extended current divisions among the family and within the children of the family and created new animosities among the family of Israel that have stubbornly continually persisted even unto the present day and age - Jacob meets Esau for the first time since fleeing his vengeance - Esau invites Jacob to stay, Jacob immediately departs Esau's presence and continues on his own way
Note: There is a Biblical progression of the believer. 'Romans 8:30 Moreover whom He (God) did predestinate [as Isaac was predestined - children of God are predestined to become sons of God], them He also called [as Abraham was called]: and whom He called, them He also justified [as Jacob was justified]: and whom He justified, them He also Glorified [as Joseph was glorified].' First an individual has to answer the call of God to come out of the world to separate from this world and to walk in a relationship with God as Abraham was called to walk with God. Those who have answered the call having left the world and are 'born again' in the promise land [heaven] as Isaac was born in the land [promised to Abraham] and remain in the promise land as Isaac remained in the land they become children of God and once a child then predestined to become a son of God. The predestined children of God are justified (conformed into the image of God in Jesus Christ) and elected to an office a duty for God's Kingdom as Jacob was justified from Jacob to Israel and elected [duty to perform] to be the father of the 12 tribes (family groups) that would comprise the entire nation of Israel the nation that would safely bring the redeemer to mankind. In completing the task and honoring God the justified and elected Christian is also glorified (accomplished) as Joseph (a Biblical type of Jesus) was glorified [covered in clothing (righteousness) and given the (adoption) signet ring of Sonship and authority] having saved the family from famine and reuniting the family back together under one roof all while being raised up from the pit of prison (death and hell) to be a ruler in all of the world, all of Egypt. - Also Note: With the rape of Dinah their sister [Genesis 34:1-31] and in vengeance two of her brothers Simeon and Levi destroyed an entire city, [without the foreknowledge of Jacob who completely disapproved of their actions and later Jacob diminished their blessings because of their actions]. It might seem like a tall tale that only two men could destroy an entire city and it might seem like an ancient fluke that it could happen however the warfare that Simon and Levi practiced is now the concept of the most modern, most devastating warfare of our day. First nonlethal force is applied (the entire city being circumcised) in modern times loud piercing audio sounds and or accompanying noxious 'ray gun' type transmissions will easily incapacitate an entire neighborhood and then once incapacitated a few operatives like Levi and Simon can quickly and easily decide to dispatch, capture or leave alone each incapacitated individual. Coming later in Egypt we will learn how the entire nation, a very prosperous, diverse and secure nation, quickly became ruined and the possession of a single ruler (Pharaoh) yet another concept that is very important in our time and day.

Genesis 35-37 - God brings Jacob and his family back to Bethel and instructs Jacob to make an alter to Him there - God also instructs them to put away their strange gods and to change their clothing so Jacob buries their accumulated idols under an oak tree and they changed their clothes - [Jacob's mother] Rebecca's nurse Deborah dies - Rachel gives birth to her second son Ben-oni and passes away in childbirth - Jacob renames Ben-oni to Benjamin
Note: In these early chapters of the Bible the Bible is still dealing in types. Jacob is now somewhat a type of God the Father, his wife Rachael is now a type of the Nation of Israel and Joseph the son is a type of Jesus Christ [Joseph is the most exact type of Jesus Christ found in the Bible even surpassing King David in similarity to Jesus Christ]. As Rachel dies in childbirth she names the child Ben-oni 'son of her sorrow' the father Jacob then renames Ben-oni to Benjamin 'son of my right hand.' Joseph is a type of Jesus Christ and Benjamin his only full brother is a type of the Christian Church. Benjamin [the Christian Church] was born of the Jewish Rachel and to the Jewish Rachel Benjamin is Ben-omi 'the son of her sorrow' it has been in sorrow that the Christian Church has been brought into the world and exists at the passing [scattering, Diaspora] of Rachel [the Nation of Israel] but to God the Father (Jacob) when He sees Ben-omi [the Christian Church] He sees the full family, he sees Joseph [Jesus] in Ben-omi and to Him he is a son of this right hand. - Also Note: Joseph's status as chosen heir is rejected by his ten older brothers and they cast him into a dry well [Sheol, Hades, Hell]. Simon seems to be the main instigator in the planned death of Joseph while Ruben persuades the others not to immediately kill him but to first cast him into the well. With Joseph down the well the brothers are discussing his ultimate fate when a caravan of Ishmaelites (descendants of Ishmael) passed by and Judah then saves Joseph's life by selling him to the Ishmaelites (Ishmeelites - alternate spelling) for twenty pieces of silver. Apparently a caravan of Midianites came on the scene and they actually took Joseph out of the well and sold him to the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites were seemingly unwilling to rescue Joseph out of the well because they are related as Ishmael is a son of Abraham and they would have been obligated to return Joseph safely back to his father Jacob but the Midianites also related through Lot saw no problem with rescuing Joseph out of the well to then sell him to the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites having ultimately bought Joseph from the Midianites took Joseph to Egypt where they sold him as a slave. The betrayal and selling of Joseph into slavery was a real family affair with the Israelites selling him to the Midianites who sold him to the Ishmaelites who then took him to Egypt and sold him to the Egyptian Potiphar.

Joseph and Jesus (9 Parts) by Dr. Calvin Ray Evans • Part one 46 min. "The Bloody Coat" Highly Recommended (Mp3's)
Evangelistic Outreach Ministries with Dr. Calvin Evans and Dr. Calvin Ray Evans proclaim the Gospel through radio, television, world missions, Christian literature, crusades, church and revival meetings. We covet your prayers because our God brings the lost to Himself as a result of your prayers. And bringing the lost to the Lord Jesus Christ is what we are all about. [article link]

Genesis 38-39 - Judah marries the Canaanite woman Shuah and they have three children Er, Onan and Shelah - Both Er and Onan receive the judgment of God and are slain - Judah's wife Shuah passes away - Judah mistakenly sleeps with his daughter inlaw and she delivers twin sons Zarah and Pharez - Judah is the eventual line of King David and later Jesus Christ through the son Pharez - Joseph enslaved in Egypt is falsely accused of rape and is sent to prison - Joseph does not fight the false allegations but as a child of God he trusts in God that He will deliver him from his peril
Note: God's displeasure - God is not limited to sitting idly by while mankind sins in unrestrained rebellion. 'Genesis 38:7-10 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. ... And the thing which he (Onan) did displeased the LORD: wherefore He slew him also.' - God's knowledge expands all generations and encompasses all possible events. God had decided not to allow the nation of Israel to expand in the direction of Er and Onan. - Also Note: It isn't only humans that are under judgment and the scrutiny of God. The unholy angels of Genesis 6 are also under judgment and are chained in captivity until the very last day of the book of Revelation. Currently mankind does have to contend with spiritual forces but not the more aggressive spirits of Genesis 6. The spirits we contend with today are for the most part the lesser spirits while the foremost evil spirits are imprisoned 'Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation (left their angel body, when they had sex with humans), He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day [Revelation time period].' until the key is given to release the spirits in the final days of the Revelation time period. -- ' Revelation 9:1-11 And the fifth angel sounded [5th trumpet judgment], and I saw a star [angel] fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. ... And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon ["place of destruction" or the realm of the dead, and is associated with Sheol - wiki.com], but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.'

Genesis 40-41 - The King's butler (cup bearer) and the Kings baker were suspected in a plot to kill the King of Egypt and were imprisoned with Joseph until the details of the plot could be sorted out - The butler and the baker each had a dream - Joseph was able to correctly interpret each of their dreams -- 'Genesis 40:8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it - And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you' -- Later Joseph is brought from the prison to interpret a dream for Pharaoh after correctly interpreting the dream Joseph is installed by the Pharaoh to be the second ruler over all of Egypt in order to carry out the interpretation of the dream - An Egyptian wife is chosen for Joseph and she [Asenath] bares him two sons Manasseh and Ephraim both of which will receive inheritances in Israel as Jacob awards Joseph a double portion of land in Israel with his double portion of blessings
Note: Melchizedek the Priest of the Most High God introduced bread and wine (communion) into the Bible. In keeping with Biblical consistency we now again have the bread [cross] and the wine [resurrection] in the illustration of the king's baker [bread] - and the king's butler/cup bearer [wine]. The baker as was according to his dream from God was broken, he was executed. The butler as was according to his dream, also given to him by God, was restored the third day being freed from prison he is sent into the presence of the Kingdom's King handing a cup of wine (vine) to the King. - The communion bread and the communion wine of Jesus Christ: The bread represents the body of Jesus 'broken for us' and the wine represents the life blood of Jesus in the New Eternal covenant between God and mankind. 'Matthew 26:26-28 And as they (disciples) were eating [Passover], Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My Body. And He took the cup (grape of the vine), and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it [be connected to Jesus Christ the true Vine]; For this is My Blood [eternal Life, the eternal living covenant] of the New Testament (Covenant), which is shed for many for the remission of sins.' - Also Note: Once Benjamin [Christian Church] comes into the Kingdom presence of Joseph and meets Him face to face Joseph [Jesus] calls Benjamin 'My Son'. 'Genesis 43:29 And he [Joseph] lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin [Christian Church], his mother's (Rachael's) son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto Me? And He said, God be gracious unto thee, My Son.

Genesis 42 - Joseph was about seventeen years old when his older brothers threw him down the well and when he arrived into slavery in Egypt - After 13 years of slavery and prison Joseph becomes the second ruler of Egypt - Joseph begins his ministry to Egypt at about 30 years old the same age when Jesus began His ministry in Israel - Then after seven good years and during the seven years of famine the Joseph's ten older brothers come to Egypt on their first visit to obtain grain and unknowingly, and unable to tell, deal with their brother Joseph for their grain - Joseph takes Simeon as a prisoner/hostage to assure that the brothers will return and makes the stipulation that Simon will not be released unless the brothers return to Egypt and this time bringing with them Benjamin [Joseph's younger brother]
Note: 'Genesis 42:17-20 And he [Joseph] put them all [twelve tribes (actually 10 of the tribes but symbolically representing 'all' 12 tribes) of Israel] together into ward [prison] three days. And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound [blindness in part] in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn (grain) [the KJV Bible was translated from Hebrew OT and Greek NT into the English language in about the year 1611 in England and back then corn was a generic term for grain 'acorn', 'British corn (grain) laws' then in America with the discovery of the native maize plant, maize was renamed corn] for the famine of your houses: But bring your youngest brother [Benjamin - Christian Church] unto Me [Jesus]; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.' 'Romans 11:25 ... that blindness in part [a portion of Jews become Christians] is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the [Christian Church] Gentiles be come in.'

!!!Highly Recommended - Revealing God's Treasure - Red Sea Crossing - Joseph in Egypt - Grain storage in Egypt - Moses in Egypt (YouTube)
See chariot parts and people parts in the sea where the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. [article link]

Genesis 43-45 - Joseph's ten older brothers return to Egypt for their second visit this time bringing Benjamin with them as they were instructed by Joseph to do - Joseph invites the brothers into lunch - Benjamin [a type of the Christian Church] receives five times [five signifies grace] the helpings his brothers receive - after testing the brothers to determine their loyalty to the God of Israel and their acceptance of Benjamin [Joseph's younger brother] - Joseph reveals himself to his brothers as the brother they had rejected so many years before - Joseph a child of God reveals that the providence of God has sent him to Egypt and not the cunning of man -- 'Genesis 45:5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life' - God as always is the God of Life and that 'more abundantly' - 'John 10:10 I am (Jesus) come that they (mankind) might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly'
Joseph seats his brothers at the table in the order of their age, no small task since the eleven brothers were born to one father with four different mothers. He is trying to give the impression that he knows divination or a type of magic in order to know intimate details about their lives. Joseph wants to know if the brothers are going to seek divination from him a perceived Egyptian or if they are going to remain loyal to the God of Israel. The brothers do not ask for information about their lives or their futures and remain loyal to the God of Israel. Then Joseph tests the brothers concerning their intentions towards his younger brother Benjamin. Joseph is concerned that if Benjamin were to receive a larger inheritance from their father Jacob and the older brothers object again then it might be Benjamin who finds himself at the bottom of a well. Joseph in testing the brothers about Benjamin is also testing them in their love for their father Jacob because Jacob had stated that if he lost Benjamin after losing Joseph ' then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave'. The brothers completely pass the test offering to substitute themselves for Benjamin in order that Benjamin might go free and return to their father back in Canaan. After the testings Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and emphasizes that it has been God's plan to send Joseph ahead to Egypt to save their lives from the coming famine and the lives of others. -- 'Genesis 45:3-8 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.' -- Also Note: 'Genesis 43:34 And he [Joseph] took and sent messes [table settings] unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess [dinner] was five [Benjamin as the Christian Church receives the five signifying grace/individuality] times so much as any of theirs [the Children of Jacob receive the single portion of the law/conformity]. And they drank, and were merry with him.' 'Genesis 45:22 To all of them [children of Jacob - law/conformity] he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five [Christian Church - grace/individuality] changes of raiment.'

Genesis 46-48 - Jacob (130 years old) at the instruction of God, Jacob having inquired at Bethel - moves the entire family 'seventy souls in all' to temporarily sojourn in Egypt - In Egypt the children of God become enslaved and are unable to return to their homeland in Canaan - In Egypt Jacob blesses Joseph and Jacob adopts Joseph's first two male children to become his sons so that they can receive an equal inheritance in the promise land with their uncles as all the sons of Jacob each received the adoption of sons and receive an inheritance in the promise land
Note: Jacob meets pharaoh the King of Egypt and Jacob blesses him. Jacob declares his life to have been long and hard, 'Genesis 47:7-9 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been' in all that Jacob had accomplished in God Jacob was still never able to enter into the rest and glorification that his son Joseph was able to enter into with God. - Also Note: Once in Egypt the children of God were set apart from the Egyptians and were looked down upon by the Egyptians from the start. At this time the children of God are under Covenants with God but they are not yet directly under the law of God as they would become later with Moses (the law giver). The persecutions, separations, hardships, wanderings and sufferings of the children of God are acting as a law unto themselves keeping the children of God separate from the world and the evil ways of the world and gathered together unto God. Without the difficulties the children of God would have become as the children of Sodom had become as the children of God demonstrated immediately after departing the hardships of Egypt and entering the freedom of the desert where they immediately begin to act as the Egyptians had acted and didn't act the way God intended for them to act so therefore immediately in the desert God had to Give Moses the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law so the children of God in their newfound freedom and leisure would know how to properly serve and worship God. - Also note: The famine that shocked the economy of the great nation of Egypt and turned Egypt from a stable middleclass nation to a peasant ownerless nation was a series of events that Egypt remains under even to this day as Egypt remains for the most part a peasant nation. When there are disruptions in the economy and in the food supply in particular and whether the disruption occurs naturally, is man induced or is even is fictitious in stature the result is the middle class is going to have to surrender their possessions and the governing officials will have the option of acquiring the belongings.

Genesis 49-50 - Jacob giving his last words in faith while worshiping and leaning on his staff shares God's blessings with each of his sons - Joseph inquires permission to bury Jacob back in Canaan - Joseph was unable to ask Pharaoh directly for the permission but had to request it from the 'house of Pharaoh' indicating that already another Pharaoh had become the King of Egypt - The Bible begins in the Garden of Eden with man walking in fellowshipping with God and now here in the ending of the book of Genesis mankind is separated from God, enslaved and 'put in a coffin in Egypt' - Next in the book of Exodus (the way out, lit. out of path) we will find the way out of the hard slavery and bondage of this world and back into the fellowship and a relationship with God
Note: Jacob just before his death blesses his sons in faith -- Hebrews 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, [standing up - resurrected] leaning upon the top of his staff.' -- Also Note: The blessing of Judah [the line of Jesus Christ]. 'Genesis 49:8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down [worship] before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey [death, crucifixion], my son, thou art gone up [resurrection, heavenly presence]: he stooped down [(Messiah) Jesus came as a man], he couched [submitted to God] as a lion, and as an old [eternal] lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre [the King's authority] shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver (government) from between his feet, until Shiloh (Messiah) come; and unto him (Messiah) shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal [Christian Church] unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine [New Covenant]; he washed his garments in wine [Holy Spirit], and his clothes in the blood [New Covenant blood] of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine [seeing in the spirit], and his teeth white with milk [the milk of the Word of God].- Also Note: Joseph reiterates that God has allowed all of the events and has worked all of the events to become good and sustainable for all of God's children. -- Genesis 50:20-21 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.' - Lastly the book of Genesis (beginnings) ends with 'Genesis 50:25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.'

THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED

EXODUS

Exodus 1-2 - Exodus is a continuation of the accounts of Genesis - In the New Testament [Mark 12:26] Jesus quotes from Exodus and calls it the book of Moses - about {200} years later after the death of Jacob and Joseph the Israelites now number about 600,000 military age men twenty years old and older with about 2.2 million Israelites total including women and children - the newest Pharaoh [possibly - Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus] feared that the Israelites would take their skills and their labor and depart back to Canaan - Pharaoh suppressed the Israelites to keep them in the Egypt - Though trying to keep the Children of God down they prospered all the more - Under the edict of Pharaoh, Moses as a child was to be put to death - His mother placed him in a basket and Pharaoh's daughter found Moses and took him as her own - God tells Moses that He has seen their afflictions - Exodus 3:7-8 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I Am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey
Note: The Egyptian midwives had some knowledge of the God of the Israelites and feared God. The midwives didn't tell a complete lie 'Exodus 1:19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere (before) the midwives come in unto them' in that God is life and the midwives were interceding on behalf of God for life, though they didn't tell the complete truth. We can only tell the amount of truth based on the amount of faith and knowledge we have in God 'John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.' Jesus said He is the truth - The Egyptian midwives had a little knowledge of God and were able to tell a little of the truth but they also had some of their preconceived excuses mixed in with the truth they had. God did bless them for acting on the amount of truth that they had. - Also Note: Stephen in the book of Acts [Acts 7:25] quotes that Moses was aware that he was the chosen deliverer. Moses knowing he was the deliver attempted to deliver a child of God from the whip of an Egyptian however Moses was unable to redeem even one Israelite and in fact the entire Jewish nation at first rejected Moses as their leader. Later when Moses was under the guidance of God, then God did successfully deliver the children of Israel from Egypt the strongest nation on the earth at that time.

{Basic Christian: blog Bible Study} Exodus - Who Was The Pharaoh Of The Exodus? [Early Timeline] - Assuming the pharaohs mentioned in Exodus 1:8, 22 and 2:23 are all the same person, he would have had to reign for over forty years - Amenhotep's predecessor, Thutmose III, is the only pharaoh within the time specified in I Kings 6:1 who reigned long enough (54 years) to have been on the throne at the time of Moses' flight and to die shortly before his return to Egypt - This would make Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus {**Updated Later Timeline: [Possibly Joseph's dream Pharaoh - Genesis 41:1] Pharaoh Akhenaten (Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt) Reign 1351-1334 B.C. - [Possibly the other Pharaoh in Joseph's time - Genesis 50:4] Tutankhamun [King Tut] son of Akhenaten (last Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty) Reign 1333-1323 B.C. -- [Possibly the Pharaoh of Moses' time - Exodus 1:8] Ramesses II (Nineteenth Dynasty) Reign 1279-1213 B.C.}
The Bible nowhere mentions the name of the pharaoh of the Exodus, but Bible students have always been curious as to who he was. No doubt, some Christians will be wary of trying to discover something the Bible has not clearly revealed; but in studying this question one can come away with his faith increased in the Bible as the unerring word of God. Although the Bible does not specifically name the pharaoh of the Exodus, enough data is supplied for us to be relatively sure who he was. Admittedly, there are two schools of thought concerning the date of the Exodus (i.e., the early date and late date theories). Proponents of the late date theory (1290 B.C.) are clearly in the majority, but they reject clear Biblical statements with reference to the date of the Exodus. Therefore their arguments in favor of a particular pharaoh will not be considered in this article. In I Kings 6:1 the Scriptures say: "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Zif, which is the second month that he began to build the house of the Lord." One can readily see that the times for both the Exodus and the beginning of the Temple have been specifically stated in God's Word. Scholars have identified the fourth year of Solomon's reign as 966 B.C. (Gleason, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 1974, p. 223). Using this 966 B.C. date, we find that the Exodus took place in 1445 B.C. Now, if this information is correct, the Exodus occurred in the third year of the reign of the pharaoh Amenhotep II. Before concluding that Amenhotep II was, indeed, the pharaoh of the Exodus, we will need to study further other evidence that can be presented. For instance, when comparing Exodus 7:7 with Acts 7:23, we learn that Moses was in Midian approximately forty years. Assuming the pharaohs mentioned in Exodus 1:8, 22 and 2:23 are all the same person, he would have had to reign for over forty years. Amenhotep's predecessor, Thutmose III, is the only pharaoh within the time specified in I Kings 6:1 who reigned long enough (54 years) to have been on the throne at the time of Moses' flight and to die shortly before his return to Egypt. This would make Thutmose III the pharaoh of the Oppression and Amenhotep II the pharaoh of the Exodus. History tells us that for several years after 1445 B.C. Amenhotep II was unable to carry out any invasions or extensive military operations. This would seem like very strange behavior for a pharaoh who hoped to equal his father's record of no less than seventeen military campaigns in nineteen years. But this is exactly what one would expect from a pharaoh who had lost almost all his cavalry, chariotry, and army at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:23, 27-30). Furthermore, we learn from the Dream Stela of Thutmose IV, son of Amenhotep II, that he was not the legitimate successor to the throne (J.B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near-Eastern Texts, p. 449). This means that Thutmose IV was not the firstborn son, who would have been the legitimate heir. The firstborn son of Amenhotep II had evidently died prior to taking the throne of Egypt. This would agree with Exodus 12:29 which says the pharaoh's first-born son was killed during the Passover. If the Exodus did take place in 1445 B.C., forty years of wilderness wandering would bring us to 1405 B.C. for the destruction of Jericho. Interestingly enough, John Garstang, who excavated the site of ancient Jericho (city "D" in his survey), came to the conclusion that the destruction of the city took place around 1400 B.C. (Garstang, The Story of Jericho, 1948, p. 122). He also concluded that the walls of the city toppled outward, which would compare favorably with Joshua 6:20. Scholars have been fascinated by a revolutionary religious doctrine which developed shortly after 1445 B.C. that threatened to sweep away the theological dogmas of centuries. These scholars have credited Amenhotep IV, great grandson of Amenhotep II, with founding the religious concept of Monotheism (the idea that there is only one God). The cult of Aton set forth this idea to the Egyptian people and scholars have mistakenly credited this idea to the Egyptians. But it does not seem unusual to me that a people who had been so influenced by the one God of Moses would try to worship the God that had so convincingly defeated their gods. A continually increasing body of evidence indicates that this cult of Aton had its beginning in the reign of Thutmose IV, son of Amenhotep II, pharaoh of the Exodus. Although the final verdict is not yet in, we can be reasonably sure that Amenhotep II was the pharaoh of the Exodus. [article link]

Exodus 3-6 - The sign [Exodus 3:12] that God would use to confirm to the people that He had brought them out of Egypt was that He would bring them to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai) to serve God - Moses returns to Egypt from his forty year flight for killing the Egyptian taskmaster - God tells Moses to tell Pharaoh to 'let My people go' - Pharaoh responds [Exodus 5:2] 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice' - Today many people are still like Pharaoh and say 'Who is the Lord, Jesus Christ that I should obey His voice'?
Note: [Exodus 4:21] God hardens {confirms} Pharos heart so that Pharaoh will not let the people go. Pharaoh was back and forth about his treatment of the Hebrews. God had a plan to illustrate and to demonstrate to the people His deliverance power and authority. Pharaoh's uncertainty would have muddled the clear picture God was presenting so God confirmed Pharos heart to keep the Hebrews in slavery. Even after the tragic death of all the firstborn males of Egypt on the night of the Passover Pharaoh decided to go get the escaping Hebrews and bring them back to slavery in Egypt so there never was any intention with Pharaoh of ever letting the Hebrews go free that is why God had to intervene there was no other way to freedom for the children of God. - Also Note: Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said unto him (Moses), Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?' - God declares that He has created the physical handicaps of mankind. God takes ultimate responsibility for the condition of mankind. Also note though that God has created a remedy for ALL of the afflictions of mankind. The remedy is a new life in a new eternal body - in the new and everlasting covenant of Jesus Christ.

The Delta-Sinai Tour - Goshen: The cities Pithom and Pi-Rameses, two fortified cities the Hebrews built before the Exodus, (Ex. 1:11) however, have been found (Photos)
The German scholar Dr. O.F.A, Meinardus wrote about traditions informing us that the Holy Family {Joseph, Mary, Jesus} likely traveled through the Eastern Delta, the approximate location from where the Exodus took place. The name 'Land of Goshen' is only mentioned in the Bible, and not Egyptian documents. The cities Pithom and Pi-Rameses, two fortified cities the Hebrews built before the Exodus, (Ex. 1:11) however, have been found. The Austrian Institute excavated the ruins of Pithom and found the remains of some temple buildings and grain stores. Pi-Rameses in particular is important because the Egyptians moved their capital from Memphis to Pi-Rameses in the 14th century B.C. because of the threats coming from the east. Pi-Rameses was the capital of Egypt in the time of Moses. In the same region the ruins have been found of Tanis, the capital of Pharaoh Sheshonk I [Shishak in the Bible] (935-914 B.C.) who plundered the temple of Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 12:9). Some researchers speculate he may have taken the Ark of the Covenant to this city. [article link]

Exodus 7-9 - Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh on behalf of God - God sends 10 separate plagues upon Egypt - The 10 plagues are directed against the false gods [Nile River, earth, sun, creatures, etc.] of Egypt in order that the Egyptians would abandon their false gods and follow the one true living God - All of the plagues took place within a few moths time - June to April 14 [Passover] being considered the longest duration timeline for the completion of the 10 plague events
'Exodus 8:8-15 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD. ... And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. ... But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.' - Pharaoh made a vow to God it's not necessary to make a vow to God to get God to move on our behalf. Actually God doesn't want vows, deals and manipulations from us. When we make a vow and we break it then it's worse than not making a vow in the first place. - The magicians were able to duplicate some of the plagues of God visited upon Egypt but they certainly were not able to duplicate the love, comfort and security of God that God visited upon His children in Goshen during the time of the plagues.

Exodus 10-11 - Pharaoh and his servants hearts have been hardened (held in place) in order that God could show Pharaoh His mastery over His creation - Giving the Egyptians an opportunity to stop worshiping His creation and to start worshiping Him the creator - Also giving the children of God an opportunity to grow in their faith and in the future to have some memories and remembrance of the mighty works of God -- 'Exodus 10:1-2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these My signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I Am the LORD'
The Pharaoh of Moses' day was a type of Satan and in being a type of Satan [hinderer] Pharaoh was always hindering the children of God in their relationship with God. The main way Pharaoh was hindering their walk with God was in his continually encouraging the Hebrews to compromise in their worship and service to God. Pharaoh offers five compromises to Moses and the Hebrews 1. To remain in Egypt don't separate from the world in consecration to God. 2. Go worship God but don't go very far don't get carried away and don't abandon yourself to God and to His Kingdom. 3. Worship God if you must but not with your cattle, not with your resources or your abilities and certainly not with your money. 4. Worship God yourself but don't include your own family and don't and influence your own children in your worship give them have a secular life. 5. Don't worship as a group and don't encourage others to go with you to worship with you. Moses rejected the compromises of Pharaoh! 'Exodus 10:9 And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the LORD.'

Exodus 12 - The Lord's Passover - Exodus 12:27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses and the people bowed the head and worshipped' - In Egypt during the plagues [Exodus 10:23] the Lord began to make a distinction between the Egyptians the children of the world and His children the children of God - The original Passover in Egypt was a restricted Passover only those members of the household could partake in the Passover - With the Passover [New Covenant] of Jesus Christ the new Passover is not a restrictive feast - The Apostle Paul wrote that the bread and the blood of the New Testament are unrestricted in that anyone can participate - we are to examine ourselves, others are not to examine us to determine if we are of the household of God but we are to make that decision for ourselves -- '1 Corinthians 11:23 For I (Apostle Paul) have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night [Passover in Jerusalem] in which He was betrayed took bread: ... For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come ... But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup'
Note: none of the plagues of Egypt could buy the release of the children of God from the grip of Egypt and Pharaoh until the plague of the death of the firstborn sons only that plague was able to gain freedom from bondage for the children of God. Jesus Christ the firstborn Son of God is the only plan for the freedom of mankind no other plan, plague or purchase exists to gain an eternal freedom for mankind. - Also Note: Jesus Christ is the ultimate Passover and on the night of the Passover in Jerusalem Jesus declared His body to be the acceptable Passover Lamb sacrifice and His blood to be the acceptable blood covering that death for us will Passover. Jesus is our Passover Lamb and He is also the first born death sacrifice for the entire world. Jesus did die, He died for our sins and for all for the sins of the world both Israel and Egypt, therefore the opportunity that death has passed over all is for all the world in that all of those who will accept His death and his blood covering will escape death and having escaped death, with death and sin having left us, then in His resurrection (three days later) His eternal resurrection life has entered into us. - Also Note: 'Exodus 12:35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment.' Israel 'borrowed' the wealth of Egypt. It's true that the wealth was intended to be payment for back wages for the unpaid servitude of Israel but years later the army of Egypt came to Jerusalem and took back their gold and wealth and much more in Solomon's wealth so ultimately with the gold back in the hands of Egypt the wealth of Egypt was actually just "borrowed" by Israel. - '2 Chronicles 12:9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.'

Exodus 13-15 - The Israelites depart Egypt as a new Nation - The Egyptian firstborn males without the blood covering perished in the plague - The Israeli firstborn males lived because of the covering of the blood of the lamb however now all of the firstborn males of Israel were purchased with the blood by God and now belong to God 'Exodus 13:15 ...but all the firstborn [of Israel] of My children I redeem' for the service of God - God has redeemed the firstborn males of Israel and they belong to Him - Later [Numbers 3:12] God is going to transfer His ownership of all the firstborn males of Israel to all the males in the family/tribe of Levi [including each brother] so that all the males in the Levitical family will now be a Priesthood and will belong to God and serve God and not just the firstborn male of each family - The firstborn male of each non-Levi family is not a priest to God but if there are more firstborn males in Israel than all the males in the Tribe of Levi then the extra firstborn males in Israel have to redeem their soul from the service of God by paying 5 shekels to the Levitical High Priest [Aaron at that time] - The Red Sea Crossing {Note: In the Christian Church each person is a Priest between themselves and God [in the order of Melchizedek] because each person has been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ and not just the firstborn males as in Egypt.}
The Red Sea crossing - "the Salvation of the LORD" 'Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the Salvation [saved from death, healing] of the LORD, which He will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever [Egypt on its own would not go after Israel again - however later Israel invited Egypt to come to them and Israel entangled themselves with Egypt always with disastrous results for Israel].' - The Passover night was the Redemption "I will redeem you with a stretched out arm" - Exodus 6:6-7 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I Am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm [cross of Jesus], and with great judgments [10 plagues for all the people to witness]: And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I Am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. - The death of the Lamb was the redemption of Israel and brought Israel from bondage back into a relationship with God the same relationship Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons had with God before they lost their freedom to serve God [by selling their brother Joseph into slavery in Egypt where they eventually went themselves and their children ended up slaves]. We can't serve two masters we can't serve Egypt and God so as soon as God redeemed the people from serving Egypt the people became free to serve God. However the children of God were free but they were not safe. Egypt came after the children of God to return them to slavery so God provided Salvation and took away the dangers of the attacking Egyptian army from them. Redemption comes first, from the cross of Jesus Christ then Salvation comes second, the removal of death and any danger to our soul [just like the removal of Pharos' attacking army] and this the safety [safe haven] for our soul comes from the Salvation, in the eternal Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

THE REAL EXODUS - A SMALL PORTION THE SUPPRESSED EVIDENCE (YouTube)
Nice clear pictures of the evidence. A small portion of The Exodus Revealed DVD. [article link]

Exodus Revealed part 1 of 3 (YouTube)
An edited version of The Exodus Revealed DVD. [article link]

Chariot Parts in the Red Sea: Eric Lembke (YouTube)
Lembke describes the chariot wheel he found in the Red Sea. [article link]

Exodus 16-18 - Now one month out of Egypt and into their barren Desert journey they find it a 'bitter' experience and even long to return back to Egypt - the Manna from heaven begins to appear each day - Manna in Hebrew is correctly translate "gift from God" or "gift of God" - They find their only source of life giving water in the desert flows from the Rock -- '1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud [Exodus 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud ...], and all passed through the sea [Red Sea]; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat [Manna]; And did all drink the same Spiritual drink: for they drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.' - Their old enemy Amalek [the flesh] attacks them from behind their weakest spot [their past] in their formation as they are diligently seeking to journey to the Promise Land
With their new bleak surroundings and because of their hardships in the desert the people began to think that God had delivered them from Egypt to bring them out into the desert where the hardships of the desert were at times worse than the hardships of Egypt so that God could turn against them. The generation of adults actually began to think that God had brought them out not to deliver them but to slay them in the desert. The view that God was against them and not for them despite all that God had already miraculously done for them and through them permeated because that generation of Israelites lost focus in who God actually is and what God was actually doing for them. They lost the focus of what God was doing in their midst and then they lost the vision of where they were ultimately going, to the Promise Land, to God's eternal homeland. - Moses strikes the Rock the first time 'Exodus 17:5-6 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river [Nile River], take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the Rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the Rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.' Forty years later [Numbers 20:7-12] Moses would again strike the Rock at Meribah a second time. Jesus the Rock was struck one time for our transgressions Jesus the Rock is not to be struck a second time. Moses was only to speak to the rock, to pray, to ask, to request and the Rock Jesus Christ would have responded with the living water for the children of God. As a result of striking the Rock (Jesus Christ) a second time, Moses the deliverer out of the land of Egypt and the giver of the law was not allowed to enter in to promise land. -- 'Deuteronomy 32:51 Because ye (Moses) trespassed against Me (God) among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh [striking the Rock a second time], in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified [made Holy in words and deeds] Me not in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land [Holy Land] before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.'

Must See!!! - Mount Sinai: Mount Sinai could be in Saudi Arabia [vs. Egypt's Sinai Peninsula - modern interpretation] - In Galatians 4:25 the Bible states that Mount Sinai is in Arabia, "For this Agar is Mount Sinai in ARABIA" The Bible says Mount Sinai is in Midian - The Rock at Horeb [renamed Meribah by Moses] - A massive split boulder, sixty foot high, forty foot wide, and twenty foot deep, sitting on top of a rocky hill - Upon closer investigation we can see clear evidence of water erosion, quite a surprise considering this was located in a dry desert! (Photos - Click Photo to Enlarge)
After finding chariot parts in the Gulf of Aquaba, Ron Wyatt wondered if Mount Sinai could be in Saudi Arabia. In Galatians 4:25 the Bible states that Mount Sinai is in Arabia, "For this Agar is Mount Sinai in ARABIA." The Bible says Mount Sinai is in Midian, and this area has always been known as Midian. Still to this day it is called, "Madyan". After being denied a visa Ron entered the country without one on foot. He made his way to 'Jebel el Lawz' (Mountain of the Law), known by the locals as "Jebel Musa" (Moses' mountain) which his research showed could have fitted the Biblical description of Mount Sinai. ... Another remarkable find was discovered in the area. A massive split boulder, sixty foot high, forty foot wide, and twenty foot deep, sitting on top of a rocky hill. Upon closer investigation we can see clear evidence of water erosion, quite a surprise considering this was located in a dry desert! Is there an account in the Bible that talks of such a rock? "Behold I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink." Ex. 17:6. Moses had led the people across the desert to Mount Sinai. They were now complaining because they had no water. It was for this reason that God commanded Moses to strike this rock, that God could manifest His power to perform miracles, and cause water to flow from this rock. [article link]

!!!Highly Recommended - The Exodus Revealed: Search for the Red Sea Crossing (DVD)
This DVD follows the footsteps of the children of Israel in an unforgettable journey of discovery. A journey that reveals physical evidence for the Exodus including: the remains of 3800 year old Hebrew settlements in Egypt's Nile Delta, Egyptian records of the Israelite's bondage under Pharaoh; the precise route they may have followed to freedom; their crossing site on shore of the Red Sea; and the location of Mt. Sinai. This DVD brings to light the first significant archaeological "find" of the 21st century. Approx. 3 hours. DVD Extra Features: Who Was the Pharaoh of the Exodus? Where Are the Ten Commandments? From Egypt to Mt. Sinai - Cecil B. DeMille's Exodus. Timeline from Joseph to the Birth of Jesus Christ - Director's Cut [article link]

Revealing God's Treasure - Red Sea Crossing (YouTube)
See chariot parts in the sea where the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. [article link]

The Exodus and the Red Sea Crossing - Part 1 of 3 (YouTube)
Ron Wyatt shows you the very spot where Moses and the Children of Israel crossed the Red Sea at the Gulf of Aqaba fleeing Pharaoh's army. He leads you to the very blackened peak of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia! [article link]

The Exodus Route: - Those who oppose placing Mt. Sinai in modern "Saudi Arabia" incorrectly place the territory of the Amalekites in [Egypt] the modern Sinai Peninsula
The Amalekites did not live in the Modern Sinai Peninsula: Those who oppose placing Mt. Sinai in modern Saudi Arabia incorrectly place the territory of the Amalekites in the modern Sinai Peninsula. They argue that is seems unlikely that they would attack Israel in Midian, but very likely to attack if the traditional location of Mt. Sinai is at Jebel Musa. The problem is Saudi Arabia is in fact where the Amalekites lived. It makes perfect sense why the Amalekites would attack once you learn the correct place they lived! They begin by imagining Mt. Sinai is in the same territory as the Amalekites: the modern Sinai Peninsula. In a "comedy of errors" they wrongly assume the Amalekites lived beside the land of Goshen, because they wrongly place the Shur on the east side of the Bitter lakes, instead of in Saudi Arabia. They correctly insist the Amalekites lived near Kadesh Barnea, but then wrongly place Kadesh Barnea within the promised land at Ein el-qudeirat, instead of near Petra, near Mt. Seir in the land of Edom where we know they did live. But their comedy turns to horrors when they learn that the Amalekites were located "from ancient times" between Midian and Babylon, they revise their argument and say that they also dwelt in the Negev of Judah. When they clearly inhabited a territory from Babylon to Midian, some did spill over into the Negev, but the majority of their domain was north central Arabia. We know that the "city of the Amalekites" was transjordan at the time of David. But now that we have learned that the ancient domain of the Amalekites extended to Shur (Midian), we can easily see why they attacked Israel while Moses was at Rephidim, one stop before Mt. Sinai. (Ex 17:8). At the time of David, the Amalekites joined the Midianites to attack Israel. It all makes perfect sense if Mt. Sinai was near Midian and less sense if Mt. Sinai was at Jebel Musa, the traditional location in the modern Sinai Peninsula. [article link]

Exodus 19-20 - After three months the children of God arrive at Mt. Sinai - Brought to God at Mt. Sinai transported there upon the twin wings of trials and difficulties - God gives the Ten Commandments to the people - even though the law is external, written in stone or on parchment paper, the law is always about our internal relationship with God - God's ultimate desire is to have a people unto Himself "a Kingdom of Priests - a Holy Nation" -- 'Exodus :5-6 Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine: And ye shall be unto Me a Kingdom of Priests, and an Holy Nation'
'John 1:16-17 And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law [restriction from God] was given by Moses, but grace and truth [access to God] came by Jesus Christ.' - God gave His instructions to Moses for the Nation of Israel to obey and to live by. 'Exodus 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.' Among the laws and customs instituted at Mt. Sinai was the creation of the Levitical Priesthood. God would form the Levitical Priesthood from the descendants of Levi. Aaron [three years the older] brother of Moses and also a descendant of Levi would become the first of many High Priests for the Levitical/Aaronic Priesthood a physical Priesthood that is only for the Nation of Israel. Under the law "for the law was given by Moses" the people were not allowed to go directly to God. 'Exodus 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount [Mt. Sinai], or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:' The ministry of the law is to reveal our sinful, fallen nature and with a sinful, fallen nature we cannot enter into the presence of God. Later 'grace and truth came by Jesus Christ' where the law kept people away from God the ministry of Jesus Christ is to bring people into the direct presence and into a relationship with God.

Revealing God's Treasure - Mt. Sinai (YouTube)
The real Mt. Sinai is over in Saudi Arabia, just as Paul said. See the blackened, burned peak, the split rock which Moses struck, and the altar which the golden calf was placed. [article link]

Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai pt 1 of 5 - Bob Cornuke (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. [article link]

Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai pt 2 of 5 - The boundary markers around Mt. Sinai (Video) - Exodus 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount [Mt. Sinai], or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:' (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. [article link]

Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai pt 3 of 5 - Bob Cornuke (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. [article link]

Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai pt 4 of 5 - Bob Cornuke (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. [article link]

Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai pt 5 of 5 - Bob Cornuke (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. [article link]

Exodus 21-23 - The Ten Commandments having been given - now God will give to Israel the Laws ultimately totaling 613 instructions - The laws are grouped into categories and pertain to ordinances primarily in dealing with God, with one another, with their livestock and with food, clothing and living [the clean and unclean ordinances] - The laws are primarily instruction they are surprisingly easy to understand and follow and are not at all grievous (oppressive)
In giving the laws God wants fairness, parity, an equality and a righteousness among all men and eventually among all people in Jesus Christ. 'Exodus 21:23-25 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.' The eye for eye, tooth for tooth law is an example of restraint a restraining law that was addressing the excessive vengeance that has existed in mankind since the days of Cain and Lamech. 'Genesis 4:23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.' Accordingly if a person intentionally or accidentally knocked a tooth out of another person the worst punishment that could befall that person would be to lose a tooth and not to become a slave for life or some other unreasonable punishment for himself or a member of his family. Later Jesus Christ would instruct His followers to not even require the tooth in judgment but to turn the other cheek and let it go, knowing that God is the rewarder of those who seek peace. - Judges are to be set to interpret the laws of God. Being a judge (el) is a function of God (el-ohim) and those who judge are doing it in a capacity of a god, a judge over the affairs that affect the lives of others. The judges have the office to judge their fellow man even to the point of taking away their life and it is in this capacity of judging (deciding) in the affairs of others and between others that places judging and lawgiving into the realm and functions of God. In being a god (el) and representing the God of the universe, the God of all creation, it is imperative that the judge deals honestly and that the judge deals openly in all of their judgments.

Exodus 24-27 - Aaron two of his sons (Nadab, Abihu) and the 70 leaders of Israel are invited to come closer to God and worship on Mt. Sinai [Exodus 24:1] 'and worship ye afar off' - Only Moses [representing a proxy of Jesus Christ] can come into the actual presence of God 'Exodus 24:2 And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they [priests, leaders] shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him'
'Exodus 25:8-9 And let them [gifted workers] make Me a sanctuary [innermost (3rd) room in the Tabernacle]; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.' - The Holy of Holies, or inner sanctuary in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem was to be the physical dwelling place for God while He remained among the Israelites. The presence of God was dwelling at Mt. Sinai where Moses met God in the burning bush the first time and where God brought the Israelites from Egypt to Mt. Sinai to meet God at however the Israelites were not staying at Mt. Sinai as God was moving them forward from Egypt into their own land the Promise Land (Canaan) so in order for God to go with the People and to be in their presence a sanctuary needed to be built and sin offerings had to be included with the sanctuary so their sins could be covered and God could then be among them. - The Holy of Holies was a place for God to dwell and man did not have access into the direct, perceivable presence of God. On one day a year "day of atonement" the Levitical High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to bring blood from an oxen to cover (atone) for the sins for the people, the entire Nation, for one year then the next year on the same day the current High Priest would again bring in the blood as an atonement for the sins again of the entire Nation of Israel and God would remain in their midst. But even when the High Priest went into the sanctuary with the blood offering the High Priest was not allowed to see God himself lest the High Priest die. 'Leviticus 16:12 And he [High Priest] shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he [High Priest] die not:' The High Priest had to fill the sanctuary with smoke from incense burning on the coals of the alter then the High Priest could enter the sanctuary but he was not allowed to meet with God. With the law there is always a boundary between God and man keeping sinful man away from God and the smoke of the incense was a boundary keeping even the Levitical High Priest away from God away from the actual perceivable presence God the same way that Mt. Sinai had the boundary markers [piles of stones] alerting people and keeping all the people away from Mt. Sinai while God's presence was there. So actually the High Priest never technically entered the Sanctuary, the inner 3rd room Holy of Holies, the High Priest only temporarily extended the 2nd room the incense room by increasing the incense smoke far enough into the 3rd room until he could reach the mercy seat with the blood offering then immediately the High Priest exited back out of the Sanctuary and away from the presence of God.

Exodus 28-30 - God is seeking to make a way back for man to return to fellowship with God - God has chosen a Nation for this task the Jewish Nation of Abraham's descendants -- 'Exodus 29:43-46 And there (tabernacle) I (God) will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified [set apart to God, made holy] by My glory - And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office - And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God - And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God'
Moses is instructed to build a Tabernacle [a temporary, portable, Temple] for God and the people for their use while they are in transit to the Holy land and until the permanent stone Temple can be built in the place of God's choosing and once in the Promise Land then Jerusalem becomes the city of God's choice for His Temple. The Tabernacle/Temple materials are constructed in a form and manner to represent God and the things of God's Kingdom. The Tabernacle is a mini model representation of the workings in heaven. Gold shining like the sun, the most precious and glorious metal to all of mankind is a representation of the Glory of God (heaven). Where gold is in the temple it represents the presence of God. Silver represents blood (redemption) where there is silver in the temple it represents the presence and need for redemption blood sacrifice. Bass-Bronze represents sin (judgment) where sin is present it necessitates the need for judgment so sin can be separated and removed from God's Kingdom. Acacia Wood represents mankind and the works and abilities of mankind with the individual grainy, knotty, twisted, nature of each individual piece of wood representing each individual person of mankind. Olive Oil represents the Holy Spirit the presence, anointing and light of God the Holy Spirit. Incense the sweet aroma and the smoke from its alter ascending up into heaven represents the prayers of the people ascending in a sweet aroma up into the presence of God at His very throne in heaven. - At the tabernacle because the presence of God dwelt there the people were only allowed to approach to the outer alter where they could give to a priest their sacrifices and offerings. The priests could come closer to the presence of God by being at the fringes of the tabernacle but only by first offering a sin sacrifice for themselves. The one Levitical High Priest on one day a year could come closer yet to God, entering the inner room of the tabernacle but even still the Levitical High Priest had to provide enough smoke from the incense alter that he was unable to see the presence of God because even if the High Priest entered into the direct presence of God and saw God even the High Priest would die because his sins were only atoned by the blood of oxen and sheep and the blood of animals [Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.] could not take away sin but could only momentarily cover sin. It takes the sinless blood of Jesus Christ to clear the way for man's eternal entrance into the direct, perceivable presence of God.

The Way of Agape (Love) and Be Ye Transformed [life change] by Nancy Missler - Appropriating the Tabernacle/Temple purpose and presence of God into our life (Mp3's)
Here are the messages from our 1998 catalog, available exclusively for download. [article link]

The Tabernacle Place - The Bible has two chapters on creation and 50 chapters on the tabernacle - Why don't we teach it more?
The Tabernacle Place exists to educate on and promote the use of the Old Testament tabernacle as a main biblical reference to Jesus Christ. The tabernacle not only is a crucial visual aid to give us a clear understanding of Christ's redemptive work, it also provides us with many precious insights as to our privilege as believers. We seek to help believers learn about this visual aid and provide tools for them to teach it to others. The Tabernacle Place is pleased to offer the 1:90 Tabernacle Model Kit. We expect to carry more items, so please check back often. We hope you will enjoy the articles on the study of the tabernacle of Moses we have posted and feel free to contact us if you have any comments, questions or suggestions. [article link]

Tabernacle - Animated {An excellent animation! The audio is probably supposed to be the Priest's Shofar [rams horn].} (YouTube)
Animation of the Tabernacle of Moses and Aaron, Where G-d lived. [article link]

The Meeting Place Between God & Man - 1 of 8 (YouTube)
See how the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a picture of the Christian walk. [article link]

The Wilderness Tabernacle by Dr. Randall Smith - Part 4 of 4 (YouTube)
A full scale replica of the Wilderness Tabernacle, which was originally built by Moses and the children of Israel, was constructed in the Judean Desert near the Dead Sea under the directorship of Dr. Randall D. Smith. The aim was to teach tourists, students of the Bible, local Israeli's and Arabs the meaning of the Tabernacle. Using the Hebrew Bible, along with the teachings and ideas of the Sages, the pattern given was followed as closely as possible. The sizes conform to the Biblical account, as do the surfaces in appearance. As in the Bible real copper, silver and gold were used for the various ornaments. In Part 1 Dr. Randall Smith takes you on a remarkable tour through this special site. Part 2, 3 & 4 consists of in depth teaching by Dr. Smith concerning the Tabernacle and its meaning even for the believer today. [article link]

Exodus 31-33 - Aaron makes an Egyptian calf idol for the people to worship - While Moses was up on Mt. Sinai with God the people talked Aaron into making an idol of gold for them - Moses returns from his forty days on the Mountain of God and sees the great sin taking place - God puts it in Moses heart to interceded to God on behalf of the people of Israel -- Exodus 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee (Moses) a great nation - And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? -- {Note: "and I will make of thee (Moses) a great nation" God was testing Moses as God tests every Pastor and every Leader over His flock to see if they are shepherding God's flock or their own "nation" and Moses being a man of God and a true leader of the people passed the test as he wanted God's people to succeed and to be ultimately reconciled to God.}
Idols: 'Exodus 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf [idol], and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.' - when a man first makes an idol it is because the man has lost the inward intimate presence of God in their life. At first they are trying to rekindle the past presence of God. However the idol can become a replacement for God and ultimately the idol can become their own god made according to their own desires and their own preferences completely replacing God's desires and God's preferences with their desires. - The golden calf idol was the start of their unbelief that ultimately kept that generation from entering into the Promise Land and receiving of their inheritance in the land. - 'Hebrews 3:15-19 While it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation [desert wilderness wandering]. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned [worshiped the golden calf], whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware He that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.' - After the sin with the golden calf the people stripped themselves of their golden earrings and as a nation never picked up the custom again (only a slave would have an earring). Moses' separated his tent outside the camp and it became the tent (tabernacle) of meeting between Moses and the people until the Tabernacle could be completed.

Exodus 34-40 - Moses requests to see God's glory - God places Moses in the clift of the Rock and Moses gets a glimpse of the afterglow of the Glory of God - 'Exodus 33:18-23 And he (Moses) said, I beseech thee, shew Me thy Glory. And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And He said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a Rock: And it shall come to pass, while My glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the Rock, and will cover thee with My hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts [afterglow]: but My face shall not be seen.' - God is still doing this with us today as often we can look back in our life and see the afterglow where God's presence has been in our life but we cannot look ahead the same way and see God face to face.
Moses requests to see God's glory. Mankind now for the first time is again beginning to learn of the attributes and abilities of God and mankind is beginning again to see the Glory of God. - After Spending time with God upon Mt. Sinai Moses' face begin to shine. 'Exodus 34:28-35 And he (Moses) was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water [the presence of God completely sustained him]. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony [10 Commandments] in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. ... And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in (the Tabernacle) before the LORD to speak with Him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in (the Tabernacle) to speak with Him.' - The veil of Moses was to cover the face of Moses so that the people wouldn't see that the glory of Moses (the law) was a fading glory that one day there would be another Glory a permanent Glory the Glory of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul points out [2 Corinthians 3:13-15] that the same veil that covered the face of Moses still covers the hearts of many Hebrews today and keeps them from seeing the Glory of Jesus Christ. The Jews are extraordinary Bible scholars, historians, linguists, inventors, creators and everything else that they set their heart to do however the one thing that they can't do is see the Glory of Jesus Christ because they are still seeing the glory of Moses.

THE THIRD BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED

LEVITICUS

Leviticus 1-5 - The Laws for the offerings of the Levitical Priesthood - {There are multiple parts to the Old Testament Levitical Atonement 'Kaphar' (3722) Covering Sin Offering: 1. The sacrifice has to have a cost to the sinner, a precious useful animal was to be sacrificed. 2. The laying on of hands onto the animal's head then the confession and transfer of sins from the sinner to the innocent sacrifice. 3. The sacrifice dies with your sins, death of the sins. 4. The blood [life] of the animal is poured out providing a New Life opportunity (for a season, often one year) from the blood of the sacrifice for the sinner.}
1. The Burnt Offering Sacrifice: Giving totally to God, the entire sacrifice is consumed in fire and given to God. [Note: humans can and should concentrate themselves to God for a time, a season or even just an event. Where the animal offering was burnt and given to God it is the human service, fellowship that is consecrate to God. - The pagan practice is to burn a human in the fire but if a Christian person died in a fire that would end their consecration not start it and there is no such alter of God that would ever accept a human offering, a human is never ever to enter a physical fire as a sacrifice in Judaism/Christianity. The pagan practice of human sacrifice is strictly forbidden and prohibited in worshiping the true God of Israel.] 2. The Grain Offering: A sweat smelling (savor) freewill offer given to God. Bread flower covered with oil and sprinkled with Frankincense aroma is burnt in the fire with the smell of baking bread ascending up into heaven. No human induced ingredients are allowed no leaven [sin] and no honey [man's accomplishments] are allowed in the offering. 3. The Peace (Fellowship) Offering: An animal to be roasted as a celebration meal. The animal had to be without spot [inherited birth defect] or blemish [acquired defect]. The animal was to be roasted the fat [worry] was to be removed and burned separately and given to God the people couldn't eat the fat [worry]. The blood [life] was also to be poured out as at no time could they eat any blood [life of the animal]. 4. Sin Offering for Unintentional Sin (weaknesses): A young bull for the sins of individual people. A mature bull for the sins of a Priest. A [goat] that the leader was to lay hands on it for the sins of the nation. 5. Trespass Offering for Intentional Sin: A sin offering plus a grain (flour) offering withholding the oil and the Frankincense aroma. -- Having sacrificed to God and their sins now covered for a year the O.T. Saints could then live in the presence of God to commune and interact with God however the O.T. animal sacrifices did not provide the individual direct access to God. The individual people did not live in the perceivable presence of God, did not have direct access to God and did not experience God the way individual N.T. saints often do. [article link]

Leviticus 6-10 - The offerings to God are to restore man's fellowship with God - The problem of sin [a separator, barrier between us and God] is not on God's side the problem is on our side therefore a sacrifice had to be made to cover the sin (or remove the sin N.T.) and open the way to God - Aaron and his sons are anointed for their ministry - the people view the anointing and consecration of Aaron and his sons - During the first offerings 'strange fire' is offered to God and two of Aaron's sons die in the process
Strange Fire: 'Leviticus 9:23-10:3 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the people. And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. Leviticus And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire [not from the alter] therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.' ... 'Leviticus 10:8-9 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine [influences] nor strong drink [delusion], thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations' ... 'Acts 5:1-11 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept [the problem was in the deception not in the keeping] back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost [the only acceptable wine (Holy Spirit), influence that we can be under in our approach God], and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power [they didn't have to give it all]? why hast thou conceived this thing [deception] in thine heart? thou hast not lied [Strange Fire] unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much [deception]. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt [Strange Fire] the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard these things.' - Ananias and Sapphira encountered the same judgment that befell Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron so many years before and that could befall any servant of God at any time even today. Both pairs of 'Priests' were children of God and are in heaven today however each of their ministries to God was ended suddenly by their own rash actions. It was two different Priesthoods; Nadab and Abihu were a part of the Levitical/Aaronic Priesthood while Ananias and Sapphira were a part of the Melchizedek/Jesus Priesthood. Two Priesthoods; one pair offering strange physical fire the other pair offering strange spiritual fire both to the same God and all received the same results. Note: Ananias and Sapphira both died as believing Christians they did not die in unbelief they died offering an unacceptable [strange fire] sacrifice offering to God.

Leviticus 11-15 - The clean and unclean laws of God - Clean and unclean animals - child bearing - daily activities - health codes, diagnoses and leprosy
'Leviticus 11:45-47 For I Am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy (clean), for I am holy (clean). ... To make a difference between the unclean (unholy) and the clean (holy), and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten' - The clean and unclean Levitical laws for the entire Nation of Israel to know and observe relate to the cleanliness (holiness) and uncleanliness (unholiness) among mankind. God has brought Israel out of the world (Egypt) and into the Promise Land (Israel). The Promise Land is a Biblical type of heaven and in heaven there will only be clean (holy) items unholy (unclean) items will not be permitted into the Kingdom of God. It is just that simple, clean items are allowed within the Kingdom of God while unclean, mixed and corrupt items remain outside of the Kingdom of God. Israel as a Nation is set apart to God and is to illustrate through their laws, lives, customs and conduct to the entire world the differences between a holy (clean) Nation and an unholy (unclean) world.

None of These Diseases: The Bible's Health Secrets for the 21st Century (Book)
Completely revised and updated for a new generation, None of These Diseases shows how to obtain extraordinary medical benefits simply by heeding the Word of God. In an engaging style peppered with anecdotes from both of their medical practices, Drs. McMillen and Stern take us back to the Bible and show us how to apply our Creator's guidelines to our modern lifestyles. [article link]

wikipedia.org: Rabbit - (Levitically unclean) Leviticus 11:6 And the hare (rabbit), because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you - Rabbits re-ingest their own droppings [Rabbits don't have two stomachs like a cow does so a rabbit eats the grass then re-eats its own droppings so the grass (cud) is eaten a second time just like a cow]
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genera in the family classified as rabbits, including the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Cottontail rabbit (genus Sylvilagus; 13 species), and the Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, endangered species on Amami Oshima, Japan). There are many other species of rabbit, and these, along with pikas and hares, make up the order Lagomorpha. ... Cecal pellets: Rabbits are hindgut digesters. This means that most of their digestion takes place in their large intestine and cecum. In rabbits, the cecum is about 10 times bigger than the stomach, and it, along with the large intestine, makes up roughly 40% of the rabbit's digestive tract. Cecotropes, sometimes called "night feces", come from the cecum and are high in minerals, vitamins and proteins that are necessary to the rabbit's health. Rabbits eat these to meet their nutritional requirements. This process allows rabbits to extract the necessary nutrients from their food. Rabbits have two sets of incisor teeth, one behind the other. Therefore they are often mistaken to be rodents. ... Diet and eating habits: Rabbits are herbivores who feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. In consequence, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest. Rabbits solve this problem by passing two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are immediately eaten. Rabbits re-ingest their own droppings (rather than chewing the cud as do cows and many other herbivores) to digest their food further and extract sufficient nutrients. [article link]

Leviticus 16-20 - The giving of the Law continues - The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the most Holy Day in the Jewish Calendar - Atonement comes only through the shedding of the blood - Offerings to God are to be freewill from our own desire to give to God - You shall love your neighbor as yourself - [In 2009 Yom Kippur (the 5769th) Jewish Day of Atonement begins at sundown on Sunday September 27 and ends at nightfall on Monday September 28 - about.com]
Now that Israel has a Tabernacle [meeting place with God] the practice of the head of each family acting as the priest of the family and sacrificing an animal out in a field on his own has been brought to an end. The individual animal sacrifices are no longer accepted by God. With the Levitical Priesthood established then God required that all of the offerings of all types were to be brought to the Tabernacle where the Priests would administer them accordingly. 'Leviticus 17:1-7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying, What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp, And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the Tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people: To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto the LORD. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD. And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout their generations.' -- The Day of Atonement: 'Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.' - Atonement comes only through the shedding of blood because blood is life and it takes life to atone for death, sin is death. The death is in the sin - the body of sin dies - the life is in the blood - the blood is poured out [exposing and confirming that the body is dead, the body without blood is dead] but the blood has life, the life [strength] of the Covenant is in the Life of the Blood. The life [strength] of the Atonement is in the Life of Blood and blood is then sprinkled upon the alter to make atonement for the alter then blood is sprinkled seven times upon the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat to make atonement for the Nation. The life of blood covers the death of the sin, with sin and death covered life [a relationship with God] continues on. - Jesus quoted from Leviticus - 'Leviticus 19:17-19 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD. Ye shall keep My statutes...' Jesus has summarized ALL of the Laws and ALL of the Prophets 'Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him (Pharisee), Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang *all the *law and the *prophets.'

DebbieSchlussel.com: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) 9/28/2009 - Yom Kippur is one of the holiest Jewish holidays - The Yom Kippur Fast - The idea is that you are removing yourself from worldly concerns and focusing on spiritual ones, most importantly repentance for your sins {The day of Atonement is a national day of mourning for Israel [Leviticus 23:27-32]. This is the one day a year that the Jewish High Priest would enter the Temple Holy of Holies first with the blood of a bull then with the blood of a goat to be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat located on top of the Ark of the Covenant initiating atonement [blood of the bull] for the Priest and his Levitical family and [blood of the goat] for rest of the Nation of Israel.}
Yom Kippur is one of the holiest Jewish holidays, at the end of which we believe our fate for the next year is "sealed" by G-d*. We believe that on Rosh HaShanah, that fate is written by Him, and on Yom Kippur, he issues his final Judgment. This is Judgment Day. On Yom Kippur, we fast and pray for about 25 hours to ask G-d for a good year. Before the fast, we eat a big, sumptuous meal, which expands the stomach and makes the fast more difficult. During the holiday, there are strict prohibitions: no food, drink, shower, TV/radio, phone, etc. the whole day, which is mostly spent at synagogue. The idea is that you are removing yourself from worldly concerns and focusing on spiritual ones, most importantly repentance for your sins. We also don't wear leather shoes, as back in the day, those were a luxury of the wealthy, and the holiday is not about ostentatious displays, but about humble requests before G-d. It starts just before sundown [9/27/2009], tonight, and ends after dark tomorrow (Monday) night [9/28/2009], with one sound of the shofar (ram's horn-see explanation of shofar here). I will put up a some other stuff, today, though I'm rushing to do other stuff before the big meal. And, G-d-willing, I will be back on Monday Night or Tuesday Morning with even more new stuff. To my Jewish friends and readers, have an easy fast and a great year. Gmar Chatimah Tovah [May you be finally sealed for good.] To everyone, see you very, very soon. And thank you for your continued patronage of this site. I very much appreciate my readers, their continued support of this site, and, of course, their tips and comments always. Thanks to the many readers who sent me i- and e-cards wishing me an easy fast and a good year. Right back at ya! *Religious Jews use dashes in the word "G-d" and do not write it out completely out of respect for Him and the wish not to write the name in vain. [article link]

Leviticus 21-25 - The giving of the Law continues - The eight Festivals (feasts) Holy Days are appointed by God to be observed in all their generations as a memorial forever -- 'Leviticus 23:1-44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the [eight] feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts. ... These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim [fulfill in their given order] in their seasons. ... it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. ... I am the LORD your God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.'
The Feast of Firstfruits - observed only in the Promise Land: 'Leviticus 23:9-14 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the [Promise] Land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the [High] Priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath [on Sunday] the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day [Sunday] when ye wave the sheaf ... it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.' - While wandering in the desert there was no Feast of Firstfruits (even the children remained uncircumcised) and when Joshua and the people finally did cross the Jordan River and once in the Promise Land they kept the Passover on the 14th but on the next day (probably not a Sunday) they ate 'old corn' from off the land and once in the land and eating grain from the land the Manna stopped as the next day there was no Manna. Although in the Land and celebrating the Passover they still couldn't celebrate the Feast of the Firstfruits because they didn't yet have a harvest of the land to offer the Firstfruits of to God. - But Jesus Christ on the day of His resurrection, the actual [Sunday] day of the Feast of Firstfruits being observed in Jerusalem, Jesus Himself ascended into Heaven the real Promise Land and entering into Heaven and stepping into the real Promise Land Jesus became the Firstfruit [first of the resurrection] of the harvest of God. The rest of the harvest His disciples are to follow after Him in our own order likewise stepping into Heaven as a part of the same precious harvest of God. {Note: All of the eight appointed Feasts of God like the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant of God have their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ and in heaven. The Hebrews, although they observed the feats they did not fulfill the feasts [any more than the rest of the law and the 10 Commandments have been kept and fulfilled] either physically or Spiritually.}

Leviticus 26-27 - The giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai concludes - The children of God are admonished of the blessings of God in the obedience of God - 'Leviticus 26:12 And I (God) will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people'
It has now been about two years and two months since the children of Israel have been delivered from their bondage in Egypt. The children of God are now wrapping up their two year stay at the base of Mt. Sinai the Mountain of God. Soon they will bundle up their possessions and the implements of God and continue on their journey to their own land the Promise Land. - 'Leviticus 27:34 These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.'

THE FOURTH BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED

NUMBERS

Numbers 1-5 - Their stay at Mt. Sinai is coming to a conclusion after being there two years - The Mt. Sinai census - counting all the men twenty years old and older but excluding the Tribe of Levi the family of the Levitical Priesthood - Note: There are several long lists of names, occupations and eligibilities in the Bible. God keeps books, He keeps many books, His books are accurate and His books are complete they contain many names and many events. - 'Malachi 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His Name.' - 'Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.'
Desert wandering population: The first census taken at Mt. Sinai listed 603,500 men twenty and older [for a total population of about 2.1 million to 3.5 million people] then the second and final census 38 years later just prior to crossing the Jordan River and entering into the Promise Land was a slightly less 601,730 men twenty and older [excluding the tribe of Levi from each census] a total decrease of about 1% during the 38 years. As it often seems in our desert experiences that we spend much time in the desert wandering about with little or no growth and even some loss to show for it however when the Nation of Israel stepped across the Jordan River and stepped upon the land of Israel they did it as a completely new Nation only two people (Joshua and Caleb) [and the tribe of Levi] from the previous generation were permitted by God to enter into the Promise Land. It's that way in our life also as our desert experiences strip away our old self, our old stubborn rebellious ways die and we are then more able to step into the future a new person with a new purpose and a renewed vigor in life, freer to serve and freer to fellowship with God.

Did You See That? - The LORD told Moses and Aaron how the Israelites should arrange their camp: Each tribe must set up camp under its own banner and under the flags of its ancestral families - These camps will be arranged around the sacred tent, but not close to it [Numbers 2:1-2] - the Israelite tribes arranged themselves, according to the orders of God, into the shape of A CROSS! A CROSS! - the cross was foreshadowed even in Numbers Chapter 2! (Diagram)
okay i confess when i read the beginning of the book of numbers and the passage that follows i am semi reading blah blah blah blah... its numbers and tribes and families and east and west and positions and things i cannot imagine in my brain. i cannot picture where they are and what they are doing. The LORD told Moses and Aaron how the Israelites should arrange their camp: Each tribe must set up camp under its own banner and under the flags of its ancestral families. These camps will be arranged around the sacred tent, but not close to it. [numbers 2:1-2] - so imagine my delight and my *happy dance* when i saw this (this below) for the first time.... the Israelite tribes arranged themselves, according to the orders of God, into the shape of A CROSS! A CROSS! The cross was foreshadowed even in numbers 2! - i must say i get excited by that. you might think that it is random, but remember who organized the Israelite tribes into this formation... God. it was all a picture of the truth of salvation through the messiah, through Jesus Christ. Israel did everything the LORD had told Moses. They arranged their camp according to clans and families, with each tribe under its own banner. And that was the order by which they marched into battle. Numbers 2:34. [article link]

Numbers 6-10 - The Nazarite vow is consecration (separation) to God - the strength is in the commitment to God - anyone who concentrates their life to God has strength- The Priestly benediction to the people (congregation) is given - 'Numbers 6:22-27 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron [High Priest] and unto his sons [Priests], saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put My Name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.'
The Nazarite Vow: There were three main rules to the Nazarite vow. 1. No grape or grape products were to be consumed at any time including wine, vinegar wine, grape juice, grapes or raisins. - The Nazarite is to be visibly and noticeably set apart from the people. The influences of God (Holy Spirit) upon the Nazarite were not to be confused by people as an influence from wine, sugar or alcohol from the grape products. 2. No haircut during the vow duration. -- This was an indicator that the person was undergoing a Nazarite vow. 3. No contact or association with a dead body even going to the funeral of a family member was prohibited. Being in the presence of a dead body automatically ended the vow. - The Nazarite vow is consecration to God. God is about life therefore to accurately associate a representation of fellowship with God the Nazarite was not to associate with death.

Numbers 11-14 - The Children of God are now on the move in their destination to the Promised Land - With the journey now underway - To those that complained; God sent fire [purification] - to those who lived after the flesh; God sent quail [bit sized seemingly harmless pieces of flesh] - Moses' sister Miriam is dealt with for a moment of racism - God sends 12 spies (witnesses) to cross the Jordan and view the Promise Land and return with a witness to all the people - 'Numbers 10:11 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud [Glory of God] was taken up from off the Tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai'
A mixed multitude: The Children of God had left Egypt as a mixed multitude consisting of believers, non-believers and every combination as some believers became non-believers and some non-believers became a believer. God meets people where they are whether in belief or in non-belief and God accompanies and works with each person as we continue on this journey through life. It is up to each individual person (believer or unbeliever) to acknowledge the presence of God in their life. - A difficult leadership: Moses finds his leadership position so difficult that he asks God to kill him. It's not uncommon for those serving God to find it so difficult that death seems to be a valid option. Meanwhile the children serving themselves and the world seek to live a longer life. It's because God is challenging His people to grow and to mature and the growth and maturity can be very difficult to obtain while those serving their own self-interest have less difficulty associated with in their pursuits. Moses Renames Osea: Osea the son of Nun is called Joshua [lit. Jesus; Joshua is Hebrew - Jesus is Greek] by Moses. It becomes very interesting that later on Moses [the law giver] is unable himself to even enter into the Promise Land however Joshua [Jesus] enters into the Promise Land and brings everyone else with Him.

CNN September 24, 2009: Largest-ever Anglo-Saxon gold hoard unearthed in England - A man using a metal detector in a rural English field has uncovered the largest Anglo-Saxon gold hoard ever found -- an "unprecedented" treasure that sheds new light on history, archaeologists said Thursday - Herbert found 500 items before he called in experts, who then found a further 800 articles in the soil - Officials aren't saying exactly where the gold was found, other than to say it was in Staffordshire, in north-central England - A strip of gold bearing a Biblical inscription [Numbers 10:35] in Latin is one of the most significant and controversial finds, Staffordshire Council said - One expert believes the lettering dates from the 7th or early 8th centuries {Note: After the Bible Study the plan is to blog two more studies a Church History study and a famous Christians in History study.}
Most of the pieces appear to date from the 7th century, though experts can't agree on when the hoard first entered the ground, Staffordshire Council said. The pieces are almost all war gear, Leahy said. There are very few dress fittings and no feminine dress fittings; there are only two gold buckles, and they were probably used for harness armor, he said. Sword hilt fittings and pieces of helmets, all elaborately decorated, are among the more remarkable finds. "The quantity of gold is amazing but, more importantly, the craftsmanship is consummate," Leahy said. "This was the very best that the Anglo-Saxon metalworkers could do, and they were very good. Tiny garnets were cut to shape and set in a mass of cells to give a rich, glowing effect; it is stunning." The items belonged to the elite -- aristocracy or royalty, he said, though it's not clear who the original or final owners were, why they buried it, or when. "It looks like a collection of trophies, but it is impossible to say if the hoard was the spoils from a single battle or a long and highly successful military career," he said. More work will help determine how the hoard came to be buried in the field, Leahy said. Many of the objects are inlaid with garnets, which Leahy called "stunning" and "as good as it gets." The filigree on the items is "incredible," he said. Some are decorated in an Anglo-Saxon style consisting of strange animals intertwined with each other. That decoration appears on what is believed to be the cheek-piece of a helmet, decorated with a frieze of running, interlaced animals. A strip of gold bearing a Biblical inscription in Latin is one of the most significant and controversial finds, Staffordshire Council said. One expert believes the lettering dates from the 7th or early 8th centuries, but another is sure it dates from the 8th or 9th centuries. The inscription, misspelled in places, is probably from the Book of Numbers and reads: "Surge domine et dissipentur inimici tui et fugiant qui oderunt te a facie tua," or "Rise up, o Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed." Regardless of the exact date, the hoard is certainly from a period of great turmoil, when kingdoms with tribal loyalties battled each other in a state of perpetual warfare, experts say. The land was also split along religious lines. Christianity was the principal religion, having gained ground at the expense of local pagan forms of worship, experts said. At least two crosses are among the items in the hoard. The largest is intact, though it has been folded, possibly to make it fit into a small space prior to burial, Staffordshire Council said. The folding may mean it was buried by pagans who had little respect for the Christian symbol, but it may have also been done by Christians who had taken it from someone else's shrine, experts said. The hoard will likely help rewrite history, experts said. [article link]

Numbers 15-20 - The Children of God have made it to the border of the Promise Land however they are unable to enter in - Their unbelief has kept them from the faith needed to cross over the border to take possession of the land - They will now wander in the desert for 38 years [forty years total with the two previous years] until the generation of unbelief is gone and the New Israel [the new man] can enter into the Promise Land - Having been rejected from entering into the Promise Land then God immediately gives them hope and assures them with more instructions about their future entrance into the Promise Land knowing that when the day has come they will absolutely enter into His Promise Land -- 'Numbers 15:1-2 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be [finally] come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you'
Biblical Doctrines and Examples: Throughout much of the Bible a biblical concept is going to be explained and then the concept is going to be demonstrated in the lives of the people and the consequences of their actions will be an example to us. For Example: 'Numbers 15:16 {Explanation} One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. ... and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance ... But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously [purposely], whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. {Demonstration} And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. {Consequences} And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death [an illustration of eternal death]: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses. {Results} And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, {Example For Us} and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring [unfaithfulness]: That ye may remember, and do all My commandments, and be holy [set apart] unto your God. I Am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I Am the LORD your God. ' - In modern times a certain (LDS) cult baptizes dead people and claims that this is a biblical doctrine to follow and obey God. The Bible does have one 'Comment' [1 Corinthians 15:29] about those being baptized then being persecuted and dying because of their baptism however the Bible does not 'Explain' the concept of baptizing dead people nor does the Bible 'Demonstrate' that teaching and no Biblical 'Examples' are given in regards to those who follow the concept and those who do not follow the concept. So in the Christian Church there is no doctrine for baptizing dead people because the Bible does not explain, teach and illustrate an example for such a doctrine to exist therefore there is no such doctrine in the true Christian Church but only in the LDS cult.

Numbers 21-25 - The wilderness wandering is nearing completion much of the generation that came out of Egypt has passed away - Miriam passed away at Kadesh and Aaron also died there shortly after Moses struck the Rock at Kadesh-Meribah unlawfully the second time - Many judgments take place, it's a time and a season of judging as Moses hears the voice of God and knows the voice of God he is able to accurately carry out and oversee the judgments of God - Judgments encompass; Individuals [the man intentionally breaking the Sabbath law (Numbers 15:32-41)] - Families [Achan (Joshua 7:10-26)] - Cities [(Numbers 24:19) {Matthew 11:21}] - Generations [(Numbers 32:13) {Matthew 12:41}] - Nations [(Genesis 15:14-21) (Numbers 33:53-56)] - Angels [(Isaiah 14:12-14) (Ezekiel 28:14-19) {Matthew 25:41} {Luke 10:18} {1 Corinthians 6:3}] and ultimately the entire Globe [the earth was judged the first time with the flood of Noah (Genesis 6:17-22), the earth will be judged the second and final time during the events of the book of Revelation (Revelation 16:1-7)] -- 'Revelation 8:13 And I (Apostle John) beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhibiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!'
Balaam the last Gentile Prophet - the Bethlehem Star Prophecy: With the Levitical/Aaronic Priesthood having just been implemented there were still individual Priests and Prophets from among the Gentiles and Balaam seems to have been of that remnant. Balak the King of Moab sent messengers to Balaam [a Midianite] to come to him that he would pay him to put a curse upon the Israelites the Children of God who were passing through his territory. - God would not allow Balaam to curse Israel because God had already blessed Israel. To the dismay of King Balak Balaam didn't curse Israel but blessed Israel the three times he was supposed to curse Israel. Then Balaam Prophesied about the glory and the success of Israel yet to come including the Bethlehem Star Prophecy. - The Bethlehem Star Prophecy [Numbers 24:17] is a Gentile Prophecy given by Balaam a Gentile and followed by the Wise Men of the East who were also Gentiles to find the birth of the Messiah Jesus. The Creation of God has been given to direct all of mankind into the knowledge and existence of God especially the Gentiles while God directs and instructs the Jews through their Prophets who wrote the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15). The Gentile Wise Men were led by Balaam's Prophecy and by God's creation (the star) to Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1-2) then once in Jerusalem they inquired asking King Herod a Gentile 'where is the King of the Jews?' Then Jewish Bible scholars referencing the Prophet Micah 5:2 informed King Herod of the pending birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem in the territory of the tribe of Judah (in Israel at that time there were two cities named Bethlehem [lit. house of bread]) and King Herod then directed the Wise Men on to Bethlehem in Judah and as the Wise Men departed from King Herod the Bethlehem star appeared again and led them the rest of the way to Bethlehem finally appearing over the house of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. - Balaam's Aftermath: Balaam being unable to curse the Children of God was also unable to get paid from King Balak so Balaam came up with his own plan to curse the Children of God and Balaam then secretly met with King Balak and his Princes to have his secret plan against Israel implemented. The plan 'stumbling block' that Balaam instituted against Israel the Children of God was that Israel would have to curse themselves and to do this King Balak would send attractive women of his kingdom to seduce the Children of God into the Pagan ways of the Moabites and it worked as many in Israel were seduced and compromised with the Moabites creating a plague of death among the Israelites. In the New Testament (2 Peter 2:15) the Apostle Peter admonishes Christians not to fall into the same trap. Jude 1:11 continues the admonishment to Christians and Jesus Christ in (Revelation 2:14) admonishes some in His Church for following the ways of Balaam. -- 'Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac (King Balak) to cast a stumblingblock [worldly influences, cultural compromise] before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.' - Balaam during his prophesying about Israel requested from God [Numbers 23:10] that he himself might be righteous like Jacob [Israel] and die the death of the righteous. However Balaam created and followed his own unrighteous 'doctrine' and in his unrighteous deeds against Israel and against the Children of God then Balaam did die the death of the wicked. - 'Numbers 31:8 ... Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.'

Numbers 26-31 - Aaron's son Eleazar (lit. Comforter - Holy Spirit) takes Aaron's place and is now the Levitical High Priest - The 2nd and final census is taken - Moses is told that he is also ineligible to enter the Promise Land not because of unbelief but because Moses failed to keep the entire law - Moses lays hands on Joshua (lit. Jesus) who takes over as the new leader for the nation of Israel
The five daughters of Zelophehad: 'Numbers 36:2 And they said, The LORD commanded my lord [Moses] to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters.' - At the taking of the 2nd census the inheritances of the land were decided by the number of males in each family. Zelophehad who had passed away was the father of five daughters with no sons and his family without sons would not inherit land in the Promise Land so the five daughters requested of Moses to inherit land as the other men would. Moses took the request to the Lord and the Lord said yes, the daughters of Israel who are without their father and without brothers are to receive the same inheritance as the sons of Israel. - Later Mary the mother of Jesus would come under this same agreement as Mary did not have any brothers [a sister of Mary is mentioned John 19:25 but no living father or any brothers are mentioned] so the inheritance of Mary's father, a descendant of King David through Nathan [Luke 3:31], her father's eligibility to sit on the throne of King David passed to Mary who then passed the eligibility of her father on to her son Jesus ['Genesis 3:15 ... her seed' (virgin birth) - the seed of the woman]. Joseph was also from the tribe [Judah] of King David however Joseph [Matthew 1:16] was from the line of King David's son King Solomon and the Solomon line was eventually cut off [Jeremiah 36:30] from the throne of David. Had Joseph been the physical father of Jesus then Jesus would be ineligible to sit on the throne of King David but Jesus having only Mary as a physical parent Jesus is eligible to restore and sit on the throne of King David.

Numbers 32-36 - Preparations are being made to end their desert wandering experience to finally cross the Jordan River and enter into the Promise Land [Note: After leaving Egypt wandering and unable to go across Moab the Israelites actually had to go up, over and around the Promise Land (of Israel) to the back side and are camped on the East side [back side] of the Promise Land and will enter [from east to west] just north of the Dead Sea where Joshua their leader will set up camp at Gilgal] - Two [Reuben, Gad] and a half [Manasseh (East)] of the 12 Tribes will decline to inherit land in the Promise Land and will establish their communities outside the Promise Land - The land in the Promise Land is partitioned and assigned to the people who will enter - 48 Levitical cities scattered throughout the land are allotted to the Priesthood - Six of the 48 Priestly possession cities are termed as a 'City of Refuge' where a person in danger of losing their life could flee to and be kept safe by the authority of the High Priest
The City of Refuge - The City on a Hill, Jerusalem: Jerusalem [Heaven] is the ultimate "City of Refuge" our eternal sanctuary and refuge. -- "The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge" Isaiah 14:32 [source - kkcj.org]. On the cross Jesus made only seven verbal statements. His first statement on the cross was Luke 23:34 'Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' The first statement of Jesus while on the cross was to substantiate our unintentional crime against God and therefore open the way for us, by His confirmation, into Heaven the eternal 'City of Refuge.' Had Jesus asked the Father to hold humanity accountable for His innocent death [crucifixion] then the human world, all of mankind, would be guilty before God for the death of Jesus and there would be no City of Refuge for a guilty mankind to enter into. The Apostle Paul makes a comment about our need to enter into the provided City of Refuge - Hebrews 6:18-20 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we [sinners who crucified Jesus] might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil [Holy of Holies]; Whither [into the Holy of Holies in Heaven] the forerunner [Jesus] is for us entered, even Jesus, made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek [Melchizedek].

THE FIFTH BOOK OF MOSES, CALLED

DEUTERONOMY

wikipedia.org: Book of Deuteronomy - Deuteronomy (Greek: Deuteronomion, "second law") or (Hebrew: Devarim, literally "things" or "words") is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament, and the fifth of five books [written by Moses] of the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch
A large part of the book [of Deuteronomy] is three sermons delivered by Moses reviewing the previous forty years of wandering in the wilderness and the future entering into the Promised Land. Its central element is a detailed law-code by which the Israelites are to live within the Promised Land. -- Theologically the book constitutes the renewing of the covenant between Yahweh and the "Children of Israel." One of its most significant verses is Deuteronomy 6:4, which constitutes the Shema, a definitive statement of Jewish identity: "Hear, O Israel: YHWH (is) our God, YHWH alone." Conservative Bible scholars are united in their conviction that Moses wrote this book. -- Much of modern critical scholarship, while agreeing that Deuteronomy contains a core of material from ancient Mosaic traditions or writing, dates the book several centuries after Moses time, to the late 7th century BC. This latter view sees Deuteronomy as a product of the religious reforms carried out under king Josiah, with later additions from the period after the fall of Judah to the Babylonian empire in 586 BC. [article link]

Deuteronomy 1-4 - Preparation to enter the Promise Land continues - The main preparation in entering the Promise Land is to go back to remember and recount the past events and past interactions with God that have taken them to this point in their life - The main intent of the book of Deuteronomy is to gain a perspective from the past, the present and therefore the future and to use that perspective as they crossover and receive more and more from the promises and blessings of God in their lives - The book of Deuteronomy [the book of perspective] is the most quoted Old Testament book in New Testament and it is the O.T. book that Jesus Christ quoted from the most
Giants in the Land: Even after wandering in the desert for 38 years the giants that intimidated the Children of God and kept them out of the Promise Land the first time are still there in the land. The giants didn't give up and go away if anything in the years the giants became even more numerous. However God shows His children that He has already cleared a way for others to enter their land. Lot's descendants, Esau' descendants and the generations of others are all living in their land that God has already provided for them and God is more than willing to clear a way for His own Children. The Children of God are to 'fear not' but to observe that God is going before them to make a way for them and then to follow after God in the path that He has already created and made for us. -- 'Deuteronomy 2:19-25 And when thou [children of God] comest nigh over against the children of Ammon [Lot's descendants], distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; *but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they [Lot's descendants] succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead: *As he [also] did to the children of Esau [brother of Jacob], which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims [giants] from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day: ... Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the [giant] Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. *This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.'

Deuteronomy 5-6 - In giving the people a perspective of God's abilities Moses exhorted the people to Hear, Learn, Observe and Act in regards to the commands, statutes and promises of God -- 'Deuteronomy 6:3-6 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:'
Remember that thou was a servant: We are admonished to keep a perspective of our past life of sin and bondage. Remember that at one time we were a servant to sin. The bondage and cruelty of sin is something that we have been delivered from and it was only in the love of God and by the capabilities of God that He delivered us, we did not deliver ourselves. If we forget that sin actually deceived us and took advantage of us we might be tempted to go back to some of our old ways however those old ways were not God's ways and they are no longer our ways either. - 'Deuteronomy 5:15 And remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath (rest) day [rest in the accomplished works of God not in the abilities of yourself or of other people].'

Deuteronomy 7-8 - Do not be unequally yoked [linked up] with non-believers it will subtly destroy you -- 'Deuteronomy 7:4-5 For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire'
Prosperity in the land is no reason to forget God: Once in the land and comfortable it's no reason to forsake the ways of God. True life is not about what we can get our hands on but it is about what we can get our heart around in learning, living and growing in the ways of God. - 'Deuteronomy 8:3 And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.'

Deuteronomy 9-11 - We are to look to God and not our circumstances or predicaments -- 'Deuteronomy 9:3 Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is He which goeth over before thee ...'
Righteousness: It wasn't Israel's righteousness that made God choose Israel and it isn't any righteousness that makes God choose us. The fact is that God has chosen everyone to be in fellowship and to be in service to Him and the fact is that everyone; Hebrews, Christian and Gentiles have all failed God to the exact same extent. The ultimate fact though is that God has seen our failures and shortcomings and God has chosen to show His greatness to be much greater than our weaknesses. It is the greatness of God that overcomes our failures and it is through the greatness of God and not our own individual standing or national standing that we can enter into and have a relationship with God. - 'Deuteronomy 10:12-14 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.'

Deuteronomy 12-13 - We are to keep God in our thoughts and in our mind at all times - Fellowship continually with God - Rejoice always in the Lord your God -- 'Deuteronomy 12:12-18 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates ... and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto'
Laws and Judgments of God: The laws and judgments of God might seem severe however God is dealing with mankind in an accurate assessment of the consequences of our own decisions and actions both good and bad. God is also working with a civilization, the Hebrews/Jews, that God needs to stay intact for thousands of years throughout many diverse circumstances and through much persecution and still through it all to accurately represent God to the Gentile world and also to successfully complete their own unique tasks of delivering both the Holy Scriptures [Bible] and also in delivering the Messiah [Jesus Christ] into the world. It's true that God did not choose the Jews because of their individual or corporate righteousness but it is true that God did choose Abraham and his descendants the Jews to represent Him and to accomplish some very important tasks for Him and most certainly the Jews have gloriously accomplished the tasks that God has chosen for them to perform [Note: continuing the Levitical Priesthood is not one of the tasks Israel has at hand to perform - the Levitical Priesthood was supposed to come to an end on the day of the crucifixion of Jesus when the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51)]. Further into their future there are yet more tasks for the Jews to perform and complete especially in the End Time 144,000 witnesses [all Jewish] of Revelation and at the Second Coming of Jesus it is the Jews who are present to greet Jesus and to welcome Him at His second coming [the Christian Church is in Heaven and at one point in the Second Coming the Church does return with Jesus but before that it seems that Jesus returns alone to the Jews first]. - 'Deuteronomy 12:1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.'

Deuteronomy 14-16 - The Lord's fierceness and the Lord's mercy towards man - Contrasted with man's fierceness and man's mercy [lack of mercy] towards his fellow man - 'Deuteronomy 13:17 And there shall cleave [cling (Old English)] nought [not] of the cursed thing [i.e. tarot cards, spells, sex magic, bondage, mysticism, manipulation - type of things from the conquered cities] to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers ...'
Spiritual Discernment: In now knowing the likeness, image, attributes and personality of God [as presented in the Laws of God] it is now possible and necessary to apply spiritual discernment from the written Laws of God to the events and actions of the day and to discern the nature of the spirit presiding over the events. Discerning whether the spirit is the Holy Spirit of God, holy Angels of God or of the unwanted unholy Satanic realm and its accompanying Occultic human realm. 'Deuteronomy 13:1-5 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a *sign or a *wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave [cling] unto Him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death [God's eternal separation not man's judgment]; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.'

Deuteronomy 17-18 - Moses is the stand-in prophet - The real Prophet (Jesus) is yet to come - 'Deuteronomy 18:15-19 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee [land of Israel], of thy brethren, like unto Me [Divine]; unto Him [Jesus] ye shall hearken; ... I will raise them up a Prophet from among their [Jewish] brethren [Judah], like unto thee [human], and will put My words in His mouth; and He [Jesus] shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My Name, I will require it [eternal death separation] of him [sinner].' {Note: 'Exodus 4:16 and thou [Moses] shalt be to him [Aaron] instead [in proxy] of God.' - Moses was standing [in proxy] as God before the people of Israel. Also Note: Aaron and his sons had to offer sin sacrifices for themselves before they touched the holy implements and began their priestly duties but Moses (as God's proxy) did not sacrifice for his own sins before he touched the materials and began to implement the Levitical Priesthood. Moses touched the blood [Exodus 29:20] and the oil and anointed Aaron and his sons with the blood from the ram and with the oil but Moses had not atoned for his own sins first because Moses was a proxy for God to set up and establish the Levitical Priesthood. If anyone has ever wondered why the Levitical Priesthood didn't last well for starters it didn't start out truly holy it started out with Moses anointing Aaron not God anointing Aaron [God wrote the 10 Commandments with His finger - He could have anointed Aaron with His finger if He wanted to]. The Melchizedek Priesthood is Truly Holy throughout starting with God the Father, the Holy Spirit and with Jesus Christ as only the Melchizedek Priesthood is intended to last eternally. -- Final Note: The Children of God [Jews] are redeemed by God by the Promises of God, the Covenants of God and by the actions of God not by the Levitical Priesthood the Tabernacle or even the Temple.}
Spiritual Discernment (Part 2): Two or more witnesses - one person cannot substantiate an accusation against another person. If there is a charge or an allegation by one person against another person or persons then at least two impartial people need to hear the accusation and to then diligently search out the allegations to determine their validity. Two or three people having witnessed the events or having examined the events are needed to confirm an accusation. This is an important aspect of Spiritual Warfare because Satan continually seeks to discredit the Children of God and of course we already have a fallen sinful nature so we naturally play right into the schemes, tricks and tactics that Satan tries to use against us. It is very necessary to try to avoid the traps of Satan and to deal with each individual in a reasoned, calm, respectful, diligent, professional and godly manner. When a problem is found to exist and there is always a problem ready to exist then the solution is to try to reconcile the individuals involved and to try to bring everyone into a closer relationship with God and with one another. When Satan's accusations ultimately are being used by Christians to bring people closer to God and closer to one another then Satan has become disarmed however if we give room to innuendos and accusations against one another than it can quickly become a powerful weapon to be used against the Church. 'Deuteronomy 19:15-18 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. If a false witness rise up against any man to testify against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother;'

Deuteronomy 19-22 - The Ability to Wage Warfare -- 'Deuteronomy 20:1-4 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you'
Spiritual Warfare: The warfare of the Bible is spiritual [Exodus 17:11] and the primary tactic is siege warfare. - 'Deuteronomy 20:10-12 When thou comest nigh [draw near] unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it:' -- The warfare of Satan is siege warfare. Satanic Siege Warfare: 1. The first part of siege warfare is to surround the targeted objective, city or person. 2. Once surrounded the subject is then cut off from all future supplies, reinforcements and outside moral. 3. The resulting deterioration inside creates a desperate atmosphere where the subjects begin to compete with each other and to attack each other and even themselves all while the attacking forces stay safely outside the destruction zone and simply observe the destruction while making any necessary adjustments, adding additional harassments [flaming projectiles] as needed to hasten the surrender. 4. When the destruction has run its course and the object has surrendered then the invading forces can simple enter in unscathed and unopposed to confiscate and seize full control of what is available. - The Apostle Paul writes about the predicament and focus of siege warfare for the Church. 'Hebrews 10:22-25 Let us draw near [to God] with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised; And let us [draw near] consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking [being a participant of siege warfare] the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.'

Deuteronomy 23-25 - How to Return from War -- 'Deuteronomy 23:9-11 When the host [army] goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee [yourself] from every wicked thing'
Spiritual Warfare (Part 2): Warfare, aggression, killing and the accompanying destruction is an unclean act. - 'Numbers 31:19-50 And do ye [soldiers] abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day. ... And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle ... Thy servants [soldiers] have taken the sum [roll call] of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us. We have therefore brought an oblation [thanks offering] for the LORD' -- At a later time in history Jewish city officials and soldiers from Jerusalem asked the prophet John the Baptist how they should conduct themselves in their secular professions. Hidden in their questions was whether or not a Jewish person collecting taxes for Rome or a Jewish Temple soldier controlling the people for Rome and at times killing for Rome could still be in favor with God. John the Baptist told them yes, if they continued to conducted their life in a godly manner. - 'Luke 3:12 Then came also publicans [Jewish public contractors - city officials working for Rome [a foreign power], source wikie.com -- Note: private contractors usually have no or minimal city authority although now the lines are blurring] to be baptized [by John the Baptist], and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the [Jewish Temple] soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no [civilian] man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.' [Note: In modern times if you have served in the military consider getting baptized, re-baptized, baptized a second time or baptized again. Get baptized and make a renewed or a continued commitment and vow to God. Baptism will do a lot for you (spiritually), it will do a lot to remove you from any unholy realm that has gained a hold on you or has a hold on you and it will do a lot to return you and bring you into cleanliness and holiness before God.]

Deuteronomy 26-28 - Moses has been bringing to a conclusion his leadership over the Nation of Israel - Moses is addressing the Nation of Israel with a series of four speeches covering their past, present and future circumstances with God - Blessings and curses are laid out and the Law has few blessings and many curses while later the Christian Church with Grace will have many blessings and few curses -- 'Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live'
The Assyrian Outsider: 'Deuteronomy 26:5 ... A Syrian [Assyrian] ready to perish was my father [Abraham], ...' Assyrian in the Bible is more of a term than a nationality like the term [Deuteronomy 32:15] Jeshurun [a poetic name for Israel and the name of an 'End of Days' righteous prophet (Daniel 12:13) - source wiki.com] later in the Bible the name David (Beloved) becomes as much a term for Jesus [Ezekiel 34:23] as a name. Assyrian represents an outsider and one of the titles of the antichrist is Assyrian. Moses uses the term Assyrian [outsider] in addressing their father Abraham in saying to remember that Abraham was an Assyrian [outsider]. Abraham was actually a Babylonian born in Ur however Babylon was the in culture and Babylonians were not the outsiders [Assyrians were] but God called Abraham out of society's main culture and created an Assyrian [outsider] out of Abraham. Later the antichrist is referred to as an Assyrian [Isaiah 10:5] seemingly because the antichrist is going to be very [outsider] alien [possibly claiming partial UFO, Alien (divine) heritage] in skills and abilities and outside [Assyrian] of our known existing societal and cultural norms and traditions.

Deuteronomy 29-31 - Moses again confirms God's Covenants with the Children of Israel - Joshua is appointed the new leader of Israel -- 'Deuteronomy 31:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, that I may give him a charge [authority]'
'Deuteronomy 29:3-4 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.' - The Children of Israel have already observed, heard and experienced many miraculous Spiritual events in their life although seeing and hearing the physical events the Spiritual application to those same events eluded them. -- Speaking Words of Strength: In preparing the people to enter into the Promise Land Moses spoke words to Joshua and to the people, words that the people needed to hear to be strengthened in their coming journey through the unknown; through the Jordan River and into the Promise Land. 'Deuteronomy 31:3-6 ... and Joshua (Jesus), He shall go over [to the Promise Land] before thee, as the LORD hath said. ... Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.' - Years later the real Jesus would also be spoken to, in the Garden of Gethsemane by a Holy Angel from Heaven, with words to strengthen and encourage Him for His coming journey through the unknown; through the crucifixion cross and into the real Promise Land of Heaven. We don't know the words that the Holy Angel spoke to Jesus that night ... or do we? [Deuteronomy 31:3-6] - Luke 22:43 And there appeared an Angel unto Him (Jesus) from heaven, strengthening Him. - Did Moses prophetically speak the words to Joshua and to the people of Israel as they prepared to crossover that God the Father had the Angel speak to Jesus during His agony in the dark of the night in the Garden of Eternal Decision the Garden of Gethsemane as He prepared to crossover?

Deuteronomy 32-34 - Moses prepares himself for his death - The Song of Moses -- 'Deuteronomy 32:1-4 Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: Because I will publish the Name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He'
Death Outside the Promise Land: Moses the Lawgiver was only allowed to go to the border of the Promise Land, he was only allowed to glimpse the Promise Land from a distance but he was not allowed to enter into the Promise Land. Moses the Lawgiver had broken the law when Moses had unlawfully struck the Rock a second time. In actuality striking the Rock a second time was not the only law that Moses broke it was just one of the more obvious laws that Moses broke. Moses like all the rest of us he was unable to keep the law because the law can't be kept it can only be observed just as Moses observed the Promise Land from a distance, observing but not entering. - The Law does not take us into the presence of God but only to a boundary that actually keeps us apart from God. The original law in the Garden of Eden was a boundary, a boundary between mankind and the experience and knowledge of evil. Mankind crossed God's Law boundary and went into the knowledge of evil [God continued to give mankind the knowledge of good]. With mankind now knowledgeable of evil the Law is not just a boundary from evil but out of necessity the Law has now also become a boundary between mankind and the Holiness of God. - The Law is the Image and Holiness of God and therefore the Law now reveals God to a separated mankind and once seeing God in His Holy Law mankind can easily recognize the need for mankind to be separated from the presence and Glory of the Holy God. Separated from God that is only until a remedy can be provided to fix man's sinful predicament and remove the boundary of sin and of the Law. The remedy for our predicament and separation from God has been provided but not in our life only in a new life in the Resurrection Life provided by God's Son Jesus Christ. The Son of God, Jesus Christ will safely take us into Heaven, His Promise Land, just as certainly as Joshua the son of Nun led the Children of Israel into their Promise Land a place that the law at best could only glimpse from a distance and could not enter into but a place where the Son could not be kept out of as the Son will enter in and place his foot upon the Promise Land. -- 'Deuteronomy 31:23 And He gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the Children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.' - 'Deuteronomy 32:52 Yet thou [Moses, Lawgiver] shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the Children of Israel.'

THE BOOK OF

JOSHUA

Joshua 1-2 - Joshua the first book in the Bible to be named after a person - Joshua was the servant (minister) to Moses - Joshua is God's chosen to lead the people into the Promise Land - Joshua is the Hebrew name of Jesus - Joshua is a 'type' an earthly representation of the true Jesus Christ
Note: As Joshua is an earthly Biblical type of Jesus Christ the Promise Land is an earthly Biblical type of Heaven. Actually the Promise Land is the Biblical Type of Heaven as nothing else in the Bible really represents Heaven the way the Promise Land does. The fact that battles are fought in the Promise Land represents to the Christian Church that although we are now in part [in standing] in the Promise Land we also have battles in this world, battles of many diverse types and in many diverse places. All of the earthly Bible types; the people, the land, the nations and the objects are all incomplete types they are just glimpses of the real Heaven, of God and of the real spiritual realm. The Promise Land of Israel is a real place and therefore has real earthy predicaments just like each person that is a type of Jesus (Isaac, Joseph, Joshua, King David, etc.) or those people that are a type of Satan (King Saul, Judas, [Solomon is in part a type of the Antichrist]) are also incomplete types they are real people in real predicaments. Also Note: Heaven currently is a place of some spiritual warfare and angelic warfare [Daniel 10:13, Daniel 10:20]. -- In more symbology Rehab in Jericho is to place a scarlet (red) cord out of her window symbolizing that she needs to be saved by Joshua. The scarlet cord represented to the Jews the blood of the Passover Lamb on the door that the Jews were so familiar with from back in Egypt. Rehab's scarlet cord and all the 'scarlet cords' throughout the Bible ultimately represent the blood of Jesus Christ that flowed from the cross for our redemption.

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Author: Ada R. Habershon 1861-1918. First publication 1957, Second publication - Kregel Publications, 1974. Book overview: Habershon unfolds the types and symbols in Scripture that represent Christ and His work. [article link]

christianbook.com: Study of the Types by Ada R. Habershon - Outline Studies of the Tabernacle by Ada R. Habershon (Books)
This classic work unfolds the types and symbols in the Old Testament that represent Christ, the Cross, the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit, and many others. This wealth of material on typology will strengthen your faith and warm your heart with love and thankfulness to God. ... These are inspiring insights into the construction, erection and service of the tabernacle. This book contains all the scriptural references to the tabernacle and its furniture. This resourceful study can be used with profit by pastors, teachers, and all inquiring Bible students to discover and apply the significant spiritual truths the tabernacle contains. [article link]

amazon.com: Study of the Types by Ada R. Habershon (Book)
Product Description: Habershon unfolds the types and symbols in Scripture that represent Christ and His work. About the Author: Ada R. Habershon (1861-1918) was born in London, England. Few women have made a contribution to the cause of biblical scholarship equal to that of Ada Habershon. After formal Bible training, she turned her efforts to the exploration of the Scriptures. She was a devoted friend of D. L. Moody, Charles H. Spurgeon, R. A. Torrey, and Ira Sankey. In addition to writing hundreds of hymns, she is the author of eight Bible studies, including Study of the Miracles, Study of the Parables, and Hidden Pictures in the Old Testament. [article link]

Joshua 3-5 - The Children of Israel prepare for and cross the Jordan river stepping for the first time since the days of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob back onto the Promise Land - Two 12 Stone Monuments are set up one on the river bottom since the river was dry for them and the second on the shore to commemorate their safe miraculous crossing - 'Joshua 1:2-3 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.'
Rolling Away Our Reproach: The reproach (disparagement) of their time in slavery and bondage in Egypt has been 'rolled away' (Gilgal). 'Joshua 3:2-17 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host (congregation); And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and [follow] go after it. ... Behold, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan [River]. Now therefore take you twelve men [Apostles] out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the Ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap [just like the Red Sea crossing]. ... and the people passed over right against [the city of] Jericho. And the priests that bare the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground [Psalms 32:6], until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.' - 'Joshua 5:9 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.' - Just as the reproach of Egypt has been 'Gilgal' rolled away the stone that marked our sin and death in this land of Egypt has also been Gilgal rolled away. The very stone that rolled away and revealed the release of Jesus from the tomb of death and reproach has also represented our release from our own reproach of sin and death. 'Matthew 28:2-6 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door [of the tomb], and sat upon it. ... And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye [you]: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen [Alive], as He said.'

Joshua 6-8 - The battles of Jericho and Ai - The beginning of the victories in the Land -God gave the cities into their hands -- 'Joshua 6:16 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city'
The Battle of Jericho: 'Hebrews 11:30-31 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies [two witnesses] with peace.' - Joshua had sent in the two spies (witnesses) because apparently God wanted Rahab and her household saved alive from the coming destruction. Rahab lived on a doomed wall of a doomed city so she was completely at risk. Rahab and her fellow countrymen had heard of the Mighty Wonders that God had already done for the Children of God and Rahab must have wanted to be a numbered among the Children of God. Rehab undertook great personal danger even lying to the King's men in hiding the two witness of Israel. Note: Rahab didn't need to lie for God to save them but God saved them all even with the little faith that Rahab had and her little faith was enough faith for the Apostle Paul to list her in the Hebrews Chapter 11 'Hall of Faith'. - After being saved Rahab (Rachab) married into the tribe of Judah in Israel and Rahab is the mother of Boaz (Booz). Rahab's son Boaz would later marry Ruth a Moabite [foreign] woman and have a son named Obed. Obed would have a son named Jesse and Jesse was the father of King David. Including the original Judah (Judas) and the gentile Tamar (Thamar) there was actually a lot of gentile blood in the Davidic line, the eventual human line of Jesus Christ. - 'Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas [Judah] and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar [Tamar]; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab [Rahab]; and Booz [Boaz] begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the King; and David the King begat [King] Solomon of her [Bathsheba] that had been the wife of Urias [Uriah]'

Ancient Jericho - Tell es-Sultan, ancient Jericho - Jericho Unearthed: DVD Promo - A total of six bushels of grain were discovered in a single excavation season amid the charred debris of City IV, giving an important clue to the city's demise - Its end could not have come as a result of a siege, because that would have exhausted the city's food supply - Instead, the attack must have occurred suddenly, soon after the spring [barley, flax] harvest - two crucial details that match the account in the Book of Joshua - Was this destruction at the hands of the Israelites? The correlation between the archaeological evidence and the Biblical narrative is substantial: (Photos)
All three excavations at Jericho found evidence - at different points around the tell - of a mudbrick parapet wall atop the stone revetment wall. In Kenyon's drawing, as well as in these two sections below right, by Sellin and Watzinger (left) and Garstang (right), gray indicates the revetment wall and violet highlights the parapet wall on top of it. ... One major problem remains: the date, 1400 B.C.E. Most scholars will reject the possibility that the Israelites destroyed Jericho in about 1400 B.C.E. because of their belief that Israel did not emerge in Canaan until about 150 to 200 years later, at the end of the Late Bronze II period. A minority of scholars agrees with the Biblical chronology, which places the Israelite entry into Canaan in about 1400 B.C.E. The dispute between these two views is already well-known to BAR readers. **But recently, new evidence has come to light suggesting that Israel was resident in Canaan throughout the Late Bronze II period. As new data emerge and as old data are reevaluated, it will undoubtedly require a reappraisal of current theories regarding the date and the nature of the emergence of Israel in Canaan. [article link]

Ancient Jericho (Photo)
Ancient Jericho is one of the most excavated sites in Israel. Starting in the early 1900's, archaeologists exposed a huge retaining wall that has supported the foundation of the great city since the Middle Bronze Age. This stone foundation held a large, structural wall of mud bricks that defined ancient Jericho. Throughout the last century, no less than four separate excavation teams have found remains of a collapsed mud brick wall at the base of the stone retaining wall. Scholars now agree that the wall fell down, but they differ on the date. Bryant Wood and other highly-regarded archaeologists date the destruction of the wall to the time of Joshua in about 1400 BC. In the 1930's and 1950's, teams discovered numerous store jars still full of grain from the last Canaanite city that existed at ancient Jericho. The conclusion of many scholars is that the city was conquered at the time of the harvest, but was burned, instead of looted. This evidence matches the biblical account of Joshua [chapter] 6. [article link]

Ancient Jericho - Old walls, witness to many centuries of Jericho history - Jericho, the city of the moon, is the lowest city on earth at 260 meters below sea level (Photo)
This picture shows Stone walls in ancient Jericho. It was taken on a travel to Jericho, Palestinian Territories, Asia. ... While the ruins are not spectacular to see for the casual visitor, Tel es-Sultan certainly impresses for its incredible age. At some 10,000 years, it is probably the oldest settlement in the world. Jericho, the city of the moon, is the lowest city on earth at 260 meters below sea level. At the same time, it is the oldest city in the world. A 20 minute walk takes you from present-day downtown Jericho to Tel es-Sultan, the site of the oldest settlement. It can be found next to the cable car station for going up to the Mount of Temptation. Once inside, you can see that excavations have been done on site. Unfortunately, the few signs that once clarified what you are seeing have since long been washed away by rain, so walking around the site requires working your imagination. [article link]

Joshua 9-10 The Gibeonite people knowing that they cannot defeat the Children of Israel through force turn to deception and make a deceitful covenant with Israel - Joshua agreeing to a covenant of protection with the Gibeonites makes an unwise covenant as he fails to seek the discernment of God first in his decision - Joshua's long day occurs -- 'Joshua 10:12-13 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher?' [Jasher "Book of the Upright" (wiki.com) Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18 -- An ancient Jewish history chronicle that no longer exists]
Signs in the Heavens: Correlations between the ancient events in the days of Joshua with the future events of the 'Day of the Lord' Jesus Christ I the Book of Revelation. 'Joshua 10:12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies.' * 'Revelation 6:12-13 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.' -- 'Joshua 10:16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.' * Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens [underground manmade caves] and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?' -- 'Joshua 10:11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.' * 'Revelation 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.' [Being stoned is the Biblical punishment for blaspheming God - the hail stones from heaven are the last and final plague in the Book of Revelation].

JOSHUA'S LONG DAY - For the Egyptian account, we find that the French classical scholar, Fernand Crombette, translated some Egyptian hieroglyphics which tell of Joshua's long day - Evidently [a] flood [in Egypt] had been caused by an unusually high tide - The cause, according to the Egyptian hieroglyphics, was: The sun, thrown into confusion, had remained low on the horizon, and by not rising had spread terror amongst the great doctors - Two days had been rolled into one
Joshua's Long Day in Africa: Anyhow, flawed though some of Totten's works might be, in his book, he relates two independent and geographically distinct accounts of Joshua's long day. One of Totten's sources is a report by the Greek historian Herodotus who wrote that when he visited Egypt, the priests there showed him an ancient manuscript which told the story of a day which lasted about twice as long as a nor mal day. Now the Egyptians had water clocks at that time so that they could accurately measure the duration of the day, not being dependent on the motion of the sun, moon, and stars, as would other peoples around the world. Totten's second account is from the Chinese which we shall present later. For the Egyptian account, we find that the French classical scholar, Fernand Crombette, translated some Egyptian hieroglyphics which tell of Joshua's long day. The text starts out with an edict from the king to exempt from taxation those who had been victims of a flood some two weeks earlier. Evidently the flood had been caused by an unusually high tide. The cause, according to the Egyptian hieroglyphics, was: The sun, thrown into confusion, had remained low on the horizon, and by not rising had spread terror amongst the great doctors. Two days had been rolled into one. The morning was lengthened to one-and-a-half times the normal period of effective daylight. A certain time after this divine phenomenon, the master had an image built to keep further misfortune from the country. ... The Chinese Account of Joshua's Long Day: The second secular source about Joshua's long day, which was mentioned by Totten, is based on what seems to be a recently lost ancient Chinese manuscript. In 1810 Gill presents the account: In the Chinese history it is reported, that in the time of their seventh emperor, Yao, the sun did not set for ten days, and that men were afraid the world would be burnt, and there were great fires at that time; and though the time of the sun's standing still were enlarged beyond the bounds of truth, yet it seems to refer to this fact, and was manifestly about the same time; for this miracle was wrought in the year of the world 2554, which fell in the 75th, or, as some say, the 67th year of that emperor's reign, who reigned 90 years. [article link]

Joshua 11-19 - Though many battles have been won the Children of Israel will not occupy their entire Inheritance in the Promise Land - The intended borders and boundaries for the 12 tribes are established by casting lots - The city of Jebus [later Jerusalem] actually at different times falls into the inheritance of both the tribe of Judah and later the tribe of Benjamin [Judah shared some of their huge land inheritance with Benjamin and the two tribes tried to cooperate, work together and assist each other in the Promise Land] - Neither the tribe of Judah nor the tribe of Benjamin is immediately able to enter Jebus - Later King David will conquer Jebus and name it Jerusalem - Jerusalem will be the capital city for the Tribe of Judah and also for the entire Nation of Israel - 'Joshua 18:21-28 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, ... and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.'
Caleb the Faithful Witness Receives his Inheritance in the Promise Land: Of the more than six hundred thousand adult males that left Egypt on the night of the Passover only two Joshua and Caleb [and part of the tribe of Levi] lived through the forty year desert wandering to inherit a portion in the Promise Land. Caleb [tribe of Judah] and Joshua [tribe of Ephraim] were two of the original 12 spies sent in by Moses to view the Promise Land and the only two witnesses to bring back a positive report to Moses and the people. - ' Joshua 14:5-15 As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land. Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's forever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five [85] years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims [giants] were there, and that the cities were great and [stonewall] fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.'

Ancient City of Hazor - Tell Hazor is one of the largest, most important biblical sites in the Canaanite and Israelite periods - The bible gave it the title: "the head of all those kingdoms". Indeed, the travel to the excavated site is an exciting experience, bringing you back 3-4 thousand years to the times this might city was the gateway between Egypt and Mesopotamia [Babylon] (Photos)
Joshua 11:10: "And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms." ... Location: Tell Hazor is located on the east of the northern part of Israel, the upper Galilee. Its prime location on the main ancient road through Syria to Babylon, made it an important city. This road bypassed the impossible way through the desert, and was an important link between the two strong empires of the ancient world: Egypt on the south, and Mesopotamia (Babylon, Assyria, Persia) on the north. You can reach the site, a national park, by driving north from Rosh-Pina (road 90). The museum that hosts most of the archaeological findings is located in another location: in the nearby Kibbutz, Ayyelet Ha-shachar, 0.5KM north to the park's entrance. Additional findings are displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. [article link]

Joshua 20-22 - Phinehas a Grandson of Aaron is now the Levitical High Priest - The Congregation of Israel the group of people that have been together every day since Egypt and the long wilderness wandering has now come to a close - Joshua releases the Nation of Israel to live in their own homes in their own inherited portion of the land - The Congregation of the Nation of Israel in the Promise Land now begins - The two tribes Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh return to outside the Promise Land to their own chosen land -- 'Joshua 21:43-45 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob]; and they possessed it [most of the land but not all the land they were given], and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass'
Living Outside the Promise Land: Two and a half tribes of the Children of God determined that living outside of the Promise Land would be just as rewarding and just a secure and certainly just a scenic as actually living in the land after all they were bordering the Land so how different could it be than actually moving into the Land. For starters being outside the Promise Land they were separated from the Alter of God so they took it upon themselves to build their own nonfunctioning alter as a replica of the real Alter of God in the hopes that they, their children and the Nation of Israel would not forget that they were indeed entitled to the same inheritance as the rest of the Nation of Israel. The replica alter was just another ill-conceived notion just as ill-conceived as the original idea to remain outside of the Land was and worse it only caused further confusion and strife among them and the other tribes of Israel. Eventually living outside of the land and being separated from within the Nation did take its toll. The outside tribes were the first to compromise, the first to neglect their worship and their walk with God and the first to be conquered and taken captive by other nations. In actuality the outside tribes were never heard from again in Israel in any significant meaningful way. - 'Joshua 22:9-27 And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses. And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to ... In time to come your children [in the Promise Land] might speak unto our children [outside the Promise Land], saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel? For the LORD hath made Jordan [River] a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD. Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.'

Joshua 23-24 - The Children of Israel have settled in the Promise Land for a while now - The Tabernacle remains assembled in Shiloh - Joshua now advanced in age [110 years old] assembles the Nation at Shechem and gives his final farewell address to the Nation of Israel as Moses had previously done [Joshua actually quotes much of Moses from the book of Deuteronomy] - Joshua gives his final admonishment to the people of Israel encouraging them to continue to enter in and to possess the land and also admonishing them to fear and to serve the Lord God -- 'Joshua 24:15-17 but as for me (Joshua) and my house, we will serve the LORD. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; For the LORD our God, He it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: ...'
Cities They Did Not Build: 'Joshua 24:13 And I (God) have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.' The Children of God inherited cities that they did not have to build and ate fruit from vines and trees that they did not have to plant. The Promise Land of Israel is a type of Heaven and as a type the land was prepared in advance for the Children of God even before they entered into the land. Later Jesus would make the same promise to His disciples. - 'John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me (Jesus). In My Father's house [Heaven] are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. *I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go [to Heaven] and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I Am, there ye may be also.'

THE BOOK OF

JUDGES

Introduction: With the Bible's Book of Judges the history books of the Bible will continue and surprisingly we will continue to learn more about mankind and about ourselves then we will about God - It isn't until the Prophets that we really start to learn intimately about who God is and what He desires
We are making progress through the Bible however at this point in the Bible we still have not yet had the opportunity to find out much about who God is as a person through getting to know God's heart and God's soul. It will not be until we get past the history books and into the messages of the Prophets that we will really begin to enter into the heart and soul of God and begin to become more personally and intimately acquainted with who God is as a person and what His nature is. All of the books of the Bible cover Theology and Doctrine however the history books of the Bible cover much more about human relationships, human behavior and human government than they do in providing insight into God. - Note: It is amazing and even startling how little 'relationship' and situational type of information is provided in the Bible's New Testament and that is because much of the relationships, situations and examples for the Christian Church have already been experienced and documented in the Bible's Old Testament. Much of what we are going to look at in these next O.T. books are going to be timeless situations and relationships that being timeless actually mirror the situations, events and relationships of our own life and therefore have a tremendous message of value and importance for us even today.

The book of Judges: The Old Testament book of Judges tells the story of what could be called the 'Dark Ages' of the chosen people - When the book opens, the 12 tribes of Israel are on the edge of national success - Under Moses and his successor Joshua, they have been liberated from slavery and have begun to occupy and settle in their Promised Land - But something goes terribly wrong - By the time the book closes, central leadership has broken down and the tribes are at each other's throats - The people are oppressed on every side by enemies and in danger of national extinction - This book contains some of the most gruesome stories in the Bible - episodes of idolatry, theft, rape, murder and civil war - What went wrong? Let's take a closer look
Although anarchy existed in Israel during much of the period of the judges, the story shows that God was still working out his purpose with them. The entire story is a monument to God's patience, love and mercy. Time after time, the people became trapped in a downward spiral toward moral degeneracy, and the refrain, 'The Israelites once again did evil in the sight of the Lord', recurs like a monotonous litany throughout the book. Yet, every time the Israelites repented, God forgave them and sent a deliverer (or 'judge' - hence the name of the book). The central section of the book (chapters 3:7-16:31) tells us of six judges God raised up to deliver his people from their enemies. These stories - with their pattern of Israel's sin, sorrow, repentance and restoration - illustrate what is often called the 'cycle of sin'. At first glance, the stories all seem to follow the same theme. But there are subtle and important differences. These small divergences are important, like when a musician plays variations on a theme. First we hear what could be called the 'base' theme. Then it is played again, with a few variations. As the variations are developed, the base theme recedes further and further into the background, and may even be no longer recognizable to the untrained ear. But the trained listener can appreciate what is happening. The chronicler of Judges uses much the same technique, and we need to read carefully to appreciate the lesson. These are not just stories - they are a variation of a theme. ... Jesus Christ breaks the cycle of sin: Old Testament scholar Arthur Cundall identifies the central message of the book of Judges: "The period of the judges' is a faithful witness to the fact of man's frailty and to his need not of a merely temporal deliverer, but of an eternal Saviour who can effect a perfect redemption." Cundall's comment could also apply to the history of the modern world. We live in a society that is supposedly so much more sophisticated and enlightened than that of ancient Israel. And yet much of our behavior has been just as barbaric and faithless as that of the Israelites. Our society, just like theirs, continues to be "a faithful witness to the fact of man's frailty and of his need for an eternal Saviour." The good news of the gospel is that there is an eternal Savior who has already broken the cycle of sin by offering a perfect redemption for the whole world. He is the God-man, Jesus Christ. And the basic message of the Old Testament book of Judges - that sin leads to slavery while repentance leads to redemption - provides a fitting background for the New Testament teaching: because Jesus died for our sins, God grants us repentance and delivers us from spiritual slavery. [article link]

Background - The book of Judges - "Our English word 'judge' fails to bring out the breadth of meaning encompassed in the Hebrew term shophet (from the verb shaphat, to 'judge,' 'justify,' or 'deliver') - The book may be divided into three parts: introduction, which deals with Israel's failure to conquer Canaan completely, first from a military and then from a religious perspective - the main body of the book, consisting largely of the adventures of the individual judges a conclusion, which sets the stage for the transition to monarchy by painting a picture of moral decline and political dissolution in a time when 'there was no king in Israel and every man did as he pleased' - The stories of the judges are thus framed by an introduction that looks back to the book of Joshua and a conclusion that looks forward to the books of Samuel and Kings
J. Cheryl Exum writes: "The book may be divided into three parts: a double introduction, which deals with Israel's failure to conquer Canaan completely, first from a military and then from a religious perspective (1:1-3:6); the main body of the book, consisting largely of the adventures of the individual judges (3:7-16:31); and a double conclusion (chaps. 17-21), which sets the stage for the transition to monarchy by painting a picture of moral decline and political dissolution in a time when 'there was no king in Israel and every man did as he pleased' (21:25). The stories of the judges are thus framed by an introduction that looks back to the book of Joshua and a conclusion that looks forward to the books of Samuel and Kings." (Harper's Bible Commentary, p. 245). ... Jay G. Williams writes: "Clearly one of the main points of the author is that almost from the beginning Israel fell into sin and therefore was subjected to historical punishment by Yahweh at the hands of her enemies. Only when Yahweh raised up a new hero to lead the people was Israel revived once more. As the story proceeds, however, the cycle becomes more and more disastrous for Israel. The last of the judges, Samson, is simply a great buffoon who kills a few Philistines but who does not lead Israel in battle at all. The story moves, then, from a glorification of the heroes to a call for a new and better way of organizing Israel politically and militarily. That is to say, Judges points forward to the books of Samuel and the rise of the kingship. The book ends with two rather gruesome stories (17:1-18:31 and 19:1-21:25) which illustrate graphically the corrupt condition of religion and justice under the judges." (Understanding the Old Testament, p. 159). [article link]

Judges 1-2 - A historical interim book covering the death of Joshua until the period of the Kings of Israel - about 300 to 400 years of Jewish history are covered - Thirteen Judges are chronicled during thirteen alternating periods of Spiritual revival in Israel followed by periods of backsliding that led to oppression and defeat at the hands of their enemies
'Judges 1:14-15 And it came to pass, when she [Achsah his daughter] came to him (Caleb), that she moved him [her husband] to ask of her father [for] a field: and she lighted from off her ass (donkey) [the Jews were not to own horses only a donkey (Exodus 20:17)]; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether [lower] springs.' - With the new book in the Bible and a new era in Israel Calab [one of the two successful spies (Numbers 13:30), Joshua was the other one] now becomes the ever present type of Jesus Christ in the Bible. His devout daughter Achsah sought out her father's presence and asked him for a blessing for herself and for her family. Caleb had already generously given her a large portion of land and now she requested from him some additional land that contained some valuable springs of water and as a type of Jesus Caleb then gave to her two separate life sustaining springs of water to go with her land a total gift of more than double what she had asked for and had hoped to receive from him. As a faithful type of Jesus Christ the generosity of Caleb was to match the generosity of Jesus Christ. - 'Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ' - '2 Peter 1:3 According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness [springs of water], through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue:' - 'James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth [ridicule] not; and it shall be given him.' - 'James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness [no deciet], neither shadow of turning.'

Judges 3-5 - The sagas and adventures of Israel continue as lessons and examples for us in our times - Deborah a Prophetess was the 4th Judge of Israel - As a prophetess Deborah called on Barak to go conquer King Sisera - Barak would not go to the battle without Deborah and together they oversaw the defeat of the Canaanite King Sisera -- 'Judges 4:4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.'
'Judges 4:11-12 Now Heber [and his wife Jael] the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.' - 'Judges 4:14-24 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.' - Battling our old bossy self: King Sisera is a picture of our old sin nature before we become a Christian. Prior to Christianity our sin nature reigns supreme in our body whatever our sin nature desires we endeavor to do what pleases it. If our sin nature wanted food we fed it, a movie we saw it, drink we drank it and music we listened to it all in league of satisfying ourselves. After Heber had broken away [became a Christian] from the area controlled by King Sisera Heber still attempted to befriend Sisera and informed Sisera of the army already on the move to attack his forces. Sisera defeated [by the cross of Jesus] came into the very tent [personal presence] of Heber and his wife Jael seeking shelter. Sisera though defeated was as bossy and as arrogant as ever and Heber and Jael wisely did not try to challenge Sisera directly instead Jael put the old tyrant to sleep with some milk [the pure milk of the Bible] then taking a nail [from the cross of Jesus] she put the nail through the head [authority] of King Sisera pinning him to the ground in death where he belonged then Heber and Jael having victory of their old ruler were now free to live their new life of freedom [in Jesus Christ].

Judges 6-8 - Gideon becomes the 5th Judge of Israel - The Midianites put the Nation of Israel into deep poverty by plundering their possessions - Gideon placed a fleece before the Lord for confirmation of God's call on his life - Gideon defeats the Minianites with God's small army of 300 men - 'Judges 6:36-40 36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.' {Note: A fleece is considered a wrong thing to do for at least two reasons 1. it puts God to the test 2. we walk step by step with God not project by project. Also Note: Gideon's fleece is conceded prophecy in that the dew 'presence of God' was upon the wool 'Israel' then the next day the Church Age the dew 'presence of God' was manifested around Israel but not on Israel.}
'Judges 6:25-32 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove [of trees] that is by it: And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, *because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. *And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: *if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.' - Gideon at night had cut down an alter used to sacrifice to Baal and sacrificed an offering to God on a new alter. The next day the people came out and wanted to put Gideon to death for destroying Baal's alter. Gideon's father Joash told the crowd that if Baal was a god then Baal could deal with Gideon without the assistance of people. How true it is also in our day that we do not need to do the justice of God for God. God is perfectly capable of deciding how and when he wants to deal with each individual on this planet. Likewise if Allah or any other deity is god then men do not need to perform justice on behalf of Allah. It is something that actually disqualifies Allah from being a true God in that Allah does not perform on his own behalf but instead enlists men to administer human justice according to human emotions. Truly nothing is more erratic than Islamic justice it just depends on an individual's status and standing at any given moment within a community as to what any penalty might or might not be. Islamic justice has little or nothing to do with divine guidance but is more a misplaced vengeance of individual men.

Judges 9-10 - After Gideon's major victory over the Midianites Gidion asked his fellow soldiers for a money offering from their spoils - Gideon took the money he made from the battle and made his own 'ephod' a Priestly ornament of gold and gemstones that is only to be worn by the High Priest - After instituting his own form of Government and even making his own form of religion he takes many wives and has 71 sons - Abimelech his 71st son from an unpopular concubine decided he wanted to rule after his father Gideon (Jerubbaal) and in order to accomplish his rule he killed 69 of his brothers only the littlest one named Jotham was able to hide from Abimelech -- 'Judges 9:53-57 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armor bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren [Jotham originally fled to the city of Beer but he seems to have been eventually killed as well]: And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham [given at mount Gerizim] the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon).'
Judges 9:6-21 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the *Olive Tree [Holy Spirit] said unto them, Should I leave My fatness [goodness], wherewith by Me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? And the trees said to the *Fig Tree [man's religious works], Come thou, and reign over us. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said the trees unto the *Vine [Jesus Christ], Come thou, and reign over us. And the Vine said unto them, Should I leave My Wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Then said all the trees unto the *bramble [curse bearing thorn bush], Come thou, and reign over us. And the bramble [Abimelech] said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the Cedars of Lebanon. Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. - Here we have an interesting Parable given by Jotham and it includes the Olive Tree [Holy Spirit] "wherewith by Me they honor God and man" and the Vine [Jesus Christ] "which cheereth God and man" and the Fig Tree [man's religious works] "Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit" a bramble [thorn and thistle bush] and Cedar Trees of Lebanon all in the same Parable. Notice how only the Olive Tree and the Vine please both God and man, very interesting even in the confusion that reigned in the days of Judges, the days before the Kings and before the vast teachings of the Prophets yet some still had a good understanding of the nature of God and of the Parables of God.

Judges 11-12 - Jephthah the ninth Judge of Israel - Jephthah offers a vow to God and sanctifies [burnt offering] his daughter to God in a living sacrifice much the same way that Hannah sanctified her son Samuel [1 Samuel 1:11] to the Lord in a similar vow to God - {when they offered themselves or a child to God in a burnt offering it was only their hair that was burned in a ceremony it wasn't a human sacrifice of any kind though it's often portrayed as such but remember it's strictly forbidden for Jews and Christians to take an innocent life and human sacrifice is a complete, forbidden, unacceptable, abomination to the living God} - *The vow of Jephthah being listed in the New Testament [Hebrews 11:32] as an example of our faith confirms that it was a sanctification by faith not a human sacrifice by fire - It has been about 300 years since Israel left Egypt and began to dwell again in the lands outside of Egypt and in and around Canaan -- 'Judges 1:26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye [Moab] not recover them within that time?' {Moab never actually had the land that Israel was on but they wanted to claim it anyhow.}
Jephthah's Vow: Judges 11:30-40 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands. And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel. And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. - The promise of sanctification that Jephthah made and kept even though it was a very difficult promise for him and his daughter to keep is commented on in Hebrews 11 the 'Hall of Faith' had Jephthah committed a human sacrifice the Bible would have immediately and repeatedly condemned it as it would be unacceptable to God. *The vow of Jephthah being listed in the New Testament as an example of our faith confirms that it was a sanctification by faith not a human sacrifice by fire. "that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man." That "and she knew no man" is in reference to how she lived out the rest of her life and also "the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah" to comfort her because she was without a child all acts and responses to a living person not a deceased person. {Note: Apparently Josephus seems to have thought it might have been a human sacrifice however Josephus reported on the common view and the common view is often wrong. The Apostle Paul was certainly aware that it was a vow of consecration.} - 'Hebrews 11:32-35 And what shall I more say [about Faith]? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae [sanctified his daughter to God]; of David also, and Samuel [sanctified his life to God through a vow his mother Hannah made, similar to the vow of Jephthae], and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again [Faith in God is about people receiving Life not taking life!]: ...'

Judges 13-16 - The Great Sampson, Judges 13:7 "a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death" - Sampson repeatedly placed his desires above that of his parents, his family, his neighbors, his Nation and ultimately above the desires of God - 'Judges 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my [Jewish] people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.'
'Judges 16:28 And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years.' - Note: Sampson was a Nazarite set apart to God every day of his life this included his ups and downs and it included his captivity and blindness at the hands of the Philistines. Also Note: Sampson is a child of God in the Bible that also committed suicide and ended his own life. Suicide is not the preferred desire of God however the message of the Bible, given in this case through Sampson, is that our sins, our predicaments and even our own suicidal death is something that will be overcome by the goodness and life of God. After death [Romans 14:11-13] every knee will bow before the King of the Universe Jesus Christ and how we die is just not as important as how we bow. - There are many forms of suicide including unsafe sex, drugs, alcohol, reckless behavior and actually anything that is separate and apart from the life of Jesus Christ is a form of human suicide.

Judges 17-18 - Now we are at the point where a man named Micah stole one thousand one hundred silver shekels from his mother - Micah hearing his mother curse the missing shekels returned them to her - she explained that the money was to be used to make a molten god - Micah received 200 of the cursed shekels and had a molten image made along with and ephod and other religious relics - After consecrating one of his own sons to be his priest Micah hired a Levite Priest from Bethlehem - The Tribe of Dan unable to conquer their allotted inheritance relocated to the northernmost part of Israel - Members of the Tribe of Dan while relocating took by force and confiscated all of Micah's false gods, religious items and even his Levitical Priest and brought them north with them where they installed his Priest and worshiped his false images -- 'Judges 17:6 In those days there was no King in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.'
'Judges 18:13-26 And they [Tribe of Dan] passed thence unto mount Ephraim, and came unto the house of Micah. Then answered the five men that went to spy out the [North] country of Laish [later renamed Dan], and said unto their brethren, Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod, and teraphim, and a graven image, and a molten image? now therefore consider what ye have to do. And they turned thitherward, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him. And the six hundred men appointed with their weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood by the entering of the gate. And the five men that went to spy out the land went up, and came in thither, and took the graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image: and the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were appointed with weapons of war. And these went into Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten image. Then said the priest unto them, What do ye? And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people. So they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the carriage before them. And when they were a good way from the house of Micah, the men that were in the houses near to Micah's house were gathered together, and overtook the children of Dan. And they cried unto the children of Dan. And they turned their faces, and said unto Micah, What aileth thee, that thou comest with such a company? And he said, Ye have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and ye are gone away: and what have I more? and what is this that ye say unto me, What aileth thee? And the children of Dan said unto him, Let not thy voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon thee, and thou lose thy life, with the lives of thy household. And the children of Dan went their way: and when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back unto his house.' - As Micah found out having your own False Religion is a though business there is a lot of competition and not a lot of rules or protections. Anyhow it's always best to have a God that can't be stolen or taken away. Jesus Christ saw to it that His Kingdom would be positioned above mankind and in Spirit located in the safety of human hearts, souls and minds where it will be safe from being squandered and safe from removal by anyone who passes bye or any other form of malcontent.

Ten Shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead - 'Judges 17:10 And Micah said unto him, Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of apparel, and thy victuals' (Mp3)
Description: Paris Reidhead preaches what could be called one of the most influential sermons of the 20th century. The real point of this sermon is an indictment of individuals and organizations practicing humanism behind a mask of Christianity! "This sermon should be preached on a regular basis in every church in America!" [article link]

Judges 19-21 - Concluding the Book of Judges [with an earlier event] brings us to one of the most gruesome events recorded in the Bible - The horrid event and the out of control aftermath is actually a depiction of Church gossip, infighting and divisions -- 'Judges 19:30 And it was so, that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the children of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day: consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.'
Judges 20:20-48 20 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin; and the men of Israel put themselves in array to fight against them at Gibeah. And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and destroyed down to the ground of the Israelites that day twenty and two thousand men. And the people the men of Israel encouraged themselves, and set their battle again in array in the place where they put themselves in array the first day. And the children of Israel went up and wept before the LORD until even, and asked counsel of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the LORD said, Go up against him. And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days [not all the events are in chronological order], saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine hand. ... And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them. Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel unto the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and them which came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them. Thus they enclosed the Benjamites round about, and chased them, and trode them down with ease over against Gibeah toward the sunrising. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor. And they turned and fled toward the wilderness unto the rock of Rimmon: and they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men; and pursued hard after them unto Gidom, and slew two thousand men of them. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valor. But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness unto the rock Rimmon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months. And the men of Israel turned again upon the children of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, as well the men of every city, as the beast, and all that came to hand: also they set on fire all the cities that they came to. - The aftermath of a needless event that very nearly wiped out one Tribe [Benjamin] from Israel and cost the Nation of Israel dearly for generations to come when instead of helping each other they chose instead to fight each other. In this event as in all gossip events it's important to note that there were no innocent parties. The Levitical Priest was just as much out of bounds and at fault as anyone else if not more though he broadcast his story to all of Israel of course leaving out his own indiscretions and lack of judgment. The one sided version of events led to an instant retribution from all of Israel directed at the one seemingly guilty Tribe of Benjamin. Israel itself suffered great loss and was badly wounded in the battles that followed and discovered the hard way the strange truth that people will fight against their own kind perhaps even more ruthlessly than they will fight against an outside enemy.

THE BOOK OF

RUTH

Ruth 1 - The Book of Ruth - Redemption through the Kinsman [close relative] Redeemer -- 'Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:'
'Ruth 1:19-22 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi (Pleasant), call me Mara (Mary, bitter): for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.' - Ruth returned back to Bethlehem from her stay in Moab. At her return she was destitute her husband had sold the family land to go to Moab where he died and her two sons also died. In Israel the land does not belong to the people but to God so they can redeem is back from another person if the redemption requirements are met. Redemption is the practice of returning a lost possession or opportunity to the original owner. There is a strict legal system in place for the redemption process. 1. Only a near relative can redeem back property [land] for the original owner. 2. If a stranger returned the land it would be a gift not a redemption as the stranger would have to pay the current market price including being taken advantage of with a higher unreasonable price while the redeemer would pay only the correct original redemption price. 3. The Redeemer has to be a close relative, financially able and personally willing to perform the redemption. The redemption was not required to be performed it was up to the individual involved to make the decision himself.

Ruth 2-3 - Naomi and Ruth encounter Boaz a close relative near Kinsman Redeemer -- 'Ruth 2:4 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem , and said unto the reapers, The LORD be with you. And they answered him, The LORD bless thee.' [Later King Solomon would name one of the two Temple pillars 'Boaz' after his forefather Boaz, 1 Kings 7:21]
'Ruth 3:15-18 Also he (Boaz) said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six [six represent incomplete, seven represents - completeness, rest] measures of barley, and laid it on her: and she went into the city. And when she came to her mother in law, she said, Who art thou, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. And she said, These six measures of barley gave he me; for he said to me, Go not empty unto thy mother in law. Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall: for the man will not be in rest [the seventh measure], until he have finished the thing [redemption] this day.' - The Biblical redemption process requires that the redeemer be a close relative otherwise it is not a return [redemption] but is just an outright transaction. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of All Mankind and this is possible because 1. We are originally created in the Spiritual image of God (Jesus) so we are actually closely related to Jesus spiritually. In fact we are each more closely related to God spiritually than to anyone else even physically. 2. Jesus kept intact His close relationship [Kinsman Redeemer] status with all mankind in that Jesus was born of a Virgin without an earthly father. If Jesus had a earthly father besides Mary then Jesus would only be a Kinsman Redeemer to his close relatives. However Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and His Father is in Heaven who is our original Father when He created Adam and Eve in 'our' image [Genesis 1:26] therefore Jesus the Son of God is the eligible Kinsman redeemer for all of the direct descendants of Adam and Eve.

Ruth 4 - It turns out the Law of Moses although in the image of God and to some giving the appearance of the ability of redemption it cannot give life [raise up seed] and therefore cannot redeem -- 'Ruth 4:14-17 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a Kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he [Kinsman Redeemer] shall be unto thee *a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.'
'Ruth 4:1-13 Then went Boaz up to the gate [of Bethlehem], and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman [a closer relative, kinsman redeemer to Naomi] of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. And he took ten [ten - number of difficulty, a difficult task is taking place] men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, selleth a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech's: And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. *If thou wilt redeem it [back to the family], redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know: for there is none to redeem it beside thee {this unnamed first in line redeemer is a type of the laws of Moses}; and I am after thee. And he said, I will redeem it. Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, *to raise up the name of the dead {the law can own land but the law cannot give life or raise up life} upon his inheritance. And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself {the laws of Moses cannot give life}, lest I mar mine own inheritance {cease to be the law and become something else}: redeem thou my right to thyself {in grace and love}; for I {the law} redeem it. Now this was the manner in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbour: and this was a testimony in Israel. Therefore the kinsman said unto Boaz, Buy it for thee. So he {the law} drew off his shoe {When John the Baptist [Mark 1:7] said he was unworthy to unloose the sandel of Jesus this is what he was talking about, John was unable to redeem only Jesus is the Redeemer}. And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi. *Moreover Ruth the Moabitess [Gentile Bride], the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine House like Rachel and like Leah [wives of Jacob], which two [and their two maids] did build the House of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. So Boaz [the son of Rahab from the battle Jericho (Joshua 2:1)] took Ruth [a Gentile], and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son [Obed, he is the Grandfather of King David].' - The Law although in the image of God is unable to give life therefore doing what the Law was unable to do God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to redeem mankind and the world [system] back to Himself. - 'Galatians 4:4-5 4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.'

!!!Highly Recommended - Ruth: Chuck Missler Commentaries (Online Audio)
Mr. Missler is the chairman of Koinonia House (K-House), a non-profit organization which is dedicated to the development and distribution of materials for encouraging and facilitating serious study of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. K-House was founded by Chuck and Nancy Missler, and moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 1992. K-House now reaches tens of thousands through its monthly newsletter, radio shows, cassette tapes, and conferences. More than eight million study tapes have been distributed in the U.S. and in over 35 countries around the world. [article link]

KHouse.org: Ruth - The Romance of Redemption by Chuck Missler - (MP3 Download $9.95)
What does this famous love story from the Old Testament have to do with the Feast of Pentecost? What critical element in Messianic genealogy is found in the Book of Ruth? The law shut out this Gentile Moabitess but grace took her in. Discover God's love for Israel, the Church and yourself through this beautiful love story of redemption. This key book of Bible prophecy highlights the role of the Goel, the kinsman-redeemer. Find out why the Book of Ruth is an essential study to understand the Book of Revelation! This briefing pack comes with: - two mp3 audio files - one notes file in PDF format - total file size equals 55 MB. [article link]

THE FIRST BOOK OF

1 SAMUEL

OTHERWISE CALLED
THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS

Introduction: The Books of Samuel and Kings enter a new phase in Israel - The anointed Shepherds (Kings) of Israel now oversee the flock of the Nation of Israel - The first three anointed Kings of Israel [Trilogy of Israeli Kings] are actually going to be Biblical types - King Saul (asked for - by the people) is in part a type of Satan - King David (beloved of God) is in part a type of Jesus Christ - King Solomon (peaceable and deceiving) is in part a type of the coming Antichrist
Jesus compares Himself to the Shepherds of Israel: 'John 10:7-18 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers [i.e. King Saul - a type of Satan]: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd [i.e. King David - a type of Jesus]: the good shepherd giveth His Life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling [i.e. King Solomon - a type of the Antichrist], and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.' - Note: King David is going to be a King of Israel much like Sampson was a Judge of Israel. King David is also going to fail in many ways and actually David is going to break all or almost all of the 10 Commandments of God. Ultimately in determining the godliness of a person it is based on their trust in the living God and in their relationship with God. King David trusted God completely with his life and as a result he had a devotional and a prayer life dedicated to God that was second to none. [King David wrote most of the Book of Psalms] - Also Note: The Kings of Israel are actual people and as actual people only certain events and aspects of their life have been recorded as examples for us in the Bible in order to help give us a prophetic [Kingdom of God], spiritual and future understanding while we are still in our restricted physical realm. Though King Solomon is in part a Biblical type of the Kingdom of Antichrist, King Solomon was not and is not the Antichrist himself and in fact for much of the start of King Solomon's career he is in some ways a type of Jesus and this is what is intriguing as King Solomon in type morphs from being a type of Jesus Christ into a type of the Antichrist. King Solomon as a real person though is very probably in Heaven however as a real person his entrance into Heaven is based solely on his relationship with God and not on his accomplishments, his titles or even his birthright as King.

bible.org: Introduction to 1 Samuel - One might conclude from reading the Book of Judges that the problem was the absence of a king in Israel: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" [Judges 21:25] - In 1 Samuel, Israel will get her king - Saul, Israel's first king, will be the kind of king the people want, and prove to be the king Israel deserves - David, Israel's second king, will replace Saul - He is God's kind of king, a man after God's heart - While the people and events of 1 Samuel are from long ago and from far away, the struggles these men and women faced are the same as ours today, as we seek to live in a fallen world in a way that is pleasing to God
We are not ready for the Book of 1 Samuel until after we have read the Book of Judges. These days of the judges were dark days for the nation Israel. God had delivered the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. Due to their unbelief, the first generation of Israelites failed to enter the promisedland. The second generation entered Canaan, and under the leadership of Joshua, did reasonably well. But after the death of Joshua, things began to fall apart. Israel went through repetitive cycles of blessing and discipline, the result of their obedience or rebellion. When Israel disobeyed, God gave the nation over to an oppressive enemy. When the Israelites repented and cried out to God, He sent a "judge" to deliver them. When that judge died, the people of Israel returned to their sin. The cycle seemed to be endless. - One might conclude from reading the Book of Judges that the problem was the absence of a king in Israel: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). In 1 Samuel, Israel will get her king. Saul, Israel's first king, will be the kind of king the people want, and prove to be the king Israel deserves. David, Israel's second king, will replace Saul. He is God's kind of king, a man after God's heart. 1 Samuel tells the story of fascinating people like Hannah and Samuel, like Saul and David. There is never a dull moment in this masterfully well written history. The book closes with the death of Saul, and thus the end of David's flight from the hand of Saul, who seeks to kill him as an enemy. - While the people and events of 1 Samuel are from long ago and from far away, the struggles these men and women faced are the same as ours today, as we seek to live in a fallen world in a way that is pleasing to God. There are many ways in which we can identify with these ancient Israelites, and many lessons we can learn from their successes and failures. As we embark on our study, let us do so with a sense of expectation, praying that God may change us and work in our lives as He did in the lives of these men and women of old. May God use this book to make us men and women after His heart. ~ by Bob Deffinbaugh [article link]

Introduction to First Samuel: First Samuel brings us out of the anarchy and moral decline of the period of the Judges and into the period of Israel's kings - The pivotal character in this transition is the prophet and judge Samuel, who anoints Israel's first two kings, Saul and David. The history of First Samuel unfolds largely through the lives of these three men: a mighty prophet [Samuel], the promising but tragic life of Israel's first king Saul, and his faithful successor [King] David
What follows is initial success marred by repeated fear and disobedience on [King] Saul's part until he finally is removed in judgment and the young godly leader David is established as king. Saul failed God in several ways: 1. His presumption at God's altar (1 Samuel 13:11-13). 2. His cruelty to his son Jonathan (1 Samuel 14:44). 3. His disobedience in the matter of Amalek (1 Samuel 15:23). 4. His jealousy and hatred of David (1 Samuel 18:29). 5. His sinful appeal to the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:7). ... Embedded in Saul's tragic story is the story of a brave young soldier in Saul's army. From humble beginnings as a shepherd, David rises to prominence as a warrior and a leader. Despite Saul's jealous attempts to kill him, David survives and thrives, and after years of testing, becomes Israel's king and establishes a new monarchy. Of the tribe of Judah, he will establish a throne upon which eventually one of his descendants, Jesus, will reign as Messiah forever. Though he had his faults, David was "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14) who sought God in prayer and wrote many Psalms we still read today. They endure as examples of a transparently God-absorbed man seeking the Lord amidst the pressures and trials of life. In them and in David's life we can see the reward of a life spent in passionate pursuit of God. ~ by Dr. Jeff Wubbenhorst [article link]

1 Samuel 1-2 - The Book of the Prophet Samuel - The establishment of God's Prophets and Kings in the Nation of Israel - '1 Samuel 1:3 And this man [Elkanah and his wife Hannah] went up out of his city [Ramah] yearly to worship and to sacrifice [at the Tabernacle] unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh [the Temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built]. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the [Levitical] Priests of the LORD, were there.'
1 Samuel 1:26-2:11 And she [Hannah] said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord [Eli the High Priest], I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child [Samuel] I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of Him: Therefore also I have lent him [Samuel] to the LORD; as long as he liveth [consecration, burnt offering vow] he shall be lent to the LORD [the same consecration vow Jephthah made with God Judges 11:31]. And he [Eli] worshipped the LORD there. And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none Holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, *and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars [stabilization] of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world [stable] upon them. He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His King (Jesus), and exalt the horn of His anointed. And Elkanah [and Hannah] went to Ramah to his house. And the child [Samuel] did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest. - Hanna vowed and consecrated her son Samuel to the service of God for his entire life. Samuel is from the tribe of Ephraim not a Levite and is ineligible to serve God as a priest however he does serve God as a Prophet. The three offices of God; Priest, Prophet and King are not allowed to be combined into one human man because they are only combined into one office in Jesus Christ. In coming verses we will see the distinctions of the three Godly offices and also the disastrous results when King Saul who was already counted among the Prophets takes upon himself the office of Priest and performs a sacrifice.

1 Samuel 3-5 - Hannah receives an answer to her prayer and gives birth to her first son Samuel whom she had promised to dedicate to the service of God - As a small child Samuel is dedicated at the Tabernacle and remains to help minister in the Tabernacle at Shiloh - While a child and ministering in the Tabernacle as he took a nap one day God talked to the little Samuel - God made Samuel a Prophet for the Nation of Israel -- '1 Samuel 3:4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he [Samuel] answered, Here am I.' ... And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.'
'1 Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before [in the presence of] Eli [the High Priest].' - A main lesson in the books of Samuel and Kings is the distribution of the three offices of God. The offices of Priest, Prophet and King were to be divided among there Tribes [Priests - Tribe of Levi; Kings - Tribe of Judah] and among the people. The offices of Prophet, Priest and King are only allowed to combine in the one person Jesus Christ. - A Priest could be a prophet though it was unlikely and when God did communicate with the High Priest it was often not as a Prophet but through the Thummim and Urim stones or the stones on His breastplate but usually not speaking directly like to a prophet. Some of the of the Kings were both Prophets and Kings but were not to take on the third office of Priest or particularly High Priest. When King David offered sacrifices to God it was on behalf of the Nation of Israel not on behalf of himself as Saul did. King David was also careful to wear a linen ephod not a gold ephod like the High Priest would wear and certainly King David had the Priests do the actual sacrifices. When King David built an Alter on the site of the future Temple and offered a sacrifice to God [2 Samuel 24:25] it is probable that David had the Priests offer the actual sacrifices [as he had the Priests move the Ark in 2nd Samuel 6:1-18] though King David is a type of Jesus and as the type of a King, Prophet and Priest for Jesus he might have been led by God to offer a sacrifice as well because it was on the correct location of the new Temple Mount and not some random location chosen by David but a place designated by God. - Samuel was ministering to God under Eli in that Samuel was probably not a Levite Priest but he was a firstborn male that was not redeemed but was consecrated to God by his mother Hannah so he was eligible to minister in some capacity with the Levitical Priesthood. [Samuel wore only a linen ephod like King David would later wear.] - Note: Samuel was probably from the Tribe of Ephraim and not of the Priestly Tribe of Levi. If Samuel was of the Tribe of Levi then his mother Hannah would not have had to dedicate him to the service of the Lord because he would already have been dedicated to the service of God through a Levitical heritage. Samuel's father's family is listed as worshipers not Priests. Samuel's father Elkanah has two wives if he was a Levitical Priest he probably could only have one wife and possibly a concubine [Judges 19:1]. - There is an Elkanah and a Samuel listed in 1 Chronicles in the Levitical family line of Kohath the son of Levi however it does not appear to be the same family as listed in 1 Samuel. '1 Samuel 1:1-3 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah [Samuel's father], the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, *an Ephrathite [Tribe of Ephraim]: And he had *two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to *worship and to sacrifice [as a citizen] unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh.' - '1 Chronicles 6:22-28 The sons of Kohath [Levitical Priestly line, Kohath was a son of Levi]; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth. As for Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai [Zuph?] his son, and Nahath [Tohu?] his son, Eliab [Elihu?] his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni [Joel?], and Abiah.' - Though some of the names are similar and some of the names are the same its possibly not the same family. It seems more likely that these are two different families and that Samuel the Prophet was of the Tribe of Ephraim and he did some ministry to the Lord as a firstborn unredeemed male and that Samuel and two of his sons functioned as Judges in Israel though Samuel officiated in two offices of God it's important to note that he did not serve in the third office or capacity as a King in Israel. It doesn't make a big difference whether or not Samuel was from the Tribe of Levi or not because he was not a King but just keep in mind that Israel had strict procedures and policies that they followed to the letter of the law and Samuel does not match the Levitical Priesthood to the letter but his main office was that of a true Prophet and he does fit that office and serve God to the letter of the law.

1 Samuel 6-8 - The Philistines are defeating the Children of Israel in battle - The Ark of the Covenant is improperly brought up to the battle in an attempt to encourage the Israelites - The battle is lost and the Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant - Samuel has grown older and the Children of Israel do not want his sons to continue to be a Judge over them - The Nation of Israel asks for a King to be more like the other nations -- '1 Samuel 8:1-4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a King to judge us like all the nations.'
1 Samuel 8:6-22 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the [worldly] manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that 'asked' [the name Saul means asked for] of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; *and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; *That we also may be like all the nations; and *that our king may judge us, and *go out before us, and *fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. - The Nation of Israel asks Samuel and God for their own King to reign over them and God will grant their request. Note: With the coming human King now leading and reining over Israel it will end an era that began in Egypt when God led them out of Egypt and into the Promise Land of Israel. With God no longer their visible leader it will end the era of the 'Seer' and Samuel will be their first modern 'Prophet' for the Nation of Israel. When Israel had God as their King they had Seers because God was in their midst and could be seen now with a man as their King they return to the era of the Prophets.

1 Samuel 9-11 - Saul a young man from the Tribe of Benjamin is selected to be the first anointed King over Israel -- '1 Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a *Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? *wherefore [why] then speakest thou so to me?' {Saul new that Israel had requested a King from Samuel but Saul also knew that he was from the wrong Tribe in Israel. The Kings for Israel were supposed to come only from the Tribe of Judah [Genesis 49:10] just as the Levitical Priests of Israel are to come only from the Tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron [Exodus 28:1] and Saul is from the Tribe of Benjamin.}
'1 Samuel 10:1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon [Saul] his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because *the LORD hath anointed thee *to be Captain [King] over his *inheritance?' [The inheritance of God is both the Nation of Israel and the Gentiles, Jesus being the firstborn gets the double inheritance (Jews and Gentiles) for His firstborn double portion inheritance.]- Saul has been anointed into one of the offices of God as King and soon Saul will gain his second office of God as a Prophet. Later Saul will disobey God and he will take upon himself a third office of God when Saul himself builds his own alter and offers a burnt offering sacrifice to God, making himself a Priest to God and possibly in this case by building a sacrifice alter accidently making himself a High Priest to God. Saul unknowingly or knowingly in taking on all three offices of God in being a King, Prophet and Priest Saul has declared himself to be the coming Messiah (Christ). The results are that Saul is immediacy rebuked by Samuel and Saul is stripped of his two offices of King and Prophet. - '1 Samuel 10:10-16 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him [Saul]; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, *he [Saul] prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? *Therefore it became a proverb [a well-known saying], Is Saul also among the prophets? And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place. And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses [donkeys]: and when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel. And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. *But of the matter of the Kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.'

1 Samuel 12-14 - Saul is anointed as King though not everyone accepted him as their King until Saul was able to provide a great victory [expanding his Kingdom] at the hands of God for the Nation -- '1 Samuel 11:14-15 Then said Samuel to the people [after the victory], Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom [of Saul] there. And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.' {Saul though anointed and appointed King over Israel does not become a King in the eyes of the people until he delivers a great victory over their enemies. The King needing a great victory is similar to the High Priest needing to enter successfully into the Holy of Holies inner room with the Atonement blood and return alive to show that he is indeed chosen and acceptable to God and likewise the Prophet can prophecy however until his prophecies come to pass and are shown to be true the people will not accept him as a prophet appointed from God.}
'1 Samuel 13:9-14 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, What hast thou done? ... I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: *the LORD hath sought him a man after his own [spiritual] heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [David] to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.' - Saul's Kingdom is a purely physical kingdom and not the spiritual Kingdom that God had in mind with Judah. - Saul had a personal issue in that he knew that in being from the Tribe of Benjamin and not from the Tribe of Judah that he was from the wrong Tribe in Israel to be the permanent King of Israel. Saul suspected that his kingdom reign was only temporary until God could raise up a King from the Tribe of Judah. Saul was partially correct when Judah unknowingly slept with his daughter-in-law it was an act of a curse [Deuteronomy 23:2] that kept his family from being King over Israel for 10 generations. Jesse the father of King David was the tenth generation and his sons were among the first of the Tribe of Judah to be eligible to serve as King of Israel without the curse. David was of the eleventh generation from Judah and he was also the eight son of Jesse, David was a new type of leader not the physical leaders as his seven brothers were and as Saul was but King David was a Spiritual King of Israel, the King that God had intended to shepherd His inheritance Israel. Saul suspected that his kingdom was only temporary and it was Saul's desire to gain, seize, build and hold his physical Kingdom over Israel at any cost and his irrational intentions cost him his kingdom. The main point about Saul is that he had a suspension that his kingdom would end however Saul never one time asked God what God's intentions were in having a Benjamite King over Israel. Saul just went with his opportunity from God and then tried to take from God the kingdom that Saul wanted. After wrongly sacrificing and losing his kingdom Samuel told Saul that God would have given him and his family a kingdom over Israel forever has Saul obeyed God. Saul could have been a physical King over Israel and in two generations after Solomon the Nation of Israel split into two Nations and had two Kings anyhow but Saul sought to establish his kingdom his way among God's people and therefore Saul came to a ruinous end and Saul is one of the main Biblical examples of the personality, attributes and actions of Satan.

1 Samuel 15-16 - Saul is removed in principal from being in authority over God's people - Saul begins to make rash decisions as he picks and chooses the institutes of God that he wants to follow and interprets the few instructions of God according to his own desires at that moment - In effect Saul has exalted himself to the point where his commands are now equal to and even superior to God's words and God's intentions - '1 Samuel 14:37 And [after Saul already made his decision] Saul [then] asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But He (God) answered him (Saul) not that day.' {Saul blamed everyone including his son Jonathan for God not responding to him but Saul never even presumed for one second that he was actually at fault and the reason that God was silent towards him was because of his own sins.}
Samuel anoints David as the new [spiritual] King of Israel: '1 Samuel 16:1-14 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite [Tribe of Judah]: for I have provided me a King among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he [physically] looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his [physical] countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: *for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, *but the LORD looketh on the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. Again, Jesse made 'seven' of his sons to pass before Samuel. *And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest [eight son, spiritual son], and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his [seven] brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.' - Now at the appointed time after the ten generation curse from Judah and Tamar has passed David of the Tribe of Judah and of the eleventh generation is anointed to be King over all of Israel and to establish the throne of Judah that will eventually seat the Messiah Jesus Christ. Note: King David will later find out that the Messiah is to come as a descendant of his and therefore Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea [the same hometown of King David] to the house and Tribe of Judah.

Reigning in Life Series - King David Part 1 of 2 [page 7] (Mp3s)
Brief Sermon Overview: Using Romans 5:17 as the foundation verse. "For if by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness, reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.' Pastor Kevin Gould applies this verse to the lives of the Godly Kings of Israel and examines them, in order to find out what we can learn and so fulfill the wonderful promise of Romans 5:17 for ourselves. The series starts with King David and in this first message, the passage in 1 Chronicles 28 is used, to show how David looks back on his life and testifies to God's faithfulness in choosing him. [article link]

Is it the Palace of King David? - Of all the personalities in the Bible, have you ever wondered whose name other than Jesus is mentioned most often? - King David - His name is found both in the very first verse of the New Testament (Matt 1:1), and at the end of the Bible, in the very last chapter of the Book of Revelation 22:16 (Photos)
King David brought God's tabernacle from the wilderness to its final home in Jerusalem. He expanded the city, which showed very little growth in the thousand years prior to his arrival, and made it the spiritual and economic capital of the world of his time. The book of 2 Samuel 5:9 states that, after he conquered Jerusalem, King David made it his capital. "David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward." (NIV) At the same time, the Phoenician King Hiram of Tyre offered to build him a palace fit for an emperor. 2 Samuel 5:11, 1 Chronicles 14:1. ... It was in this same palace that, "David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful... [and her name was] Bathsheba..." 2 Samuel 11:2, (NIV) "For decades," says Leon, "and despite much effort by scholars and archaeologists, the location of King David 's palace has remained a mystery." ... Later, as the Bible records, King Solomon built his own palace, known as the "upper king's house" (Nehemiah 3:25) which was located farther to the north and closer to the site of the Temple. However, King David's palace, now referred to as the "lower king's house," continued to serve the kings of Israel and Judea for many generations to follow. "There is no question that King David's palace was a magnificent and impressive structure," says Leon. "But much more of his home remains buried under generations of rubble." "Only by continuing to excavate will we be able to truly understand the extent and grandeur of King David's royal house," says Dr. Mazar. "After all," added the archaeologist, "finding his royal residence opens a new window of understanding into the life of a man who has affected the world more than any other king in the history of mankind." [article link]

Aish.com: The world of archeology is rocked by evidence of King David's palace unearthed in Jerusalem - Dr. Eilat Mazar, world authority on Jerusalem's past, has taken King David out of the pages of the Bible and put him back into living history - Some biblical scholars gave up looking for the palace because, according to Mazar, they were looking in the wrong place - But Mazar always suspected that the palace was outside the original city, and cites the Bible to prove it - The Bible says that David heard about it and "descended to the fortress," (2-Samuel 5:17), implying that he went down from his palace, which was higher up on the mountain than the citadel/city
Mazar's latest excavation in the City of David, in the southern shadow of the Temple Mount, has shaken up the archaeological world. For lying undisturbed for over 3,000 years is a massive building which Mazar believes is King David's palace. For Mazar, 48, one of the world's leading authorities on the archaeology of ancient Jerusalem and head archaeologist of the Shalem Center Institute of Archaeology, the discovery was the culmination of years of effort and solid speculation. From the time she was a teenager, she had her nose in archaeology literature, and worked closely with her grandfather, renowned archaeologist Benjamin Mazar, who conducted the southern wall excavations next to the Western Wall. She holds a doctorate in archaeology from Hebrew University, is author of The Complete Guide to the Temple Mount Excavations, and in the 1970s and '80s worked on the digs supervised by Yigal Shilo in the City of David. The significant discoveries made then, including a huge wall called the "stepped-stone structure" -- which Shilo believed was a retaining wall for David's royal palace or part of the Jebusite fortress he conquered -- ignited Mazar to continue to look for the prize: David's palace itself. Some biblical scholars gave up looking for the palace because, according to Mazar, they were looking in the wrong place. Scholars searched for remains of the palace within the walls of the ancient Jebusite city that David conquered and called Ir David (City of David). This city, while heavily fortified with both natural and man-made boundaries, was also very small, just nine acres in size. When no evidence of such a majestic palace as the Bible describes was found there, the next step was to claim that David's monarchy never really existed. But Mazar always suspected that the palace was outside the original city, and cites the Bible to prove it. When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed, they went on the attack to apprehend him. This occurred after he conquered the Fortress of Zion, which was the actual nucleus of the city, and built his palace. The Bible says that David heard about it and "descended to the fortress," (2-Samuel 5:17), implying that he went down from his palace, which was higher up on the mountain than the citadel/city. Mazar told Aish.com: "I always asked myself: Down from where? It must have been from his palace on top of the hill, outside the original Jebusite city." Mazar says she was confident in her assessment of where the palace would be. What she discovered was a section of massive wall running about 100 feet from west to east along the length of the excavation (underneath what until this summer was the Ir David Visitors Center), and ending with a right-angle corner that turns south and implies a very large building. [article link]

King David of Israel a docudrama series [in production] - The first episodes focus on David's life as a young boy taking care of his father's sheep - We witness the powers God bestows upon him via Samuel - We see David's victories like his slaying of a lion and at age sixteen and his downing of Goliath in combat - The series ends with the words of Jesus: "I am the Root of David, the Bright Morning Star. ... Behold, I am coming soon" (Revelation 22:16-21)
The story begins with God commanding the prophet Samuel to seek out David, the son of Jesse. Once found, David is anointed by God through Samuel to be the future King of Israel. From here the episodes follow David's genealogy and his difficult journey to the Kingship of Israel, which ultimately leads to his most famous descendants, Mary, Joseph and Jesus Christ. David's faults are revealed: his infidelity with Bathsheba, his responsibility in the death of her husband, for which he repents later and humbles himself before God. His son, Amnon, goes unpunished for raping his stepsister. David's other son, Absalom, receives a mild punishment of a two year banishment for the avenge-murder of his half-brother Amnon. ... God's word comes to David through Nathan the prophet, for the punishment for his sin. David repents his sin. He and Bathsheba lose their firstborn son. When she gives birth to her second son, Solomon, God sends Nathan to David again, saying that Solomon would be the next heir to the throne of Israel. ... Adonijah is the fourth son of David and heir-apparent to the throne. But, Bathsheba preferred Solomon, the younger brother as the heir. As David lay dying Adonijah proclaims himself king. But the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba induced David to give orders that Solomon should at once be proclaimed and admitted to the throne. Adonijah fled and later received pardon for his conduct from Solomon. Shortly afterwards Adonijah made a second attempt to gain the throne, but was seized and put to death. [King Solomon inherits his father's throne] ... The last Episode focuses on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The series ends with the words of Jesus: "I am the Root of David, the Bright Morning Star. Behold, I am coming soon". [article link]

1 Samuel 17-18 - A young David answers Goliath's challenge and defeats the Philistine Giant who was covered head to toe with brass [sin] in a winner take all battle - The Philistines rather than live up to their side of Goliath's winner take all wager they fled - David and Saul's son Jonathan become friends - David marries Saul's daughter Michal - Saul becomes even more jealous of David and tries repeatedly to kill him -- '1 Samuel 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, *and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.'
'1 Samuel 18:1-4 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.' - Jonathan the oldest son of King Saul is one of the great men of God in the Bible. King Saul wanted his son Jonathan to fight against David in an attempt to continue the family royal dynasty a dynasty that was already declared ended by God. Jonathan didn't quite understand his future role in the plans of God however Jonathan respected God enough to defer his life and his royal status as prince to the desires and wishes of God even over his own father's desires and ambitions to the point that Jonathan befriended David and helped him along in his young career and life.

1 Samuel 19-21 - The crisis around King Saul with his desire to kill to maintain his fragile kingdom status has gotten to the point where David has to flee -- '1 Samuel 20:41-42 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they [brotherly] kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.'
David flees from King Saul going all the way to enemy territory in Gath: Once in Gath David feels it necessary to pretend to be insane in order to preserve his life - '1 Samuel 21:10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?' - Departing the congregation and going among nonbelievers for protection as David did is a picture of backsliding and our backsliding is a picture of insanity among the people of the world as they wonder why an heir to the throne, a future King in Israel would leave his people and act so ridiculously among the unsaved.

1 Samuel 22-24 - David continues to flee from the wrath of Saul - David locates Saul asleep in a cave yet David spared his life because Saul at one time had been anointed by God -- '1 Samuel 24:15-17 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me [David] and thee [Saul], and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand. And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. *And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.'
King Saul as a full type of Satan commands the murder of the Priests of God: '1 Samuel 22:13-21 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. *And the king [Saul] said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, *Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. *But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests.' - King Saul in complete, open and irrational defiance of God and of everything that is good, decent and honest commanded the murder of 85 innocent, peaceful men of God and the death of all the women and children that accompanied them. The men of God put up no resistance to Saul and his evil servant Doeg and Saul no doubt considered it a valiant and justified action and possible assured himself that he was blessed by God to have such a victory over a band of innocent, helpless Priests of God.

1 Samuel 25-26 - The great Samuel the Prophet dies - After Samuel's death David begins more and more to take events into his own hands and more often in a violent way - A Jewish woman named Abigail met and ministered to David assuring him and reminded him that God's plans towards David were for good and not for evil and that David as a servant and man of God was better than the conduct he was displaying -- '1 Samuel 25:32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.'
Abigail a Jewish woman says the "sinner's prayer" and David as a type of Jesus Christ takes her to be his wife: '1 Samuel 25:12-44 So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings. And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff. But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them. But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields: They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him. Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them. Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good. So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, *and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, *I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial [demons], even Nabal [foolish]: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. *Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. ***I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid. And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. *So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person. And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died. And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. *And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife. And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to wife. *And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord. And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels [five wise virgins of Matthew 25:1-13] of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife. David [as a type of Christ] also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives. But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to [another man] Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.' - The name Nabal means 'foolish' and as Abigail is married to Nabal he is considered to be a type of the old self, the world or even a type of Satan that she is married to and desperately seeking to escape from and to salvage what is left of her precious valuable life. In God's servant David (beloved) a type of Jesus Christ Abigail seeks his forgiveness and begins her new life as she is accepted by him and becomes another bride of the true King.

Lessons from the Story of Abigail - Parts 1 and 2 (Mp3s)
Brief Sermon Overview: This is part 1 of 2 concerning the story of David, Nabal, & Abigail. Six practical lessons are observed. Nine more in Part 2. [article link]

1 Samuel 27-29 - In the darkest hours before the dawn of David's eventual kingdom reign - David went back to enemy territory and so completely joined the enemy that he very nearly disqualified himself from being King over Israel - Had God not intervened and kept David from going to war against Israel then David would have invalidated his presence on the throne of Israel -- '1 Samuel 29:6-15 Then Achish [king of Gath] called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me [an enemy of Israel] in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords [Philistine kings] favour thee not. Wherefore now return, and go in peace [back to Gath], that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, *that I may not go fight against the [Israelis] enemies of my lord [Achish] the king? And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: *notwithstanding {saved from his ultimate stupidity by God} the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle [against Israel]. Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart. So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel [to fight Israel].'
Saul seeks a Witch in Endor to communicate with the departed Prophet Samuel: '1 Samuel 28:4-20 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. *And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not [Saul had killed 85 Preists], neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, *and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him [Samuel the prophet] up [from the grave], whom I shall name unto thee. And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land {not because Saul was good but because evil destroys everything even other evil}: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel [God temporarily returned the actual Samuel from Paradise], she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods {spirit beings?} ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up {in appearance so she could recognize him as Samuel}; and he is covered with a mantle [of a Prophet - Samuel is about to Prophesy from the grave]. *And Saul perceived [without seeing Samuel] that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. *And Samuel said [spoke audibly] to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. *Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. [Samuel gives his Prophecy] Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and tomorrow [the next day] shalt thou and thy sons be with me [in the afterlife, whether Saul is saved or unsaved is unknown]: the LORD also shall deliver the host [army] of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.' - God showing that He has complete authority in communicating with mankind and that He has complete ability over life and death He brings Samuel himself up from the grave to confront the requests of Saul. God would not talk to Saul and to show that it was not an oversight God sent Samuel from the afterlife to confront Saul and to show that there would be no mistake that it was the real Samuel God then had Samuel prophesy of the next day's events. The Witch of Endor knew immediately that she had seen the real spirit realm and Saul knowing well the voice of Samuel also knew he was in contact with the real afterlife realm something that seldom happens because God has fixed a separation between the two realms and they not to be crossed [Luke 16:26] in an individual status but God allows it in a Biblical proportion [knowledge for everyone] status i.e. Saul and later in the events of Revelation with the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11:3-12 who have also returned from the afterlife as Samuel did briefly to confront Saul.

The Witch of Endor, a Familiar Spirit, and the State of the Dead - When discussing the state of the dead, that the dead are really dead and not in heaven, hell, or purgatory, the case of the Witch of Endor may be presented as proof that people don't really die, that they continue in some conscious state even after death. So let's examine what happened regarding King Saul and the Witch of Endor
Note that Saul did not actually see anything himself, he had to ask the witch who is was that she saw. So based on what the witch said, Saul presumed it was Samuel who he was communicating with, that Samuel had been summoned from the grave to speak with him, since the witch said she could see Samuel coming up from out of the earth not down from heaven [Note: There was no access to heaven for humans before the cross of Jesus Christ so Samuel could only come up from Paradise not down from heaven]. King Saul was putting his trust completely in a spirit medium, a witch, a necromancer, against the expressed will of God. So the following conversation was not between Saul and Samuel, but between Saul and a witch with a familiar demonic spirit: ... Conclusion: King Saul was looking for help from the witch of Endor, to contact someone in the grave, a dead Samuel, so that he could know from God how he could gain a victory over the Philistines. But God was not talking to Saul any more. By knowing what the Bible teaches about the state of the dead, and the circumstances regarding Saul's relationship with God at the time, we can be quite certain that it was not actually Samuel raised from the dead speaking to him, but a fallen angel, a demonic spirit. That Saul even attempted this séance with a spirit medium witch was an abomination, a further rebellion against God, and Saul paid for his rebellion with his life. {Note: By all Biblical accounts it was the real Samuel who returned briefly in spirit form from the afterlife in Paradise to rebuke Saul and to give a last accurate Prophecy concerning the unlikely events of the next day the last day of Saul's life and the beginning of the prophesied and planned Kingdom of King David. - Also Note: The Bible is about the spiritual realm to the point that all of our accurate understanding and insight into the afterlife and into the spiritual realm is delivered to us only through the pages of the Holy Bible.} [article link]

1 Samuel 30-31 - David and his men return from their treason with the Philistines to find that in their absence their families have been conquered and taken off into captivity by the Amlalekites - David repents and at this point goes all in with his life for God on God's side and for Israel the people of God -- '1 Samuel 30:4-8 Then David and the people [men of his army] that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ... David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. ... And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And He (God) answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.'
Saul's prophesied death occurs: '1 Samuel 31:1-6 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchi-shua, Saul's sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.' - '*2 Samuel 1:5-10 And David said unto the young [Amalekite] man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance {he was probably looting the battlefield} upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he [Saul] saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. And he said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord [David].' - '1 Samuel 31:8-13 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.' - Even after multiple battle wounds and falling on his own sword and appearing to be dead to those around him but Saul being full of demons did not immediately die. It was not until after Saul was attacked again by an Amalekite [2 Samuel 1:8] and possibly even only ultimately after being beheaded by the Philistines that it was confirmed that Saul was dead. At this point in Saul's life having disobeyed God on numerous occasions and then ordering the murder of the innocent Priests of God and God having completely removed His protection from Saul, Saul was clearly demon possessed and being demon possessed the demons do not readily want to give up the body they inhabit and as in Saul's case he was demonically driven in life and probably demonically driven for a short time after his death at least for a few hours and into the next day after his life.

NationalGeographic.com: Blackbeard Pirate Terror at Sea - Merchant crews often surrendered without a fight the moment they saw Blackbeard's flag - BLACKBEARD WAS BRITISH, probably born before 1690 his real name was thought to be Edward Teach - As Teach's power and reputation as the most frightening of pirates grew, so did his beard and hair - Now calling himself Blackbeard, he braided his beard and tied the braids with black ribbons - He stuffed burning rope under his hat to make himself look more ferocious and menacing he scared everyone
In the fall of 1718 Blackbeard returned from sea to his favorite hideaway off Ocracoke Island [North Carolina]. He hosted a huge, wild pirate get-together with dancing, drinking, and bonfires. Other famous pirates sailed in for the days-long event. News of the pirate bash reached Alexander Spotswood, the governor of Virginia. He decided that the time had come to stop Blackbeard once and for all. He spent the next several weeks planning Blackbeard's capture. SPOTSWOOD SENT TWO SLOOPS, small swift ships, commanded by Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy to Ocracoke. Seeing the navy's sails, Blackbeard and his pirates knew they were trapped. Only sandbars lay between them and the navy. By morning, the tide would rise, the sloops would glide over the submerged sandbars, and the attack on the pirate ship would begin. All through the night Maynard's men prepared for the next day's fighting. Muffled laughter and swearing from the pirate ship echoed across the water. Blackbeard didn't seem worried about the upcoming battle. His pirates, however, were nervous. They stockpiled ammunition on deck and soaked blankets in water in preparation for putting out fires. They spread sand on the decks to soak up blood once the fighting started. Thinking it likely they would all die, one pirate asked Blackbeard whether Blackbeard's wife knew where he had buried his treasure. Blackbeard bellowed that nobody but he "...and the devil knew where it was, and the longest liver shall take it." ... Pistol in one hand, cutlass in the other, Blackbeard came face-to-face with Maynard. They both fired pistols. Blackbeard missed. Maynard hit his mark. Shot, Blackbeard still managed to swing his cutlass and snap off Maynard's sword blade. Maynard drew back. Blackbeard raised his arm for a finishing blow. Just in time, a navy seaman came up from behind Blackbeard and slashed his throat. AS A WARNING TO OTHER PIRATES, Blackbeard's head was cut off and suspended from the bow of Maynard's sloop. Maynard searched for Blackbeard's treasure but found only supplies and letters. When Blackbeard died, the secret of his treasure died, too-if indeed he ever had one. [article link]

Edward Teach, better known as "Blackbeard," is perhaps the best known non-fictional pirate even though he was not the most successful - He is remembered mainly because of his image that he himself helped to create - [First lieutenant] Maynard later commented that Blackbeard fell with at least five gunshot wounds and at least 20 sword wounds
Today Edward Teach, better known as "Blackbeard," is perhaps the best known non-fictional pirate even though he was not the most successful. He is remembered mainly because of his image that he himself helped to create. Teach's life story is basically only known within the few years before his death when he was a pirate. His previous origins are unknown but it is believed that he was born in Bristol around 1680. His true identity is not entirely known either, but "Edward Teach" is recognized as being his standard name. Other forms of his last name were commonly cited in letters of the day - "Thatch," "Tach," "Tash," and even "Drummond" to list a few. It is believed that he was a well-educated man since he could read/write and papers were found on him after his death. It is reasonable to believe that he wished to keep his true identity secret to protect his relatives at home, so "Edward Teach" may have been just an alias. ... Soon citizens and neighbouring Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood feared the large gathering of pirates and rumors began to spread that a planned pirate haven would be set up. Spotswood began to organize a military force to rid Blackbeard. HMS Pearl and HMS Lyme were selected for the task but their captains informed the governor that their large ships would not be able to navigate the waters. Spotswood then offered up his own money to lease two sloops for the specific job, Ranger and Jane, which would be crewed by the warship men. First lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl was selected to lead the two ships for the hunt while Captain Brand of HMS Lyme would lead ground forces. -- The two [British Navy] sloops set out for Blackbeard's hideout at Ocracoke Island [North Carolina] and arrived on late November 21, 1718. The next morning, the battle began. The two leased sloops were unarmed so they had to fight only with small guns and swords, but Blackbeard's sloop Adventure had 9 guns so he was able to fire at the approaching sloops. At their approach, Adventure set sail and fired at the sloops but there was very little wind so there was not much speed in the chase so oars were needed. Ranger was essentially knocked out from a lethal broadside shot from Adventure so Maynard moved in alone with Jane. Jane managed to damage Adventure enough, and Maynard ordered most of his crew below decks to bluff Blackbeard into thinking the crew was killed. His bluff worked, when the two ships were alongside one another Blackbeard and several of his crew boarded Jane. At this time, Maynard's armed and waiting crew belowdeck surfaced and a raging hand-to-hand battle ensued. Soon Maynard and Blackbeard were fighting each other in duel of naval officer versus pirate - a fight between good and evil. After Blackbeard wounded Maynard's fingers with a cutlass blow, Maynard moved back and shot him but had little effect in stopping Blackbeard. Several other Jane crewmen fought with Blackbeard after this before he was eventually overcome by his numerous wounds. (It has also been stated that Blackbeard was decapitated by a sword blow to the back of the head during the fighting rather than getting his head removed after his death.) Maynard later commented that Blackbeard fell with at least five gunshot wounds and at least 20 sword wounds. Blackbeard's severed head was hung from Maynard's sloop's bowsprit as a trophy and also to prove that the legendary Blackbeard the pirate was indeed dead. [article link]

Blackbeard's Ghost (Demon) - [First lieutenant] Maynard seemed to think that the only way to ensure that Blackbeard was dead was to remove his head - They hung the head from the bowsprit and threw the pirate's body overboard - As the body [of Blackbeard] hit the water, the head hanging from the bowsprit shouted: "Come on Edward [Edward Teach - Blackbeard's name]" and the headless body swam [flailed about] three times [completely] around the ship before sinking to the bottom {Blackbeard was demon possessed and being possessed he had additional human strength and powers and those demonic powers then continued on momentarily after Edward Teach was dead. Piracy is Satanism the two are synonymous there were no nice pirates in order to become a pirate a person was required to renounce Jesus Christ and to join Satan. The Skull and bones flags of the pirates all represented their perceived victory of Satan over Jesus Christ on the cross. The flag of pirates are the claims of an un-resurrected Jesus Christ.}
Maynard seemed to think that the only way to ensure that Blackbeard was dead was to remove his head. They hung the head from the bowsprit and threw the pirate's body overboard. As the body hit the water, the head hanging from the bowsprit shouted: "Come on Edward" and the headless body swam three times around the ship before sinking to the bottom. From that day to this, Blackbeard's ghost has haunted Teach's Hole, forever searching for his missing head. Sometimes, the headless ghost floats on the surface of the water, or swims around and around and around Teach's Hole, glowing just underneath the water. Sometimes, folks see a strange light coming from the shore on the Pamlico Sound side of Ocracoke Island and know that it is "Teach's light". On night's that the ghost light appears, if the wind is blowing inland, you can still hear Blackbeard's ghost (demon) tramping up and down and roaring: 'Where's my head?' [article link]

John Newton - (Satanic) [Pirate] Captain of a slaveship, but in 1743, while on the way to visit some friends, he was captured and pressed into [British] naval service - Sailing back to England in 1748 aboard the merchant ship, he experienced a spiritual conversion in the Greyhound, which was hauling a load of beeswax and dyer's wood - The ship encountered a severe storm off the coast of Donegal and almost sank - Newton awoke in the middle of the night and finally called out to God as the ship filled with water - It was this experience which he later marked as the beginnings of his conversion to evangelical Christianity [his mother's fundamental Christianity, more conservative than the common Church of England] - In 1767 William Cowper, the poet, moved to Olney - He worshipped in the church, and collaborated with Newton on producing a volume of hymns [including] "Faith's Review and Expectation" which came to be known by its opening phrase "Amazing Grace"
Early life: John Newton was born in Wapping, London, in 1725, the son of John Newton Sr., a shipmaster in the Mediterranean service, and Elizabeth Newton (née Seatclife), a Nonconformist Christian. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was six. Newton spent two years at boarding school, and at the age of eleven he went to sea with his father and sailed with him on a total of six voyages until the elder Newton retired in 1742. Newton's father had planned for him to take up a position as a slave master at a sugar plantation in Jamaica. He did become a Captain of a slaveship, but in 1743, while on the way to visit some friends, he was captured and pressed into naval service, and became a midshipman aboard the HMS Harwich. After attempting to desert upon learning of an extended voyage, Newton was returned to the Harwich for punishment. The captain, who detested traitors and deserters, was determined to make an example of Newton for the rest of the crew. Thus, in the presence of 350 members of the crew, the eighteen year old midshipman was stripped to the waist, tied to the grating, and received a flogging of ninety-six lashes, and was reduced to the rank of a common seaman. Following that disgrace and humiliation, Newton initially contemplated suicide, but he recovered, both physically and mentally, and, at his own request, he was placed in service on a slave ship bound for West Africa called the "Pegasus", which carried goods to Africa, and traded them for slaves to be shipped to England and other countries. After negotiating with a slave merchant named Amos Clowe, Newton's deliberate mischief against the crew eventually got him discharged. Amos took him to the coast of Sierra Leone. He became the servant of the merchant's wife, an African duchess called Princess Peye who abused him along with other of her slaves. It was this period that Newton later remembered as the time he was "once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in West Africa." Thankfully, early in 1748 he was rescued by a sea captain who had been asked by Newton's father to search for him on his next voyage. He initially turned down the offer, but agreed to come upon hearing of an inheritance of which he was to gather from(this was later shown to have been made up so as to convince Newton to return home). With this sudden news, Newton began the journey home. ... Spiritual conversion: Sailing back to England in 1748 aboard the merchant ship, he experienced a spiritual conversion in the Greyhound, which was hauling a load of beeswax and dyer's wood. The ship encountered a severe storm off the coast of Donegal and almost sank. Newton awoke in the middle of the night and finally called out to God as the ship filled with water. It was this experience which he later marked as the beginnings of his conversion to evangelical Christianity. As the ship sailed home, Newton began to read the Bible and other religious literature. By the time he reached Britain, he had accepted the doctrines of Evangelical Christianity. The date was May 10, 1748, an anniversary he marked for the rest of his life. From that point on, he avoided profanity, gambling, and drinking. Although he continued to work in the slave trade, he had a considerable amount of gained sympathy for the slaves. He later said that his true conversion did not happen until some time later: "I cannot consider myself to have been a believer in the full sense of the word, until a considerable time afterwards." Newton returned to Liverpool, England and, partly due to the influence of Joseph Manesty, a friend of his father's, obtained a position as first mate aboard a slave trading vessel, the Brownlow, bound for the West Indies via the coast of Guinea. During the first leg of this voyage, while in west Africa (1748-49), Newton acknowledged the inadequacy of his spiritual life. While he was sick with a fever, he professed his full belief in Christ and asked God to take control of his destiny. He later said that this experience was his true conversion and the turning point in his spiritual life. He claimed it was the first time he felt totally at peace with the Almighty God. Still, he did not renounce the slave trade until later in his life. After his return to England in 1750, he made three further voyages as captain of the slave-trading ships Duke of Argyle (1750) and the African (1752-53 and 1753-54). He only gave up seafaring and his active slave-trading activities in 1754, after suffering a severe stroke, but continued to invest his savings in Manesty's slaving operations." ... Writer and Hymnist: In 1767 William Cowper, the poet, moved to Olney. He worshipped in the church, and collaborated with Newton on producing a volume of hymns, which was eventually published as Olney Hymns in 1779. This work was to have a great influence on English hymnology. The volume included Newton's well-known hymns "Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken", "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds!", "Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare", "Approach, My Soul, the Mercy-seat", and "Faith's Review and Expectation" which came to be known by its opening phrase, "Amazing Grace". Many of Newton's (as well as Cowper's) hymns are preserved in the Sacred Harp [a cappella (without instruments) songbook]. [article link]

THE SECOND BOOK OF

2 SAMUEL

OTHERWISE CALLED
THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS

2 Samuel 1-2 - Saul and three of his four sons including Jonathan are killed in battle - After hearing of the death of Saul and of loss of his good friend Jonathan and knowing he was next in line to be the King of Israel David inquired of God what he should do next - God instructed David to go live in Hebron -- '2 Samuel 2:1 And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.' {Hebron is where Abraham lived for much of his time while he was in the Promise Land [Genesis 13:18]. It was while living in Hebron that Abraham rescued his nephew Lot and after the battle met with Melchizedek.}
David is instituted as the King of Judah but not yet all of Israel: '2 Samuel 2:4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.' - Abner the leader of Saul's army [it was probably Abner that gave the account of the death of Saul, three of his three sons and of his armor bearer on Mt. Gilboa at the end of 1 Samuel] set Saul's remaining son Ish-bosheth as a competing king over Israel. '2 Samuel 2:8-10 But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9 And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. Ish-bosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.' - A long drawn out war prevailed between the House of Saul and the House of David. '2 Samuel 3:1 Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.' Later Abner would have a falling out with Ish-bosheth and leave that camp to join David's side. Joab the general of David's army killed Abner and later Ish-bosheth was assassinated by two Captains of his own army. King David is then installed to be the second King over all of Israel. - '2 Samuel 5:3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.'

2 Samuel 3-5 - David becomes the second of only three men who will rule as an anointed King over an undivided Nation of Israel - King David captures the city of Jebus from the Jebusites and renames the city Jerusalem - Jerusalem becomes the City of David -- '2 Samuel 5:7-10 Nevertheless David took the strong hold [Jebus] of Zion: the same is [Jerusalem] the City of David. ... So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built roundabout from Millo and inward. And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.'
Hiram king of Tyre: '2 Samuel 5:11-13 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house. And David perceived that the LORD had established him King over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people Israel's sake. And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.' - Hiram king of Tyre was a real person and Tyre was a real Nation that gets a lot of mention throughout the Prophets of the Bible. Throughout the history of the Bible outsiders namely Gentiles have seized upon the events recorded in the Bible and have created an entire cottage industry of alternate versions and events that are just old fashioned fables. Particularly now with the much later Gnostic Gospels and in all the counterfeit Aramaic writings these baseless alternate versions of events are literally being passed off as reality and as a truer reality than what is recorded in the Bible. The Christian Church has to be very diligent that we do not replace the recorded events of the Bible with modern perceptions of what the events might have been or could have been but that we keep the pure message of the Holy Bible a message that is able to save our Soul unto eternal Salvation [Acts 20:32, 2 Timothy 3:15].

'Massive' ancient [Jebus] wall uncovered in Jerusalem - An archaeological dig in Jerusalem has turned up a 3,700-year-old wall that is the largest and oldest of its kind found in the region, experts say - Standing 8 meters (26 feet) high, the wall of huge cut stones is a marvel to archaeologists - it was found inside the City of David, an archaeological excavation site outside the Old City of East Jerusalem on a slope of the Silwan Valley - The wall is believed to have been built by the Canaanites, an ancient pagan people [Jebusites] who the Bible says inhabited Jerusalem (Photo)
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- An archaeological dig in Jerusalem has turned up a 3,700-year-old wall that is the largest and oldest of its kind found in the region, experts say. Standing 8 meters (26 feet) high, the wall of huge cut stones is a marvel to archaeologists. "To build straight walls up 8 meters ... I don't know how to do it today without mechanical equipment," said the excavation's director, Ronny Reich. "I don't think that any engineer today without electrical power could do it." Archaeologist Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority added, "You see all the big boulders -- all the boulders are 4 to 5 tons." The discovered section is 24 meters (79 feet) long. "However, it is thought the fortification is much longer because it continues west beyond the part that was exposed," the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a news release. It was found inside the City of David, an archaeological excavation site outside the Old City of East Jerusalem on a slope of the Silwan Valley. The wall is believed to have been built by the Canaanites, an ancient pagan people who the Bible says inhabited Jerusalem and other parts of the Middle East before the advent of monotheism. ... Such walls were used primarily to defend against marauding desert nomads looking to rob the city, said Reich, a professor at the University of Haifa. "We are dealing with a gigantic fortification, from the standpoint of the structure's dimensions, the thickness of its walls and the size of the stones that were incorporated in its construction," the joint statement said. [article link]

The [Freemasonry] Legend of Hiram, King of Tyre - Hiram, King of Tyre, was the son of Abibal, and the contemporary of both [King] David and [King] Solomon
Hiram, King of Tyre, was the son of Abibal, and the contemporary of both David and Solomon. In the beginning of the former's reign, he sent messengers to him, and King Hiram provided the Hebrew king with "cedars, carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house." Nearly forty years afterward, when Solomon ascended the throne, and began to prepare for the building of the Temple, he sent to the old friend of his father for the same kind of assistance. ... The connection of the King of Tyre with King Solomon in the construction of the Temple has given him a great importance in the legendary history of Freemasonry. The tradition is that King Hiram had been Grand Master of all Masons, but when the Temple was finished, King Hiram came to survey it before its consecration, and to commune with Solomon about wisdom and art. On finding that the Great Architect Of The Universe had inspired Solomon above all mortal men, King Hiram very readily yielded the pre-eminence to Solomon Jedediah, the "beloved of God." - King Hiram reigned over the Tyrians for thirty-four years. He permitted Solomon's ships to participate in the profitable trade of the Mediterranean, and Jewish sailors, under the instructions of Tyrian mariners, were taught how to bring from India the gold necessary to enrich their people and to beautify the Temple of their king. Tradition says that King Hiram gave his daughter in marriage to King Solomon. [article link]

Messianic Prophecy: the Masonic Messiah - Although the Cult of Freemasonry eschews a coming Messiah to bring about the Freemasonic World Empire it does have a Christ-like figure: it is the *mythical figure of Hiram Abiff [there is a Hiram mentioned in 1 Kings 7:13-14 but there is no Hiram Abiff mentioned in the Bible] - Thus, within this counterfeit trinity we find that the offices of Solomon (wisdom) counterfeits the Holy Ghost and *Hiram, king of Tyre (strength) counterfeits the Father - And, consequently, Hiram Abiff, the widow's son (beauty) is the Freemasonic symbol of the Son, of Christ - He is the standard of true Freemasonry and all Freemasons are instructed to pattern after him and so humble Abiff came to represent Christ thus. Put differently: Hiram Abiff is the Masonic Christ
Although the Cult of Freemasonry eschews a coming Messiah to bring about the Freemasonic World Empire it does have a Christ-like figure: it is the mythical figure of Hiram Abiff. Although the god of Freemasonry is Lucifer, who they euphemistically call the Grand Architect of the Universe, he is routinely symbolized by three persons. Luciferianism is an ancient religion set up as an opposition to the Will of God. Luciferianism is a counterfeit religion and consequently it is constructed upon counterfeit doctrines and symbols. Thus, within Freemasonry, a false, counterfeit Luciferian religion, there is a trinity that counterfeits the Holy Trinity. A counterfeit, three in one godhead, a false triune God that apes the Christian concept of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This Freemasonic trinity is comprised of three men mentioned in the Old Testament but are themselves merely pegs on which are hooked very ancient archetypes. Symbolically, the structure of Freemasonry is supported by three symbolic pillars: wisdom, strength and beauty, which represents the Freemasonic trinity of Solomon (wisdom) Hiram, king of Tyre (strength) and Hiram Abiff, the widow's son (beauty). Upon this trinity, the architects of Freemasonry built a cunning and elaborate counterfeit of God's divinity and God's plan of salvation. -- Thus, within this counterfeit trinity we find that the offices of Solomon (wisdom) counterfeits the Holy Ghost and Hiram, king of Tyre (strength) counterfeits the Father. And, consequently, Hiram Abiff, the widow's son (beauty) is the Freemasonic symbol of the Son, of Christ. He is the standard of true Freemasonry and all Freemasons are instructed to pattern after him and so humble Abiff came to represent Christ thus. Put differently: Hiram Abiff is the Masonic Christ. In the Freemasonic mythos, the story of the building of Solomon's Temple, in which the figure of Hiram Abiff has a central role, is pre-eminent. Here, Hiram Abiff is the Master Mason charged with building the Temple according to the rules and dictates of Ancient Wisdom. However, he was killed by fellow masons because he would not tell them the "Master's Word," which was the most important secret of Masonry and held by only three masons at that time: Hiram Abiff, King Solomon and Hiram of Tyre. And, because Hiram Abiff had sworn a solemn oath to the others to keep this "Master's Word," safe and secret he lost his life rather than violate his compact with Solomon and Hiram of Tyre. For, this "Master's Word," once revealed would have not only destroyed the foundation of Masonry but also the plan of its supposed founders. Consequently, Freemasons are instructed that their Craft and its ancient ambition was preserved by the faithfulness of Hiram Abiff, who chose death rather than the violate his oath. Thus, during the Freemasonic ritual of the Legend of the Third Degree, the candidate portrays Hiram Abiff, the Grand Master at the building of Solomon's Temple who dies protecting his oath. A symbolic death and rebirth ritual at whose conclusion, King Solomon, played by the Worshipful Master, says: ... Moreover, at the heart of these Luciferian Doctrines is the Serpent's promise: "Ye shall be as gods." (Gen. 3:5). A sacrilege rendered as the belief that Salvation is entirely in the hands of the individual whose latent potential is the Divinity Within, the God Within; that Man is the god-in-the-making: that man is his own Messiah. Moreover, to help in this apotheosis, Freemasonry offers its adherents the Freemasonic Ideal who is Hiram Abiff so that by duplication the "worthy brother" too can ascend to deity. And so, in this respect Hiram Abiff is the Freemasonic mediator, even as Christ is the Christian mediator. That is: just as Christ suffered for the Sins of the World in order to complete the Father's Plan, then, Hiram Abiff is the perfect Freemason who willingly died to save his Craft and future Freemasons from physical and spiritual destruction and so allow the Great Architect to complete his plan. That is: Hiram Abiff is the Freemasonic "Christ." [article link]

2 Samuel 6 - The Ark of the Covent (Old Covenant) with the presence of God comes to its final destination, the Holy City of Jerusalem -- '2 Samuel 6:2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the Ark of God, whose Name is called by the Name of the LORD of hosts that *dwelleth between the cherubims.'
The Ark of the Covent with the presence of God comes to Jerusalem: '2 Samuel 6:6-22 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God, and took hold of it [to steady the Ark]; for the oxen shook it [the Ark was to be carried by levites not carted on an ox cart as the Philistines had don]. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error [the Kingdom of God does not need steadying or the assistance from any person]; and there he died by the Ark of God. And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach [gash] upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, *How shall the Ark of the LORD come to me [the way God prescribed in the Bible not on an ox cart as the Philistines had done]? So David would not remove the Ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the Ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his household. And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed- edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the Ark of God. So David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they [Levitical Priests] that bare the Ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. *So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouting [rejoicing], and with the sound of the trumpet. And as the Ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the Ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle [the Tabernacle was relocated from Shiloh to Jerusalem, later the Temple would be built by Solomon] that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to everyone a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed everyone to his house. Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, *who uncovered himself {David removed the restrictions of the Law [Levitical system] and entered a new dimension [Melchizedek system where everyone is the same and equal before God] to worship God} to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor.' - The Ark of the Covenant with the presence of God arriving in the Holy City of God at Jerusalem is one of the greatest moments in human history and King David did not miss the significance of the moment in having the presence of the Holy God now permanently in their midst. King David had removed his royal apparel and worshiped God while wearing a linen ephod and finally David removed the ephod and worshiped the True and Holy God of Israel as just one simple person unrestricted in his worship and rejoicing in the presence of the Holy God.

FreeCDTracts.com: Sermon Jams Vol. 1 #9 Freedom - Multi Realm Freedom Living - Breaking away from the Grid of this world to Living in God's Spiritual Realm (Mp3)
We encourage you to not only listen, but to download and to duplicate as many CD/DVDs and other material as you like as well as to distribute them to the maximum extent possible. Others can share by posting many of these links throughout the internet. [article link]

2 Samuel 7 - King David receives the promise from God that his throne will be the Throne that the Messiah will reign from and that the Messiah will be a physical descendant of King David -- '2 Samuel 7:12-16 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou [King David] shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed [Jesus Christ] after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels [Solomon and later Jesus via his descendant Mary], and I will establish His Kingdom. He (Jesus) shall build an house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of His Kingdom forever. I will be His Father, and He (Jesus) shall be My Son. If he [Solomon] commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But My mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established [in Jesus] forever.'
King David's response to the promises of God: '2 Samuel 7:18-29 Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant. For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, either is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever: and thou, LORD, art become their God. And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, establish it forever, and do as thou hast said. And let thy name be magnified forever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed forever.'

2 Samuel 8-10 - King David establishes Jonathan's son Mephibosheth to accompany him at his table forever -- '2 Samuel 9:1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?' - '2 Samuel 9:7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.'
'2 Samuel 9:3-8 And the King said, Is there not yet any of the House of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the King, Jonathan hath yet a son, *which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar. Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 7 And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, *What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?' - Mephibosheth was unable to grasp the concept of the 'birthright'. The status of sitting at the King's table was not being bestowed upon Mephibosheth based on who he was it was being bestowed upon him solely based on who his father was and the promises and covenants regarding the father. Our Christian birthright and our right to sit at the Table and feast and fellowship with God is based solely on who our Father [Isaiah 9:6, Hebrews 12:9] is and with our Father being Jesus Christ we are entitled by His reputation, His promises and His abilities not ours to take a 'birthright' seat at the table with God. -- Note: We each become children of the birthright of Jesus Christ with our own individual faith by receiving the 'born again' Resurrection Spirit of Jesus Christ [John 20:22] by the Spirit [breath] baptism of Jesus Christ at the moment when we each individually acknowledge the 'new birth' resurrection life and eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ when Jesus then breathes {even today, this very moment} His Spirit [breath] into us individually as we individually become His new Child of God. Jesus said in John 3:3 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man [individual] be born again [by the Spirit breath of God], he cannot see the Kingdom of God." ... 'Colossians 1:27 ... [the Resurrected Jesus] Christ in you, the hope of glory'. -- Also Note: Where the resurrection Feast of First Fruits and the individual Spirit baptism by Jesus [John 20:22] is a more specific Feast Day the Feast of Pentecost is a more general Feast Day. Pentecost could not possibly be the start of the Christian Church as the Resurrection Day of Jesus is already the start of the Christian Church and Pentecost has broad implications extending out far beyond the Church and into the Tribulation period when the Church era will have already ended. Pentecost also has regards to the giving of the Holy Spirit the Nation of Israel and evidentially including to all mankind in a prophetic way but not in a 'born again' way as the 'born again' internal Spirit is only available from the resurrection 'breath' of Jesus and is only given (breathed) on those who have Faith in Jesus, His Cross and His Resurrection and who desire to be in His eternal Kingdom. 'Acts 2:16-21 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel [Joel 2:28-32]; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit *upon all flesh [God is not withholding Himself from a relationship with mankind]: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: *And on My servants and on My handmaidens I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever [Jew, Gentile, Martyred Saint of Revelation, 144,000 Wittiness of Revelation] shall [respond to the relationship with God] call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

The 4 Personality Types - Sanguine {King David} (Prima Donna) [active, entertaining, likes being involved and in large crowds of people, tend to look on the bright side of events], Melancholies {King Solomon, David's son} (Serious Professionals) [Responsible, attention to fine detail, contemplate life, follow or at least know all the rules and expect others to follow them, like being alone, tend to look on the dark side of events] -- Choleric {King Saul} (Hard reliable workers) [Managers and bosses, if you don't work you don't deserve a break, a lot of ability and a lot of potential though like Saul the potential can be very good or very bad], Phlegmatic {Jonathan, Saul's son} (Easy going) [Laid back, go along with the flow, often friends of friends and supporters of others] {Sanguines often marry their opposite in Melancholies and have Sanguine and Melancholy children. Cholerics often marry their opposite in Phlegmatics and have Choleric and Phlegmatic children and no-one understands anyone!}
The 4 personality types: God could have made us all Sanguines. We could have lots of fun but accomplish little. He could have made us all Melancholies. We would have been organized and charted but not very cheerful. He could have made us all Cholerics. We would have been set to lead, but impatient that no one would follow! He could have made us all Phlegmatics. We would have had a peaceful world but not much enthusiasm for life. We need each temperament for the total function of the body. Each part should do its work to unify the action and produce harmonious results. The Gift of Encouraging Words ~ Florence Littauer [article link]

!!!Highly Recommended: Florence Littauer - Understanding Your Temperament - Parts 1-4 (Mp3s)
Florence Littauer gives you valuable insight for appreciating your one-of-a-kind, God-given personality. She includes a Personality Profile test that reveals how your unique blend of traits affects your emotions, work performance, and relationships. {Note: the Mp3 "161 Silver Boxes" by Florence Littauer is the telling of a very tragic and sad event in the Littauer family. Only listen to it if you are ready to handle one of life's tragedies. The Littauer family is a very talented, wonderful and amazing family and has lived the advise they give to others. The very talented Florence Littauer has now also gone home to be with the Lord.} [article link]

Personality Plus, 2nd Edition by Florence Littauer (Book)
In Personality Plus, Florence Littauer gives you valuable insight for appreciating your one-of-a-kind, God-given personality. She includes a Personality Profile test that reveals how your unique blend of traits affects your emotions, work performance, and relationships. Through humorous anecdotes and straightforward counsel, Personality Plus guides you to improve upon your strengths and correct your weaknesses. ... Customer Reviews: February 19, 2008 The information in this book saved my life, my marriage and helped me raise my kids. As a Christian there are behaviors we all know are not right, but figuring out how to control or change those behaviors is another story. By understanding our "built-in" personality, we can understand why we do what we do and what we can and cannot change about ourselves. If you could only have one book on the subject of personalities - this would be the one! ... August 08, 2004 This book is a wonderful tool for anyone seeking to understand their strengths & weaknesses, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of those they share their life with. This book could very well save damaged relationships. I would have given it a 5, except that the profile is on several pages, and the definitions for it are in the back of the book, and there's no handy resource to make taking the "test" easier....I guess I just revealed my personality type with that statement!! =) [article link]

Self Help books by Florence Littauer, Fred Littauer and Marita Littauer (Books)
Wired That Way: The Comprehensive Personality Plan - Do you have trouble getting along with certain family members, friends or work associates? Why are people wired so differently? Learn how understanding your own personality type can help you turn terminated relationships into germinated, growing relationships! Once you understand your personality type and how you're wired, you will be ready to discover how to maximize your strengths while minimizing your weaknesses. Then, you'll learn how to quickly pick up cues about the personality of others from their body language. Your life will be enriched as you grow deeper in your faith, and quickly improve seemingly incompatible relationships with friends, family and coworkers! By Marita Littauer [article link]

The Five Love Languages [Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts (giving and receiving), Acts of Service, and Physical Touch] by Gary Chapman {These are tips on how your emotional relationship reservoir is filled or emptied. If you need quality time and someone is instead giving quality acts of service or works no matter how wonderful it is still a personality mismatch and might not add enough to the relationship to keep it growing or even going. These fixes are really easy because anyone can make these adjustments. People just need to identify their 'Love Language' and point it out to their family and friends. For instance bringing flowers for some is not as good a gift as cleaning out a closet, or as good as a touch for some or encouraging words for others and we need to at times provide the other person with their 'Love language' emotional filling regardless of what our preference is.} (Books)
Product Description: Dr. Gary Chapman, Christian marriage counselor and author of The Five Love Languages, helps married couples deal with their unmet needs for love. Because a husband and wife often have different communication styles, it is common for a spouse to not feel or recognize the love given to them. In his bestselling book, The Five Love Languages, Dr. Chapman identifies and explains five unique communication methods - Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. Then he encourages couples to learn how to speak love in their spouse's primary love language, not their own. Love is something you do for someone else, not yourself. Begin today. Includes a study guide; paperback. [article link]

Boundaries ... in Marriage, with Kids, with Teens, in Dating, 5 Volumes {The Boundaries material is more for troubled relationships where boundaries, limits and barriers have to be installed in relationships to maintain an individual's own safety and identity.} (Books)
Boundaries, Boundaries in Marriage, Boundaries with Kids, Boundaries with Teens: When to Say Yes and How to Say No, Boundaries in Dating. By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. [article link]

2 Samuel 11-12 - King David at a time when he was supposed to be in battle with his troops stayed home and ended up having an affair with Bath-sheba another man's wife -- '2 Samuel 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.'
The birth of King Solomon: '2 Samuel 12:24-25 24 And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife [after the loss of their first child], and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he [King David] called his name Solomon [Peaceable]: and the LORD loved him. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah [loved of the Lord], because of the LORD.' - King Solomon becomes the third and final man to rule as King over an undivided Israel. King David will request to replace the Tabernacle with a Temple for God built by himself however God will not permit King David to build His House the Temple because King David as a soldier has shed his fellow human's blood. The building of the Temple of God in Jerusalem becomes the privilege of King Solomon. The 1st Jerusalem Temple will come to be known as Solomon's Temple, the 2nd Temple is known as Herod's Temple and the coming 3rd Temple in Jerusalem will be the Antichrist's Temple. King Solomon once enthroned after many more intrigues will reign as King of Israel for the rest of his life. The descendants of King Solomon will sit upon the throne until eventually they are so evil that God cuts of Solomon's line from ever sitting on the throne of Israel again. Joseph the sep father of Jesus was a descendant of Solomon and therefore Joseph was unable to be a restored King in Israel however Mary was a descendant of Nathan one of Solomon's brothers [not the prophet Nathan] therefore Jesus via Mary back through Nathan to his father King David is eligible to sit on the Throne of King David as the King for Israel. - Note: The coming Antichrist will most likely be a descendant of Solomon [via a Satanic bloodline - Satan is also keeping track of key genealogies in order to challenge the word of God] and therefore as a descendant of Solomon will be ineligible to sit on the throne of Israel but the Antichrist isn't exactly going to be one for following rules, especially the Biblical rules of God.

2 Samuel 13-14 - King David was told by God via the Prophet Nathan that as a result of his affair and conduct with Bath-sheba and her husband Uriah that King David's own household would be in constant turmoil -- '2 Samuel 12:9-11 Wherefore hast thou despised the Commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? thou hast killed Uriah [the husband of Bath-sheba] the Hittite with the sword [through a plan], and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him [in battle] with the sword of the children of Ammon. *Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised Me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house ...'
Turmoil in the House of David: 2 Samuel 13:1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon [their ½ brother] the son of David loved her. 2 Samuel 13:12-21 And she [Tamar] answered him [Amnon], Nay (No), my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the King; for he will not withhold me from thee. Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. *Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; *so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. And she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her. Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her. And she had a garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her. And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy [½] brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house. But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth [King David knew Absalom would kill Amnon and he did]. - Amnon desired Tamar more than anything mainly because she had status as a daughter of the King. Amnon as a son of the King thought that it was a part of his birthright to be with her however it was a severe act of sin and as sin it quickly destroyed the relationships of the people involved even bringing about an untimely and early end to the life of Amnon.

2 Samuel 15-16 - King David's oldest son Absalom and David's counselor Ahithophel [a prophecy of Judas] conspired from Hebron to take away the Kingdom from David -- '2 Samuel 15:10-12 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron. And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.'
King David and his royal court are forced to flee from Jerusalem: '2 Samuel 15:13-16 And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom. And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword. And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. And the king went forth, and all his household after him.' - With the usurper Absalom attempting to overthrow the Kingdom of David the Kingdom has to go outside the city. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ has those who desire to overthrow it and therefore the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is currently outside the city [Hebrews 13:13-14] outside of this current worldly corrupt structure and system. If we are to meet and fellowship with Jesus Christ we are to do it outside the human ream and inside the Holy Spirit realm. With the Second Coming of Jesus Christ the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will once again be established in Jerusalem, in this world.

BATH-SHEBA - Ahithophel's granddaughter[?] - if indeed Eliam was the son of the famous Ahithophel, the Bible would not have failed to mention the fact - It is also difficult to believe that Ahithophel, if he was the grandfather of Bath-Sheba, would have taken part in such an action which would undoubtedly have endangered the position of his granddaughter and her son in the royal court
BATH-SHEBA, wife of David and mother of Solomon. Bath-Sheba was originally the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of David's warriors. During the war against Rabbath-Ammon (II Sam. 11), David saw Bath-Sheba and ordered her brought to his palace. When David knew that she was pregnant by him, he attempted to return Uriah to his house (see II Sam. 11:6-13). Failing to do so, he sought and found a pretext to have Uriah killed in battle (11:14-27); he then married Bath-Sheba. The prophet Nathan rebuked David for this act (12:1-12), but subsequently took Bath-Sheba's side and supported the enthronement of her son Solomon (I Kings 1:8ff.). She later agreed to present to Solomon Adonijah's request for David's concubine Abishag. In addition to Solomon {Joseph the stepfather of Jesus is a descendant of Solomon}, Bath-Sheba gave birth to at least three other sons, Shimea, Shobab, and Nathan {Mary the mother of Jesus is a descendant of Nathan} (I Chron. 3:5). It seems that her first son, who died soon after his birth because of the sin of his father, is included in this list (II Sam. 12:13ff.). -- According to II Samuel 11:3, Bath-Sheba was the daughter of Eliam, and according to I Chronicles 3:5, she was the daughter of Ammiel, who the rabbis of the Talmud (Sanh. 69b) identify with Eliam son of *Ahithophel the Gilonite (II Sam. 23:34); hence the opinion of early commentators (Kimi and Levi b. Gershom) and several recent scholars that the opposition of Ahithophel to David during the revolt of Absalom stemmed from his wish to avenge Uriah's death. Others believe that these opinions are unacceptable, because, if indeed Eliam was the son of the famous Ahithophel, the Bible would not have failed to mention the fact. It is also difficult to believe that Ahithophel, if he was the grandfather of Bath-Sheba, would have taken part in such an action which would undoubtedly have endangered the position of his granddaughter and her son in the royal court. On the other hand, there is reason to suppose that Bath-Sheba was of a family that existed in Jerusalem before its conquest by David. [article link]

THE MAN [ABSALOM, later in Barabbas and finally the Antichrist] OF SIN AND HIS ACCOMPLICE [AHITHOPHEL, later in Judas and finally the (false prophet) of the Corporation religion structure] - {Prophetic Precursor} ABSALOM (usurper) & AHITHOPHEL (betrayer) - {First Coming} [Barabbas {probably a descendant of King Solomon} (usurper) & Judas (betrayer)] - {Second Coming} Antichrist 'Government' (usurper) & Corporation Church Christianity 'Religion' (betrayer) {Corporation (government, business) Christianity is a betrayer to Jesus Christ: We are all called to attend, fellowship and belong to a Christian Church however let's keep in mind that Jesus Christ is the head of His Church and not some man behind a pulpit. Let us endeavor to have Jesus Christ as the head and the authority in our own life while we work within an ever increasingly corrupt corporation church system. We are in the Church not of the worldly system of men but in the Godly system of Jesus. Men are setting up their own corporation church kingdoms and are excluding Jesus from His own Church. The corporation church system praises men and the men openly seek the praise of the people instead of seeking for the people to praise Jesus. The Corporation system knows the doctrines of the local, state and federal tax codes much more thoroughly than they know the doctrines and precepts of the Bible. The corporation church system preaches a watered down self-centered message and sells it only for a price and if they do publish a Bible it is also for a price and usually it is of a known corrupted version (i.e. NIV, NKJV) because there is a contract that can be signed and more money can be made from a corrupt corporation version than can be made with just the pure intention of preserving and passing along an uncorrupt version of the Word of God. -- 'Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. Add thou not unto His words [manipulate not the Words of God], lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.'}
ABSALOM (usurper) & AHITHOPHEL (betrayer): Absalom, felt that his father was unjust and unfit [past his age] to be king. He began to speak evil of his father and stole the hearts of the people, ultimately turning them against David. When the time was ripe, Absalom went to Hebron, where his friends proclaimed him king of Israel (2 Sam. 15:10). In this conspiracy, Absalom sent for Ahithophel, who was David's counselor and friend (Psalm 41:9). Ahithophel came from Giloh, a town in the mountains of Judah (2 Samuel 15:12). Like Absalom, he was a Judahite and *a prophetic type of Judas in the New Testament. David refused to fight against Absalom and his men over the throne. Instead, he meekly left Jerusalem, knowing that God would establish His throne. In this, he showed the attitude of Jesus Christ, who also refused to fight for His throne rights, even though He was the rightful Heir to the throne. 2 Samuel 15:30, 31 says, 30 And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and his head was covered and he walked barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. This is the same path Jesus took when He bore the cross to the place of crucifixion. Can we not see in David a prophetic pattern of the crucifixion? 31 Now someone told David, saying, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." And David said, "O LORD, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness." This is a Hebrew play on words. Ahithophel's name means "my brother is foolish." I believe his name is prophetic of Judas' attitude toward Jesus, his "brother." Judas disagreed with Jesus' refusal to use violence to take His rightful place as King. *It has long been believed that Judas betrayed Jesus in order to attempt to force Him into using violence to take the Kingdom by force, rather than by winning the hearts of the people by love. Ahithophel's name seems to support this view. Quoting from The Interlinear Bible, 2 Samuel 15:32 says, 32 It happened as David had come to the top [Heb. Rosh, "head"], there where he bowed [Heb. shachah, "bow or worship"] to God. The Hebrew word translated "summit" above is rosh, which means "head." For example, Rosh Hashana is the head of the year, that is, the first day of the year, marked by the Feast of Trumpets. John 19:17 says Jesus was crucified at the place of the skull (Greek: kranion, from which we get our word "cranial"). Even as David walked up to the summit, or "head" of the Mount of Olives, so also did Jesus carry His cross to the same place where David worshiped God. This was the ancient location of the sacrificial altar where the red heifers were burned "outside the camp," whose ashes were used to purify people as they came to worship at the temple. Jesus, of course, fulfilled this burnt offering, as He did all the offerings. He was crucified outside the camp (Heb. 13:11-13), ... The story of Absalom's usurping the throne and David's path to the top of the mount of Olives shows that the story of Absalom's rebellion and Ahithophel's betrayal is a prophetic pattern of Jesus' crucifixion and Judas' betrayal. ... SANHEDRIN HIGH PRIESTS (corporate usurpers) & JUDAS (betrayer): In Matthew 21 Jesus told a parable of the Kingdom, in which He described the Jewish leaders of the day plotting to usurp the Messiah's throne. The vine-growers, or farmers, in God's vineyard had been given authority over the vineyard in order to render to the Owner (God) the fruits in their seasons. When the Owner of the vineyard sent servants to collect the fruits, the farmers beat them, stoned them, and sometimes killed them (Matt. 21:35, 36). Finally He sent His Son, thinking they would surely reverence His Son. But verse 38 says, 38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance." 39 And they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Even as Absalom knew that his father was the king, and for that reason he usurped the throne, so also did the chief priests know that Jesus was the Heir. They killed Him because they knew who He was. It was a deliberate revolt and rebellion to seize His inheritance. ... Acts 1:20 quotes David's writings about Ahithophel and applies them to Judas. It says, 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, "Let his homestead be made desolate, and let no man dwell in it;" [Psalm 69:25] and, "His office let another man take" [Psalm 109:8]. Psalms 69 and 109 are prophetic about Judas and the chief priests. These are too lengthy to quote here, but many of these verses were later quoted in the New Testament, applicable either to the priests or to Judas. [article link]

2 Samuel 17-19 - Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom in how to take over the Kingdom is ignored by Absalom so Ahithophel like the future Judas goes out and commits suicide - David's oldest son Absalom is killed by the opportunistic Joab ending the usurper rebellion of Absalom - The Kingdom of David returns from exile to once again reign from Jerusalem -- '2 Samuel 17:23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.' - 'Matthew 27:5 And he [Judas] cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.'
Ziba's betrayal of Mephiboseth succeeds in part because of Mephiboseth's lack of active participation in the Kingdom of David: '2 Samuel 9:1-3 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son [Mephiboseth], which is lame on his feet.' - '2 Samuel 16:3-4 3 And the King [David] said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba [lying] said unto the King, Behold, he [Mephiboseth] abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father [Saul, Jonathan]. Then said the King to Ziba, Behold, thine are all [his possessions] that pertained unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.' - '2 Samuel 19:24-30 24 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and [in mourning] had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace. And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the [returning] King [David], that the King said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me [into exile], Mephibosheth? And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant [Ziba] deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride thereon, and go to the King; because thy servant is lame. *And he hath slandered [Mephibosheth] thy servant unto my lord the King; but my lord the King is as an angel of God: do therefore what is good in thine eyes. For all of my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the King? *And the King said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. And Mephibosheth said unto the King, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.' - Mephibosheth's servant Ziba is a slanderer and slanders Mephibosheth's reputation to King David in order to gain Mephibosheth's possessions. When King David returns to Jerusalem he then hears Mephibosheth's weak version of the events. While King David was in exile the best Mephibosheth could do was make himself unclean and unsightly to himself and to everyone around him. Being unclean and unsightly did nothing to help during the circumstances. Mephibosheth as a part of the King's Court needed to find a way to get out of the city and to be with the King while in exile. Of course King David couldn't tell whose side Mephibosheth was on because in actuality Mephibosheth didn't take any side he just maintained in his own predicament day after day and passed on every opportunity he had to be a part of and actively involved in the Kingdom of David.

2 Samuel 20-21 - Joab continues to manipulate every situation in order to secure and promote his status within the Kingdom of David - Joab deceitfully kills Amasa a cousin of David's and a fellow military leader of Joab's -- '2 Samuel 20:9-10 9 And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him. But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he [Joab] smote him [Amasa] therewith in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai his [Amasa's] brother pursued after [the rebellious] Sheba the son of Bichri.'
A wise woman of the city of Abel saves herself and her city from destruction: A rebellious man [Sheba] had taken refuge in the city of Abel and Joab and his army began to attack the city. One wise woman asked Joab what he intended to do and the woman wondered why the General of Israel would destroy a whole city of Israel and all the people in it. Joab replied that he was actually after just one man and realizing his foolishness Joab stated that they could just give him only the outlaw and the city would not be destroyed. '2 Samuel 20:15-22 And they came and besieged him [Sheba] in Abel of Beth-maachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down. *Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee. And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do hear. Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel [wisdom] at Abel: and so they ended the matter. I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD? And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the King, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall. *Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.' - This is an example of how one very wise woman was able to save herself and her entire city from certain destruction. Later on we learn how a not so wise people in Israel are able to literally save themselves eternally and the entire future generations of the Nation of Israel by their one decision. - 'Matthew 27:24-26 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. *Then answered all the people [of Israel], and said, *His blood be on us, *and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.' - Another example of how Israel and all of their descendants have the blood of Jesus Christ covering them but Pilate washed the blood of Jesus from his hands. It is completely impossibly to associate the blood of Jesus Christ with anything other than the blessings of eternal life. The blood of Jesus is life! The Nation of Israel is covered by the life giving blood of Jesus Christ just as Jesus intended and planned for them to be from the very beginning. It's not exactly given for the Nation of Israel to understand the blessings of the blood covering of Jesus Christ at this moment however it is given for the Christian Church to understand the significance of the blood covering of the Nation of Israel including all of their descendants.

2 Samuel 22-23 - Late in King David's life he recounts the Blessings from God in his life -- '2 Samuel 22:47-51 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of the Rock of my Salvation. It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me, And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto Thy Name. He is the tower of Salvation for His King: and sheweth mercy to His anointed, unto David, and to his seed [descendants] for evermore [eternity].'
King David reflects on his eternal salvation in God: '2 Samuel 22:31-37 31 As for God, *His way is perfect [Melchizedek]; the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler [personal shield] to all them that trust in Him. For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a Rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: and *He maketh my way perfect [Melchizedek]. He maketh my feet like hinds feet: and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.' - 'Psalms 110 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. *The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, *Thou art a Priest for ever after *the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up [be alert] the head.' - King David was a psalmist, a prophet, a king, a warrior and an intimate participant in the Levitical system of laws, ordinances, covenants and sacrifices yet King David having had it all and having seen it all only desired an intimate one to one fellowship with God. A spiritual fellowship that cannot be attained by any means of human status and is not found in any religious system but is only available in the intimate fellowship provided by the mercy and grace of God and given one to one in a personal intimate relationship with the Holy God.

2 Samuel 24 - King David purchases the Temple Mount area the future sight of all the Temples [Solomon's, Herod's, Antichrist's] of Jerusalem -- '2 Samuel 24:24-25 And the King [David] said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.'
God deals with Israel as a Nation of one people not as a nation of individuals: '2 Samuel 24:1-21 And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. ... So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. And when the Angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented Him of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the Angel of the LORD was by the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite. And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the Angel {suspended between Heaven and earth above the Temple Mount} that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? *let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me [spare the people], and against my father's house. And Gad [a Prophet] came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear [build] an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. And Araunah looked, and saw the King and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the King on his face upon the ground. And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the King come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.' - As we will further see in the building of the Temple and the dedication prayer of Solomon [1 Kings 8:22-54] that God deals with the Nation of Israel more as one group of people and not so much as individuals as with the Gentiles. - King David is a type of Jesus Christ and as a type of Jesus he is a good shepherd [John 10:7-18] willing to give his life in order to save the people from the plague of death. Had King Saul [a type of Satan] been presented with the same predicament Saul would no doubt have asked God to spare his own life and would have cared not if all the people died. King Solomon [a type of the Antichrist] would no doubt have asked God to spare himself as the King but would have scattered the people (flock) by telling them it's every person for themselves.

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE

1 KINGS

COMMONLY CALLED
THE THIRD BOOK OF THE KINGS

1 Kings 1 - King David has become too old to sit on his royal throne - Adonijah attempts to set himself upon his father David's throne - King David declares to Bath-sheba that he will pass along the Kingdom to their son Solomon -- '1 Kings 1:29-30 And the King [David] sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.'
Solomon is anointed to be the 3rd and final King over a united Israel: '1 Kings 1:32-39 And King David said, Call me Zadok the [High] Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the King. The King also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: And *let Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anoint him there King over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon. Then ye shall come up after him, *that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be King in my stead: and *I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the King, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the King say so too. As the LORD hath been with my lord the King, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David. So Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the Tabernacle [the Temple has not yet been built], and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save King Solomon.' - The three offices of God; King, Priest and Prophet are all three still in existence and functioning separately in Israel during the reign of King Solomon.

JewishVirtualLibrary.org: Solomon - The biblical King Solomon was known for his wisdom, his wealth and his writings. He became ruler in approximately 967 B.C. - Solomon's downfall came in his old age he had taken many foreign wives, whom he allowed to worship other gods - Solomon died in Jerusalem after 40 years as ruler of Israel - He was buried in the City of David [Jerusalem] - His son, Rehoboam succeeded him as king - Under Rehobaum's rule, Solomon's empire was lost and his kingdom was divided into two parts [Israel (Northern ten Tribes) - Judah (Southern two Tribes, Judah and Benjamin)]
The biblical King Solomon was known for his wisdom, his wealth and his writings. He became ruler in approximately 967 B.C.E. and his kingdom extended from the Euphrates River in the north to Egypt in the south. His crowning achievement was the building of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Almost all knowledge of him is derived from the biblical books of Kings I and Chronicles II. Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba. Solomon was not the oldest son of David, but David promised Bathsheba that Solomon would be the next king. When David's elder son Adonijah declared himself king, David ordered his servants to bring Solomon to the Gihon spring where the priest anointed him while David was still alive. Solomon inherited a considerable empire from his father. At first Solomon was faced with opposition. Two of David's closest advisors, Joab son of Zeruiah and the priest Abiathar, sided with Adonijah. When Adonijah came to Solomon and requested the king's servant as a wife, Solomon saw that this was a veiled threat to take over his kingdom and sent a messenger to kill Adonijah. He banished Abiathar to the city of Anathoth. Solomon then followed his father's last instructions in which David had ordered him to kill both Joab and one of his father's enemies, Shimei son of Gera. Solomon thus overcame the last potential threats to his kingdom. He then appointed his friends to key military, governmental and religious posts. -- Solomon accumulated enormous wealth. He controlled the entire region west of the Euphrates and had peace on his borders. Kings I states that he owned 12,000 horses with horsemen and 1,400 chariots. Remains of stalls for 450 horses have in fact been found in Megiddo. Solomon strengthened his kingdom through marital alliances. Kings I records that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines, although some regard this number as an exaggeration.2 He had a large share in the trade between northern and southern countries. He established Israelite colonies around his province to look after military, administrative and commercial matters. The empire was divided into twelve districts, with Judah constituting its own political unit and enjoying certain privileges. ... Solomon was also renowned for his other building projects in which he used slave labor from the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. He spent 13 years building his own palace, and also built a city wall, a citadel called the Millo, a palace for the daughter of Pharaoh (who was one of his wives) and facilities for foreign traders. He erected cities for chariots and horsemen and created storage cities. He extended Jerusalem to the north and fortified cities near the mountains of Judah and Jerusalem. Solomon's downfall came in his old age. He had taken many foreign wives, whom he allowed to worship other gods. He even built shrines for the sacrifices of his foreign wives. Within Solomon's kingdom, he placed heavy taxation on the people, who became bitter. He also had the people work as soldiers, chief officers and commanders of his chariots and cavalry. He granted special privileges to the tribes of Judah and this alienated the northern tribes. The prophet Ahijah of Shiloh prophesied that Jeroboam son of Nebat would become king over ten of the 12 tribes, instead of one of Solomon's sons. Outside Solomon's kingdom, Hadad, of the royal family of Edom, rose up as an adversary of Israel. Rezon son of Eliada, ruler of Aram also fought Solomon, and created tension between the two kingdoms that was to last even after Solomon's reign ended. [article link]

1 Kings 2-3 - King David hands the Kingdom to his son Solomon - Instructions are given to Solomon by David in how to be a strong King and how to rule wisely - King Solomon is told to put the deceitful opportunist Joab to death and not to let him enter into the new Kingdom age - '1 Kings 2:10-12 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David [Jerusalem]. And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.'
King Solomon begins to reign: '1 Kings 3:1-3 And Solomon made affinity [a relationship] with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about. Only the people [still] sacrificed in high places, because there was no House [Temple] built unto the Name of the LORD, until those days. And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he [wrongly] sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.' - It was worldly wise to negotiate with Egypt but spiritually it was a big mistake for Solomon to make to invite Egypt back into the affairs of Israel and it will be a costly mistake for Israel. When Israel departed from Egypt and was 'baptized' unto Moses in the Red Sea the same baptism that "saved" the Nation of Israel also "destroyed" the perusing Egyptian army. The 'baptism' is in part to cut us off from our past and from any enemy that is perusing us and once we are baptized in the Holy Spirit and by water [in part to show the spirit realm that we are now clean and separated from the demonic realm] the enemy cannot return to us with the freedom it once had or as it would desire to do however like Solomon we can still return to those old enemies, those old habits, emotions, addictions and those old demons and invite them right back into our life again though we should Know that once baptized we are now separated from the past life of bondage in Egypt and we do have authority over the enemy to return the enemy to Egypt while we continue to live spiritually apart in our new home the eternal, heavenly Jerusalem. -- God gives Solomon earthly, worldly wisdom but not godly, heavenly discernment. '1 Kings 3:7-15 7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant King instead of David my father: and I [Solomon] am but a little child [in knowledge]: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. *Give therefore thy servant an [worldly] understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: so that there shall not be any among the Kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days. And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.'

1 Kings 4-6 - King Solomon begins construction on a seven year project in the building of the 1st Jerusalem Temple - King Hiram of Tyre sends his servants to help and provides timber from Lebanon for the Temple -- '1 Kings 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year [480] after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.' - 'John 2:18 Then answered the Jews and said unto Him (Jesus), What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these [Messiah] things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy This Temple, and in three days I will [Resurrection] raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this [stone] Temple [2nd Temple, Herod's Temple] in building [in Jerusalem], and wilt thou rear it up in three days? *But He spake of the Temple of His body. When therefore He was risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His Name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because he knew all men [mankind], And needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what [deceit] was in man.'
The Temple of God is built in Jerusalem: '1 Kings 6:7 And the House (Temple), when it was in building, was built of stone *made ready before it was brought thither [to the Temple Mount]: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the House (Temple), while it was in building.' - Peter quotes this well-known fact that one of the requirements to building the Temple in Jerusalem required that the granite stones had to be quarried away from the Temple site and that the stones had to be chiseled into their proper dimensions before leaving the stone quarry because there was to be no hammering, chiseling or shaping of the stones once at the actual Temple site. Peter [whose name means rock] refers to his fellow Christians as 'living stones' meaning that the true Temple is in Heaven and that while we are here on earth in this quarry the shaping and molding process is taking place however when we get into heaven [the Temple Mount] there are no sharp tools for the shaping of people in heaven so when we leave the earth we are already to have been completely shaped to fit into the Kingdom of God in Heaven. - '1 Peter 2:1-6 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word (Bible), that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, *as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, *Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an Holy Priesthood (Melchizedek), to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture [Isaiah 28:16], Behold, I lay in Sion (Zion) a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.'

!!!Highly Recommended: The Way of Agape (Love) and Be Ye Transformed [life change] by Nancy Missler - based on the architecture of the Temple in the Bible (Mp3's)
Here are the messages from our 2009 catalog, available exclusively for free download. [article link]

1 Kings 7-8 - King Solomon built the Temple for God in seven years however he spent thirteen years in building his own house -- '1 Kings 7:1 But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.'
King Solomon dedicates the Temple: '1 Kings 8:27-28 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this House (Temple) that I have builded? Yet have Thou respect unto the prayer of Thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee today:' Solomon is asking God to accept the Temple and for God's visible presence to dwell there in the Temple and God does. - '1 Kings 8:52-61 That thine eyes may be open unto the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them in all that they call for unto thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD. And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.' - '2 Chronicles 7:1-4 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying [a second prayer], the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth forever. Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD.'

1 Kings 9-11 - The Queen of Sheba visits Jerusalem, the Temple and King Solomon - Later King Solomon the third and final Trilogy of Anointed Kings over a united Israel turns his attention and affections from God and becomes a type of the coming NWO Antichrist -- '1 Kings 10:14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six [666] talents of gold.'
King Solomon deals deceitfully with others in becoming a type of Antichrist: '1 Kings 9:10-14 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the House (Temple) of the LORD, and the King's house, now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire, that then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul ["Cabul" as meaning, in Phoenician, "what does not please" - wiki.com] unto this day. And Hiram sent to the King [Solomon] six score talents of gold.' - Here King Solomon represents the conduct of the coming Antichrist a complete ruler who will rule at the expense of others of everyone in fact. There will not be any winners in the Antichrist system it will quickly become a completely broken useless system where all the wealth, treasure and authority is in the hands of a single person [possessed by Satan] and everyone else will be like King Hiram receiving 'Cabul' and paying an enormous price for it.

Ethiopian Christianity - King Solomon & the Queen of Sheba - Ethiopian Christians tell this story about Solomon and the Queen of Sheba - Their version holds that the Queen of Sheba was an Ethiopian sovereign named Makeda (Magda) and that she returned from her celebrated journey to the court of Solomon in Jerusalem [pregnant] bearing the king's son, David, who became the first king of Ethioipia, ruling as Menelik I. Makeda's tale is told in an ancient Ethiopian book, the Kebra Negast, or Glory of Kings, from which this is taken
Ethiopians claim that they have possession of the original biblical Ark of the Covenant, taken from the Temple in Jerusalem, just as the Babylonian army invaded Judah and took the Jews into captivity for seventy years. See II Kings 25 for the Biblical account of the fall of Jerusalem. While there is no way to verify the truth of their claim, particularly since only the Keeper of the Ark is permitted to actually see it, it is not inherently historically implausible. The Ethiopians make as good a case for possessing the Ark as anyone else could, and are virtually the only people who do claim to have it. Most historians and biblical scholars assume that the Ark was taken by the Babylonians as plunder, along with the rest of the Temple treasure. This is certainly as likely to be the cases as is the claim that it is in the Church of St Mary Zion in Axum. However, two factors lend credibility to the possibility that the Ethiopians are speaking the truth. First, the Ark of the Covenant was the greatest of all of the treasures in the Temple. If the priests were to attempt to escape Jerusalem with only one treasure, the Ark is the most likely candidate. Second, if the priests did make off with the Ark of the Covenant, they would have taken it west towards Egypt. Those (including Isaiah [*Jeremiah]) who escaped Judah after the Babylonian captivity went to Egypt, Egypt was Judah's political ally, and the Babylonians came from the east. If the priests took the Ark to Egypt, they would probably take it up the Nile River as the safest part of Egypt, and this comports with the Ethiopian claim that it was kept along the Upper Nile for many years, before being conveyed to Ethiopia. The strongest modern argument supporting Ethiopia's claim has been presented in Graham Hancock's book, The Sign and the Seal. While this page does not fully support Hancock's argument, neither does it find the case he makes entirely without merit. [article link]

The Queen of Sheba - A foreign queen from a distant land with strange gods, she converted to [Judaism] Solomon and his God - An outsider with an insider's understanding - This is the woman who Jesus later claimed would rise up to condemn unbelievers - 'The Queen of the South will appear at the Judgment when this generation is on trial' -- 'Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south [Sheba] shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold [Jesus], a greater than Solomon is here.'
We learn only a little about her from the Bible, but it is what happens to the story in the telling that is most fascinating. 1 Kings 10 describes her visit to Solomon. She came to 'test him with hard questions' - she wanted to know whether he was really as wise as they said he was. So, the Bible is interested in her because of her mind. She was a wise woman, a Carol Vorderman or a Joan Bakewell. But posterity has remembered her for the rich gifts she brought with her, spices, gold and precious stones, gifts that lend her a kind of oriental exoticism. The text says that she was 'breathless' before Solomon's wisdom and admitted that his God must be the greatest. We are told that Solomon gave her all that she desired. Later readers have assumed that her desires were erotic rather than intellectual and that she was breathless with passion rather than with hard thinking, but its hard to tell. I suppose that whoever has ears to hear will hear it their own way. But whether it was mind or body or both, Sheba is seduced by Solomon. Though almost his equal in money and brains, she gave in and adored him. A foreign queen from a distant land with strange gods, she converted to Solomon and his god. An outsider with an insider's understanding. This is the woman who Jesus later claimed would rise up to condemn unbelievers. ... Sheba might have been a match for Solomon and the Bible text almost has it so. But tradition has made him her conqueror and so inspired and validated many other victories of Europe over the orient, of man over women, of 'Truth' over error. But Jesus promised that Sheba would have her day, that she would rise up in judgment. We still live in a world in which the old conquerors are still at work, a world marred by racism, sexism, imperialism, and terrifying will to power. And, as Jesus promised, the Queen of Sheba still rises in judgment. In Britain today you are more likely to suffer harassment and violence and less likely to find work, if you are black. Just a few miles from here is a detention center where 120 mostly black men are held without trial, for undetermined periods of time, subject to racist abuse, and many in desperate fear. And the Queen of Sheba rises in judgment. Many black Christians coming to this country feel excluded from 'white' churches and as they set up their own. And the Queen of Sheba rises in judgment. - The people of Israel left Egypt, fleeing from oppression and racism, from a land where foreigners could only be slaves. Joseph had even put it in his will that his bones were to be repatriated. But the Kingdom of God, the place of our dreams, must be one in which no one ever needs to flee, in which the whole earth could be home to any man or woman, in which Sheba and Solomon could be each other's match, whether in wits or in love. In Christ there is no East or West. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. All are one in Christ. Until earth and heaven are made new, Sheba will still rise in judgment. Until she and all her sisters can be black and comely, until all wisdoms will be recognized, until any Jew could rest his bones in Egypt, until any human being could hold the hand of another in honest and co-equal love, the queen of the south will rise in judgment. [article link]

Freemasonry: The Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon - Upon reading the title of this paper, you may well wonder, "what on earth has the Queen of Sheba got to do with Freemasonry?" - The Board of Installed Masters is a ceremony, not a degree, so I will plead "not guilty" of divulging any secrets when I tell you that during this ceremony the VOSL is opened at I Kings 10 - Nonetheless, I hope it has given you some insight into the life and times of King Solomon, our first [Freemason] Grand Master
Who was the Queen of Sheba? I don't want to spoil my story, but before going any further, I should tell you that no archaeological evidence has ever been unearthed or uncovered that suggests or supports that the Queen of Sheba ever visited King Solomon. There are, however, records of the ancient country of Sheba, which date from 715 BCE. Sheba was sometimes called Saba, meaning "Host of Heaven," and "peace," and is thought to be what is now the country of Yemen in the South West corner of Arabia where the Red Sea meets the Indian Ocean. The people who lived in Sheba were called Sabaeans [? - not sure]. The Sabaeans have been described as a tall and commanding people, both woolly-haired and straight-haired. Semitic in origin, they are believed to have been descendants of the land of Cush in the Bible. The Sabaean people inhabited most of NW and SW Arabia, some 483,000 square miles of mountains, valley and deserts. Some historians claim that Ethiopia, on the western end of the Red Sea, was also part of Sheba's territory. The Sebaeans conquered all of the other South Arabian countries at the start of the Christian era. Sheba was a wealthy country, rich in gold and other precious stones, as well as incense and exotic spices sought by neighboring kingdoms. From ancient times, perfumes and spices were popular commodities in the near East, and the spice trade was a particularly active one. From both the Bible and other classical sources it appears that the valuable plants from which the coveted aromatic resins, incense, spices, and medicinal potions were produced, were grown mainly in the kingdoms of southern Arabia. From this area, major land and sea trade routes branched out to all the great trading centers of the ancient world. The Sabaeans were both extensive traders and bandits and engaged in the slave trade. Sheba engaged in a lucrative caravan trade. By 1000 BCE, camels frequently traveled the 1400 miles up the "Incense Road" and along the Red Sea to Israel. The spices of Sheba were highly prized. Frankincense, an offering to the gods, was heaped on funeral pyres, and given as an antidote for poison, and as a cure for chest pains, hemorrhoids and paralysis. Myrrh, an ingredient in fragrant oils and cosmetics, was used in preparing bodies for burial, for healing ear, eye and nose ailments, and inducing menstruation. Other Sabaean spices were saffron, cummin, aloes and galbanum. The capital of Sheba was the city of Ma'rib. Nearby was a great dam, which may have been as high as 60 feet, which provided enough water to make Sheba an agricultural nation, as well as a land of beautiful gardens. It was a fertile oasis in the desert. There is evidence that this dam burst, and the devastation caused by the ensuing flood, coupled with the loss of water for agriculture, may have led to the demise of several Sabaean cities which no longer exist today. Because of its isolation, Sheba was secure from military invasion for at least 500 years, and was independent and at peace with its neighbors during the 11th and 10th century BC History reveals that at least five kings preceded the Queen of Sheba. Yet Arabian documents portray all of Arabia as matriarchal and ruled by queens for over 1000 years. In Ethiopia, the Kebra Negast refers to a law established in Sheba that only a woman could reign, and that she must be a virgin queen. Rule by queens was not unusual in prehistoric times. Women played a large role in government, especially in the Near East where there is evidence of their prominence in economics, the family, and religion. According to Ethiopian legend, the Queen of Sheba was born in 1020 BCE in Ophir, and educated in Ethiopia. Her mother was Queen Ismenie. Sheba was known to be beautiful, intelligent, understanding, resourceful, and adventurous. A gracious queen, she had a melodious voice and was an eloquent speaker. Excelling in public relations and international diplomacy, she was a also competent ruler. The historian Josephus said of her, "she was inquisitive into philosophy and on that and on other accounts also was to be admired." Since Sheba was a center of astronomical wisdom and the ruling monarch was the chief astronomer/ astrologer, religious life involved worship of the Sun and Moon. Shams was the Sun god. The earliest known Arabian temple was at Ma'rib, the capital of Sheba, and was called Mahram Bilqus, "precincts of the Queen of Sheba." In Arab lore, this queen was named Bilqus or Balkis; in Ethiopia, Makeda (also Magda, Maqda and Makera), meaning "Greatness" or "Great One." Others say Maqda is a short form of Magadhi, and that Magadhi was a long-gone tribal language in which there were sixty-three different ways to say each word. All that can be ascertained now is that it stands for the letter "M" -that's what Maqda means. Years later, the historian Josephus, referred to her as Nikaulis, Queen of Ethiopia and Egypt. ... The Origin of the Ethiopian Monarchy-Sheba and her son Menyelek: The Bible says nothing about a marriage between Solomon and Sheba, but states simply that she returned to her own land. However, the Abyssinians (the country now known as Ethiopia) have adopted some of the Arab tales and trace the lineage of their royal house to the Queen of Sheba. The Ethiopians claim that their rulers are descended from Menilek, son of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba, thus giving rise to the imperial title "Lion of Judah." The Kebra Negast is regarded as the final authority on the early history of Ethiopia, and its origin in the Solomonic lines of kings, which "descends without interruption from the dynasty of Menelik I, son of Queen of Ethiopia, Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Jerusalem." This idea exists in the folk lore of many Jewish, Moslem and Christian countries. *The relationship between Ethiopia, Lion of Judah, and Israel is apparent in Ethiopia's national emblem, the six pointed star [actually a five pointed star], which corresponds to the Shield (Seal) of David on Israel's flag Here is the tale of how Solomon's son became the King of Ethiopia ... [article link]

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Examining a photo of the Iranian president holding aloft his identity card during the nation's [June] 2008 elections, the newspaper discovered Ahmadinejad's original family name - prior to their conversion to Islam - was Sabourjian, a Jewish name meaning "cloth weaver" - According to a London Telegraph report, his ferocity may be overcompensation ... for his own Jewish roots {Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is probably a CIA, Illuminati, Freemason, Satanic, UN-NWO plant however they only plant people particularly in 3rd World governments that they can also take down relatively easily. Ahmadinejad probably has several self-destruct mechanisms one of them being Jewish that the NWO can activate at their convince to eventually bring in another more advance NWO mole into that position. Ahmadinejad's anger is real unlike an Alex Jones type of NWO plant [Alex Jones is extremely likely a Bohemian Grove member and probably one of the red robed (human sacrificing) priests] who is actually an insider a part of the system and is working from the outside [as a pretend outsider] to bring in the very NWO system that he is pretending to oppose while at the same time Ahmadinejad is an outsider trying desperately to earn his way inside to be a part of a NWO system that ultimately (doubly) opposes him [the NWO system opposes all the people affiliated with Abraham including Jews, Muslims and Christians]. A third type of very common NWO plant would be the Fox News type - Rupert Murdoch, Bill O'Reilly, Genn Beck - type of person who thinks they are a NWO insider acting as an outsider however they are just an outsider being used and later discarded by the system.}
Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has exasperated the world with incensed condemnations of Israel and his insistence that the Holocaust is a hoax, but could there be another reason behind his seeming hatred for the Jews? According to a London Telegraph report, his ferocity may be overcompensation ... for his own Jewish roots. Examining a photo of the Iranian president holding aloft his identity card during the nation's 2008 elections, the newspaper discovered Ahmadinejad's original family name - prior to their conversion to Islam - was Sabourjian, a Jewish name meaning "cloth weaver." Ahmadinejad has not denied that his name was changed when his family moved to Tehran in the 1950s, but he has also never confirmed what that original name was. A note on his identification papers, when magnified from the photo, however, suggests the man from Aradan, Iran, carried a common Jewish name from the region of his birth. "Sabourjian," the Telegraph reports, is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior. ... Ahmadinejad, the fourth of seven children to a man who worked as an ironworker, grocer, barber and blacksmith, moved with his family to Tehran was he was a small child. Reportedly, the family moved to seek better economic fortunes, but also took on the new, Islamic name. A 2007 Congressional Research Service report lists the Iranian president's original family name as "Saborjhian," linking the name to the Farsi "sabor," meaning "thread painter." Some biographers, including Joel C. Rosenberg, list Ahmadinejad's original family name as "Sabaghian," meaning "dye-master" in Persian. But the Telegraph reports the name on his papers is "Sabourjian" and cites a London-based expert on Iranian Jewry, who says the "jian" ending is specifically Jewish. "He has changed his name for religious reasons, or at least his parents had," said the newspaper's source. "Sabourjian is well known Jewish name in Iran." If Ahmadinejad is of Jewish ancestry, he has done much to distance himself from his heritage. In a 2006 speech aired on the Iranian News Channel, Ahmadinejad listed alleged crimes by Israel against Palestinians while the crowd chanted, "Death to Israel! Death to Israel!" [article link]

THE MYSTERIES OF THE KABBALAH AND FREEMASONRY (The Key of Solomon) - The Hebrew alphabet has 32 letters - The Kabbalists argue that there are 32 paths of widsom, which lead to knowledge about God - It is interesting to note that the Babylonia version of the Talmud has 32 tractates - Again, the number 32 is a significant feature in both the Kabbalah and Freemasonry - The Kabbalists contend that the soul is comprised of three levels. The Nefresh deals with all of the instincts and bodily desires. The Ruah concerns itself with morality and ethical conduct. The Neshama is the highest level of the soul and is related to the divine spirit of man. These gradations of the soul can be compared to the first three degress of Freemasonry
At the heart of Freemasonry and its masonic precepts is the encouragement and inculcation of values whech can "Make good men better." Faith, hope and charity and values such as fortitude, prudence, temperance and justice are the cornerstones of masonic conduct and comprise many of the fundamental precepts of Freemasonry (see attached illustration at the end of this file from Gershom G. Scholem's book, On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism. Wisdom, strength, and beauty are the foundations of the masonic lodge, and in fact, beauty, with which the freemason is taught to adorn all important undertakings, is at the very center of the Sefiroth. Furthermore, the Sefiroth of strength is found on the left-hand side of all the Sefiroths, which corresponds to the placement of one of the pillars in the masonic lodge. According to Ponce, there are three pillars in the Sefiroth. The pillar on the right is the pillar of mercy, which can be masonically related to the value of charity. The pillar on the left side is the pillar of judgment, which can be related Masonically to the concept of establishment. The middle pillar provides a balance between the left and right pillars. The middle pillar also represents the Creator of the universe. The fellowcraft freemason stands between these two pillars and is at the center. Symbolically, the fellowcraft freemason dramatizes President Kennedy's statement that "God's work here on earth must surely be done by man." - Ponce recounts that the earliest forms of Kabbaiistic literature dealt with the mystery of the Merkabah. The Merkabah was the throne chariot of God. One could reach the Merkabah by passing through a series of heavenly halls. Those who sought to reach the Merkabah had to possess secret words to gain admission into each heavenly hall. The freemason is required to know certain words which facilitate his entrance into the lodge. Moreover, certain words denote which degree is being conducted by the lodge. The Kabbaiists believe that the transmission of the name of God from master to pupil is part of the rites of initiation. The newly-raised brother also receives a word in a certain manner, which is never used in normal conversation. Masonically, the ability of a freemason to recite the word and reproduce it as it was given to him are the identifying characteristics of a Master Mason. The Kabbalists study Sefer Yetshirah, or the Book of Creation. Again, the information in this book could only be communicated by the master to his disciple by word of mouth, study may explain the origin of the masonic practice of the "Mouth to ear" instruction. All of the masonic oaths or obligaitons impose a requirement that the freemason should hold the work of Freemasonry to be inviolate. Furthermore, the act of creation of the world is particularly pronounced in the first degree of Freemasonry. The Kabbalists believe that air, water, and fire were used to create the world. The Hebrew letter, Mem, belongs to the class of Mutes, according to Ponce. These letters do not have any sound in their production. The letter, Mem, is associated with water, and since the fish is the chief occupant of water, it is silent as well. The newly-raised freemason is instructed about a particular word which is whispered to another brother. This "muted" word begins with the letter, "M" which corresponds with the letter, Mem. The Kabbalists also believe that the earth was created from water, which is related to the dirt of Hiram's burial site. Therefore, the word used in raising a Freemason has the characteristic of being earthlike. Other letters in the Hebrew alphabet represent the five human senses, which are emphasized in the fellowcraft degree. - The Hebrew alphabet has 32 letters, which also serve as numbers. Some Kabbalists manipulate words and numbers for explaining much about the universe and the works of God. The number 32 denotes the number of degrees in the Scottish Rite. The Hebrew letters Yod, Heh, and Vav are an important symbol in the Royal Arch degree. Hebraically, these letters form the name of God and this is also a magnificent centerpiece of the Royal Arch degree. There is no question that the Kabbalistic En-Sof and the masonic manipulation of these letters are conceptually related. The Kabbalists argue that there are 32 paths of widsom, which lead to knowledge about God. It is interesting to note that the Babylonia version of the Talmud has 32 tractates. Again, the number 32 is a significant feature in both the Kabbalah and Freemasonry. Charles Ponce describes a magic circle that King Solomon created so as to protect himself from evil svirits. Within this circle one finds the Greek letter, Tau, which has been masonically represented as a combination the words "Temple, Hirosalmis" (Templum Hierosolymae or Temple of Jerusalem). Furthermore, the points of the compass in the circle correspond directly with the officers' places in the masonic lodge. The Kabbalists contend that the soul is comprised of three levels. The Nefresh deals with all of the instincts and bodily desires. The Ruah concerns itself with morality and ethical conduct. The Neshama is the highest level of the soul and is related to the divine spirit of man. These gradations of the soul can be compared to the first three degress of Freemasonry. The first degree relates to youth and so the Nefresh or bodily desires are paramount. The second degree in Freemasonry is identified as a freemason coming to full maturity, so that ethical conduct and control over one's desires is accentuated. The third degree represents old age and the fullness of maturity, which is also represented by the highest level of the soul, the Neshama, or in the case of Freemasonry, the Master Mason. Death awaits the Master Mason, but his soul is raised to divine heights. The Kabbalists warn us that reaching the level of the Neshama was only awarded to some and not guaranteed to all. Therefore, as is true with the third degree in Freemasonry, the level of Master Mason is only reached when a man proves himself worthy of that esteemed title. - In conclusion, this study has contended that there is a relationship between certain themes of the Kabbalah with the lectures and degrees of Freemasonry. This should come as no surprise. Freemasons are taught both the universality of God and of brotherly love. Therefore, any religious belief or practice can be found within the parameters of Freemasonry. The imagination of man allows him to approach the unknowable and create structures and practices that assist him in gaining faith in the Glorious Supreme Architect of the Universe [Satan]. [article link]

1 Kings 12-13 - King Solomon passes away and is buried in Jerusalem - Solomon's son Rehoboam is seated on the throne of David - Within days the ten northern Tribes of Israel succeed from Judah and install their own king and initiate their own priesthood -- '1 Kings 11:41-43 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the Acts of Solomon? And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city [Jerusalem] of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.' [The 'Acts of Solomon' was apparently a secular chronicle that has been lost to history.]
God divided the Nation of Israel into two kingdoms: '1 Kings 12:1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.' - '1 Kings 12:12-24 So Jeroboam [Rehoboam's spokesman] and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. And the king [Rehoboam] answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him; And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father [Solomon] made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that He might perform His saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam [a man from the Northern tribe of Ephriam] the son of Nebat. So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse [King David]: to your tents, O Israel [ten Northern Tribes]: now see to thine own house, David [Judah]. So Israel departed unto their tents. But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam {now the Southern King} reigned over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam {now the Northern King} was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel [ten Northern Tribes], to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the *House of Judah and *Benjamin, *and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from Me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.'

Non-Christian Source: NWO Occultism - The myths of King Solomon who used the demon "Asmodeus" to build the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, clearly a metaphor for helping him create his power base, is illustrative of this - However, this alliance ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple, as King Solomon reneged on the deal with his demons - This popular tale amongst occultists, indeed it is the cornerstone of Freemasonry, clearly contains the moral "always pay your dues to the devil" or your temple will come crashing down {Note: The devil has no part and nothing is due him in regards to the Temple of Solomon or in the actual real human Temple that the Temple of Solomon represents. In true Judeo/Christianity the person is the Temple of God not an agenda or a human domain. The true Temple of God is for God and is built by God without (human) hands. Humans are built by God in the water of the human womb by and for the Holy God to have a living, intimate, spiritual relationship [His Spirit and His Words (the Holy Bible) are intended to be within us] with His creation. Occult practices are to assign other concepts and human values particularly physical blessings to the heavenly, eternal, spiritual and divine blessings and attributes of the Holy God established and displayed in Christianity.}
Occultism today includes a broad mix of activities from many traditions. The fundamental difference between Occult pursuits and Spiritual pursuits is that the occultist seeks to gain control over the powers of the Universe, while the pursuer of Spirituality seeks the passive role of alignment with the powers of the Universe. Occultism is basically derived from Shamanism, but as modern societies developed from tribal societies, a split occurred between Religion and Magic. In Europe's Middle Ages, Magic was pursued through Alchemy, and mixed practices and beliefs from the pagan Wiccan religion of the ancient Celts, with the Christian Gnostic concepts that saw a popular revival in the 12th Century. The Wiccan nature cults included sacrificial rituals of animals and humans, and sexual fertility rites designed to harmonize communities with the sometimes brutal forces of Nature. Many Gods were worshiped for their individual powers, including the horned and hoofed "Pan", and the Father of the Celtic Gods "Cernunnos", who standing proud with his huge erection, can still be seen today on the hillside of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England, towering 100 feet over a Roman Catholic monastery. - Christian Gnosticism with its stories of the mystical powers attained by Christ, was embraced as a fulfillment of ancient myth and prophesy, and Christ as a high-priest who achieved God-like powers, was a natural figure to include in their pantheon. Thus, the ancient Celtic Gods of Europe began to merge with the Christian Gods. Satan and Pan were recognized for their similarities, not only in their physical form, but also in their personal traits. As the Satan of Gnostic Christianity had such unified and great power in the Universe, as "king and creator of this world", he was a fabulous addition to the supernatural array of Gods. The ancient nature cults, particularly the Gauls, used the conjuring of spirits, a practice derived from Shamanism, as part of their communication with the Gods. According to St. Augustine's "The City of God", the spirits were used for seeking advice and favor, and were divided into "demons called Deuses, and the ancestors". Demons were hard to control, but could be convinced to do the will of an individual on the material plane if he or she followed certain principles. The Christian Gnostic Satan became an obvious demon figure for worship, as he would be a powerful ally. According to the traditions of the Nature cults, it would be natural to offer sacrifice in return for favors, or have sexual ritual in order to connect with a chosen spirit or demon, as is seen to this day in the indigenous/Hindu beliefs and practices of islands such as Sumatra or Java. -- In Europe's Middle Ages, the confusion arising from a clash of mythic and cultural symbolism had obvious moral and ethical implications. Ultimately, the question of whether a person was a "Satanist" would come down to what they were asking the demon to do for them, and what they were prepared to do in return. Of course, this all depends on one's personal beliefs, ethics, morality, and standing within the social order. While a peasant was accused of selling his soul to Satan to ensure a good harvest, a King who embarked in a Faustian deuce or pact with the Devil, was merely entering into another business arrangement. The myths of King Solomon who used the demon "Asmodeus" to build the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, clearly a metaphor for helping him create his power base, is illustrative of this. However, this alliance ultimately led to the destruction of the Temple, as King Solomon reneged on the deal with his demons. This popular tale amongst occultists, indeed it is the cornerstone of Freemasonry, clearly contains the moral "always pay your dues to the devil", or your temple will come crashing down... such is the dichotomy within institutions of Western power and Judeo-Christianity. The Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church designed to root out "Satanism" claimed millions of victims from the peasant and indigenous classes, obliterating what remained of the Pagan nature cults, while "Satanic" practices continued amongst the circles of the power elite within their occult and alchemical secret societies, growing ever more morally and ethically inverted. -- The Grail/Dragon aristocratic bloodlines, also known as the Rex Deus fraternity, were evidently the Kings of Satan. Adolf Hitler and his inner circle of Nazis called the Holocaust "The greatest and most powerful dance of death of all time". Perhaps the real difference between a shamanically informed Pagan ritual, and a Satanic ritual, lies in the consent of any party. A victim by definition is the unconsenting prey of the predator, and any such ritual intends to, and will only, create Darkness. "The old beliefs will be brought back to honor again. The whole secret knowledge of nature, of the divine, of the demonic. We will wash off the Christian veneer. I want to see in the eyes of youth the gleam of the beast..." said Rosicrucian front-man Adolf Hitler. Although the Nazis have often been labeled neo-Pagan, their rituals of death were as far from Pagan ritual, and as close to Satanism, as the human race has ever been. [article link]

BBC: King Solomon's Tablet Of Stone (part 1 of 5) - Looking at the stone, several linguists said 'fake' [Aramaic and Phoenician scripts] - Some of the Hebrew, they claimed, was not ancient - The authorities presented their conclusions - They announced that the stone tablet, and the James Ossuary, were elaborate fakes - But who was producing these fakes and how? - When the police took Oded Golan into custody and searched his apartment they discovered a workshop with a range of tools, materials, and half finished 'antiquities'. This was evidence for an operation of a scale far greater than they had suspected - Dozens of these items have now been examined by Dr Goren, and all have been revealed to be forgeries - Some archaeologists have now concluded that everything that came to market in the last 20 years without clear provenance should be considered a fake (YouTube)
"The authenticity of many Holy Land artifacts is thrown into doubt" In 2001, a clandestine meeting of leading Israeli archaeologists are shown a remarkable artifact. It's a stone tablet, apparently from 1,000BC. The writing on its face describes repairs to the temple of King Solomon. It is the first archaeological evidence ever found of this legendary building. The relic caused a sensation. But this was only just the start. For authentication, the tablet was taken to the Geological Survey of Israel. Here, after a battery of tests, including radiocarbon dating, scientists officially pronounced the stone to be genuine. The tests even revealed microscopic particles of gold in the outer layer of stone. These were apparently the result of the tablet surviving the fire which, according to the bible, destroyed the temple when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586BC. The stone tablet was offered for sale to the Israel Museum, home to many of Israel's greatest treasures. Rumors suggested the asking price was as high as $10 million. But the museum needed to know where the stone had come from. Even its owner was a mystery. To make matters more complex, the stone itself had disappeared again. The Israeli Antiquities Authority wanted answers. A nine month search for the mysterious stranger who had first appeared with the stone eventually led them to a private detective who had been hired by a well-known antiquities collector, Oded Golan.Golan insisted he too was just a front man for another collector. But the authorities were suspicious. He was known to be the owner of the James Ossuary, another extraordinary artifact which had appeared a couple of years earlier. This was a burial box with an inscription linking it to Jesus' brother. The authorities raided Golan's apartment and recovered both the ossuary and the elusive stone. It was time to establish once and for all if both were genuine. So they set up a committee of linguists and scientists to examine them. Looking at the stone, several linguists said 'fake'. Some of the Hebrew, they claimed, was not ancient. Other experts claimed that so little is known of ancient Hebrew that it's impossible to be sure. The committee turned to geology. Dr. Yuval Goren, a geo-archaeologist and head of the Archaeological Institute at Tel-Aviv University, soon found evidence that a team of sophisticated forgers had led the earlier experts astray. The patina on the stone had in fact been manufactured artificially. The charcoal particles which produced the convincing radiocarbon date had been added by hand The gold fragments hinting at an ancient fire were a clever final addition. The authorities presented their conclusions. They announced that the stone tablet, and the James Ossuary, were elaborate fakes. But who was producing these fakes and how? Dr. Goren decided to piece together how the stone tablet had been made. He tracked the origin of the stone itself - apparently a building block taken from a Crusader castle. It was even possible to work out how the fake patina had been manufactured and the ingredients used. What was clear was the team of forgers included experts in a range of disciplines. When the police took Oded Golan into custody and searched his apartment they discovered a workshop with a range of tools, materials, and half finished 'antiquities'. This was evidence for an operation of a scale far greater than they had suspected. Investigators have established that collectors around the world have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for artifacts that came through Oded Golan's associates. Dozens of these items have now been examined by Dr. Goren, and all have been revealed to be forgeries. Police now suspect that artifacts made by the same team of forgers have found their way into leading museums around the world. Some archaeologists have now concluded that everything that came to market in the last 20 years without clear provenance should be considered a fake. Many of these objects, like the stone tablet which started the investigation, were cynically playing on the desire of many of the collectors to see the bible confirmed as history. For those in search of the temple of Solomon - their goal is as far away as ever. [article link]

A stone tablet could be a relic of King Solomon's temple or a clever forgery - "I believe it is a fake" He noted, among other flaws, that some of the letter shapes were more typical of the seventh century B.C. Aramaic and Phoenician scripts than of Hebrew - the inscription has too many "anomalies" to be authentic - The text appears to be a "mishmash" of usages and words lifted from several of these ancient texts, in addition to the Bible
The most startling discovery, though, was that the patina contained tiny globules of pure gold. The researchers speculated that when the First Temple was set ablaze by the Babylonians in 587 B.C., as the biblical account holds, the gilding on the walls melted and settled on the ground as tiny particles, which later became embedded in the tablet. The GSI team didn't state definitively that the tablet was authentic, but Shimon Ilani, one of the researchers, told the Jerusalem Post, "If this is the work of a forger, I would have to shake his hand." The owner's representatives also showed the tablet to Joseph Naveh, an epigrapher at Hebrew University, who had a different reaction: "It is not just that I have serious doubts about its authenticity, but I believe it is a fake." He noted, among other flaws, that some of the letter shapes were more typical of the seventh century B.C. Aramaic and Phoenician scripts than of Hebrew in the ninth century B.C., when the tablet would have been carved. Other experts in ancient Semitic inscriptions have jumped in, pointing out what they see as damning errors in the usage of certain words. In an upcoming issue of Israel Exploration Journal, epigrapher Frank Moore Cross argues that the forgers reveal themselves by mistakenly using the Hebrew verbal noun bdq, which today means "the repair of." The forgers, he says, apparently did not know that in ancient times, the word had almost the opposite meaning--a "fissure." Thus, line 10 of the inscription refers to creating fissures--a suspect usage in an inscription that's all about repair work. [article link]

1 Kings 14-16 - Israel begins to quickly transition from a period of Kings ruling over an undivided Nation to a period of a divided Nation being providentially guided by the hand of God through various kings and prophets -- '1 Kings 14:15-16 For the LORD shall smite Israel [Northern Tribes], as a reed is shaken in the water, and He shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river [to Assyria], because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger. And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.' {Note: Israel the Ten Northern Tribes are going to be defeated and taken into captivity by the powerful nation of Assyria because the Northern Tribes sought power they were taken captive by another power. Later the Southern Tribe of Judah will also be defeated and taken into captivity but by the nation of Babylon (Iraq) because Judah sought mysticism they were brought into captivity by mysticism (Babylon).}
Each King continues to become more wicked: '1 Kings 16:30-34 And Ahab [King of Northern Israel] the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife *Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; *and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build [a new city of] Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun [Joshua 6:26].' - Hiel committed the human sacrifice of his oldest son in a ceremony dedicated to laying the foundation of the City of Jericho and then committed a second human sacrifice of his youngest son in a ceremony dedicated to setting up the gates at the entry of the city. This is a time when Israel is seriously off course of what God intended for His Children living in His Promise Land.

1 Kings 17-18 - The third and final Godly office the office of Prophets begins to enter into preeminence - The era in Israel of Elijah the Prophet begins -- '1 Kings 17:1-2 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab [King of Northern Israel], As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.' {The drought will end up lasting for three and a half years. Luke 4:25, James 5:17}
God hears and answers Elijah's prayers: '1 Kings 18:20-24 So [King] Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the [false] prophets [of Baal] together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them [false prophets] choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: *And call ye on the name of your gods, *and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let Him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.' - '1 Kings 18:29-39 And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.' - The prayers of the false prophets are unanswered by God but the prayers of His people are both heard and answered as God shows forth His strength for His Children. Later in the Book of Revelation the Antichrist will eventually finally be able to call his own fire down from above as God has given to the Antichrist more power and authority over the earth. - 'Revelation 13:11-18 And I beheld another beast [after the Antichrist beast of the sea arises] coming up out of the earth; and he [beast of the earth, false prophet] had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he [false prophet] exerciseth all the power of the first beast [Antichrist] before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that *he [false prophet] maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666].'

bible.org: The Man Elijah - Elijah is the Hebrew Eliyahu that means "My God is Yahweh" - Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead - He is called "Elijah, the Tishbite" six times - "Tishbe" means "captivity" - This suggests the title was significant [and] could have stood as a warning of eventual captivity if Israel refused to repent and [return] turn to the Lord
Elijah's Description and Locality: Elijah is called "the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead." He is so called because he was likely from a town called Tishbe in upper Galilee known to us from the Apocryphal book of Tobit 1:2. One source says that "Tishbe" means "captivity." It certainly is a derivative of shabah, meaning "to take captive." In view of God's warnings in Deuteronomy 28:15-37, this could have stood as a warning of eventual captivity if Israel refused to repent and turn to the Lord. He is called "Elijah, the Tishbite" six times and was well known by this title (cf. 1 Kgs. 17:1; 21:17, 28; 2 Kgs. 1:3, 8; 9:36). This suggests the title was significant. Scholars debate the exact location of Tishbe. If Tishbe is a town, then he was born in Tishbe, but became an inhabitant of Gilead, perhaps by choice. We are not told why, but since "the settlers of Gilead" really means "the sojourners of Gilead," it may declare something about Elijah's character and relationship to God. The name Gilead means "a rocky region" and refers to a mountainous area east of the Jordan that was comparatively uninhabited. It was an area well adapted for spending time alone with God. The phrase is certainly suggestive of his lifestyle as a sojourner, as one whose focus was on the things of God. ... Application and Conclusion: We are living in a time when the foundations are being systematically destroyed. We see the decadent results of a nation that has turned away from the moral absolutes of the Word and our Christian heritage. In its place we have turned to the relativism of secular humanism with its evolutionary foundation. Many have opted for a New Age philosophy. As a result, we live in a time that is growing in hostility to the true God and to those who want to follow the God of the Bible. ... Like the 7,000 of Elijah's day who were hiding in caves to escape persecution, we tend to crawl off into the cave of our "business as usual" routine, or into our particular strategy by which we seek to become narcotized to the problems. Then, out of our minds and mouths flow a river of typical human excuses--enough excuses to lose our nation. Elijah is God's commentary against the excuses and fears that so often paralyze us. As we have seen, He had none of the so-called advantages of the world. So, what made him tick? What made him such a powerful tool for the Lord? What gave him his courage, and how can we tap in on what he had so God can use us in the way and to the degree He desires? [article link]

1 Kings 19-20 - After the great victory at Mt. Carmel over the false prophets of Baal - Elijah then begins to have some doubts, fears and insecurities - eventually Elijah flees all the way back to Mt. Horeb [Mt. Sinai] -- '1 Kings 19:4 But he [Elijah] himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.' {Often in the Bible the call of the believer is a request to God to end their life. At times it just seems that getting on to Heaven is a better option than remaining here on earth and laboring against seemingly all odds to do the will and accomplish the works of God. However God then reorients the believer into more of a present earthly Kingdom and eternal perspective it provides helping to take away the anxiety and insecurity that this world so often has to offer. Also Note: The much more dangerous request of the non-believer is a selfish request to simply be left alone from God that they might live completely in their own sins and not have any affiliation whatsoever with the Kingdom of God.}
Elijah flees from Israel all the way back to Mt. Sinai where he hears the voice of God: '1 Kings 19:5-16 And as he [Elijah] lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an Angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake (bread) baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the Angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb [Mt. Siani] the Mount of God. And he came thither *unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, *the word of the LORD came to him, and He (God) said unto him, What doest thou here [in Arabia], Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And He said, Go forth, and stand upon the Mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and *after the fire [God spoke in] a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering [to go back] in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here [back at the cave - there is work to be done in Israel], Elijah? And he [having not learned much] said [again], I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And the LORD said unto him, Go [back to Israel], return [there is work to do] on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, *anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and **Elisha [the Prophet to replace Elijah] the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.' - Just as Moses and the people of Israel had previously met God at Mt. Sinai, Elijah would also have an encounter with God at Mt. Sinai where he would hear the 'still small voice' of God and receive the correction and encouragement to go forward that the voice of God offers. - Also Note: After his Damascus road conversion to Christianity and fleeing from Damascus the Apostle Paul then spent three years in Arabia [Galatians 1:17] in the area and region of Mt. Sinai himself learning from God and then back to Damascus before he eventually returned to Jerusalem and met with Peter and James and others of the early Church Apostles and Elders. - The Biblical Mt. Sinai is in Median [Saudi Arabia] 'outside of Egypt' [Exodus 16:1] while the traditional Mt. Sinai is still located in Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.

Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai part 4 of 5 - Mt. Sinai and The cave of Elijah {Note: At 1 minute and 30 seconds in this segment of the video the broken and burnt rocks might be from Elijah's experience with God [1 Kings 19:12] while the burnt top of the Mountain itself is from the experience of Moses and the Nation of Israel [Exodus 19:18].} (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. -- {Note: The Apostle Paul is writing about Mt. Sinai from both common knowledge of the day and his experiential knowledge having been to Mt. Sinai himself. After his Damascus road experience and departing Damascus the Apostle Paul went to Saudi Arabia and stayed in Saudi Arabia for about three years. Earlier the Prophet Elijah [1 Kings 19:8] had also gone to Arabia [Mt. Sinai also called Mt. Horeb] and stayed for a short time in the cave on Mt. Sinai (video part 4 of 5).} 'Galatians 1:17 Neither went I [Apostle Paul] up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; *but I went into Arabia [for about three years], and returned again unto Damascus.' - 'Galatians 4:25 mount Sinai in Arabia ...' [article link]

1 Kings 21-22 - King Ahab desires the Vineyard of his neighbor, Naboth - Naboth will not sell his vineyard because it is his inheritance from his forefathers - Jezebel the wife of Ahab plots to kill Naboth and take his vineyard - False charges are brought up against Naboth and he is convicted in the courts of King Ahab and stoned to death -- '1 Kings 21:11-15 11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast [acting under the cover of religion], and [deceive Naboth with false acclamation] set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial [then] witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.'
The Northern and Southern kingdoms of Israel try to briefly reunite: 1 Kings 22:40-44 So Ahab [King of Northern Israel] slept [died] with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa [King of Southern Israel] began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places. And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. - The continued amount of deceit especially from the Northern kingdom and the distrust between the two kingdoms made reuniting difficult even impossible even after the two kingdoms had been joined together in marriage. - 1 Kings 22:48-49 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of [from] Tharshish [Europe - Spain, England, France] to go to Ophir [Southeast Asia] for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber [a port in the Red Sea]. Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. - Now several generations after the great Kingdom of Solomon King Jehoshaphat of Judah still has a formidable empire in that he obtains ships from Europe intending to send them to Southeast Asia with merchandise to trade for gold to bring back to Israel however his ships are damaged and unable to make the voyage as the kingdom of David and Solomon continues to diminish in earthly stature but grow in spiritual stature with the coming of the Prophets in Israel.

CLARKE'S COMMENTARY - 1 KINGS 22 - A lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab's prophets persuades [King] Ahab to go up against Ramoth - this prophecy of the king's [false] prophets is couched in the same ambiguous terms by which the false prophets in the heathen world endeavoured to maintain their credit, while they deluded their votaries (devout adherents)
It is worthy of remark that this prophecy of the king's prophets is couched in the same ambiguous terms by which the false prophets in the heathen world endeavored to maintain their credit, while they deluded their votaries. The reader will observe that the word it is not in the original: The Lord will deliver IT into the hand of the king; and the words are so artfully constructed that they may be interpreted for or against; so that, be the event whatever it might, the juggling prophet could save his credit by saying he meant what had happened. Thus then the prophecy might have been understood: The Lord will deliver (Ramoth-gilead) into the king's (Ahab's) hand; or, The Lord will deliver (Israel) into the king's hand; i.e., into the hand of the king of Syria. And Micaiah repeats these words of uncertainty in order to ridicule them and expose their fallacy. - The following oracles among the heathens were of this same dubious nature, in order that the priests' credit might be saved, let the event turn out as it might. Thus the Delphic oracle spoke to Croesus words which are capable of a double meaning, and which he understood to his own destruction:- Croesus, Halym penetrans, magnam subvertet opum vim, Which says, in effect:- "If you march against Cyrus, he will either overthrow you, or you will overthrow him." He trusted in the latter, the former took place. He was deluded, and yet the oracle maintained its credit. So in the following:- Aio te, AEacida, Romanos vincere posse Ibis redibis nunquam in bello peribis. - Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, understood by this that he should conquer the Romans, against whom he was then making war; but the oracle could be thus translated: "The Romans shall overcome thee." He trusted in the former, made unsuccessful war, and was overcome; and yet the juggling priest saved his credit. The latter line is capable of two opposite meanings:- "Thou shalt go, thou shalt return, thou shalt never perish in war." Or, "Thou shalt go, thou shalt never return, thou shalt perish in war." When prophecies and oracles were not delivered in this dubious way, they were generally couched in such intricate and dark terms that the assistance of the oracle was necessary to explain the oracle, and then it was ignotum per ignotius, a dark saying paraphrased by one yet more obscure. [article link]

King Solomon's Gold Mines Mount Ophir Gunung Ledang Malacca Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Peninsula Almug (Algum) Tree Red Sandalwood First Temple Pillars I Kings 10 Ancient Transoceanic Voyages Phoenician Navigators
In I Kings 10 of the Old Testament in the Bible, King Solomon sent ships to Ophir for the finest gold and almug wood (for the Temple's pillars). The ships sailed from the Red Sea and headed east, to the Malaysian Peninsula, where the gold mountain there, east of the town of Malacca, which is just down the coast from Kuala Lumpur, was named Ophir, now known as Gunung Ledang, where are ancient mineshafts like honeycombs, from which huge amounts of gold were extracted by methods now unknown to the natives, nor to the Chinese who have also exploited the region through the centuries. And corroborative of this, that the mines of Ophir were across the vast Indian Ocean, is that also in I Kings 10, the almug (algum) tree, now known as red sandalwood, which grows only in southeast Asia, was sought by Solomon's fleet to construct the pillars of the First Temple; but how could they have navigated safely there and back, when it is commonly considered that such voyages were impossible because they could not accurately chart their course across a vast ocean? - Read article #2 at http://IceAgeCivilizations.com, to understand how they accurately measured time by the stars, with a simple mechanical instrument, and so could measure direction and distance, commonly thought to have been impossible before the invention of Harrison's chronometer in the 1850's. You can see that the evidence is solid that Malaysia is the location of Ophir, and now you can know how the ancients actually did navigate the globe in ancient times, exploiting the minerals which were available, such as in the ancient mysteriously complex mines of Mount Ophir, so check it out, and read further in the other categories to see how science and archaeology corroborate the Bible. [article link]

THE SECOND BOOK OF THE

2 KINGS

COMMONLY CALLED
THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE KINGS

2 Kings 1-2 - Elijah ends his ministry and is taken in a whirlwind into heaven - Elisha takes up the mantle (covering) and begins to be the next Prophet in Israel -- '2 Kings 2:13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan'
Elijah is translated into heaven: ' 2 Kings 2:1-15 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.' - Note: Elijah is 'translated' meaning that he receives his spiritual heavenly body and this occurred in the sight of Elisha so it could be recorded in the Bible for our benefit of knowing that there is a spiritual body to replace our physical body once we die to accompany our spirit and our soul for eternity in heaven. Though Elijah was translated and brought up into heaven in appearance with his death occurring before the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ that Elijah would not have remained in heaven but would have to remain in Paradise along with Abraham and all the other Saints of the Old Testament until the cross and resurrection of Jesus when the way into heaven was made available to those who believe in God.

Kings of Israel and Judah (Chart)
From time to time I write, and rewrite, short studies based on my understanding of the Bible. These thoughts are not the last word on a subject, but often just working papers that are incomplete or sketchy. You are welcome to quote from, or use, these essays--but please reference the source. Your email is most welcome. The Library is where most everything is located. [article link]

Kings of Israel and Judah - Info on each King
Below is a list of the rulers of Israel and Judah. Israel became a divided kingdom in about 929 BC. The northern part continued to be called Israel. The southern part was called Judah. Kings Saul, David and Solomon ruled over Israel before it became a divided kingdom. [article link]

2 Kings 3-5 - Elijah [14 miracles] has ended his ministry and Elisha [28 miracles] begins his ministry having requested and received a double portion of the Spirit of God - '2 Kings 4:31-35 The child is not awaked. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. And he went up, and lay upon [covered] the child [completely], and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child [God completely covers our death]; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes [being covered in death the life of Jesus takes over and gives our lifeless body a new life].'
Elisha demonstrates repeatedly that the Kingdom of God is to be life, it is to be appropriated as a blessing to ourselves and it is also to be shared with others: '2 Kings 4:5-7 5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels (jars) [of her neighbors] to her; and she poured out [her one jar of oil into all the other jars]. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel [jar]. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.' - '2 Kings 4:42-45 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn [grain] in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. And his servitor said, What, should I set this [food for twenty] before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave [leftovers] thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left [leftovers] thereof, according to the word of the LORD.'

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources: The Miracles of the Prophets Elijah and Elisha - Elijah [14] miracles and "A Double Portion of Thy Spirit" for Elisha [28] miracles
Immediately prior to the time Elijah was caught up to heaven in the whirlwind, his younger understudy Elisha requested a double portion of Elijah's spirit (2 Kings 2:9). Elijah being under the inspiration of God then replied that Elisha's request would be granted provided that the younger prophet were with him at the time he was taken away. The scriptures then record that this condition was fulfilled. After reading of the spectacular career of Elijah, it is difficult to believe that any man could have a double portion of his spirit, yet it came to pass that exactly twice as many miracles were done in the ministry of Elisha as in that of Elijah. The miracles in the careers of these two men of God may be summarized thus: Miracles in the Career of Elijah: 1. Causing the rain the cease for 3 1/2 years (1 Kings 17:1). 2. Being fed by the ravens (1 Kings 17:4). 3. Miracle of the barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1 Kings 17:14). 4. Resurrection of the widow's son (1 Kings 17:22). 5. Calling of fire from heaven on the altar (1 Kings 18:38). 6. Causing it to rain (1 Kings 18:45). 7. Prophecy that Ahab's sons would all be destroyed (1 Kings 21:22). 8. Prophecy that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21:23). 9. Prophecy that Ahaziah would die of his illness (2 Kings 1:4). 10. Calling fire from heaven upon the first 50 soldiers (2 Kings 2:10). 11. Calling fire from heaven upon the second 50 soldiers (2 Kings 2:12). 12. Parting of the Jordan (2 Kings 2:8). 13. Prophecy that Elisha should have a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:10). 14. Being caught up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). -- Miracles in the Career of Elisha: 1. Parting of the Jordan (2 Kings 2:14). 2. Healing of the waters (2 Kings 2:21). 3. Curse of the she bears (2 Kings 2:24). 4. Filling of the valley with water (2 Kings 3:17). 5. Deception of the Moabites with the valley of blood (2 Kings 3:22). 6. Miracle of the vessels of oil (2 Kings 4:4). 7. Prophecy that the Shunammite woman would have a son (2 Kings 4:16). 8. Resurrection of the Shunammite's son (2 Kings 4:34). 9. Healing of the gourds (2 Kings 4:41). 10. Miracle of the bread (2 Kings 4:43). 11. Healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:14). 12. Perception of Gehazi's transgression (2 Kings 5:26). 13. Cursing Gehazi with leprosy (2 Kings 5:27). 14. Floating of the axe head (2 Kings 6:6). 15. Prophecy of the Syrian battle plans (2 Kings 6:9). 16. Vision of the chariots (2 Kings 6:17). 17. Smiting the Syrian army with blindness (2 Kings 6:18). 18. Restoring the sight of the Syrian army (2 Kings 6:20). 19. Prophecy of the end of the great famine (2 Kings 7:1). 20. Prophecy that the scoffing nobleman would see, but not partake of, the abundance (2 Kings 7:2). 21. Deception of the Syrians with the sound of chariots (2 Kings 7:6). 22. Prophecy of the seven-year famine (2 Kings 8:1). 23. Prophecy of Benhadad's untimely death (2 Kings 8:10). 24. Prophecy of Hazael's cruelty to Israel (2 Kings 8:12). 25. Prophecy that Jehu would smite the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:7). 26. Prophecy that Joash would smite the Syrians at Aphek (2 Kings 13:17). 27. Prophecy that Joash would smite Syria thrice but not consume it (2 Kings 13:19). 28. Resurrection of the man touched by his bones (2 Kings 13:21). [article link]

2 Kings 6-7 - As a type of Jesus Christ the ministry of Elisha continues to benefit and bless both Jews and Gentiles as Elisha assists Jehoram the King of Judah in their victory over Moab and Elisha assists the Syrian General Naaman in being cured of leprosy -- '2 Kings 5:15 And he [Naaman] returned to the man [Elisha] of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all earth, but in Israel ...'
God prefers to overcome evil by His goodness: '2 Kings 6:8-23 Then the King of Syria warred [went to war] against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. ... And when they [Syrians] came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And He smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. *And the King of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father [Elisha], shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? *set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands [Army] of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.' -- 'Romans 12: 1-21 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ... Let love be without dissimulation [a form of deception in which one conceals the truth - wiki.com]. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in Spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of Saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend [agree, participate] to men of low estate [status]. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written [Deuteronomy 32:35], Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore [Proverbs 25:21-22] if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals [attention getting events] of fire on his head [Acts 2:3]. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.' Note: 'coals of fire on his head' is a way saying, 'getting someone's attention'. Coals of fire can refer to either a blessing [2 Samuel 14:7] or a curse [Song of Solomon 8:6]. It is up to the individual who God has gotten the attention of 'coals heaped upon their head' whether they want to follow in the ways of God and be blessed or continue to stray away from God and be cursed.

2 Kings 8-9 - The political intrigue and assassinations continue unabated however the results from all of the effort is almost of no effect - Desiring to be the ruler in Northern Israel the man Jehu kills Ahaziah [the son of Ahab and Jezebel] - Jehu then has the servants of Jezebel throw her from an upper window - Jehu then had the seventy descendants of Ahab beheaded -- '2 Kings 9:6-8 And he [a minor unnamed prophet] arose, and went into the house; and he [not Elisha] poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over [Northern] Israel. And thou shalt smite the House of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish ...'
Jehu kills all the competition: '2 Kings 10:28-36 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan. And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin. In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.' - Jehu took it upon himself to execute his judgment upon others however being obsessed with the conduct of others he is never able to bring his own conduct into submission unto the will of God.

Overcoming Jezebel, Athaliah, And Belial (Baal) In The Heavenlies [Complete Without (*with) Pictures] - We need to realize how these things work in the spirit so that we can pray more effectively for those under the stronghold of an Ahab and Jezebel spirit - 165 pages (PDF)
Our Ministry: Our main focus is the restoration of the Bride of Y'shua [Jesus]. This takes place in all three levels of man ... the spirit, soul and body. [article link]

2 Kings 10-11 - Jehoran the King of Southern Israel (Judah) married Athaliah the daughter of King Ahab and Jezebel of Northern Israel - After Jehoran [eight year reign] died of natural causes her son Ahaziah was King of Judah for one year and was visiting his mother-in-law Jezebel when she was killed at Jehu's command - Jehu then killed the fleeing King of Judah Ahaziah - After the loss of her husband and her son Athaliah made herself the Queen of Judah and reigned for six years -- '2 Kings 11:1 And when Athaliah [the daughter of King Ahab and Jezebel] the mother of [King] Ahaziah saw that her son [Ahaziah] was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal [and made herself Queen of Judah].'
Queen Athaliah purges all of the royal seed of Judah except for one [Joash]: '2 Kings 11:1-4 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba [Athaliah's daughter], the daughter of king Joram [Jehoran], sister of [King] Ahaziah, took Joash the [infant] son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the King's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And [Queen] Athaliah did reign over the land. And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king's son.' - Joash became the King of Israel and reigned for forty years from seven years old until his death at 47 years old. Joash repaired and rebuilt much of King Solomon's Temple but then later took much of the wealth and gold from the Temple and from his royal house in Jerusalem and gave it to Hazael the king of Syria in order to keep Syria from attacking Jerusalem.

2 Kings 12-13 - During the reign of Joash the Prophet Elisha passes away -- '2 Kings 13:14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash [Jehoash] the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof [your time of death has come].'
The period of the Kings of Israel begins to wind down: '2 Kings 14:23-29 23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah [then] Jeroboam [II] the son of Joash [Jehoash] king of Israel began to reign in Samaria, and reigned forty and one years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam [I] the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. He [Jeroboam II] restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, *according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant *Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher. For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam [II], and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jeroboam [II] slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.' - As the period of Kings begins to diminish the third office of God the office of Prophets begins to come to the forefront in both Judah and in Northern Israel. Jonah the Prophet begins to prophesy in Northern Israel and later Jonah is sent by God to Assyria to call the Gentile nation of Assyria to repentance to God. A call the nation of Assyria heard, accepted and answered. Jonah would be among the first prophets of Israel and Judah to have his ministry recorded in his own scroll the book of Jonah.

2 Kings 14-15 - Zachariah the son of Jeroboam II is the fourth and final descendant of Jehu to reign in Northern Israel -- '2 Kings 15:11-12 And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. This was the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the *fourth generation. And so it came to pass.' - Jehu had tried to make a worldly distinction between good and evil and therefore God gave him four more generations to rule over Northern Israel. The number of four Biblically represents the physical world, the four directions (N,S,E,W), the four winds, the four rivers of the Garden of Eden [Genesis 2:10]. Jehu in making worldly decisions regarding others and in executing others was neglecting the Divine mercy and providence of the Holy God. While Jehu had removed the possibility of witnessing and of a godly repentance of the people he was removing a Biblical option from his decision making process and having removed the eternal Biblical options his earthly royal lineage was doomed to last for only four generations.
Both Israel and Judah are being diminished as nations but strengthened as a people: '2 Kings 15:32-38 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah ing of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. *He built the higher gate of the House (Temple) of the LORD. Now the rest of the acts of Jotham, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? *In those days the LORD began to send against Judah Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah. And Jotham slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Ahaz his son reigned in his stead.' - While the nations and governments of Israel and Judah are being attacked and weakened in standing and status among the other nations of the world a remnant of Jewish people and their Jewish customs are taking hold and increasing in the lives of certain individuals throughout Israel and in particular in Judah. It is this faithful remnant of Israel and Judah that will keep the Nation of Israel and the customs of Israel intact in order to deliver the promises of God given through Abraham to all of mankind.

2 Kings 16-17 - Azariah (Uzziah) begins to reign in Judah - Isaiah the prophet begins his amazing, extended ministry firmly implementing the 1st early period of documented (scroll) prophets - Assyria asserts its strength in Israel - While King Ahaz reigned in Judah King Hoshea reigned in Northern Israel - Assyria attacked Hoshea and Northern Israel and after finding out that Hoshea sent letters to Egypt asking for their assistance Assyria brought to an end the Northern Kingdom of Israel taking into captivity the Ten Tribes from Samaria and bringing foreign non-Jews to live in the land of Jewish land of Samaria {Samaria would remain a Jewish and non-Jewish mix of people even until the days of Jesus} -- '2 Kings 17:24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.'
The tragedy of Northern Israel falling away into captivity: '2 Kings 17:1-14 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over [Northern] Israel nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, And walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep My Commandments and My Statutes, according to all the Law [Laws of Moses] which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, *that did not believe in the LORD their God.'- Later in Judah through the prophet Jeremiah [Jeremiah 2:33 9:5,14 28:16] we will find out that the actual moment of the Nations of Israel being defeated and taken into captivity was brought about when Israel and Judah each separately began to do more than disobey God they each actually begin to teach other nations and other people how to disobey God to a further extent. With the disobedience and particularly the teaching of others how to disobey and sin against God that the Nations ceased to exist and were taken into captivity and their religion and society were only sustained by a small remnant of faithful worshipers to God.

Ancient Documents: Ancient History - Assyrian and Babylonian texts [Ancient texts mentioning Israel]
Assyrian and Babylonian texts. Ancient History, Archaeology and Biblical Studies. The primary purpose of this site is to provide on-line text documents from archaeologists and ancient writers, and some tools for Bible study. Everything is provided in an HTML format which has internal reference markers. These internal markers are not visible when simply reading the text, but they allow HTML search tools to index information available here. A simple search program is provided here. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ [article link]

2 Kings 18-19 - During the reign of King Hezekiah the nation of Assyria having defeated Northern Israel now attacks Judah - Isaiah the Prophet declares that God will protect Jerusalem and that the people of God will prevail -- '2 Kings 19:31-32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. Therefore [it not being in the plans of God to let Assyria attack Jerusalem] thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.'
God saves Jerusalem through answered prayer: '2 Kings 19:14-20 14 And Hezekiah received the [evil, surrender] letter [from Assyria] of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even *Thou *alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib [from Assyria], which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the [other] nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, *that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even *Thou only. Then Isaiah [the Prophet] the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah [King of Judah], saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That [deliverance] which thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.' - God saved Jerusalem from the certain destruction of the invading Assyrian army. Had God not stepped in Jerusalem would have been defeated but not in accordance to the instructive plans of God but according to the destructive plans of Satan. The promises of God, to King David to preserve his family and his throne, combined with the prayers and requests for salvation by Isaiah and Hezekiah resulted in God moving on their behalf and saving them and the city of Jerusalem from certain destruction.

2 Kings 20-21 - King Hezekiah gets sick and asks Isaiah to pray for God to extend his life - God extends the life of Hezekiah and Hezekiah's son Manasseh is born - Manasseh turns out to be the worst of all the Kings of Judah -- '2 Kings 20:4-5 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell [King] Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.'
King Manasseh brings Judah to an evil point of no return: '2 Kings 21:1-9 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzi-bah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. And *he built altars in the House (Temple) of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put My Name. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the House of the LORD. *And he made his son pass through the fire, *and observed (occult) times, and used (occult) enchantments, *and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the House (Temple), of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this House, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all Tribes of Israel, will I put My name for ever: Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; *only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.' - Manasseh instead of taking the Nation forward into the glorious era with the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ he instead used his authority to bring the Nation down to such a low, corrupt and unusable place that God will then first have to end the era of the Kings in Israel and send Israel/Judah into captivity in Babylon before the Nation can return to a place of usability in receiving the Messiah Jesus Christ into their midst.

2 Kings 22-23 - King Josiah the grandson of Manasseh begins to reign as a child at eight years old then at 26 years old during some repair work on the Temple a Bible Scroll was found in the Temple and brought to Josiah and read aloud to him - Josiah was then able to institute some reforms from the Laws of Moses and prolong their time before going into captivity in Babylon -- '2 Kings 22:11-13 And it came to pass, when the king [Josiah] had heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this [O.T. Bible] book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.'
Egypt conquers briefly Jerusalem: 2 Kings 23:33-37 33 And [Egyptian] Pharaoh nechoh put him [Jehoahaz] in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute [tax] of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. And Pharaoh-nechoh made Eliakim (Jehoiakim) the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there. And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land [Promise Land], of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaoh-nechoh. Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. - Where Assyria failed to conquer Jerusalem the nation of Egypt actually briefly conquered Jerusalem and then a short time later the Nation of Babylon (Iraq) will conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple and the city and take many of the people into captivity. Assyria being unable to control Jerusalem and receive taxation from Jerusalem will not be among the Seven Kingdoms of the earth while Egypt, Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran) and much later Greece and Rome will all be counted among the Seven Kingdoms of the World. The Kingdoms started with the ancient Nimrod and his kingdom tower of Babel and concluding with the coming Antichrist Kingdom [Revelation 17:10].

2 Kings 24-25 - King Jeconiah (Coniah) the son of Jehoiakim becomes the King of Judah - At this point Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel are some of the 'middle period' Prophets and prophesy during the Babylonian captivity - Jeconiah and his descendants are cut off permanently [Jeremiah 22:30] from the throne of King David - Jerusalem is surrounded by Babylon and Jeconiah and others are taken captive to Babylon - With Jeconiah's descendants unable to sit on the throne of Jerusalem his uncle Mattaniah's name is changed to Zedekiah and Zedekiah will briefly represent Israel before he rebels against Babylon and Babylon will now return and destroy the Temple and Jerusalem while taking Zedekiah into captivity to Babylon -- '2 Kings 25:7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.' {As often the circumstances with God are that after the darkest of hours, the Nation of Israel has been carried away into captivity, but God will once again restore what was once ruined. Israel will be reunited back in the Promise Land and have one of their finest hours in bringing the Messiah Jesus Christ into the world for the Redemption and Salvation of all mankind. Further in the future the Nation of Israel will have its greatest moment as a people and a Nation when they collectively welcome the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Coming.}
The destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem: 2 Kings 25:1-12 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carry away. But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.' - Note: With Jerusalem in ruins and the Temple of Solomon destroyed and no King in Israel then the Throne of King David will have to be restored and re-instituted. King Jeconiah who was cut off from the throne is a descendant of King David via King Solomon and though Jeconiah's descendants are cut off from sitting on the Throne of David the other descendants of King Solomon would consider themselves eligible to sit on the Throne of David. Jesus is a descendant of King David through His mother Mary from her forefather Nathan a son of King David and a younger brother of Solomon. God in keeping things clear and evident for us has Jesus come from King David through his son Nathan so the right of Jesus to restore and sit on the Throne of King David is undisputed but the Antichrist by all likelihood will arise from the disputed lineage of King Solomon.

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE

1 CHRONICLES

Book of 1 Chronicles - The Books of 1 & 2 Chronicles cover mostly the same information as 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings - 1 & 2 Chronicles focus more on the *Priestly aspect of the time period - The Book of 1 Chronicles was written [possibly compiled/written while in Babylon (by Ezra the scribe)] preparing for the return to Jerusalem and Israel after the exile - To help those returning to Israel understand how to worship God - {Note: The three offices of God each produced their own scrolls and combined the selected scrolls compose the Holy Bible. The Kings (1st and 2nd Kings - [not selected] the book of Jasher and the book of the acts of Solomon, etc.), the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc.) and the Priests (1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc.) - Once in Babylon and in captivity for the 70 years the Temple in Jerusalem having been destroyed the Temple ceased to be the primary focus of Judaism and the Bible scrolls now became the primary focus of Judaism and while in Babylon without a Temple to officiate and serve in the O.T. Bible scrolls (up until that point) were compiled, edited and composed into the books [that we now have today] and presented to the people (primarily in Synagogues) for their own congregational and personal use in worship and in daily living. - So starting at this point in history we now have a shift away from the Temple [Tabernacle, Temple worship - started by Moses at Mt. Sinai] and onto the Scriptures and the beginnings of the Synagogue (Jewish Church). - Also Note: At this point in history the Word of God [having mostly been written by that time] is already replacing and superseding (Leviticus 17:11, John 5:24, *John 6:63) the blood of the animals as a cleansing offering and as a sacrifice for man (John 1:14, John 15:3) until the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross can sustain mankind for all eternity.}
Brief Summary: The first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles are dedicated to lists and genealogies. Further lists and genealogies are scattered throughout the rest of 1 Chronicles. In between, the Book of 1 Chronicles records David's ascension to the throne and his actions thereafter. The book concludes with David's son Solomon becoming King of Israel. Briefly outlined, the Book of 1 Chronicles is as follows: Chapters 1:1-9:23 - Selective Genealogies; Chapters 9:24-12:40 - David's ascent; Chapters 13:1-20:30 -David's reign. - Foreshadowings: In David's song of thanksgiving to God in 1 Chronicles 16:33, he refers to the time when God will come "to judge the earth." This foreshadows Matthew 25, in which Jesus describes the time when He will come to judge the earth. Through the parables of the ten virgins and the talents, He warns that those who are found without the blood of Christ covering their sins will be cast into "outer darkness." He encourages His people to be ready because when He comes, He will separate the sheep from the goats in judgment. - Part of the Davidic Covenant which God reiterates in chapter 17 refers to the future Messiah who would be a descendant of David. Verses 13-14 describe the Son who will be established in God's house and whose throne will be established forever. This can only refer to Jesus Christ. - Practical Application: Genealogies such as the ones in 1 Chronicles may seem dry to us, but they remind us that God knows each of His children personally, even down to the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30). We can take comfort in the fact that who we are and what we do is written forever in God's mind. If we belong to Christ, our names are written forever in the Lamb's book of Life (Revelation 13:8). [article link]

Jerusalem Post - Oct 19, 2001: Ezra the Scribe - The man who reshaped Judaism by Gail Lichtman - Despite the fact that the period of Ezra and the return to Zion [Jerusalem] was a pivotal transition point between biblical and post-biblical Judaism, very few scholars have focused on this era - Ezra remains an intriguing yet little-known figure
Despite the fact that the period of [Ezra] and the return to Zion was a pivotal transition point between biblical and post-biblical Judaism, very few scholars have focused on this era. Ezra remains an intriguing yet little- known figure. Ezra also instituted a renewed covenant with the people, in which they swore to observe not only the written Torah but also some 10 decrees not explicitly mentioned in the Torah but derived from it through legal interpretation developed by Ezra. Ezra was a man so enthusiastic about spreading Torah that ancient rabbis said of him: "If Moses had not anticipated him, Ezra would have received the Torah." [article link]

Ezra - Ezra (active 5th century B.C. - 400's B.C.) was a Hebrew Priest, scribe, religious leader, and reformer who vitally influenced Judaism - The son of Seraiah, Ezra was a descendant of the ancient Priestly house of Zadok [the new section (family) of the Levitical/Aaronic Priesthood after Eli's family was disqualified (1 Samuel 3:12, 2 Samuel 8:17, Ezekiel 43:19)] - Scholars believe it was Ezra who replaced the altars and shrines in the villages with Synagogues - Other prominent Jewish religious customs are associated with Ezra, who is generally credited with having removed the Torah [5 Books of Moses] from the monopoly of the priesthood [the Temple also had had the Temple records - Ezra condensed and compiled the Temple records primarily into the O.T. Bible] and democratized it by teaching it to the people - Finally, Ezra is regarded as the savior of the national and religious life of Judaism at a most critical [transition] period
Ezra (active 5th century B.C.) was a Hebrew priest, scribe, religious leader, and reformer who vitally influenced Judaism. The son of Seraiah, Ezra was a descendant of the ancient priestly house of Zadok. In 458 B.C., the seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra obtained the King's permission to visit Judea, bearing with him the latter's gifts for the Holy Temple. The primary purpose of his mission, however, was to inquire into the deteriorating religious conditions of the Jewish community in Judea. Ezra came at the head of a caravan of about 1,800 men, not including their women and children. They made the 4 month journey from Babylon without the benefit of military escort, thereby demonstrating their trust and reliance upon God. Soon after his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra proceeded to reorganize the Temple services. In response to his vigorous program to persuade the people to observe the Mosaic Law, they entered into a covenant to keep the Sabbath and the Sabbatical year, as well as other precepts of the Torah. But the problem that perplexed Ezra most was that many of the Judean settlers had taken heathen wives from among the neighboring peoples. Mixed marriages had become so prevalent as to threaten the very survival of the Jewish community. Ezra induced his people to divorce their pagan wives and to separate from the community those who refused to do so. Ezra's action was an extreme measure, but he felt that the critical situation warranted it. It aroused the ire of the Samaritans and other peoples, who resented the affront to their women. In retaliation the Samaritans denounced Ezra to the Persian king for attempting to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which he evidently was not authorized to do. The King stopped the work, and the rebuilt part was razed. {Note: The Jews had permission (from King Cyrus) to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem it was established by messengers that they could rebuild, later it was also established (by King Artaxerxes) that they could rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:12-24, Ezra 6:1-22, Nehemiah 2:8)} -- The Talmud ascribes a far more important role to Ezra than that recorded in the scriptural book bearing his name. The Talmud asserts that Ezra would have been worthy of having the Torah given through him to Israel had not Moses preceded him. It also attributes to him many ancient laws, perhaps to give them prestige and authority. It states that he introduced the use of the square Hebrew script. Ezra also is said to have determined the precise text of the Pentateuch. Tradition regards him, moreover, as the founder of the Kenesset Hagdolah, the Great Assembly, which exercised supreme religious authority until the end of the 4th century B.C. Scholars believe it was Ezra who replaced the altars and shrines in the villages with synagogues. Other prominent Jewish religious customs are associated with Ezra, who is generally credited with having removed the Torah from the monopoly of the priesthood and democratized it by teaching it to the people. Finally, Ezra is regarded as the savior of the national and religious life of Judaism at a most critical period. [article link]

1 Chronicles 1-5 - The Books of 1st and 2nd Chronicles are a brief summary of previous events, starting with the genealogy of Adam through Abraham and into King David and his descendants - The books are primarily transition books in transitioning the Children of Israel from their glorious [and at times not so glorious] past into their even more glorious future appointment with the coming Messiah - The Books are again another cause for the Children of God to evaluate, to learn and to gain a valuable insight and with insight a perspective and with a perspective an ability to go forward and accomplish what God has in store for them -- '1 Chronicles 1:1-4 Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth ...'
1 Chronicles 2:1-2 These are the sons of Israel [Jacob - the Twelve Tribes of Israel]; Reuben (the Firstborn but lost his birthright and it was given to Joseph), Simeon, *Levi (Priestly Tribe), and Judah (Kingly Tribe), Issachar, and Zebulun, Dan, *Joseph (received the firstborn double portion of land in the Promise Land - Israel), and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. ... 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's [Jacob's (Genesis 35:22)] bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy [of Ruben] is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's: - Note: Jacob 'adopted' his Twelve male children [from four different wives] and as the adoption each received an inheritance - the inheritance of Jacob given to him from God, handed down from Abraham and Isaac was the Promise Land, the promises and the Convents between Abraham and God. Jacob gave a portion of his inheritance to each of his Twelve sons and skipping down to Joseph gave Joseph the double portion and since the inheritance was a living inheritance [like heaven is a living inheritance for each of us] Jacob adopted the first two of Joseph's sons as his sons and the two (Grandsons) Manasseh and Ephraim each received and equal inheritance in the Promise Land with their uncles. But Jacob would not adopt any more of Joseph's children is Joseph had more children they would not get their own inheritance but would have to live in one of their brother's inheritance if they were to live in the Promise Land though Jacob didn't have any more sons. -- Genesis 48:5-6 5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. - Also Note: Joseph received the Firstborn double portion inheritance of Israel and it is Jesus Christ the "Firstborn" in status that receives the double portion inheritance in the eternal resurrection life Kingdom. -- Colossians 1:14-18 In [Jesus Christ] whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the *firstborn [in status] of every creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, ***the firstborn [resurrection] from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. - Also Note: How even in the genealogy the Book of 1st Chronicles is transitioning from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and King David directly into Jesus Christ.

1 Chronicles 6-8 - Ezra the Zakod Priest and [Bible recorder] Scribe - removes the Eli section of the Priesthood from the Levi family genealogy and even from the Books in his endeavor to move Israel forward with as little hindrance as possible he makes no mention of the previous Eli High Priest office -- '1 Chronicles 6:1-10 The sons of Levi [the Levitical Priest Tribe]; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the sons of Kohath; Amram, Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel. And the children of Amram; *Aaron [the Aaronic section of the Levitical Preisthood], and *Moses, and Miriam. The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Eleazar begat Phinehas, Phinehas begat Abishua ... And Ahitub begat *Zadok [the Zadok section of the Levitical Priesthood], and Zadok begat Ahimaaz, And Ahimaaz begat Azariah, and Azariah begat Johanan, And Johanan begat **Azariah, he it is that executed the Priest's office in the Temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem' - Note: Ezra was a descendant of Zadok and it seems that he purposely left the 'Eli' (1 Samuel 1:9) section of the Priesthood out of the family genealogy and only traces the Zadok family line. That's a real transition right there as Ezra isn't even listing the Eli family [Priests of the Tabernacle in Shiloh] in the books.
The Aaronic Priesthood: 1 Chronicles 6:49-57 But Aaron and his sons *offered upon the altar of the burnt offering, *and on the altar of incense, **and were appointed for all the work of the place most Holy [Holy of Holies], ***and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. And these are the sons of Aaron; Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son. Now these are their dwelling places throughout their castles in their coasts, of the sons of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites: for theirs was the lot. And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and the suburbs thereof round about it. But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with her suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs ...

1 Chronicles 9-10 - Ezra the Scribe is going to compile for the Children of God a series of past transitions in Israel so that in looking back they can now go forward - Into a future that will require Israel to be submitted under foreign rule and authority by other nations, a Temple will need to be rebuilt and the Law will need to be reestablished and for the remainder of their history Israel will not have another earthly King -- '1 Chronicles 9:1 So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and, behold, they were written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.'
The transition from King Saul's rule to King David's empire and also the transition in the same way from Eli's [physical] Tabernacle Priesthood to Zadok's eventual Temple Priesthood and the Ministry of the Word of God - The Word (Scriptures) of God being a better witness of God than the Ministry of the blood of bulls and goats. The Word (Scriptures) of God containing within it the Promises, Covenants and Revelation of God. - '1 Chronicles 10:13-14 So [King] Saul [King Saul became a Biblical human type of Satan] died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, *even against **the Word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore He slew him, and turned the Kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.' - Note: In the same way of judgment that King Saul and three of his sons died (1 Samuel 31:6) the Tabernacle High Priest Eli and two of his sons had all also died on the same day enacting the eventual transition of the Priesthood from Eli [the Priesthood of animal blood] to Zadok [the Ministry of the Word of God] (1 Samuel 2:34-35, 1 Samuel 4:11,18) as well as the Kingdom from Saul to David. - Also Note: The Eli Priesthood Ministry [a ministry strictly of animal blood sacrifices] perished in the same way as Saul and like King Saul the Eli Priesthood Ministry perished without writing a single word of Scripture. The Zadok Ministry and the Davidic Kingdom would soon replace the Eli Ministry and Saul's [corrupt] Kingdom and combined the Zadok Ministers [Ministers of the Word of God] and the Davidic lineage would author, preserve, compile and minister the vast majority of the Old Testament of the Holy Bible to the people of God.

1 Chronicles 11-12 - Ezra the Zadok Priest and Scribe continues to reveal how "the Word of God" has precedence over the Tabernacle and later the Temple ordinances and sacrifices -- '1 Chronicles 11:1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel. Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the King to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David King over Israel, according to **the Word of the LORD by Samuel.'
1 Chronicles 12:16-28 And there came of the children of [Tribe of] Benjamin and [Tribe of Judah] Judah to the hold [hideout] unto David. And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye become peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band. And there fell some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not: for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads. As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh. And they helped David against the band of the rovers: for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host. For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God. And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD. The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed to the war. Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war, seven thousand and one hundred. **Of the children of [Tribe of Levi] Levi four thousand and six hundred. *And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites [Aaronic Priests], and with him were three thousand and seven hundred; And *Zadok [Zadok is the great-great-great Grandfather of Ezra (Ezra 7:1-5)], *a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house twenty and two captains. - Note: God was transitioning the Nation of Israel from Saul's reign and Eli's reign into the Davidic Kingdom and the Zadok Priesthood in unison.

1 Chronicles 13-16 - King David the Zadok Priesthood and the people of Israel all assist one another in order to bring the Ark of God, the Presence of God into Jerusalem -- '1 Chronicles 13:1-5 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us: And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul. And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim (Samuel 7:1).' - Note: The Ark of the Covenant entered into Jerusalem on the Sabbath Day - the same day that Jesus would later enter into Jerusalem in on His triumphal entry.
1 Chronicles 16:37-43 So he [King David] left there before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD *Asaph [Psalms 50 and 73-83] and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required: And Obed- edom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters: And **Zadok the Priest [Zadok also dedicated the Temple for King Solomon (1 Chronicles 29:22)], *and his brethren the Priests, before the Tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon, To offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which He commanded Israel; And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endureth for ever; And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters. And all the people departed {being (Saturday) the close of the Sabbath Day} every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house. - Note: With God's presence in Jerusalem, with King David on the Throne in Jerusalem and Zadok officiating as one of the Priests of Israel the transition from Saul and Eli had been completed and the transition from the Tabernacle/Temple Ministry of animal blood sacrifice to the Ministry of the Holy Word of God, later confirmed, established and completed in the birth, cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ for all mankind was well under way.

1 Chronicles 17-22 - King David desires to build the Temple in Jerusalem however God decrees that Solomon will build His Temple -- '1 Chronicles 17:1 Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the Ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains [within the Tabernacle - Tent].'
1 Chronicles 22:1-6 Then David said, This is the House of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight; Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death. Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an House for the LORD God of Israel.

1 Chronicles 23-28 - The Nation of Israel transitions from King David to his son King Solomon - One of the few transitions in Israel that don't involve an almost outright civil war - When Solomon's son King Rehoboam takes the Throne there will be a permanent separation among the Tribes of Israel that will lead to an almost constant civil war within Israel -- '1 Chronicles 23:1-2 So when David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son King over Israel. And he [King David] gathered together all the Princes of Israel, with the Priests and the Levites.' - Note: The three Kings of a united Israel; Saul, David and Solomon. King Saul (the name Saul means 'asked for' - the people of Israel had asked God for a King) started out faithful but pride and envy made him mad and insane, Saul Biblically is a human type of Satan. King David (Beloved) remained faithful to God and Biblically King David is a human type of Jesus Christ. King Solomon (Peaceable) becomes deceptive and Biblically becomes a type of the coming Antichrist.
King David before he steps down as King of Israel he sets in order the Temple services: 1 Chronicles 24:1-6 Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died (Leviticus 10:1-2) before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office. And {over 450 years later} David distributed them [descendants of Aaron], both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in their service. And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar; and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers. Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar. And Shemaiah the son of Nethaneel the scribe, one of the Levites, wrote them before the King, and the Princes, and *Zadok the Priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and before the chief of the fathers of the Priests and Levites: one principal household being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar [the descendants of Ithamar the brother of Eleazar - both were the surviving sons of Aaron (the Levitical/Aaronic Priesthood)].

1 Chronicles 29 - Solomon is confirmed as King of Israel - After a long life King David passed away -- '1 Chronicles 29:21-25 And they [the people of Israel] sacrificed sacrifices unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings unto the LORD, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel: And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David King the second time, and anointed him unto the LORD to be the chief governor, and Zadok to be priest. Then Solomon sat on the Throne of the LORD as King instead of David his father, and prospered; and *all Israel obeyed him. And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of King David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the King. And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel. Thus [concluded] David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.'
The Bible's book of 1st Chronicles concludes: 1 Chronicles 29:27-30 And the time that he [King David] reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron [Hebron is south of Jerusalem and is where Abraham was living when Abraham met Melchizedek after his covenant with God], and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem. **And he [King David] died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead. Now the acts of David the King, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the Kingdoms of the countries.

THE SECOND BOOK OF THE

2 CHRONICLES

1 and 2 CHRONICLES BIBLE SURVEY - 2 Chronicles tells the history of Solomon, the divided kingdom, and the kings of Judah [in Jerusalem] - Background: The book begins with Solomon's plans to build the Temple in Jerusalem and ends with its destruction - Between the dedication and destruction of Solomon's Temple is about 384 years, from 959 to 586 B.C. - Although 2 Chronicles describes the same time period as (1 and 2 Kings) it concentrates only on the [Southern Kingdom] Kings of Judah - The author's perspective on the Northern Kingdom is plain "and Israel [Northern Kingdom] rebelled against the House of David [Southern Kingdom] unto this day" (2 Chronicles 10:19) - The chronicles was concerned mainly with the state of the Temple, and whether the Davidic King was devoutly following the Lord
The books of Chronicles give another view of Jewish history than that which was recorded in 2 Samuel through 2 Kings. 1 AND 2 Chronicles Background: 1 and 2 Chronicles, like 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Samuel, were not divided into two parts in the Hebrew manuscripts. Chronicles as one book originally went by the name of the "Dairies" or "Journals", being that they were was court records kept by the different kings. Greek translators of the Old Testament referred to these books as "the things omitted", because they supply much information that is not found in the books of the kings. The records of the Chronicles cover a period from the death of Saul (1010 B.C. to the decree of Cyrus (536 B.C.), about a 475-year period. *The whole book for 1 Chronicles, like 2 Samuel, is dedicated to the life of David. It begins with the genealogy of the royal line of David (Chapter 1-9), before surveying key events of the reign of David (chapters 10-29). (For greater depth on the Kings read: Understanding the Kings.) Author: although the author and date are not stated in the text, the Jewish tradition says that Ezra penned Chronicles. Some believe that Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah had the same author. The final verses of Chronicles (36:22) are repeated in Ezra 1:1-3. 1 Chronicles Background: First chronicles places a disproportionate emphasis on the tribes of Judah and Benjamin because Chronicles is not concerned with the Northern Kingdom, but with the Southern Kingdom and the Davidic Dynasty. The whole book of First Chronicles is dedicated to the life of David. It begins with the life of David, and the genealogy of the royal line of David (chapters 1-9), before surveying the key events of the reign of David (chapters 10-29). David desired to build a house (temple) for God. God promised instead to build an everlasting house (dynasty) for David (17:1-15). See 2 Samuel 7:16. [article link]

Studies in 2 Chronicles - Spiritual Lessons from the Kings of Judah - The List of the Kings of Judah (PDF)
Spiritual Lessons from the Kings of Judah: From time to time God raised up kings who brought a measure of revival to his people, kings like Solomon, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah and Josiah. If you are made a leader, make efforts to bring revival and renewal to your people. Organize retreats, conferences, training sessions, prayer days, camps and other activities to which special speakers are invited and in which there are times of worship, prayer and fellowship. Lead the people back to the Lord. God's people need refreshment in spirit, mind and body. [article link]

2 Chronicles 1 - As King Solomon begins his reign the Tabernacle is in Gibeon and only the Ark was in Jerusalem -- '2 Chronicles 1:1-4 And Solomon the son of [King] David was strengthened in his Kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly. Then Solomon spake unto *all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the [Tribes of the] fathers. So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon [after the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines the Tabernacle was moved from Shiloh to Gibeon]; for there was the Tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness [Mt. Sinai in Arabia (modern day Saudi Arabia) after leaving Egypt]. But the Ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath-jearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.'
King Solomon is granted and allowed by God to have 'worldly' wisdom: 2 Chronicles 1:5-13 Moreover the brazen (brass) altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the Tabernacle of the LORD [at Gibeon]: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it [inquired of the LORD]. And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the Tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it. **In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me King over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now *wisdom [lit. administration abilities - Chokmah, H2451] and *knowledge [lit. thought, worldly knowledge - Madda, H4093], that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon [back] to Jerusalem, from before the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and reigned over Israel. - Note: King Solomon was given worldly knowledge and wisdom from God. King Solomon then used his God given wisdom to seek occult knowledge and experiences.

Shiloh, Mt. Gibeon and Mt. Zion (Jerusalem) - At first [from Mt. Sinai in Arabia (after leaving Egypt) until Shiloh], both the Ark and the Tabernacle moved around together from point to point in the Promised Land during the time of the judges - The Tent housed the Ark when it was stationary - One of the later judges named Eli was also the chief priest and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests before the Lord when the Tent of Meeting was at Shiloh - Samuel and those who remained at Shiloh packed up the Tabernacle and all its furnishings and headed south to avoid the invading Philistines - The tent of meeting finally came to rest on a hill called Gibeon, but without the Ark of the Covenant - The priests who succeeded Eli and his sons continued to minister before the empty tent for many years, though the glory of God's presence was not there
Gibeon and Zion: For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon. (1 Chronicles 21:29) Only the tabernacle and the altar of offering rested on Gibeon, not the ark. What transpired that the ark would no longer be in the holy of holies? At this point it would be good to do a brief history of how the Ark of the Covenant and the tent of meeting (the tabernacle which came to rest on Gibeon) were permanently separated and how this seeming disaster served to advance God's eternal plan. At first, both the Ark and the tabernacle moved around together from point to point in the Promised Land during the time of the judges. The tent housed the ark when it was stationary. One of the later judges named Eli was also the chief priest and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests before the Lord when the tent of meeting was at Shiloh. One day a woman came and was weeping and groaning in prayer at the door of the tent and Eli rebuked her because he thought she was drunk. Hannah replied that she was not drunk, but rather grieving because she was barren. Eli assured her that God heard her prayer. Soon she conceived and gave birth to a child named Samuel. When the child was weaned, as promised, she brought him to the tabernacle to minister before the Lord as a Nazarite and prophet. Though Samuel was not of the family of the Levites, but of Ephraim, he ministered there at Shiloh before the Lord and God started speaking to him at a very early age. God was about to replace Eli as judge over Israel because he and his sons were corrupt. The Philistines came up to invade Israel and the army of Israel went out to head them off at the pass. The battle was not going well, so someone got the bright idea to fetch the ark of God from Shiloh, believing that God would fight their battle for them because of the presence of the ark. Wrong! Hophni and Phinehas brought the ark to the field of battle, but when the Philistines heard of it they became more determined. They routed Israel, killed the two sons of Eli, and took the ark as a trophy of war. At this point, a runner brought news to Eli that his two sons had been killed and the ark had been lost. Eli was old and obese, and when he heard the ark was in enemy hands he fell backwards off his chair, broke his neck and died. When the pregnant wife of Phinehas heard of the death of her husband and the loss of the ark, she went into labor early and gave birth to a son. She named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured" (1 Samuel 4:21-22, NKJV). Samuel and those who remained at Shiloh packed up the tabernacle and all its furnishings and headed south to avoid the invading Philistines. The tent of meeting finally came to rest on a hill called Gibeon, but without the Ark of the Covenant. The priests who succeeded Eli and his sons continued to minister before the empty tent for many years, though the glory of God's presence was not there. ... [article link]

2 Chronicles 2-8 - King Solomon as a type of the Antichrist (1 Kings 10:14) builds the Temple in Jerusalem and spends 7 years (1 Kings 6:38) building the Temple while spending the next 13 years (1 Kings 7:1) building his own house, twenty years total (2 Chronicles 8:1) - Also as a type of Antichrist King Solomon deals deceitfully with the King of Tyre (1 Kings 9:10-14) -- '2 Chronicles 2:1 And Solomon determined to build an House [Temple] for the Name of the LORD, and an [personal] house for [himself] his Kingdom.' - Note: It is thought that the Antichrist will have a hand in building the coming 3rd Temple in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1)
King Solomon and the Levitical Priests dedicate the 1st Temple in Jerusalem: 2 Chronicles 7:1-6 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the [Shekinah] Glory of the LORD filled the House [Temple]. And the Priests could not enter into the House of the LORD, because the Glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S House. And when all the Children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the Glory of the LORD upon the House, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and **worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth [eternally] forever. Then the King [Solomon] and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the King and all the people dedicated the [Temple] House of God [in Jerusalem]. And the Priests waited [preformed] on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which {earlier} David the King had made to praise the LORD, because His mercy endureth forever, {earlier} when David {was still living} praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood.

2 Chronicles 9 - Dignitaries from around the world come to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem including the Queen of Sheba [probably the Queen of Ethiopia though often disputed] -- '2 Chronicles 9:1-6 And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the [worldly] wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel; his cupbearers also, and their apparel; and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in mine own land of thine acts, and of thy wisdom: Howbeit I believed not their words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me: for thou exceedest the fame that I heard.'
King Solomon passes away: 2 Chronicles 9:26-31 And he [King Solomon] reigned over all the kings from the river [Jordan river] even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. And the King made silver [as common] in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance. And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. **And Solomon slept with his fathers [this would indicate that Solomon went to heaven with the others (Abraham, David, etc.)], and he was buried [honorably] in the city [Jerusalem] of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

2 Chronicles 10-16 - Rehoboam, Abijah and Asa - Solomon's son Rehoboam reins as King in Israel and 'civil war' ensues pretty much permanently separating the Ten Northern Tribes from the Two Southern Tribes of Judah and Benjamin -- '2 Chronicles 10:1 And Rehoboam went to [the town of] Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him King.'
2 Chronicles 10:16-19 And when all Israel saw that the King [Rehoboam] would not hearken [listen] unto them, the people [Ten Northern Tribes] answered the King, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own House. So all [Northern] Israel went to their tents. But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But King Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. And [Northern] Israel rebelled against [Judah] the House of David unto this day.

2 Chronicles 17-23 - Jehosaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah and *Athaliah (wife of Jehoram, mother of Ahaziah and the daughter of [Northern King] Ahab (died in battle at Ramoth-gilead against Syria) and his wife Jezebel [Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal I of Tyre (Zidonians) 1 Kings 16:31] - Zidon (Sidon) a capital city of ancient Tyre, now in modern Lebanon just south of Beirut, Lebanon - wiki.com) -- '2 Chronicles 17:1 And Jehoshaphat his son [Asa's son] reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against [Northern] Israel.'
Athaliah inserts herself as Queen of Israel: 2 Chronicles 22:6-12 And Azariah the son of Jehoram King of Judah went down to see Jehoram [King of Northern Israel] the son of Ahab [and Jezebel] at Jezreel, because he was sick. And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab. And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them. And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him, for he was hid in Samaria, and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom. *But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and **destroyed all the seed royal of the House of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the King, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the King's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the Priest, for she was the sister of Ahaziah, hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not. And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.

2 Chronicles 24-28 - Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham and Ahaz - Joash having been saved from the onslaught of Queen Athaliah is instituted as a child King with Jehoiada a Priest as his guardian -- '2 Chronicles 24:1-9 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Zibiah of Beer-sheba. And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the Priest. And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters. And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD. And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not. And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness? For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim. And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD. And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.'
After the death of his guardian Priest Jehoiada then Joash became an evil King in Judah: 2 Chronicles 24:14-25 ... And they [Judah] offered burnt offerings in the House of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada [the guardian Priest]. But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died. And they buried him in the city of David among the Kings [David, Solomon, etc.], because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his House [Temple]. Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah (Matthew 23:35) the son of Jehoiada (aka Barachias) the Priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it. And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. And when they were departed from him, for they left him in great diseases, his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David [Jerusalem], but they buried him not in the sepulchres [tombs] of the Kings.

2 Chronicles 29-33 - Hezekiah, *Manasseh [so wicked that God begins to end the earthly Throne of King David] and Amon - King Manasseh is so wicked that the Children of Israel are going to be removed from the Promise Land like the heathen before them and the Children of Israel will be taken into captivity in Babylon for 70 years -- '2 Chronicles 33:1-2 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out [of the Promise Land] before [at the presence of Joshua and] the [coming] Children of Israel [out of Egypt].'
Manasseh tries to undue the evil that he initiated in Israel but it's easier to institute evil among the people than it is to initiate goodness among the people: 2 Chronicles 33:9-17 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.

2 Chronicles 34-36 - Josiah, Jehoahaz (son of Josiah), Jehoiakim (aka. Eliakim - a son of Josiah, a brother of Jehoahaz, an uncle of Jeconiah), *Jehoiachin (aka. Jeconiah or Coniah, son of Jehoiakin, the last direct descendant on the Throne [Jeremiah 22:24] - Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians and Jehoiachin [Jeconiah] was deposed on 16 March, 597 B.C. aka Jeconiah in Jeremiah and Esther - wiki.com) and Zedekiah (aka. Mattaniah, uncle of Jeconiah, a son of Josiah, brother of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim) was established as a King by Babylon the last Jewish King to have an earthly Throne -- '2 Chronicles 34:1-5 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. And he burnt the bones of the priests [of Baal] upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.'
Jeconiah is captured and deported to Babylon and his Uncle [Zedekiah] becomes the last earthly King to reign for Judah in Jerusalem upon the Throne of King David: 2 Chronicles 36:8-21 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. Jehoiachin [aka. Jeconiah] was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel. Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the House of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons **until the reign of the Kingdom of Persia [Iran]: To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her [70 years of] Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill threescore [60] and ten years [70 years].

2 Chronicles 36 - Cyrus the King of Persia (Iran) - At the return of the captives from Babylon, 70 years later, the King over Israel was not Jewish, it was King Cyrus of Persia (Iran) -- '2 Chronicles 36:22 Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia ...'
The Bible's book of 2nd Chronicles concludes: 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that **the Word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia [the 4th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of Heaven given me; and He hath charged me to build Him an House [Temple] in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up [return to Jerusalem].

EZRA

The History of Israel and the Law, the Ark of the Covenant, the Day of Atonement and the legitimacy of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] who was born under the Law (Galatians 4:4) and who fulfilled and removed the Law -- '2 Chronicles 35:3 And said [King Josiah] unto the [Zadok] Levites that taught [Ministry of Teaching the Word of God a higher Testimony Ministry than the Temple Testimony Ministry with the blood of animals] all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, **put the Holy Ark [back] in the House [Temple] which Solomon the son of David King of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders [it is hidden close by, in one of several nearby caves, tunnels and cistern hiding locations]: serve now [also with the Testimony of the blood and animal sacrifices] the LORD your God, and His people Israel' -- 'Matthew 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him [John the Baptist], Suffer it to be so now: for thus **it becometh us ***to fulfill all righteousness [in order to do away with the Levitical-Aaronic Laws and Priesthood and to then replace it with Jesus's Royal Laws and His Royal 'Righteous' eternal life Priesthood]. Then he suffered Him [and John baptized Jesus].' - Also Note: "all righteousness" is also a direct reference to Jesus' Melchizedek Priesthood as Melchizedek means "To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of Righteousness" Hebrews: 7:2 - All of the Old Testament Promises, Covenants, Commandments, Offices (King, High Priest, Prophet), Laws, Priesthoods (Aaronic, Eli, Zadok), Feast Days, Prophecies (Revelation 19:10) and Messianic Biblical Types and Shadows are directly combined and fulfilled in the one person of Jesus Christ and in the one New Testament Covenant and Ministry of Jesus Christ the True Messiah!
Note: Regarding the Tabernacle and the Temples and the Ark of the Covenant. In reading the Bible's history of ancient Israel regarding the Ark of the Covenant it quickly becomes obvious, painfully obvious, that the Ark of the Covenant is missing from the Holy of Holies more often than it is there. For instance from the time of King Saul until the reign of King Solomon and the building of the 1st Temple the Ark of the Covenant is not in its proper location within the Holy of Hollies. That means that throughout the entire Kingdom of King David the Ark was not in the Holy of Holies and therefore a proper observance of the feast of "The Day of Atonement" could not be observed and fulfilled. In other words it would probably not be possible for the Messiah to arrive (or be born) w/o having had the Ark of the Covenant located inside the Holy of Holies. - If it was necessary in "fulfilling all righteousness" and it probably was then the Ark of the Covenant was within the Holy of Hollies in the 2nd Temple [Cyrus'/Herod's Temple] at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ. -- Having King David as a Biblical example of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] and King Solomon as a Biblical example of the coming Antichrist. -- King David was born in Bethlehem; King Solomon was born in Jerusalem [outside of Bethlehem]. King David was born when the Ark of the Covenant was located within the Holy of Hollies in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. King Solomon was born while the Ark of the Covenant was missing from within the Holy of Hollies, the Tabernacle having been moved from Shiloh to Gibeon without the Ark. - According to the book of Daniel - 'Daniel 9:27 And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [7 years]: and in the midst of the week [at 3½ years] he shall cause the [3rd Temple] sacrifice [animal blood sacrifices] and the oblation [Temple offerings] to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate [unholy], even until the consummation [end of the Book of Revelation], and that determined [judgments of Revelation] shall be poured upon the desolate [earth].' - Note: It's possible that what Daniel is prophesying about is a Theological shift and not a Political shift {a point where Antichrist Politics (currently in progress in some form i.e. UN) **completely merges with Antichrist Theology (currently in progress in some form i.e. purposely corrupted Bible versions, NKJV, MESSAGE, NIV, and Wikipedia)}. The coming 3rd Temple in Jerusalem is briefly going to reinstitute the animal sacrifices of the Eli Priesthood of the Old Testament then as the Antichrist claims to be the true Messiah it seems he will declare himself to be legitimate over Jesus Christ because the Antichrist will have the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies and of course could claim that Jesus did not - though Jesus did fulfilled all righteousness and if it was necessary then the Ark of the Covent was within the Holy of Holies during the "Day of Atonement" for the year of the birth of Jesus Christ, if it was necessary and it probably was necessary as Jesus was born under the Law (Galatians 4:4) and came to fulfill the Law in order to abolish once and for all the Law. - Therefore there is a possible event where the Antichrist stops the Temple animal sacrifices because he is declaring himself to be the biblical fulfillment and then Theologically switches from the life of the animal blood [Eli's Priesthood] to his counterfeit ministry of [spirit life] through his words and his lies [imitating the Zadok Ministry], initiating the same Theological shift that the Bible initiates in Ministry from the physical life of the blood to the Spiritual life of the Word and completely counterfeiting the life and Ministry of the True Messiah, Jesus Christ. [article link]

Background of Ezra - Ezra himself returned to Jerusalem in 457 B.C. with the second group of exiles - He had asked [King] Artaxerxes I (Ester was Queen) for permission to return in order to help bring stability to the project - However many [Hebrews/Jews] stayed behind [remaining] in Babylon, choosing to support the work with gifts and money - The book of Ezra displays the sovereignty of God in the human hearts of rulers and people alike to move them to accomplish His redemptive purposes - "The Lord moved their spirits to carry out His purposes" (Ezra 1:1; 1:5; 7:9; 7:27)
Background: The While Ezra and Nehemiah were originally separate books, they were joined together in the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud. Josephus (c. A.D. 37-100) only mentions the book of Ezra assuming that Nehemiah was joined with it at the time of his writing. The books were first separated in around 200 A.D. by the Church father Origin. The language of the book is late Hebrew with a section in Aramaic (Ezra 4:8-6, 18; 7:12-26), the international language of the day. Aramaic was introduced by King Darius I as the diplomatic language throughout the empire. These portions are texts written between Syrian kings and the Samaritans, which necessitated the international language for diplomacy. The purpose of the book is to give the account of Israel's returning to the land of promise and the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the temple. It is written from a religious rather than historical perspective. It places the emphasis upon a holy nation and a kingdom of priests under God's holy law. King Cyrus of Persia captured Nineveah, the Babylonian capital, in 539 B.C. bringing to an end the Babylonian Exile. Many of the prophets like Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah all prophesied the Babylonian captivity, the fall of Babylon and their restoration. Jeremiah states that it would last for seventy years. Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10. Isaiah mentions by name that Cyrus would be the King who would allow God's people to return Isaiah 44:28. -- **A clay cylinder has been discovered with Cyrus's decree permitting the Jews to return to their land. Under a decree from Cyrus, King of Persia, the Jews were permitted to return to their own land. He even encouraged them in their religion, provided that he be considered the supreme ruler. Under God's hand then Israel was allowed to return to their land and rebuild the temple and reinstate the sacrifices. The first group of exiles who returned numbered about 50,000 in 538 B.C. They took with them many of the furnishings for the temple. Zerubbabel a relative in David's royal line and Joshua who served as high priest both returned with this group. The altar is re-established in chapters 3 and 4. Money is collected to purchase materials from the Phoenicians to build the temple. Construction began in the second year and the foundation of the temple was laid. The older people who remembered the glory and beauty of Solomon's temple wept, ashamed of the work. When the Samaritans wanted to help build the temple they were refused, and so interrupted the building of the temple with violence until 520 B.C. In the second year of Darius the Jews were instructed to resume building. Haggai and Zechariah both encouraged the people in their efforts. Money was taken from the royal treasury to support the project. It took five years to complete the temple. Ezra himself returned to Jerusalem in 457 B.C. with the second group of exiles. He had asked Artaxerxes for permission to return in order to help bring stability to the project. However many stayed behind in Babylon, choosing to support the work with gifts and money. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Cyrus cylinder - The Cyrus cylinder, also known as the Cyrus the Great cylinder, is a document issued by the Persian [Iran] ruler Cyrus the Great in the form of a clay cylinder inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform script - The cylinder has also attracted attention in the context of the repatriation of the Jews to Jerusalem following their Babylonian captivity; it has generally been viewed as corroboration of the Biblical account in the Book of Ezra [and the prophesies of Isaiah] - Extract from the Cyrus Cylinder (lines 15-21), giving the genealogy of Cyrus the Great and an account of his capture of Babylon in 539 B.C. (Photos)
The Cyrus cylinder, also known as the Cyrus the Great cylinder, is a document issued by the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great in the form of a clay cylinder inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform script. The cylinder was created following the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, when Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian king Nabonidus and replaced him as ruler, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The text of the cylinder denounces Nabonidus as impious and portrays the victorious Cyrus as pleasing to the chief Babylonian god Marduk. It goes on to describe how Cyrus had improved the lives of the citizens of Babylonia, repatriated displaced peoples and restored temples and cult sanctuaries. The cylinder was discovered in 1879 by the Assyro-British archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam in the foundations of the Esagila, the main temple of Babylon, where it had been placed as a foundation deposit. It is today kept in the British Museum in London. There have been reports of attempts by the directors of the British Museum and the National Museum of Iran in Tehran to arrange a loan of the Cyrus Cylinder to be temporarily displayed in the National Museum of Iran for a special exhibition. According to the British Museum, the cylinder "reflects a long tradition in Mesopotamia where, from as early as the third millennium BC, kings began their reigns with declarations of reforms." It is composed in a form that broadly matches long-standing Babylonian styles and themes, although the use of the first person marks a striking departure from this pattern. The cylinder may be seen as an example of Cyrus seeking the loyalty of his new Babylonian subjects by stressing his legitimacy as king, and showing his respect for the religious and political traditions of Babylonia. It has been regarded for over a century as an instrument of ancient Mesopotamian propaganda. In the early 1970s, the Shah of Iran adopted it as a symbol of his reign and celebrating 2,500 years of Iranian monarchy, asserting that it was "the first human rights charter in history", **The cylinder has also attracted attention in the context of the repatriation of the Jews to Jerusalem following their Babylonian captivity; it has generally been viewed as corroboration of the Biblical account in the Book of Ezra (see: Ezra 1.1-6, 6.1-5; Isaiah 44.23-45.8; 2 Chronicles 36.22-23). ... Discovery: The cylinder was discovered following an earlier, fruitless excavation by the British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard. In 1850 Layard dug into three mounds on the site of the ruined city of Babylon but found little of importance and concluded that it was not worth his time continuing there. His assistant Hormuzd Rassam, a controversial figure remembered as much for his brutal tactics as his discoveries, returned to the mounds in 1879 on behalf of the British Museum. He uncovered a number of important buildings, most notably the Esagila - a major temple to Marduk, though it was not identified as such until Robert Koldewey's excavation of 1900. Rassam's excavations found a large quantity of business documents and, buried in the temple's foundations, the Cyrus Cylinder. Rassam's excavations went on until 1882. The cylinder was announced to the public by Sir Henry Rawlinson at a meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society on 17 November 1879. Rawlinson's paper on "Notes on a newly-discovered Clay Cylinder of Cyrus the Great" was published in the society's journal the following year. [article link]

Ezra Overview: Rebuilding the Temple - The Book of Ezra starts off where 2 Chronicles finishes by completing the unfinished story of the return to Jerusalem and Israel of the [Jewish/Hebrew] exiles - Seventy years had passed, and God fulfilled His promise by bringing the exiles back to the land [the Promise Land] - The Second Temple is also known as the Herod's Temple because in 19 B.C. Herod largely rebuilt it [Cyrus's Temple] - The book of Ezra focuses on the rebuilding of the Temple and then it is followed by the book of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall
The book of Ezra is [slightly] confusing because it starts long before Ezra the scribe comes on the scene. Ezra doesn't appear until chapter 7. About 57 years pass between chapters 6 and 7. We should note that the later period [could] never officially be called a 'kingdom' [Israel would remain w/o a Jewish King] but only a 'people.' **There were at least three waves of returning exiles as Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah all led groups back [there had been three primary waves going into captivity as well, Daniel had been in the first group and Ezekiel was a captive the second group of Jews taken from Jerusalem/Israel to captivity in Babylon. -- Note: Persia (modern Iran) defeated Babylon (modern Iraq) and Persia was freeing some of Babylon's captives]. Ezra and Nehemiah worked together for a period. **The book of Ezra focuses on the rebuilding of the Temple and then it is followed by the book of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall. [article link]

Judaism Online: The Second Temple - The Temple [Solomon's Temple] the Babylonians destroyed is rebuilt, but it is never the same - the Ark of the Covenant is missing [or was it missing - defiantly not!] - The rebuilding of the Temple, which had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire, and which was then interrupted for 18 years, resumed with blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom we believe to be the son of Esther - The work is completed in 350 BCE (B.C.) and the Temple is re-dedicated - But it is not the same - The intense spiritually of the First Temple cannot be compared to the Second - ***The other opinion (of the location of the Ark) says that it was hidden by King Josiah - Note: The last Biblical reference to the Ark being placed back into the Temple is during Josiah's reign (2 Chronicles 35:3)
The work is completed in 350 BCE and the Temple is re-dedicated. But it is not the same. The intense spiritually of the First Temple cannot be compared to the Second. The constant open miracles are gone. Prophecy will also disappear during the early years of the second Temple. The Ark of the Covenant is gone-and although there is a Holy of Holies, it stands empty. The Ark-this special gold-lined cedar chest which had contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments-was the place where the Shechina, the Presence of God, descended from heaven between the outstretched wings of the two golden cherubs. What happened to it? The Talmud talks about it and relates two opinions. (1) One opinion says the Babylonians took it into captivity. ***The other opinion says that it was hidden by King Josiah [the last Biblical reference to the Ark being placed back into the Temple is during Josiah's reign (2 Chronicles 35:3)] who had anticipated the impending invasion and destruction. There's a well-known story told in the Talmud of a Cohen, a Priest, who finds a loose stone on the Temple Mount and realizes that's where the Ark is hidden. On the way to tell others about it, he dies. (2) The point of the story is that the Ark is not meant to be found. Not yet. - EZRA AND NECHEMIAH (Nehemiah): The Jews who rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem were faced with many challenges and difficulties. Strong leadership would be essential for them to be able to both rebuilt the Temple and re-establish a strong community. Two individuals played a critical role in the re-establishment of the Jewish community in Israel. One was Ezra. A scribe and scholar and a Jewish community leader in Persia, Ezra, a Cohen, hears that the Jewish community in the Holy Land is floundering with neither king nor prophet. So, he takes with him 1,496 well-chosen men with leadership abilities and comes to the rescue. Ezra is so well thought of in the Talmud that it is written of him that "the Torah could have been given to Israel through Ezra, if not that Moses preceded him" (Sanhedrin 21b). *This high praise goes to Ezra for the spiritual rebuilding of the Jewish people and **his efforts to reinstate Torah law in the land. ... SPIRITUAL VACUUM: Despite Ezra's efforts (and those of the other leaders) the Temple is spiritually a shadow of its former self. The returnees from Babylon are not in a position to rebuild the Temple as splendid as Solomon's. Eventually (circa 30 BC) it will be rebuilt again by Herod the Great, and made into a spectacular structure, but even though it is going to be physically beautiful, it will be spiritually empty when compared with the First Temple. And even though there are going to be High Priests, the institution will become corrupt. According to the Talmud, during the First Temple period of about 410 years, there were only 18 High Priests. During the Second Temple period of 420 years, there were more than 300 High Priests! We know (from the Talmud, Yoma 9a) that Yochanan was High Priest for 80 years, Shimon was High Priest for 40 years, and Yishmael ben Pabi was High Priest for 10 years. That means in the remaining 290 years there were at least 300 priests-one every year or so. What accounts for that? The Talmud tells us that the Holy of Holies was forbidden ground, except for Yom Kippur. On that one day only, the High Priests entered to perform special rites before God. But if he himself was not spiritually pure and unable to focus, he would not be able to stand the intense encounter with God and would die on the spot. We know that during the Second Temple Period a rope had to be tied to the High Priest, so that in case he died, he could be pulled out of the Holy of Holies. Because the whole High Priesthood was a corrupted institution for most of the Second Temple period, the High Priests died or were replaced every year. (4) And yet people clamored for the job, which went to the highest bidder. So the question has to be asked: If he was going to die on Yom Kippur, who would want the position? One possible answer is that many of the candidates strongly believed that their incorrect Temple service was actually the correct way to do it. That is how bad things got. ... LOSS OF PROPHECY: As we saw from the Purim story-by the time we arrive *at the period of the Second Temple, God's presence is hidden, **the Ark of the Covenant is hidden **as is prophecy [there were still Prophets and Prophecy in Israel; Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Simeon, Anna, etc.]. The Talmud says there were definitely individuals living at this time, who, had they lived earlier, would most certainly have been prophets. "There is one among you who deserves that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) should rest on him as it did on Moses, but his generation is not deserving." (Sanhedrin 11a) But the door to prophecy had been slammed in the face of the Jewish people. **And we are told that it will not be opened again until the Messianic Era [the counterfeit Messianic Era - the era of the Antichrist]. [article link]

Ron Wyatt in Zedekiahs cave - Ron Wyatt telling about the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant - part 1 of 6 (YouTube)
Ron Wyatt telling about the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant. This is recorded near the entrance tunnel leading to the Ark. [article link]

Ron Wyatt - Ark of the Covenant 1999 (YouTube)
Ron Wyatt talks about finding the Ark in a cave North of Jerusalem, and takes questions from the audience. [article link]

Danny and Ronnie Wyatt EXODUS/SAUDI ARABIA - part 1 of 3 {the first video has a couple of brief sound issues} (YouTube)
From part of a 2007 independent British TV documentary. [article link]

Danny and Ronnie Wyatt back in Israel: The Ark - part 1 of 2 (YouTube)
Ron Wyatt's search for the Ark of the Covenant. Both Danny and Ronnie was there when they started the excavations and helped their father. [article link]

Ron Wyatt - The Ron Wyatt Discovery Series: Ron Wyatt Discoveries of Noah's Ark, Ark of the Covenant, Sodom and Gomorra - 84 Videos (YouTube)
Ron Wyatt Discoveries - Ron Wyatt Discoveries of Noah's Ark, Ark of the Covenant, Sodom and Gomorra. [article link]

Ezra 1 - The Book of Ezra covers the Jewish return from Babylon and the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem - The Book of Ezra is like the Book of Acts where Luke wrote a complete history though Luke himself did not show up until Acts 16:11 - Ezra himself writes some history before showing up in Ezra 7:1 -- 'Ezra 1:1-4 Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia (Iran), that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his Kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me *all the Kingdoms of the earth [Persia the 4th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10]; and He hath charged me to build Him an House [Temple] at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the House of the LORD God of Israel, He is the God, which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him [returning Jews] with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the House of God that is in Jerusalem.'
Ezra 1:5-11 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem. And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered. Also Cyrus the King brought forth the vessels [Temple cups and bowls] of the House of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar [King of Babylon the 3rd Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; Even those did Cyrus King of Persia [Persian defeated Babylon - In 539 B.C. Cyrus invaded Babylonia - on the 16th day of Tammuz, two days after the capture of Sippara, "the soldiers of Cyrus entered Babylon without fighting" - Cyrus did not arrive until the 3rd of Marchesvan (October)] bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar [probably the Babylonian or Persian name of Zerubbabel], the Prince (a Royalty) of Judah. And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives, Thirty basins of gold, silver basins of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand. All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem [Zerubbabel led the first of three main returens from Babylon back to Jerusalem]. - Note: Zerubbabel the grandson of Jewish King Jehoiachin he became the Governor of Jerusalem at the return to Jerusalem , Israel was no longer permitted to have a King of its own. Zerubbabel led the first band of Jews, numbering 42,360, who returned from the Babylonian Captivity in the first year of Cyrus, King of Persia in 538 BC. Zerubbabel also laid the foundation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem the next year [the second year of their return to Jerusalem (Ezra 3:8)] (Wiki.com).

Ezra 2 - Ezra lists the Jews who returned to Israel with Zerubbabel -- 'Ezra 2:1-2 Now these are the children of the province [outside of Jerusalem - countryside] that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one [returning] unto his city [in Israel]; Which came with Zerubbabel ...'
Ezra 2:61-70 And of the children of the [Zadok] Priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name: These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted [ineligible], put from the Priesthood. And the Tirshatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy [Priesthood] things [foods], till there stood up a Priest with *Urim and with *Thummim [the Priests usually not directly being a Prophet used the stones to discern the will of God]. **The whole [first returning] congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore [42,360], Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women. Their horses were seven hundred thirty and six; their mules, two hundred forty and five; Their camels, four hundred thirty and five; their asses, six thousand seven hundred and twenty. And some of the chief of the fathers, when they came to the House of the LORD [then in ruins] which is at Jerusalem, offered freely for the House of God to set it up [rebuild] in His place: They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred Priests garments. So the Priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims [servants], dwelt in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.

Ezra 3 - The Children of God return from Babylon with what is now our Old Testament Bible - While in Babylon the Jewish Scribes complied and condensed the Temple records that they had brought with them into captivity and wrote the Hebrew [O.T.] Bible making the Bible for the first time commonly available to the average person - The Temple records were also returned to Jerusalem and the second Temple but were eventually destroyed in the 70 A.D. Temple fire and destruction by Roman forces -- 'Ezra 3:1-6 And when the seventh month was come, and the Children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his bases [did it correctly]; for fear was upon them because of the people of those [surrounding] countries {they didn't want to offend God and be judged by again by the surrounding hostile nations}: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening. **They kept also the Feast of Tabernacles, *as it is written [in the Bible], and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required; And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons [the Jewish calendar was lunar, moon month to moon month - our calendar is solar, the days are counted as the earth rotates around the sun], and of *all the set Feasts [Leviticus Chapter 23] of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD. From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. *But the foundation of the Temple of the LORD was not yet laid.'
Work begins on building the 2nd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem: Ezra 3:7-13 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon [just like the building of Solomon's Temple] to the sea of Joppa, according to the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia. **Now in the second year of their coming unto the House [Temple] of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the Priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from *twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD [at verious ages a Levite could assist in Temple work and activity but a Levite had to reach the age of 30 before actually becoming a Levit/Aaronic priest]. Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the House of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites. ***And when the builders laid the foundation of the [2nd] Temple of the LORD, they set the Priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance [and Psalms] of David King of Israel. And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; ***because He is good, for ***His mercy endureth for ever ***toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because ***the foundation of the House [Temple] of the LORD was laid. But many of the Priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice [because the 2nd Temple was going to be much smaller than the 1st temple - until about 19 B.C. when the Roman, Herod would greatly expand the Temple]; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.

Ezra 4 - The uncircumcised people of the area want to be a part of what God is doing and want to help but unfortunately it in their own way and not Truly God's way in building of God's Temple - If the people really did want to help or really did want to worship God then they had every opportunity to become circumcised and to Worship God in Spirit and in Truth and not just in their emotions and imagination -- 'Ezra 4:1-3 Now when the *adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, *Let us build with you: for we seek your God [uncircumcised], [not] as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon King of Assur (Assyria), which brought us up hither [into Samaria]. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye [uncircumcised] have nothing to do with us to build an House unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the King of Persia hath commanded us.'
Those who oppose the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem are able to get the work stopped for 16 years: Ezra 4:4-16 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time. This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time. Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. Now because we have maintenance from the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city is a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed. We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river. ... Ezra 4:23-24 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power. **Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased [for 16 years] unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Ezra 5 - With God's worked stalled Prophets begin to prophesy again in Israel and then with their message to the people of confidence and reassurance regarding the plans of God for Israel the work of God then begins again among the people of Israel -- 'Ezra 5:1-2 Then the Prophets, *Haggai the Prophet, and *Zechariah [the Prophet] the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the Name of the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the House of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the Prophets of God helping [to encourage and strengthen] them.'
The rebuilding of the Temple is again challenged by outsiders but this time the leaders of Israel do not slow the rebuilding process so yet another letter is sent to the King in Persia regarding the legality of the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem: Ezra 5:3-5 At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shethar- boznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building? But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius [King Darius I]: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.

Ezra 6 - The earlier decree of King Cyrus regarding the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem is located and building of the Temple is allowed to be completed -- 'Ezra 6:1-7 Then [earlier] Darius the King [had] made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record thus written: In the first year of Cyrus the King the same Cyrus the King made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the House be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expences be given out of the King's house: And also let the golden and silver vessels of the House of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the [1st] Temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the [2nd] Temple which is [to be rebuilt] at Jerusalem, everyone to his place, and place them in the House of God. Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shethar-boznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence: **Let the work of this House of God alone; let the Governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this House [Temple] of God in His place.'
The rebuilt Temple is completed and dedicated and the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread are observed: Ezra 6:14-22 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered [progressed] **through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And *they builded, and finished it, **according to the Commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes King of Persia [Artaxerxes was the son of Xerxes and grandson Darius I - though not a King at the time Artaxerxes as a clerk of records in Persia was probably who located the original rebuild edict of King Cyrus]. And this House was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the King. And the children of Israel, the Priests [teachers], and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this House of God with joy, And offered at the dedication of this House of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the Tribes of Israel. And they set the Priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the Book of Moses [Genesis - Deuteronomy]. And the Children of the Captivity kept the **Passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. For the Priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the Passover for all the Children of the Captivity, and for their brethren the Priests, and for themselves. And the Children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat, And **kept the Feast of Unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the King of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the Jouse of God, the God of Israel.

Ezra 7 - Ezra the Levitical/Zadok Priest and Bible Scribe leads the 2nd group of exiles in their return to Jerusalem - Like Ezra most of this group of returning Jews were born in Babylon -- 'Ezra 7:1-8 Now after these things {58 years between the Temple dedication and the arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem}, in the reign of Artaxerxes {possibly aka Ahasuerus and probably when Ester was Queen} King of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, The son of Shallum, the son of *Zadok, the son of Ahitub, The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of *Aaron {Aaron the brother of Moses} the [first Levitical] Chief Priest [High Priest appointed by God at Mt. Sinai]: This Ezra went up from Babylon; and *he was a ready (Bible) Scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the King granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him. And there went up [the 2nd group of returning exiles] some of the Children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims [indentured servants], unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the King. And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the King.'
Ezra is going to Jerusalem with a mandate from the King and with the people capable of carrying out the task of establishing Jewish Torah Law and to solidify Jewish customs and traditions within Jerusalem and throughout the area of Israel: Ezra 7:25-28 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates [officials] and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all [Jews] such as know the Laws of thy God; **and teach ye them that know them not. And whosoever will not do the Law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the House [Temple] of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel [in Persia] chief men to go up with me.

Ezra 8 - During the journey from Persia- Babylon back to Jerusalem Ezra stopped the caravan to fast and pray - Ezra had told the King of Persia that God would protect them [they had an extremely rich caravan]yet the caravan was being protected by Persian soldiers - After prayer Ezra sent the Persian soldiers back to Persia and the unprotected caravan, protected by God, proceeded on to Jerusalem - Ezra had also divided up the gold, silver and valuables giving each family leader the responsibility for an equal amount of the gold, silver and jewels intended for 'beautifying' the Temple - Then on the fourth day after arriving in Jerusalem each family leader brought his amount of gold, silver and materials that he was entrusted with and all of the material had arrived safely in Jerusalem and was given to the Temple service -- 'Ezra 8:21-23 Then [during the journey from Persia-Babylon to Jerusalem] I [Ezra] proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance [the great wealth of the caravan]. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him; but His power and His wrath is against all them that forsake Him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.'
The 2nd group of exiles being led by Ezra makes it safely to Jerusalem: Ezra 8:31-36 Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem: and the hand of our God was upon us, and **He delivered us from the hand of the enemy, and of such as lay in wait by the way. *And we came to Jerusalem, and abode there three days. Now on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the House [Temple] of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the Priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites; By number and by weight of every one [each family group]: and all the weight was written at that time. Also *the children of those that had been carried away {this entire 2nd group of returning Jews was probably born in Babylon}, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve bullocks for all [12 Tribes of] Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. And they delivered the king's commissions unto the king's lieutenants, and to the Governors on this side the river: and they *furthered (improved) the people, and the House of God.

Ezra 9-10 - Ezra finds out that in realty the Children of God, after everything that the Nation of Israel had gone through, as a whole the people of God had not gotten any better or more religious towards the things of God - Even the new leaders of Israel were highly corrupt and compromised with the foreign customs and traditions of other people and of other nations -- 'Ezra 9:1-6 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the Priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonied (astonished). Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied (astonished) until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God. And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for **our iniquities are **increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.' - Note: As result of this (in the Book of Nehemiah) Ezra the Leaders, Scribes and Priests of Israel are going to institute public Torah (Bible) study, teachings and devotions and it is out of the system initiated by Ezra that the Synagogue, Bible Scrolls, teachings and devotions emerge in Israel. Traditions and customs that are then later adopted directly into the Christian Church and Church fellowships. - Also Note: What occurred later in Nehemiah Chapter 8 is identical to both a modern Jewish Synagogue service and a modern Christian Church service.
The Biblical Priesthoods (Levitical or Melchizedek the 'King of Righteousness Priesthood') are both based entirely on a family relationship. A person must be born [entirely - N.T.] into the Priestly family [or have entered legally into the Priestly family - O.T.] in order to have access to God through the family and having access to God [as a family member] then having the ability to perform Priestly duties on behalf of man and on behalf of God: Ezra 10:9-17 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two: for we are many that have transgressed in this thing. Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us. Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah were employed about this matter: and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month. - Note: There is a New Testament equivalent (Acts 19:13-16) to this Old Testament Priesthood purity where later Jewish Priests were attempting to minister in the name of Jesus [salvation] and were unable to do so because they were not [yet] completely in the [new] family. Being Jewish [having redemption - in a sense being half Christian, like the children in question in ancient Israel were half Jewish but ineligible to minister as Levitical Priests] and not being Christians [not having the full family Salvation of Jesus] they were unable to Minister in the Name of Jesus. -- Acts 19:13-16 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists (Priests), took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits *the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, **We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the *Priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul [a Priest of Jesus] I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

THE BOOK OF

NEHEMIAH

Background of Nehemiah - Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in 444 B.C. - He resigned as cupbearer to [King] Artaxerxes I [in Persia] in order to serve his own people in rebuilding the city of Jerusalem - Nehemiah was appointed Governor [of the Jerusalem area] and returned to assist in fortifying the walls of the capital [Jerusalem] to attract Jews to [return and] settle in security - Nehemiah sees the return of the people of Israel to Jerusalem as the second exodus not out of Egypt but [this time] out of Babylon - The language of Deuteronomy fills Nehemiah to represent this Exodus
The first order of business upon arrival in Jerusalem at night was to examine and inspect the damaged walls. They immediately began construction and fortification which stirred up the suspicions of the people surrounding Jerusalem. They viewed it as rebellion and began plotting and scheming against the work (Nehemiah 2:20). Numerous schemes were set up to try and ensnare Nehemiah without success. The workers took turns building and watching over the tower. From this incident comes the beautiful symbol of the sword and trowel. Nehemiah addressed the problem of financing the project with grace and mercy by cancelling all debts and not imposing heavy taxes thus easing the burden upon the poor. Nehemiah 5 Yet in spite of all the opposition the wall was built in only fifty two days. Upon completion the people celebrated the festivals of the seventh month, the Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and Feast of Tabernacles, all under Ezra's leadership. Nehemiah began the public reading of the Law of God which convicted the people who had not realized how far short they had fallen during the Exile from God's standards. A National day of prayer and repentance was held on the twenty fourth day of the reading of the Law. The two laws which stood out over all the rest were concerning intermarriage and the keeping of the Sabbath. It was time for national celebration. Led by Ezra and Nehemiah Israel march in a procession around the top of the wall to meet at the Temple for a service of thanksgiving led by a choir and orchestra. After twelve years in Jerusalem, Nehemiah returns to report to the Persian king. 432 B.C. Several years later when he returned to Jerusalem he found that the people had fallen into their old ways. The priest Eliashib had allowed Tobiah, an Ammonite friend of Sanballat to occupy a room in the temple. Nehemiah had the temple cleansed, and reminded the people of their giving commitments under the covenant. He closed the city gates on the Sabbath so merchants could not buy or sell. Mixed marriages were condemned according to the law of God. There were now children who could not speak Hebrew only the language of the Philistines. The book ends with the words 'Remember me, O my God, for good' (Nehemiah 13:31). No matter how strong the wall, if God's people will not live according to God's law there is no protection but only judgment. Christ the fulfillment of Nehemiah also laid the foundation for the New Jerusalem with his own blood even in the face of opposition. God would sovereignly accomplish His redemptive purposes through his agents even in spite of fierce opposition. [article link]

Book of Nehemiah Theme & Overview - Rebuilding Our Faith - It is naive to think that restoration of the physical walls of a city is the same as true restoration - God's idea is not just to get us a ticket to heaven but to truly restore [rebuild] us
Rebuilding Our Faith: Although the theme of rebuilding Jerusalem's wall is often connected with the Book of Nehemiah, we must understand that the wall is the most visible sign of the community of God's people. The wall is symbolic of their identity because by it they are protected. When we look at the Book of Nehemiah, we will find even more important tasks that must be done to rebuild the people of God. It is inadequate to be satisfied with a city that has tall skyscrapers but does not have law and order. Our society now is coming to grips with what it is like to have a form of organization but disorder in the lives of people. Nehemiah, as a prophet of old, was calling the people to reassemble before God. Each chapter was a special emphasis on a new kind of restoration. The enemies were not located just on the outside of the walls but also on the inside. It was this 'inside' culprit that before had foiled Israel. It is naive to think that restoration of the physical walls of a city is the same as true restoration. We can easily remember a time when the walls of Jerusalem were intact but the evil within the walls provoked God to tear those walls down. But we would be fools to think we can have the inner restoration before outer (virtue before godliness). The perfecting of His people must not just think it is to again live in Jerusalem and "come back to this place." God's idea is not just to get us a ticket to heaven but to truly restore us. [article link]

Nehemiah's Wall an introduction by Pastor John Schmidt (YouTube)
This message, featuring Teaching Pastor John Schmidt, introduces us to Nehemiah, and was used to start a sermon series looking at Nehemiah's leadership skills. [article link]

Zedekiah's Cave: Also the way to the Ark of the Covenant - Zedekiah's Cave has a wall that is believed to be the wall [now underground] repaired by the prophet Nehemiah as prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 9:25) - It is the southern wall of the sanctuary cast into the ground where the Ark of the Covenant is hidden in a [nearby] cave (YouTube)
Note: This is some great amateur video footage and much thanks go to the people involved in providing it [don't wait for CNN to provide this material to the public] - The video is shot below ground (because the really old archeology stuff is now underground and needs to be either excavated or tunneled into) the video primarily shows three things. - 1. A Tunnel that was a part of the complex tunnel system of ancient Israel and of most ancient cities (it's thought there was a 25 mile tunnel going all the way from Jerusalem to Jericho). - 2. The location where the stones were cut (quarried) from and then used by Herod to expand the Temple and to build the retaining walls (i.e. the modern Wailing Wall) and many of his other projects. - 3. When Herod expanded the Temple in 19 B.C. he pushed dirt out and covered many areas over with dirt to make more room for a larger Temple area on the Temple hill and during Herod's expansion project part of Nehemiah's Wall was covered over with dirt and the video shows some amazing footage of a remaining part the original wall [now underground] that was built or rebuilt with the supervision of Nehemiah. -- Also Note: The myth perpetuated by the Knight Templars and via Rosslyn Chapel (and also the Lincoln Cathedral [1100 A.D.] in Lincolnshire, England) [used by Dan Brown in the book and movie The Da Vinci Code] postulates that the Holy Grail (the Communion Cup of Jesus Christ) is also hidden in the cave (near the Ark of the Covenant) in a middle-chamber (the remains Solomon's Temple chambers are now underground while Herod's Temple was basically expanded over the top of what were Solomon's Chambers - also now called Solomon's Stables). There happens to be a an ancient underground middle chamber there but this was used by Jewish Priests and not the Apostles and Disciples of Jesus and early Christianity. - What is being said in the video is that Nehemiah's concern was not just that the wall was broken down in that one area (by the Temple and by the tombs of the Kings, David and Solomon) it was because the Ark was hidden in that area and with the wall crumbled it could expose the hiding place of the Ark therefore Nehemiah inspected that area at night (Nehemiah 2:11-17). Then with the wall rebuilt the Priests would have the safety to bring the Ark back into the Temple knowing that with the covering and protection of the wall they could again hide the Ark back in a cave-chamber with only a few moments notice. The Ark of the Covenant was probably first hidden away in the days of Isaiah during the attack on Jerusalem by the Assyrians and the Ark had been at times either hidden or within the Temple where it belonged up until and including the days of Jesus Christ and since 70 A.D. the Ark has remained hidden in the nearby system of caves and caverns. [article link]

Archeology in Israel with Pastor Andy Cook (YouTube)
An on-site look at how archeology in Israel is bringing the Bible to life. [article link]

What Did Nehemiah Build Pt. 1 of 2 - The Wall of Righteousness (YouTube)
WHAT DID NEHEMIAH BUILD? Here are the things Nehemiah did in restoring the "Wall" of Jerusalem: 1. Makes an assessment. 2. Goes to the priests and officials and presents his idea and plan. 3. The entire work is divided up and the priests begin working near their homes- their own land. 4. Priests from the surrounding region come in to the city to help. (This is "helping each other.") 5. Enemies begin to mock the workers and Nehemiah. 6. Enemies come together to plot against the workers. 7. The workers begin to pray and to guard themselves day & night. 8. The workers begin to tire. 9. Warnings come of an attack from the enemy (today, this can be prophecies.) Nehemiah redistributes his forces, strengthening weak areas. 10. Nehemiah encourages the workers. Half work (evangelizing) and half guard (prayer & fasting, prostrating before the Lord.) They took their weapons everywhere, even to drink water. 11. Nehemiah comes against usury. He tells the leaders and landowners to walk in fear of the Lord. They forgive debts to borrowers and repay collected interest. Nehemiah required commitments from the nobles and priests to not do this. 12. Nehemiah does not take an official allowance from those who were already heavily burdened. He funds himself, and even gives money to others. 13. The enemy's plot to murder Nehemiah fails, and so he generates false rumors. 14. Work is completed, but must be preserved. Nehemiah sets sentries over the city and leaders to guard their homes. 15. The law of God is carefully read and explained to everyone. Then they celebrate God. 16. The people confess their sins, fast, and humble themselves. 17. The people pray and thank God, proclaiming all the good things He has done. They remember the history of the Hebrews' walk with God. [article link]

What Did Nehemiah Build Pt. 2 of 2 - The Wall of Righteousness - (NLT) Ezekiel 22:30: "I looked for somebody that might rebuild the Wall of Righteousness that guards the land." (YouTube)
WHAT DID NEHEMIAH BUILD? Next, Nehemiah rebuilds the real wall that protects Jerusalem. Ezekiel 22:30: "I looked for somebody that might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one [Until Jesus Christ stood in the Gap for all humanity (Revelation 5:9) and Jesus Christ established and built His Wall of Righteousness in His Christian Church (Revelation 19:8)]." Nehemiah Chapter 13: 1. Ammonites and Moabites are thrown out. Those who follow after others who are against God are thrown out. 2. Tobiah thrown out. Remove from places of honor those which are against the church but are within the church. These are so common place you will overlook them before you will realize they are separate from Christ. 3. Restores apportion for Levites. Give according to Scripture. 4. Assigns positions of responsibility. 5. Restored the Sabbath. 6. Restored the idea of pure marriage. Marry who God selects for you to marry. Use no other system of selection. 7. Exiles political unions from the priesthood. This exonerates the Lord by declaring He is not guilty of deceit by not trusting in the Power of God. The Lord does not need to form alliances with the forces of the world system. [article link]

Nehemiah 1 - Nehemiah was the cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia (Iran) - The cup-bearer was the person who brought the King his wine anytime throughout the day that the King wanted to drink - It was a highly trusted position because if the King was going to be poisoned it would probably be put in his wine - The cup-bearer was usually a chosen servant that was also a very good friend to the King because often the cup-bearer would fellowship with the King while the King enjoyed his wine and often the cup-bearer knew the King and the business of the Kingdom better than almost anyone in the Kingdom -- 'Nehemiah 1:1-4 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of Heaven'
Nehemiah says a prayer before first enquiring of the King requesting to go to Jerusalem to assist his Jewish brethren in Israel [Nehemiah does not permanently go to Jerusalem he has to return after 11 years in Jerusalem and report back to the King in Persia then he returns for a few more years back to Jerusalem then goes back to Persia for a time, etc.]: Nehemiah 1:5-11 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of Heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His Commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the Children of Israel **Thy servants, and confess the sins of the Children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against Thee, and have not kept The Commandments [10 Commandments], nor The Statutes, nor the Judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the Nations: But if ye turn unto me, and keep My Commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the Heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place [Jerusalem] that I have chosen to set My Name there. Now these are Thy Servants and Thy People, *whom Thou hast **redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand [on the night of Passover in Egypt (Exodus 6:6, Exodus 13:14-15)]. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant, and to the prayer of Thy servants, who desire to fear Thy Name: and prosper, I pray thee, Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

Nehemiah 2 - Nehemiah requests to go assist his brethren in Jerusalem -- 'Nehemiah 2:1-6 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the King, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the King. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the King said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the King, Let the King live forever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city [Jerusalem], the place of my fathers' sepulchers (tombs), lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the King said unto me, For what dost thou make request? **So I prayed to the God of Heaven. And I said unto the King, If it please the King, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah [Israel], unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. And the King said unto me, the Queen [Ester] also sitting by him, For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the King to send me; and I set him a time [Nehemiah's first visit to Jerusalem lasted about 11 years].'
Nehemiah arrives in Jerusalem and during the night inspects the still crumbled Wall of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 2:9-18 Then I came to the [Gentile] Governors beyond the river, and gave them the King's letters. Now the King had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When [the Gentiles] Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the Children of Israel. **So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon. **And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the King's [Solomon's] pool: but there was no place [the path was blocked by rubble] for the beast [donkey] that was under me to pass. Then went I up in the night by the brook [Cedron], and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned. And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the Priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work. **Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach. Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the King's words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. - Note: It's though that a primary reason that Nehemiah was so stealth about his inspection of the wall was because he was also inspecting the location of where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden. Nehemiah had a letter from the King to rebuild the wall and the wall was going to get rebuilt regardless of any objections or opposition that anyone might have had so there was no real reason to inspect only the wall by night. Also Note: According to the eyewitness accounts of Ron Wyatt the Ark of the Covenant is indeed hidden in an area of caves and tunnels that are called ' Zedekiah's Cave'. keep in mind that Zedekiah's cave was an area [though called Solomon's Quarry] it was carved out by the Romans starting in 19 B.C. so the Ark of the Covenant would not have been hidden in that last location until very close to 70 A.D. and the end of Roman stone cutting in the cave - in fact there are still partially cut stones in the cave as work was abruptly stopped about 68-70 A.D. during the Jewish revolt against Rome in Israel. So the Ark of the Covenant of Israel was available and in use in Jerusalem and in the Temple up until the destruction of Jerusalem and the 2nd Temple in 70 A.D.

Nehemiah 3-4 - Sections of the wall begin to be built but it was in a half-hazard way and half a wall or even almost a full wall is still no wall at all until the entire wall and including the gates are built, secured and in place -- 'Nehemiah 3:1-3 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.'
During a time of much distress and persecution in Jerusalem the Wall of Jerusalem was still able to be rebuilt: Nehemiah 4:1-3 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. ... Nehemiah 4:6-9 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work. But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. ... Nehemiah 4:21-23 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let everyone with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that everyone put them off for washing.

Nehemiah 5 - Nehemiah besides having to contend with problems from outsiders and foreigners he also had to contend with just as many and just as serious of problems by the fellow countrymen - The Jews themselves were enslaving one another and confiscating the land of their fellow Jews at such a fast rate that it had become difficult to tell Jewish overlords from Gentile oppressors -- 'Nehemiah 5:1-6 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live. Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the King's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards. And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.'
Nehemiah has to stop his work on the physical wall around Jerusalem in order to ensure that the people of Israel and Jerusalem have a society and customs worth of the protection and confinement of a wall: Nehemiah 5:7-12 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury [profiting in times of difficulty]. **Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.

Nehemiah 6-7 - Nehemiah faces several plots and intrigues against his own life -- 'Nehemiah 6:1-4 Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates; That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner. ... Nehemiah 6:17-19 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters [of support] unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them. For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. *Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered [betrayed] my words to him. **And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.'
The Wall of Jerusalem has been completed but the people and the city are not yet in a stable enough position to dedicate the wall and call it a completed work of God: Nehemiah 7:1-6 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, and every one to be over against his house. Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded. And my God put into mine heart to gather together the nobles, and the rulers, and the people, that they might be reckoned by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of them which came up at the first, and found written therein, These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city ...

Nehemiah 8 - Ezra the Priest and Scribe gathers the people of Israel together and for the first time reads to the people and teaches to them from the Bible [the exact same word for word O.T. Bible that we now have and use] - The Feast of Tabernacles is reinstated -- 'Nehemiah 8:1-3 And [on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles] all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate (John chapter 7); and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the Book (Scroll) of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the Priest brought the Law before the Congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the Book of the Law.'
Ezra begins to teach the people for the first time from the Hebrew O.T. Bible: Nehemiah 8:4-12 And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; for he was above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the Book in the Law of God distinctly [clearly], and gave the sense [the meaning], and caused [taught] them to understand the [Bible] reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the Priest the Scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, *This day is holy unto the LORD your God; *mourn not, nor weep. *For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law [for the first time]. Then he said unto them, Go your way, *eat the fat, and *drink the sweet [wine], and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: *neither be ye sorry; **for the joy of the LORD is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved (Romans 8:1). And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth [joy], ***because they had understood the Words [of scripture] that were declared unto them. - Note: This is an Amazing, Amazing sequence of Bible passages. Earlier Ezra (Ezra 9:3) had been very upset and very hard on the people however Ezra seemed to realize that Ezra as a Scribe he had the opportunity to read God's word but the people had not yet heard or read God's word and having not heard the Word of God it was impossible for them to obey the Words of God. Ezra then set forth to openly and publically read and teach the Word of God to all the people of Israel and when the people heard the actual Word of God they were deeply repentant and greatly moved and began to cry. Ezra understanding the concept of (Romans 8:1) that there is no condemnation from God for those who seek after God then declared to the people that as they sought the Lord the day is holy and therefore there was no condemnation [even though the people realized they fell so short of what God wanted] but rather to rejoice and to "eat the fat." Now the fat in a Levitical Temple offering was not to be eaten [fat Biblically represents gossip and worry and the worry (fat) was to be given to God to deal with - burnt on the Alter] and Ezra seems to be making a point that animal sacrifices were to be done Only on the Temple Alter [people had been sacrificing on alters on hills] and therefore the alters upon hills were to come down and they were to eat of the fat, as a non-temple everyday meal sacrifice. Ezra is credited with having removed the alters from throughout Israel and replacing the alters [that were not granted by God] with the Synagogues and the teaching and community culture of the Synagogues. - Also Note: When Jesus was on earth He spent much time going both into the Synagogues of Israel and into the Temple in Jerusalem validating both the Synagogue and the Temple as a valid representation of what God wanted Israel to know about Himself and in how God wanted Israel to worship Him. In the passion of the times both the Synagogue Priests and the Temple Priests momentarily rejected Jesus' authority on earth though history has not yet concluded and at the conclusion of history Jesus' authority will be undisputed.

Nehemiah 9-11 - The Children of God continue to hear the Word of God and continue to repent and renew their vows to God -- 'Nehemiah 9:1-3 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the Book of the Law [O.T.] of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.'
Nehemiah 9:38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal [vow] unto it. ... Nehemiah 11:1 And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the Holy City, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem. - Note: After the return from Babylon there were not enough survivors from Jerusalem to begin to even fill the city so Jews from the countryside had to be relocated into Jerusalem in order to populate the city.

Nehemiah 12-13 - With the city of Jerusalem now stable and the people worshiping God in spirit and in truth the wall of Jerusalem is dedicated to God as a finished project -- 'Nehemiah 12:27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.'
The Bible's book of Nehemiah concludes: Nehemiah 13:26-31 Did not Solomon King of Israel sin by these things? yet among many Nations was there no King like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him King over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Shall we then hearken [listen] unto you [current Priesthood and leadership] to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the High Priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me. Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the Priesthood, and the Covenant of the Priesthood, and of the Levites. Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the Priests and the Levites, everyone in his business; And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits [tithes]. Remember me, O my God, for good.

THE BOOK OF

ESTHER

The Seven Global Kingdoms of Revelation 17:10-11 - Compromising the area and influence of the Bible lands and specifically Jerusalem and the Hebrews/Jews - Persia (Iran) was the 4th Global Kingdom
Of the seven Global Gentile Kingdoms six have already been completed and only the 7th and final Antichrist (Satan incarnate) Kingdom remains to be established here on earth as one of the seven secular Gentile Global Kingdoms. The seventh Global Gentile Kingdom is then to be replaced by the 8th Kingdom the coming Righteous Kingdom of Jesus Christ (Daniel 2:34-35). -- The seven original Gentile Kingdoms each have a unique, dominate characteristic element and theme to each individual Kingdom. 1. Babel - the first and original 'one world government' was headed by the King Nimrod and the primary focus and attribute was 'spiritualism' [counterfeit religion, building a Tower (Temple) that reached into heaven, the beginnings of false god worship in primarily in the various Tammuz (Horus, Ra, Osiris) and Semiramis (Isis, Ishtar, Diana)] myths and legends. 2. Egypt headed by the Pharaoh's was primarily an 'accommodating,' comfort and very social society for its own people, even the mummies were equipped with food and provisions in an attempt to make them comfortable in the afterlife. 3. Babylon (modern Iraq) was headed by King Nebuchadnezzar with 'enchantments,' magic and entertainment being the primary focus of Babylon (i.e. Disneyland). The Kingdom of Persia (modern Iran) headed by King Cyrus was the most 'dignified' of all the Kingdoms with personal dignity being the most noble aspect in ancient Persian and also still in modern Iran as well and also in the modern European country and city of Paris/France a nation highly influenced by ancient Persian culture. The European nation of Greece at the leading of King Alexander [Alexander the Great] then defeated Persia and Greece and with its 'thought provoking intellect' then ruled Jerusalem and the known world. The Roman empire defeated the Greek empire and the Caesars of Rome, characterized by 'efficiency' (Roman roads and slavery) became the sixth and final Global Gentile Kingdom to rule over Jerusalem until the seventh and final Gentile Global Kingdom, the coming Kingdom of Antichrist characterized by 'betrayal and deceit' [practiced against its own people - the seventh Kingdom (Daniel 7:19) is 'diverse' different from the previous six Kingdoms - the seventh Kingdom instead of protecting its own people attacks its own people; exploited workers, fixing higher prices, sexual slavery, false flag operations, abortion, toxic chemicals, tainted food and medicine, etc.] that will rebuild in some form out of the ancient Roman Empire and will control for the last time and only for a short time, the entire globe prior to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His permanent Kingdom the 8th Global Kingdom the Righteous Kingdom of God with mankind here on earth. [article link]

Background of Esther - The book of Esther speaks of the experiences of some of the Jew who stayed behind in Babylon instead of returning to Jerusalem following the edict of King Cyrus - It takes place during the reign of Xerxes (485-465 B.C.) - Although the name of God is never [directly] mentioned [it is hidden] in the book, God's [hidden] divine providence and guidance is evident everywhere
Esther intervened on behalf of her fellow Jews and won the favor of the King. But a decree could not be broken so another one cancelled the first and the Jews were able to defend themselves against their enemies. God's people are to be a witness wherever they are placed. Mordecai introduced the Feast of Purim in order to celebrate and commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the hand of Haman. Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant who intercedes on behalf of His people. The Lord's Supper is the New Testament Feast of Purim, a celebration of deliverance and salvation. [article link]

An Introduction to the Book of Esther - In Hebrew the title is Rtsa which may be derived from the Persian word for Star [Ishtar] - Josephus affirmed that Mordecai wrote the book of Esther [another] possible author was Nehemiah - The Hebrew "Ahasuerus" is usually identified with [King] Xerxes I (486-465/64 B.C.) - The Elephantine papyri spell the name Kshy'resh which is close to the Greek Xerxes - Ahasuerus had a large harem from which he may have changed wives several times - Kish was the one taken into captivity and that Mordecai was born within Persia - In A.D. 120 [by Irenaeus] Esther was basically secured in the [Christian Bible] Canon with the Christian church accepting it overall
HISTORICITY: A. Although Esther 2:5-7 has been considered a problem in that it was thought to affirm that Mordecai was carried into captivity in 597 and the story of Esther occurred 124 years later; but it is better understood that Kish was the one taken into captivity and that Mordecai was born within Persia. B. Some have objected that Amestris was a powerful wife of Ahasuerus, and her name cannot be connected with either Vashti's or Esther's name: 1. This may be explained by the fact that Ahasuerus had a large harem from which he may have changed wives several times. 2. This may be explained by the fact that it was not uncommon for nobles to have several names in those days (e.g., Xerxes/Ahasuerus). C. Some have objected to Xerxes sending decrees in different languages, but this may have well be due the tolerance of the Persians towards those people whom they had conquered. D. Some have objected to the number of people who were killed on the day of Purim: 1. But large massacres occurred before this time in the Ancient Near East. 2. When 75,000 is extended into the many cities of the Persian empire, it is not implausible. 3. The background of the book of Esther is so full of accurate Persian detail that it may be assumed that this number is also true. E. Some have objected that the feast of Purim is not to be identified with the "lot" but with other systems of celebration like the Persian spring festival, the Babylonian feast, or the Greek pithoigia or "cask-opening" season marked by drinking and giving gifts, *but it has been demonstrated that the term for Purim comes from the Assyrian word puru meaning a "die" or "lot" describing the Persian method of throwing dice which was similar to the Jewish practice of "casting lots". F. This work [Book of Esther] is a theological [words of God] treatise of history in narrative form. [article link]

Esther's Story ... Although my Hebrew name is Hadassah, which comes from our name for the myrtle tree, most people know me by my Persian name, Esther. This is the story of how I rose from an orphaned captive Jewish girl to become Queen of Persia (Iran), the most powerful nation of my day - Many "learned" people (Martin Luther was one) have expressed doubt that my story should even be in the Bible because it seems to have such a secular theme - As evidence of this they claim that the Name of God is never mentioned. But as I'll show you His Name [YHWH] appears five times, although each time it's hidden in the Hebrew text - In fact "Something Hidden" is a good sub-title for my story because as it unfolds you'll see that there is much more hidden than just the Name of God - It was all placed here for your learning, as a reward for the diligent student (Part 1 of 4)
They advised him to banish Queen Vashti from his presence and find a new queen to replace her, and he agreed. That very day he issued the decree deposing Vashti, vowing never to see her again. In the Hebrew text describing this event the first hidden [acrostic] appearance of God's name [YHWH] appears. The first letters of the Hebrew words for "all the women will respect" in what is now called verse 20 of chapter 1 form the acrostic acronym YHVH [YHWH in English], the initials of God's Name. There are a total of four such appearances. This one is spoken about the queen. The next will be spoken by the queen (5:4) and like it is made up of first letters. In both cases where the acronym consists of first letters the initial facts of an event are being revealed. The third one will be spoken about Haman, (5:13) and the fourth by Haman (7:7). These two are made up of the last letters of the Hebrew words in the respective passages, and both times the final stages of events are being described. All four of these acronyms consist of the letters YHVH. The first and third acronyms are spoken by gentiles and read left to right like all languages west of Jerusalem. The second and fourth are spoken by Israelites and read right to left like all languages east of Jerusalem. There is also a fifth one (7:5) made up of last letters but in reverse order, and in this one the letters used are EHVH, another form of the Name of God, the one He used at the burning bush and that we translate "I am". That makes five concealed appearances of God's name. Five is the number of grace and indeed my story is a beautiful illustration of the Grace of God, **concealed in the Old Testament, but revealed in the New. [article link]

One Night With The King - The True story of Queen Esther (DVD)
Based on the best-selling novel Hadassah: One Night With The King by Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen, this dramatic big-screen adaptation chronicles a young woman's rise from peasant to princess, her courageous role in the redemption of her people from destruction and death, and her winning of the love of the most powerful man in the kingdom -- by seeking his heart rather than the riches of his kingdom. [article link]

Esther 1 - The 'dignified' Persian Queen Vashti refuses to be treated like a mere object in her own country, among her own people, even by her own King -- 'Esther 1:1-3 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces: That in those days, when the King Ahasuerus [Xerxes] sat on the throne of his Kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace [part of the previous Babylon empire], In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: **When he shewed *the *riches [the wealth of the ancient world] of his glorious Kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days [140 days of feasting].' - Note: The riches of Persia, the wealth of the world, that was previously the riches of Babylon that were previously the riches of King Solomon. - Also Note: The world wealth in gold, silver and precious gems once resided with King Solomon in Jerusalem. When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Jerusalem he was looking for Solomon's treasure however Israel had already returned (1 Kings 14:25-26) the wealth of the world back to Egypt. Had Israel still had possession of the wealth of King Solomon the Levites probably would have hidden it as they hid the Ark of the Covenant and King Nebuchadnezzar would have left no stone unturned in locating the treasure so when God sent the wealth of the world back to Egypt He was actually preventing the Ark of the Covenant from being located. After finding out that the wealth of the world had been given to Egypt complete with a receipt then (2 Kings 24:7) King Nebuchadnezzar's next battle was to attack Egypt and after conquering Egypt the wealth of the world belonged to Babylon then Persia acquired the wealth of the world followed by Greece then Rome and it is a possibility that the much of the ancient wealth of the world now resides with the Vatican, though it's just speculation.
Queen Vashti is sent away for refusing to answer the King's call: Esther 1:10-19 On the seventh day, when the heart of the King was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the King, To bring Vashti the Queen before the King with the crown royal, to shew the people and the princes her beauty: for she was fair to look on. But the Queen Vashti refused to come at the King's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the King very wroth, and his anger burned in him. Then the King said to the wise men, which knew the times, for so was the King's manner toward all that knew law and judgment: And the next unto him was Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, which saw the King's face, and which sat the first in the Kingdom; What shall we do unto the Queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the King Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? And Memucan answered before the King and the princes, Vashti the Queen hath not done wrong to the King only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus. For this deed of the Queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the Queen to be brought in before him, but she came not. Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the King's princes, which have heard of the deed of the Queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath. If it please the King, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the King give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

Esther 2 - The King of Persia sends out servants to search for a replacement Queen -- 'Esther 2:1-2 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. Then said the King's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the King'
Mordecai and Esther are cousins of the same generation the 3rd generation born in cpativity in Babylon: Esther 2:5-8 Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; [Kish] Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah King of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon had carried away [in the 1st captivity with Daniel]. And he brought up Hadassah [Esther], that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. So it came to pass, when the King's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the King's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. ... Esther 2:16-23 So Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. And the King loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. Then the King made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the King. And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai sat in the King's gate. Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. In those days, while Mordecai sat in the King's gate, two of the King's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the door, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the King Ahasuerus. And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified the King thereof in Mordecai's name. And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the King.

Esther 3 - Haman upset with Mordecai seeks a political opportunity to have all the Jews killed -- 'Esther 3:1-6 After these things did King Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. And all the King's servants, that were in the King's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the King had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. Then the King's servants, which were in the King's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the King's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole Kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.'
A Royal Decree is mistakenly sent out to Kill all of the Jews: Esther 3:7-15 In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur [a type of dice], that is, the lot [a type of divination, craft], before Haman from day to day [testing the spirits], and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. And Haman [spiritually influenced] said unto King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy Kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the King's laws: therefore it is not for the King's profit to suffer them. If it please the King, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the King's treasuries. And the King took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. And the King said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee [the gold was to go to the King], the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. Then were the King's scribes called [by Haman after more divination] on the *thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the King's lieutenants, and to the Governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of King Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the King's ring. And the letters were sent by posts into all the King's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. The posts went out, being hastened by the King's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. *And the King and Haman sat down to drink; **but the city Shushan was perplexed.

Esther 4 - Mordecai "perceives" that there is a treacherous plan underway attempting to destroy all the Jews -- 'Esther 4:1-4 When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry; And came even before the King's gate: for none might enter into the King's gate clothed with sackcloth. And in every province, whithersoever the King's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her. Then was the Queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not.'
Esther 4:5-17 Then called Esther for Hatach, one of the King's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was. So Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the city, which was before the King's gate. And Mordecai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the King's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the King, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people. And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai; All the King's servants, and the people of the King's provinces, ***do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the King into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the King shall hold out the golden scepter [rod of authority], that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the King these thirty days. And they told to Mordecai Esther's words. **Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, **Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the King's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and **who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast [and pray] ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the King, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him. - Note: This extremely important verse tells us how to gain entrance to the King even for the Queen "do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the King into the inner court, who is not called, there is *one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the King shall hold out the golden *scepter, that he may live." Know for certain the Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe and that to approach His presence [after death] without having touched His scepter [symbol of authority] is to be immediately put to [eternal] death, it is a law of the universe (James 2:8) more certain than the laws of nature [gravity, electricity, etc.]. - Also Note: The scepter of Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ is holding out freely to all mankind is the scepter of His cross (Colossians 1:20). Touch the cross of Jesus Christ in recognition of His power, authority and Kingdom (Luke 23:42-43) and Jesus Christ will give you entrance to enter into His eternal Kingdom.

Esther 5-7 - Esther goes to the King not just to make a request for her people but to have the King delight in her presence and their time together as well -- 'Esther 5:1-3 Now it came to pass on the *third day [resurrection], that Esther [clothed] put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the King's house, over against [beside] the King's house: and the King sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when the King saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the King held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. Then said the King unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the Kingdom.'
At Esther's banquet for the King the King grants her request and saves her and her Jewish people: Esther 7:1-7 So the King and Haman came to banquet with Esther the Queen. And the King said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, Queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the Kingdom. Then Esther the Queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O King, and if it please the King, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the King's damage. Then the King Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the Queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the King and the Queen. And the King arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the Queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the King. ... Esther 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the King's wrath pacified.

Esther 8-10 - Because previous Persian Law could not be nullified, even by the King, new laws had to be written in order to protect the Jews -- 'Esther 8:4-8 Then the King held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the King, And said, If it please the King, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the King, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the King's provinces: For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? Then the King Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the King's name, and seal it with the King's ring: for the writing which is written in the King's name, and sealed with the King's ring, may no man reverse.'
In gratitude to God for their safety and wellbeing the Jewish Feast of Purim is established: Esther 9:16-23 But the other Jews that were in the King's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood [in self-defense] for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey [took no loot], On the thirteenth day [the day of the original plot against the Jews] of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof; and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the *fourteenth day of the month Adar [initiating the Jewish Feast of Purim] a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another. And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both nigh and far, To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them; ... Esther 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

THE BOOK OF

JOB

Are Job and Jobab the Same Person? - Job [lit. persecuted one] is the earliest completed book of the Bible - Joktan was Peleg's brother (Genesis 10:25), and it was in Peleg's time the continents were divided - Joktan's thirteenth son was Jobab - Is Job Jobab? The evidence we have found in the Bible says that yes, he is {Note: Job is not so much a given name but more of a title name "persecuted one" the name Jobab means "howler" (net.bible.org) to cry in a loud high pitched voice. - Jobab was the 6th generation from Noah descended of Noah's son Shem, Jobab was the 3rd generation from Nimrod's time and the Tower of Babel (Genesis chapter 11) (Nimrod was the 3rd generation from the flood of Noah from Noah's son Ham {Noah, Ham, Cush, Nimrod}) about four generations after Jobab came Abraham {the father of the Hebrews/Jews} (Abraham was the 10th generation from Noah and like Jobab also from Noah's son Shem but through Peleg) - Jobab {a Gentile - Sacrificing Righteous Gentile} One of the sons of Joktan, and founder of an Arabian Tribe {in modern Saudi Arabia} (Gen. 10:29) dictionary.reference.com - There are five different Jobab's mentioned in the O.T. abarim-publications.com}
In Genesis 10: 26-29, Joktan's thirteen sons are listed. Joktan was Peleg's brother, and it was in Peleg's time the continents were divided. Joktan's thirteenth son was Jobab. Later on, in the Bible, we have the earliest completed book of the Bible, Job. Is Job Jobab? The evidence we have found in the Bible says that yes, he is. In the ancient Alexandrian Septuagint, from 300 years before Christ, there is a part of the book of Job that later translators left out. It states that Job lived a total of about 248 years. Although other Jobs and Jobabs are mentioned in the Bible, only someone who lived at approximately the time of Peleg or a little after would have this age expected. Before Peleg (and after Noah's Flood) the age expectancy was more like 400 or 450 years. After the time of Peleg we see a fairly rapid drop in life expectancy from over 400 years (Peleg's father and grandfather, in Genesis 11) to Peleg, 239 years, then Reu at 239 years, then 230 years for Serug, 148 years for Abraham's father, then Abraham's 175 years and finally to Moses' 120 years, which is the maximum life expectancy today. Read something Bildad said about these lifespans in Job 8:8-9: "For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:) Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?" In other words, many older people were still around who had very long lifespans, but Bildad knew their own lifespans were not going to be that long. The book of Job states that Job lived in the land of Uz. We find Uz mentioned in Genesis 10:23. He was the son of Aram, and thus a great great uncle to Jobab. There are other Uz's mentioned in the Bible, so let's look at more evidence. If Job lived during the couple of hundred years when the continents were 'unzipping' along the Atlantic rift and other places, there would have been mammoth tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain building and overturning, and other disasters. When we look at the book of Job, we find exactly that mentioned. Here are some examples: Job 9:5-6 (KJV) "God removes the mountains and overturns them in His anger; He shakes the earth out of its place and its core trembles;" Job 1:16, 19 (KJV) "Fire has fallen from heaven and burned up the sheep and servants and consumed them... and suddenly a great wind from the wilderness struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men... During Eliphaz's first answer, he says something interesting: "By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. the old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad." (Job 4:9-11 KJV) We can understand an old lion dying because he cannot catch prey, but when this blast of God also causes the young lions to be scattered away from the pride or the mother, we have to wonder what kind of thing was going on. The fact that the earth was undergoing a number of startling changes, even in the weather systems, is hinted at in Job 6 and is much more explicit later on. Here is the Job 6:15-18 My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; which are blackish by reason of the ice, wherein the snow is hid: What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish. Many modern translations insert the word 'thawing' before 'ice.' But that word is not there in any of the old manuscripts. What would cause streams to ice over in the Middle East and then not only thaw, but disappear in the heat of summer? There is evidence of an axis tilt of the earth at the time of the splitting of the continents, a tilt even further than what happened at the time of Noah's Flood. The tilt at the time of Peleg (in atomic dating about 65 million years ago, a little more than three thousand years before Christ in terms of orbital years), caused the ice age which crept down over Europe and into the Middle East. This appears to be what Peleg and his contemporaries witnessed. ... In 12:15, Job refers to what appears to be tsunami activity: Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up: also he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. If we look back to chapter 7, verse 12, suddenly that has new meaning in light of this: Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me? Why a watch on the sea, or a sea monster (a more literal translation)? Because before the tsunami hits, the sea first draws far back, exposing the sea floor. Then the wave hits. If Job/Jobab were living at the time the continents were dividing, during those hundred or two hundred years, the tsunami activity would have been massive and repeated. Men would have to keep watch over the sea; and the evidence of the rapid withdrawal of the water could easily leave some very large creatures stranded, and thus easily seen. In 14:11, there is another reference which may well be to this kind of wave activity: As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up... When Job begins what we have as chapter three, look at what he says: Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it. Job and his friends were eyewitnesses not only to the working of the Lord in the lives of men, which is the primary topic of their discussion, but also of the catastrophes they were witnessing in their time. [article link]

"Appointment in Samarra" [the very ancient (Babylonian) story/fable is often considered one of the oldest stories written by mankind - probably from about the time of Job] - The metaphor of "Having an appointment in Samarra" signifying death, is a rare literary reference concerning a short story of *unknown [Babylonian] origin transcribed [in 1933] by W. Somerset Maugham, entitled An Appointment in Samarra (a city in Northern Iraq)
A popular (feminized) version of this ancient Middle eastern story is by Somerset Maugham "The Appointment in Samarra" as retold by W. Somerset Maugham [1933] -- [The speaker (storyteller) is Death but in the Somerset story version death "the Angel of Death" appears as a woman] -- There was a merchant in Bagdad (Iraq) [a city slightly north of ancient Babylon - the ancient city of Babylon was probably the original city of the story and was changed to Baghdad by later storytellers] who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. *She [death, the Angel of Death, the "Grim Reaper", aka - the archangel Azra'il in Islam (Koran)] looked at me and made a threatening gesture, now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra [a city in Northern Iraq] and there Death will not find me. The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me [Angel of Death] standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, Why did you make a threating gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning? That was not a threatening gesture, I said, it was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Bagdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra." -- Persian (Iran) Version: "Death in Tehran" A rich and mighty Persian once walked in his garden with one of his servants. The servant cried that he had just encountered Death, who had threatened him. He begged his master to give him his fastest horse so that he could make haste and flee to Teheran, which he could reach that same evening. The master consented and the servant galloped off on the horse. On returning to his house the master himself met Death, and questioned him, "Why did you terrify and threaten my servant?" "I did not threaten him; I only showed surprise in still finding him here when I planned to meet him tonight in Teheran," said Death. - source: http://andreaskluth.org/2009/09/06/death-in-tehran-a-story-about-fear/ [article link]

Book of Enoch: The Book of Enoch is a pseudepigraphal apocryphal work attributed to Enoch (7th generation from Adam), the great-grandfather of Noah - Scholars date its composition to Maccabean times (160's B.C.) [during the Greek Empire] - The Book of Enoch forms part of the official canon of the Ethiopic (Ethiopian) Church - Most commonly, the phrase Book of Enoch refers to 1 Enoch there are also two other books called Enoch, i.e. 2 Enoch and 3 Enoch - The book [1 Enoch], apparently as a Greek language text, was known to, and quoted by, nearly all the Church Fathers -- Enoch [the Prophet] quoted in the New Testament [the book of Enoch is probably something altogether different] - Jude 1:14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh [2nd Coming] with ten thousands of His saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. {Note: The first prophecy given in the Bible is from God and is about the 1st Coming of the Messiah and of the cross (Genesis 3:15 - this happened on the cross). The second prophecy given is by Enoch '7th generation from Adam' and is about the return 2nd Coming of the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ.}
History: The book, apparently as a Greek language text, was known to, and quoted by, nearly all Church Fathers. There was some dispute about whether the Greek text was an original, Christian production, or whether it was a translation from an Aramaic text. The chief argument for a Christian author was the occurrence of references to the Messiah as the Son of Man. But the majority opinion clearly favours a 2nd century BC Jewish authorship, linking the prophecies in the text to the politics of the Maccabean revolt. The book is referred to, and quoted, in Jude, 1:14-15 (KJV): And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Compare this with Enoch 1:9, translated from the Ethiopian: And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones To execute judgment upon all, And to destroy all the ungodly: And to convict all flesh Of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, And of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. With the possible exception of Tertullian, the Church Fathers deny the canonicity of the book, and some even considered the letter of Jude uncanonical, because it refers to an apocryphal work. The book was discredited after the Council of Laodicea in 364 [A.D.]. Subsequently, the Greek text was lost. The latest excerpts are given by the 8th century monk George Syncellus. ... Content: The Book of Enoch describes the fall of the Watchers who fathered the Nephilim. The fallen angels then went to Enoch to intercede on their behalf with God. The remainder of the book describes Enoch's visit to Heaven in the form of a vision, and his revelations. Significant parts of the book contain description of the movement of heavenly bodies (in connection with Enoch's trip to Heaven), and some parts of the book have been speculated about as containing instructions for the construction of a solar declinometer. Influence from the book has been traced in the Hiberno-Latin poem Altus prosator. [article link]

beenup2.com: The Book of Enoch - Ronald K. Brown
This book is a carefully cross referenced exegetical presentation of the writings of the prophet Enoch with other books of the Holy Bible. The book corroborates the Book of Enoch with the writers of Holy scriptures and revolutionizes many theological axioms on the Trinity, angels, demons, final judgment, creation, etc. The Book of Enoch gives illumination to the origin of many statements made by Old Testament prophets as well as New Testament writers and prophets. [article link]

Job 1 - Job a prosperous and noted man of his day who had a relationship with God - However the relationship Job had with God was based more on Job's definition of religion than on God's definition of a 'right relationship' between man and God - The religious (self-righteous) ways of Job left him out of context among the true realms of God and eternity; including the realms of Heaven, the Angels, his existence on earth and among his fellow humans, in regards to the coming Messiah (Christ), and notably his defenselessness against the existing demonic realm - But most importantly Job was lacking in his preparations for an eternal existence in the direct presence of God - All of Job's notions and ideas were about to get a quick, serious and radical readjustment in his life as Job very suddenly encountered and interacted with the very real and very forceful nature of the true eternal spiritual realm
Job 1:1-4 There was a man in the land of Uz [thought to be a large area primarily North and East of Israel, (ancient Arabia - modern Jordan)], whose name was Job (lit. persecuted one) [possibly a wordplay on the name Jobab (lit. howler)]; and that man was perfect [complete in that he has a relationship with God but as we find out later far from perfect i.e. perfection] and upright, and **one that feared God, *and eschewed [rejected] evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east [ancient Middle-East]. -- Job 1:4-5 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, everyone his day [birthday?]; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them [by the ancient pre-Levitical Law burnt offerings], and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. *Thus did Job continually. - Note: Job is officiating as an ancient head of the house, family priest in offering animal sacrifices to God on behalf of his family. - Also Note: The sacrifices to God by the ancient people from literally the days of Cain and Abel until the days of Abraham {actually until Moses} were probably more of a whole burnt offering and not of the more sophisticated blood atonement [redemption] sacrifice that God would later instruct Moses to have the Jews perform through Aaron and the Levitical Priesthood.

Job 1 (Part 2) - The Bible makes a clear distinction between the 'Sons of God' Angels and the Sons of Man i.e. Job's children - In the matchup between Satan a Son of God and the sons and daughters of Job the Sons and Daughters of man are not going to fare very well in fact they are quickly and almost effortlessly annihilated on their first encounter with a Son of God -- 'Job 1:6-8 Now there was a day when the *Sons of God [Angels] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [an Angel] came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered [lit. how to conquer - Suwm, H7760] my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?'
Job 1:9-22 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made **an hedge [protection] about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans [raiders] fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, **The fire of God is fallen from heaven [actually it was fire from Satan], and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. ***Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, ***and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, *nor charged [accused] God foolishly. - Note: The difficulty the people of Job's day were having in distinguishing between events caused from God [God was blessing the people] and events caused by Satan both naturally (wind, raiders, crime) and supernaturally (fire from heaven), it's very much like in our day - though in our day we now have to factor in the additional possibilities of human technology and human deception [i.e. a televised and much discussed and analyzed event might never even have happened] as yet more possible explanations to events that happen or seem to happen in our day.

Job 2 - Even in Job's day the earth did not belong to Satan but Satan apparently has no qualms about trespassing on the earth and attempting to administer his own kingdom among mankind -- 'Job 2:1-2 Again there was a day when the Sons of God (Angels) came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [a fallen - unholy Angel] came also among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And *Satan answered the LORD, and said, **From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.' - Note: Ownership of the earth was not given to Adam and Eve [ownership remained with God (Psalms 24:1)] they were simply given 'dominion' (Genesis 1:26) stewardship over the plants, animals and the earth with human ownership [inheritance] yet to come but sin entered into the world before the inheritance postponing the earthly inheritance of humans (Matthew 5:5) until after the cross of Jesus Christ. - Also Note: With the fall of mankind into sin Satan did gain some advantage in his deception over mankind but Satan has never actually legally owned anything on earth, or in hell for that matter, though before his fall he did have his own inheritance among the other Sons of God in heaven.
Job 2:3-10 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. - Note: Job will find out later that what mankind often considers to be difficulty and even evil [and true there is evil in the world] is actually an opportunity to overcome, to grow and to mature in the grace and knowledge of God. Without difficulty in the world it would be difficult; difficult [as a fallen human] to grow and mature into a capable adult human being. - Also Note: Mankind (Adam and Eve) introduced sin and experiential knowledge of sin into the world and Satan and the rest the fallen Angelic and demonic realm are furthering evil against mankind however God is using what Satan intends for evil as an ability for [fallen] mankind to now overcome, to achieve beyond what we are individually capable of and in the process to grow and to fellowship in an unprecedented level of cooperation with God.

Job 2 (Part 2) - Three of Job's friends show up to comfort and support Job in his misery - It turns out to be a disastrous plan -- 'Job 2:11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came everyone from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.'
Job 2:12-13 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent everyone his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. - Note: The friends of Job were so astonished at the multitude of calamitous events that happened so quickly to Job and in the resulting physical condition of Job himself that they literally were unable to cope with the events that were now before their very eyes and ears. - Also Note: Being confused themselves by the events the three quickly began to accuse Job for the events instead of comforting him as they had originally intended to do and as was the reason they had journeyed there in the first place.

Job 3 - Job or possibly Jobab ('howler') lets loose regarding his calamities and things mostly go downhill from there -- 'Job 3:1-4 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day [birthday]. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. ...'
Job 3:23 Why is light [life and opportunity] given to a man whose way is hid [lit. separated, from God], and whom God hath hedged in [limited]? For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings [displeasure] are poured out like the waters. **For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came. - Note: Job and his three friends [later joined by a fourth, a young man] have one of the most amazing discussions about God, life and mankind ... it really is an amazing amount of detail that these ancient men cover, all in a time of a looming darkness that engulfed all mankind before the light of God would shine again in earnest for all mankind through Abraham and his Jewish descendants in the Holy Laws of Moses and by the Holy Prophets. - Also Note: What Job most feared [and Job must have feared a lot because everything happened to him] did happen to him and it was more than Job could handle. But in the end we will find out that what is more than mankind can handle, God can easily handle it for us if we allow God to intervene for us and on our behalf and when we wait on God for His perfect timing and His will to be accomplished in and through our life.

Job 4-5 - Eliphaz begins to accuse Job of having secret, hidden immorality and unconfused sin in his life - Forgetting that the world is a fallen place and that Satan is just evil -- 'Job 4:1-2 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, If we assay to commune [communicate] with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who [having all the answers as Eliphaz does] can withhold himself from speaking?' - Note: Job and his friends all mean well [and some of their advice and comments are excellent] it is just that they lived in a difficult time, among difficult circumstances and worst of all the Words and Commandments of God [how to behave before God, among one another and what animals to offer as a burnt offering sacrifice] that had been passed down to them from previous generations was quickly being corrupted, neglected and forgotten.
Job 4:3-9 Behold, thou [Job] hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways? Remember, I pray thee, whoever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. ... Job 5:6-11 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. ... Job 5:27 Lo this, *we [Eliphaz and his friends] have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good. - Note: Eliphaz concludes his first of three comments.

Job 6-7 - Job replies and Job now loses sight of the fallen condition of mankind and of the fallen [satanic] Angelic realm -- 'Job 6:1-4 But Job answered and said, O that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.'
Job 7:1-2 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow [comfort], and as an hireling looketh for the reward [payment] of his work ... Job 7:17-21 What is man, that thou [God] shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? ***And why dost thou [God] not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. - Note: Job in his despair famously realizes that mankind needs a mediator, a person or an entity who can represent and stand between both God and man and can reconcile back together the two separated parties into one united group.

Job 8 - Job's friend Bildad now comments -- 'Job 8:1-2 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? ...'
Job 8:3-10 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; If thou wert pure and upright; surely now He would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age [the days before Noah], and prepare thyself to the search of their [Ancient] fathers: For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, *because our days upon earth are a shadow [compared to the much longer lives lived by the Ancients]: Shall not they [the Ancients before Noah who lived in the original creation (earth) of God] teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart? ... Job 8:20-22 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will He help the evil doers: Till He [first] fill [the righteous] thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing. [Then] They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to naught. - Note: Bildad concludes the first of his three comments. - Also Note: Of the many things that the people of Job's age were coming to grips with apparently they were also having to contend with the fact that their physical lifetime upon the earth was being greatly reduced. Where the Ancients who lived in the days of the original creation earth before the flood of Noah were living 600-800 year lifespans the men of Job's day were already down to about a 200 year lifespan [Job probably lived about 240 years total after being given more years from God (Job 42:16)]. The human lifespan would continue to dwindle to about 120 years by the time of Abraham and would seemingly remain at about 80 years of maximum [quality] life per individual person for most of the rest of the duration of humanity upon the earth.

Job 9-10 - Job continues to earnestly search out the truth about who God is -- 'Job 9:1-4 Then Job answered and said, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just [equal] with God? If he [man] will contend with Him [God], he [man] cannot answer Him one [time] of a thousand. He [God] is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against Him, and hath [eternally] prospered?'
Job 9:27-35 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself: [but] I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that Thou [God] wilt not hold me innocent. If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain [emptiness]? If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me. **For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him [as a man], and we should come together [agreeing] in judgment. ***Neither is there any [openly available] daysman [mediator - Jesus Christ would later reveal Himself as our Daysman] betwixt [between] us, that might lay his hand upon us [man and God] both. Let Him take his rod away from me, and let not His fear terrify me: Then would I speak, and not fear Him; but it is not so with me. - Note: Job knowing that he cannot stand in the presence of God he continues to plead for an intercessor a go between [Jesus Christ] to talk to God on his behalf.

Job 11 - Zophar now begins to comment -- 'Job 11:1-6 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Should not the multitude of [your] words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified? Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. But oh that God would speak, and open His lips against thee; And that He would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is [known by man]! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity [shortcomings] deserveth.'
Job 11:7-11 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. If He cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder Him? For He knoweth vain men: He seeth wickedness also; will He not then consider it [the ways and predicaments of mankind]? ... Job 11:14-20 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away [that's all, its easy - yeah right!], and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles [tent]. For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope [in himself - a very false Gospel]; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee. But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost. - Note: Zophar concludes his first of two comments to Job. - Also Note: As we will get to later a major problem with Job is his own self-righteousness yet Zophar tells Job that he is not self-righteous enough and that if he were more self-righteous all of his problems would simply disappear without the need for God's intervention in his life.

Job 12-14 - Job is wisely not going to take their one-sided, ill-conceived advice -- 'Job 12:1-3 And Job answered and said, No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?'
Job 14:1-3 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one [a fragile human], and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one [human]. ... Job 14:14-17 If a man die, shall he live again [resurrection]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change [Transfiguration - from physical body to eternal spiritual body] come. Thou [God] shalt call [invite], ***and I will answer thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. For now Thou numberest my steps: dost Thou not watch over [and cover] my sin? My transgression is sealed up in a bag [ready to be disposed], and thou sewest up [close] mine iniquity. - Note: Job as full of self-righteousness as he is he still has a very eternal perspective and is ultimately looking to God for his ultimate redemption and salvation.

Job 15 - Eliphaz gives his second of three comments to Job -- 'Job 15:1-6 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God. For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.'
Job 15:7-17 Art thou [Adam] the first man that was born? or wast thou made [like the Angels] before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us? With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men [possibly Shem, Ham and Japheth the three sons of Noah], much elder than thy father. Are the consolations of God small [intimate] with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, He [God] putteth no trust in His saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in His sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare ...

Job 16-17 - Job continues to defend himself against those who came to comfort him -- 'Job 16:1-5 Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest? I also could speak as ye do: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you. But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.'
Job 16:6-21 Though I speak, my grief is not asswaged: and though I forbear, what am I eased? But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me beareth witness to my face. He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me. They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me. God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark. His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground. He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant. I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust. My face is foul with weeping, and my eyelids is the shadow of death; Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure. O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place. *Also now, behold, **my witness is in heaven, ***and my record is on high. My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God. Oh that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour! - Job has had enough of the conversation with his fellow men who are of little use and of no real help so now Job wants to talk directly to God.

Job 18 - Bildad gives his second of three comments to Job -- 'Job 18:1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark [conclude], and afterwards we will speak.'
Job 18:3-12 Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight? He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place? Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him. The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down. For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare. The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him. The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet. His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side. - Note: Bildad perpetuates the false idea that good people automatically prosper while wickedness is instantly dealt with by God. - Also Note: All three of Job's advisers are declaring that our worldly circumstances and predicaments are a direct correlation to our righteousness and standing in God. It's going to turn out that righteousness is either zero (apart from God) or 100% righteousness (in fellowship with God). As fallen mankind we have no righteousness of our own (Romans 1:17, Romans 3:10,21) but all righteousness is imputed by God.

Job 19 - Job makes his famous declaration in his belief in the coming Messiah [Jesus Christ], the resurrection to eternal life and of man's eventual reconciliation and face to face encounter with God -- 'Job 19:25-27 ***For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He [Messiah, Christ] shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after [death] my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my [resurrection] flesh shall I [visibly] see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins [determination] be consumed within me.'
Job 19:8-27 He [God] hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree. He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies. His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle. He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight. I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth. My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body. Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me. All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me. Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh? **Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! ***For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. - Note: One of the great moments of mankind, as Job who has lost everything is sitting in his pit of ashes scraping sores off of his body with a broken potshard looks up and declares to everyone listening "my redeemer livith."

Job 20 - Zophar comments to Job for his second and final time -- 'Job 20:1-3 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste. I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.'
Job 20:4-7 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish forever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? ... Job 20:28-29 The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God. - Note: Zohpar continues with the misguided theme that a man's self-righteousness will be completely revealed in this lifetime. Also Note: For a better explanation and a broader Biblical foundation on this topic also reference [Matthew 5:45, Psalms 73:1-28, Jeremiah 12:1-4].

Job 21 - Job responds and continues to make his case -- 'Job 21:1-4 But Job answered and said, Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations. Suffer me that I may speak; and after that I have spoken, mock on. As for me, is my complaint to man [no it is to God]? and if it were so, why should not my spirit be troubled?' - {Note: Apparently Job is saying that he has the right to be troubled in his spirit because he is not complaining to man [about his difficulties] who can do little or nothing for him but to God who can do everything for him.}
Job 21:27-34 Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices [implying that Job is wicked] which ye wrongfully imagine against me. For ye say, Where is the house of the prince [with the wicked]? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked [in the castle]? Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens, That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath. Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done? Yet shall he [wicked] be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb. The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him [the wicked get a large harvest], and every man shall draw after him [the wicked are popular], as there are innumerable before him. How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth [an obvious] falsehood? - Note: Job has the more realistic perception that judgment is not immediate for the wicked while alive on the earth.

Job 22 - Eliphaz commits his third and final comment to Job - In commenting Eliphaz is going to greatly accuse Job of committing every wrongdoing possible against both man and God - Job later on is going to defend himself (Job chapter 29) but that won't go very well for Job either [the already evident self-righteousness and pride of Job is going to explode out of his comments removing any boundaries of common decency and putting into plain view Job's pride and self-righteousness foreveryone to see and behold] -- 'Job 22:1-4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to Him that thou makest thy ways perfect? Will He reprove thee for fear of thee? will He enter with thee into judgment?'
Job 22:5-10 Is not thy [Job's] wickedness great? and thine iniquities *infinite? For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee ... Job 22:21-30 Acquaint now thyself with Him [God] {i.e. stop being lost and get saved Job}, and be at peace: thereby [then] good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from His mouth, and lay up His words in thine heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. When men are cast down, then thou shalt say [that he (Job) had experienced this himself], [but then] There is lifting up; and He shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands. - Note: Job [like everyone] does have some obvious and series issues [self-righteousness and pride] and Job's friends are earnestly trying to help him out with them though they are going about it in a very wrong way. Job's friends are now saying that Job is not even saved [out of fellowship with God] and that is a complete misrepresentation of what God has already declared. Job is in fellowship with God but what they can't seem to grasp is the Maturity process that God is using in the life of believers like Job in order to complete, establish and accomplish their faith so that it is faith in God alone and not a disastrous mixture of both man's religions ideas and some of God's ways. Job's friends are like many people of today who take one glance at a person struggling and decide that well if they would only 'get saved' or would only 'get right with God' [i.e. go to my Church] then they could be blessed like me. However very likely the struggling person is a person in deep fellowship with God [as Job was] and as God took Job from one level of intimacy into another deeper level of intimacy and on into a higher level of greater understanding and fellowship with God other people like Job's friends who do not yet grasp the maturity processes of God are often getting in the way and like Job's friends [without understanding, providing no compassion and offering little support] can possibly cause more harm than good in the life of a believer.

Job 23-24 - Job is done with talking to his companions and now he only wants to talk to God - Job actually demands to talk to God - But Job's companions are not yet done talking to Job and Job [unaware even to himself] is not yet in a place to listen to God as Job is still listening to Job -- 'Job 23:1-5 Then Job answered and said, Even today is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning. **Oh that I knew where I might find Him [God]! that I might come even to His seat [Throne]! I would order my cause before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know [hear] the words which He would answer me, and understand what He would say unto me. Will He plead against me [a friend of God] with His great power? No; but He would put strength in me.' - Note: Job's desire is going to be met and God does talk to Job. But it won't go quite the way Job envisioned it going [Job is going to find out that he does have faults in his life] but after some correction God will continue to strengthen and establish Job it's just that it will be in God's way and in God's timing and not by Job's way or in Job's timing.
Job 23:7-17 There [at His Throne] the righteous might dispute with Him; so should I be delivered forever from my judge. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me: Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face. ... Job 24:25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth? - Note: It seems that now Job is taking freewill out of the equation of a relationship with God [between God and mankind] and Job is saying that he has no options in life because God is enforcing everything that he does. Job is claiming that if he could go to Heaven and talk to God that Job could gain some freedom from God's constraints and that he then could then go on with his newfound freewill to create more success in his life. The notion [that Job or anyone does not have complete freewill] is going be completely dispelled as soon as God begins to speak to Job.

Job 25 - Bildad gives his third and final comment to Job - Attempting to redirect the conversation back to the original argument of Job's self-righteousness -- 'Job 25:4 How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?'
Job 25:1-6 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, Dominion [Authority] and fear are with Him [God], He maketh Peace in His high places. Is there any number of His [Angelic] armies? and upon whom doth not His light arise? How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born [in human sin] of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm? - Note: Bildad would be well pleased in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ as that is how a man was born to a woman without any of the sins of humanity.

Job 26-28 - Job now begins to offer his opinion of who God is -- 'Job 26:1-14 But Job answered and said ... By His spirit He hath garnished the heavens [placed the stars]; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent [leviathan]. Lo, these are parts of His ways: but how little a portion is heard of Him [from men]? but the thunder of His power who can understand?' - Note: Job is saying that God is speaking to mankind in His creation by the stars, by the mighty leviathan and even through the thunder but mankind is having a hard time discerning what God is saying. What God will tell Job is that first of all the creation is now in a sinful fallen condition unlike the original creation (Job 38:4) [where mankind probably could understand the pattern of the stars and discern the voice of thunder], second that God's ways and God's Majesty and Glory are not like man's ways (Job 40:10) and third that mankind's understanding of God is limited to the time in which he lives upon the earth (Job 41:4). - Also note: Behemoth [the land creature] and Leviathan [the sea creature] are physical beasts that in Job's day mankind was unable to contend with yet as God is revealing events to mankind Leviathan (Isaiah, 27:1, Revelation 13:1) and Behemoth (Revelation 13:11) actually represent the Sea and the Land creatures of Revelation the Antichrist [Leviathan - Satan] and the False Prophet [Behemoth] that ultimately mankind is completely unable to cope or contend with.
Job 26:1-14 But Job answered and said, How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength? How hast thou counseled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee? Dead things [possibly demons] are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and *hangeth the earth [globe] upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it. He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

Job 29-31 - Job fresh from his diatribe of speaking about who God is [and that turns out not to have been such a good idea] - Job now decides that it would be a good time to speak in his own defense [and that also turns out not to be such be a good thing] -- 'Job 29:1-5 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; When His candle shined upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness; As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; When the Almighty was yet with me [God never left Job], when my children were about me ...'
Job 29:5-25 When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me; When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil; When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street! The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up. The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem [royal crown]. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth. Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand. My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch. My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand. Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel. After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them. And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down. I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners. -- Job 29:1 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. ... - Note: Job uses the 'I' word in every comment and places himself above all other people. It truly is an amazing boast! However, Job was attempting to defend his self-righteousness and in that matter it didn't go very well for Job because apparently there was a whole crowd of onlookers observing the conversation between Job and his friends and one of the onlookers [a young man named Elihu] now intervenes in the conversation and he begins to take on Job.

Job 32-37 - Now a bystander from among the crowd [Elihu] intervenes in their conversation and gives his own self-propelled (6 chapter) speech - Elihu basically gets them back to where they had started having taken this long road all the way around because Job was completely avoiding the issue of his off the charts self-righteousness - Though after Job's brilliant attempt at self-defense everyone now openly knows the main issue with Job -- 'Job 32:1-3 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because *he was righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, **because he [Job] justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.' - Note: After Elihu's record setting campaign type of speech leaves everyone speechless - then God speaks to Job.
Job 32:4-10 Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion. ... Job 34:5-9 For Job hath said, I am righteous: and God hath taken away my judgment. Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable [and caused] without transgression. What man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water? Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men. For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God [Job didn't say that]. - Note: When Job's three friends began to speak to Job generally the original topic was Job's evident self-righteousness in fact it was off the charts with Job to the point that Job had even been attempting to impute his own righteousness onto is adult children. Job had been sacrificing [burnt offerings] on behalf of his married adult children (Job 1:4-5) and this was a big no, no [Genesis 2:24]. Everyone has to eventually confess their own sins to God and Job was probably just getting in the way and he certainly was misrepresenting what God had ordained the heads of each married household to do. The three friends of Job were aware of this and were attempting to point it out to Job. The first comment by Bildad the second speaker to Job seems to be about the sins of Job's children (Job 8:4) [and how they would have to confess their own sins and account for their own burnt offering sacrifice] but apparently he was unable to even finish his thought [because he changes topics in mid-sentence] and was unable to tell Job that Job couldn't be sacrificing for his married, adult children but Job was having nothing to do with it so therefore they went on and discussed anything and everything with Job but the topic of Job and his practice of sacrificing on behalf of his children. - Also Note: It's getting that way today in modern Evangelical Christianity that we have Pastors and Leaders who now seem to think that their own self-righteousness can be imputed upon their families and even upon their congregation [as many people today follow a pastor or a leader thinking he (or she) has some form or righteousness and that if they can just become like that person or by serving that person they too will have rewards in heaven] and as it was in Job's day it is a huge misrepresentation of God's Words and of God's plan of Salvation for all mankind [in Job's day and in our day] as God has ordained that only in the sacrifice of the Redeemer Himself, Jesus Christ will sins be confessed (agreed upon) and forgiven. People cannot cover the sins of other people with their own righteousness because people don't have any righteousness of their own, it didn't work in Job's day and it won't work in our day either.

Job 38 - Job an upright man who was in a close personal relationship with God (as close as Job could be to God in his time before the Blood Covenants [1st (O.T.) and 2nd (N.T.) Covenants] of God) - But Job was also practicing his own form of a self-righteous religion and everything that Job had attempted to sanctify by his own righteousness [including his own children - Job's wife was covered by his burnt offering sacrifices and Satan didn't touch her] had just been allowed by God to be destroyed by Satan - Now God speaks to Job -- 'Job 38:1-3 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel [the Redemption and Salvation plans of God] by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me.'
Job 38:1-7 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the [original creation] earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or Who [Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:2)] laid the corner stone thereof; When the Morning Stars sang together, and all the Sons of God shouted for joy? - Note: God does not directly speak to Job but speaks to him through creation "the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind." After the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden mankind was completely separated from God but immediately God began to bring mankind back into His Holy presence. Job was living in a time when mankind was more separated from God than we are today. In Job's day they were doing 'bloodless' whole animal [a sheep, goat or oxen] burnt sacrifice offerings for the sins of their household. The bloodless burnt sacrifice offering [they probably bled the animal into the ground but it was unceremoniously done] that spoke of offering of Jesus enabled God to interact with the righteous people of Job's day but in a very remote way as is witnessed by God speaking to Job through the whirlwind. Later the Hebrew/Jewish prophet of Elijah would flee to Mt. Sinai (Mt. Horeb) where God would speak to Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-13) in the more personal 'still small voice' and not in the wind, earthquake or fire that God had previously spoken to mankind through. Elijah the Jewish Prophet had been sanctified to God through the blood atonement of the 1st Covenant by the Levitical High Priest that had been offered on behalf of the entire Nation of Israel once each year (Yom Kippur). Later the Christian Apostle Paul would say that God had spoken to him (Romans 8:16) even more intimately through the Spirit that was within him. -- 'Romans 8:16 The [Holy] Spirit [of God] itself beareth witness [fellowships] with our spirit, that we are the children of God.'

Job 39 - Job is asked by God about Dominion and Authority over creation and specifically over the animal kingdom -- 'Job 39:1-4 Knowest thou [as a human] the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth [give birth]? or canst thou mark when the hinds [deer] do calve [give birth]? Canst thou number the months [in the womb] that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time [of gestation] when they [wild animals] bring forth? They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their [pregnancy] sorrows. Their young ones are in good liking [born capable of survival], they grow up with corn [wild food]; they go forth, and return not unto them [their wild animal parents - God is their true parent].'
Job 39:19 Hath thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder [a mane]? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible [lit. awesome]. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men [a horse is not afraid of war]. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him [in battle], the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage [charges into battle - not away from battle]: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet [the horse does not need a trumpet call to go to battle]. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and *he smelleth the battle afar off [the horse knows the battle before the humans do], the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south? *Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her [excellent] eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she (also Matthew 24:28). - Note: The animal kingdom migrates and survives at the direction, dictation [voice] and cleaver management of God. Mankind until only recently has been unable to do much for the animal kingdom.

Job 40 - God is asking Job if he really wants to reprove (criticize and correct) God - Job immediately blames himself [his fallen condition] but then Job refuses to comment to God - Specifically Job does not yet repent to the point where he apologizes to God for his gross misrepresenting of God to others -- 'Job 40:1-2 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty [God] instruct Him? He [Job] that reproveth God, let him answer it.'
Job 40:3-8 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile [a sinful human]; what shall I answer Thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth [keep quiet and listen to God]. Once have I spoken [in error]; but I will not answer [speak in more error]: yea, twice [accidently]; but I will proceed no further {and not yet repent or apologize to God}. Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Wilt thou also disannul [void] my judgment? wilt thou condemn Me [God], that thou mayest be [self] righteous? ... Job 40:15 Behold now Behemoth, which I made with thee [day six of creation]; he eateth grass as an ox. ... - Note: Job still doesn't grasp that his words and his actions [even idle words and minimal actions] have significant meaning and that the meaning has ramifications out into eternity in the spiritual realm and even into the salvation of his fellow man so God is going to expand the conversation from the animal kingdom on out into the spiritual realm and specifically the fallen Satanic realm a realm that Job knows little about and in his day has no control over.

Job 41 - Now God asks Job if he can overpower leviathan a strong and aggressive sea monster - Then God transitions from leviathan the fierce sea creature to Leviathan the fierce fallen Angel Satan himself - Job then realizes that there is more going on in God's creation than Job can even comprehend and Job realizing his inaccurate assessments of God and of His creation repents and apologizes to God -- 'Job 41:1 Canst thou draw out [overpower] leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? ... Job 41:8-10 Lay thine hand upon him (leviathan), remember the battle, do no more [you won't do it again]. Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None [human] is so fierce that dare stir him (leviathan) up: who then is able to stand before Me [God is much greater than either leviathan or Leviathan]?'
Job 41:11 Who hath prevented [aided] Me [God], that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven [all of creation] is Mine. ... Job 41:33-34 Upon earth [both land and sea] there is not his like (Leviathan - Satan), who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things: he (Leviathan - Satan) is a king over all the children of pride. - Note: Job now begins to realize that God has expanded the conversation from the animal realm [and Job didn't even know much about that] out into the spiritual realm and specifically into the Satanic realm [something Job knew even less about]. Now Job realizes that there is a bigger picture than just Job, his family and his small circle of friends. Now Job is willing to submit more fully his life to God knowing that God is overseeing a vast creation both of visible (physical) beings [including the animals] and of unseen (spiritual) beings and that all the created beings whether animals, humans or Angels all have freewill within themselves a freewill to both cooperate or to harass (bully) among one another and the freewill to obey or disobey God.

Job 42 - Job encounters the true and living God the creator of heaven and earth - Job confesses his sin to God and immediately repents of his old fallen ways before God - God then restores Job to more than what Job had obtained under his previous lifestyle of a selfish, self-righteousness life -- 'Job 42:1-6 Then Job answered the LORD, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, **and repent in dust and ashes.' - Note: Job repented but somehow his friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar didn't bother or didn't see it as necessary for them to also repent to God.
Job 42:7-9 And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me [repentance] the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job. - Note: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar thought that God was only dealing with Job through Job's trials but God was also dealing just as much with Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar as He was with Job and in reality God is dealing just as much with everyone through Job's trials as He was with Job.

Job 42 (Part 2) - God restores Job to twice what Job had previously had -- 'Job 42:10-11 And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and everyone an earring of gold.'
The Bible's book of Job concludes: Job 42:12-17 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep [double the original seven thousand], and six thousand camels [double], and a thousand yoke of oxen [double], and a thousand she asses [double]. He had also seven sons and three daughters [Job's first seven children were in Heaven so Job has double in Heaven]. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.

THE BOOK OF

PSALMS

Construction of the Psalms - The Book of Psalms, is one of the greatest collections of songs, prayers, and poetry - These Psalms express the deepest passions of humanity - The Book of Psalms, is arranged, or separated, into five books: BOOK ONE -- Psalms 1-41; BOOK TWO -- Psalms 42-72; BOOK THREE -- Psalms 73-89; BOOK FOUR -- Psalms 90-106; BOOK FIVE -- Psalms 107-150 - The structure of the Psalms, is similar to the Pentateuch, which is the Book of the Law, or the Five Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
BACKGROUND: The Book of Psalms, is one of the greatest collections of songs, prayers, and poetry. These Psalms express the deepest passions of humanity. In their pages, we can hear the psalmist's desperate cry, in the midst of despair. But, we also hear his emphatic praise, for his Provider, and Comforter. We can hear him pouring out his soul in confession, but, also, bubbling over with joy! The Psalms lead us through the valleys and peaks, of human experiences; but, in the end, they guide us to the praise of our loving Creator. - We don't know who wrote all the Psalms, as many of them are unnamed. But, the superscription that you have in your Bible (the introductory words found before the first verse, in most Psalms), often attribute the Psalms to King David. He is known as the "sweet psalmist of Israel." These superscriptions were, probably, not part of the Psalms, when they were originally composed; but, were added by editors, to aid in the interpretation of the Psalms. Never-the-less, there is no reason to discount these superscriptions. - The historical books of the Bible, speak of David's considerable accomplishments as a musician, singer, and composer of poems. Moreover, one of David's Psalms is recorded in 2 Samuel 22, and reappears, with only slight variations, as Psalm 18. Parts of the medley, which David presented to Asaph in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36, are taken from Psalms 105, 96, and 106. Thus, the connection between King David and the Psalms, is well documented. However, he did not write all the Psalms. We don't know who wrote one of the "Wisdom Psalms," Psalm 119. This psalm is also known as a "Torah Psalm," because it goes into the law. Writers of other Psalms, are believed to have been contemporaries of David, whom he placed in charge of worship in Jerusalem. Solomon followed in the footsteps of his father, by writing Psalms, as well as Proverbs. Some of the earliest Psalms were written by Moses, five centuries before the time of David. - There are many others, who are believed to have contributed to the writing of the Psalms, including the priestly family of Korah, Deborah, and Hannah. Psalms were still being composed, during the time of Ezra. It was in Ezra's time, that the Book of Psalms, as we know it, was compiled. [article link]

Bible (KJV) New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs - What to carry when there isn't room to take along the entire Bible? Hendrickson's answer is the affordable KJV New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs - Also the KJV Classic Soul Winner's New Testament [w/o the Books of Psalms and Proverbs] hands down the finest New Testament available {Note: when handing out Bible's to non-believers or to new Christians a complete Bible [O.T. and N.T.] is usually the best option, then a N.T. with Psalms and Proverbs, lastly a N.T. only Bible - make sure the font is large enough and clear enough to be easily read - many Bibles (give away Bibles and Pew Bibles especially) are simply unreadable.} (Books)
Description: What to carry when there isn't room to take along the entire Bible? Hendrickson's answer is the affordable KJV New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs. This testament's slim profile makes it easy to slip into a coat pocket, purse, or backpack. Loaded with features that you won't find in many whole Bibles, it's a thoughtful gift for travelers, hospital visitors, evangelists, and new believers alike. And the book is constructed from quality materials that will help it withstand heavy use. Of special note is the fact that this testament is available with a classy magnetic flap that offers extra protection to the book's page edges. -- Description: This hard to find New Testament has many helpful features for the avid Soul Winner. It opens up with Helps to define different topics of the Bible inside the very front cover. There is also an introduction to the Bible including a letter from the publisher. In the back, the New Testament is closed with a section called "Scriptures answer people's confusion and difficulties". Undoubtedly the best quality of leather and special features of any New Testament that we sell. [article link]

Moments With The Book: A Study of the Psalms and Other Papers - Comments on the Psalms (Books)
A Study of the Psalms and Other Papers: Includes fifteen articles on the women of the genealogy, the sufficiency of Scripture, guidance for today, Hebrew synonyms, etc. -- Comments on the Psalms: Psalms is poetic, yet with no "poetic license," for it is purely the Word of God. It has five divinely-given sections. Psalms was generally written from a Jewish viewpoint by various writers, yet maintains a beautiful unity since each writer was inspired by God. Some psalms refer directly to the Lord Jesus, quoting words He would speak 1000 years later. Also, many psalms are prophetic of events of the Great Tribulation and Millennium. In this summary of the longest book of the Bible, may every reader find true blessing in discerning many comparisons and contrasts that the Holy Spirit presents. We commend this new commentary to your reading Leslie M. Grant lives in the Seattle, Washington (USA) area and has served the Lord in full time service for over 65 years. He has written a number of books. - From the table of contents: Introduction -- Section 1 (Psalms 1-41): God the Prime Object of Faith -- Section 2 (Psalms 42-72): Israel's Ruin and Future Redemption -- Section 3 (Psalms 73-89): Brought Into the Sanctuary -- Section 4 (Psalms 90-106): Man's Trial, Failure and Replacement -- Section 5 (Psalms 107-150): A Magnificent Summary. [article link]

Psalms 1 - Blessed! - Appropriately the first word in the first Psalm because the Book of Psalms and its companion book the Book of Proverbs are a Blessing to all who read it, pray it, study it and meditate about the eternal, divine, godly wisdom and instructions that are uniquely given to mankind through this remarkable book in the Bible -- 'Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law [image] of the LORD; and in His law [image] doth he meditate day and night.'
Psalms 1:3-6 And he [disciple] shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the [eternal] judgment, nor sinners in the [eternal] congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. - Note: The individual Psalms themselves and the resulting compilation of the Book of Psalms has a specific eternal, Godly, Heavenly focus creating a one of a kind Worship experience with God. The difference between individuals in regards to individual holiness, righteousness, sanctification and maturity is often the direct result of prayer and meditation in the Bibles' two main books of meditation the Book of Psalms and the companion book the Book of Proverbs.

Psalms 5 - A Psalm of King David -- 'Psalms 5:1-3 To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David. Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.'
Psalms 5:4-12 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. *But as for me, **I will come into Thy House in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I Worship toward thy Holy Temple. **Lead me, O LORD, ***in Thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. *For thou, LORD, **wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass [surround and protect] him as with a shield. - Note: The righteousness that King David is talking about is not found in mankind and interestingly it is not even found in the Levitical Law or Temple ordinances that were in effect in King David's day. The righteousness of God even in King David's time was imputed from God directly onto the individual Worshipers. - Also Note: King David, much like Abraham before him really was more of a true [eternal order of Melchizedek] priest [with Jesus Christ officiating as the eternal High Priest] than the Levitical worshiper of his day.

Psalms 21 - The Redemption and Salvation work (through the cross and resurrection) of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] comes into view for King David -- 'Psalms 21:1-4 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The King [David] shall joy in Thy [Messiah - Jesus Christ] strength, O LORD; and in thy Salvation [resurrection] how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days [eternal life] forever and ever.'
Psalms 21:5-13 His glory is great in Thy Salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon Him [Jesus]. For Thou [Father God] hast made Him [Jesus] most blessed forever: thou hast made Him exceeding glad with thy countenance. For the King [both King David and King Jesus] trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted, LORD, in Thine own strength: ***so will we sing and praise thy power.

Psalms 22 - King David's eyewitness description of the Messiah [Jesus Christ] upon the Cross - Jesus would later quote the first part of the first verse of this Psalm from the cross -- 'Psalms 22:1-4 To the chief Musician upon Aijaleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.' - Note: See also Mark 15:43.
Psalms 22:5-31 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. **My praise shall be of thee in the great [eternal, heavenly] congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear Him. *The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek Him: your heart shall live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. ***For the Kingdom is the LORD'S: and He is the governor among the nations [all nations]. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: ***all they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him [Jesus Christ]: and none can keep alive his own soul. A seed [remnant] shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation [peer group of fellowship]. They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people [all future generations] that shall be born, that He [Jesus Christ] hath done this.

Psalms 23 - The Resurrection and Shepherding of the Messiah [Shepherd] after the rejection and Cross (Psalm 22) of the Messiah -- 'Psalms 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want [lack or be insufficient].'
He [Jesus Christ] maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness **for His Name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the *shadow of death [after the cross of Jesus Christ and with His resurrection, death is now but a shadow over saved mankind (1 Corinthians 15:54-58, Colossians 2:14)], I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod [authority - the rod is primarily a weapon for safety used by the shepherd to keep wolves and other dangerous animals away from the sheep] and thy staff [guidance - the staff is used to rescue and direct a fallen or endangered sheep] they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD [eternally] forever. - Note: the 23rd Psalm is the single most popular Psalm of all time.

Psalms 24 - "The King of Glory" -- 'Psalms 24:1 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. ... Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.'
Psalms 24:1-10 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they [Jews and Gentiles] that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill [fellowship presence] of the LORD? or who shall stand in His Holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing [eternal life] from the LORD, and *righteousness from the God of his salvation. **This is the generation of them that seek Him [Jesus Christ], that seek thy face, O Jacob [as Jacob (manipulator) sought God and was renamed to Israel (governed by - submitted to God) (Genesis 32:38)]. Selah. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads [mind], O ye gates [consciousness and awareness of God]; even lift them up, ye [eternal] everlasting doors [the doors of our heart (Revelation 3:20)]; and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD of hosts, He [Jesus Christ] is the King of Glory. Selah [lit. pause and reflect on this truth].

Revival Hymn - Few people have ever lived through the experience of God working in revival power - One of the few exceptions in modern times took place in the Scottish Isle of Lewis between 1949 and 1952 - At Barvas Parish Church the Hebridean revival began [while a man 'young man' in the (Friday night), weekly Church prayer meeting (held in a barn) was praying the 24th Psalm and asked "God are my hands clean, God is my heart pure"] - The speakers included in this message are Ian Paisley, Leonard Ravenhill, Paris Reidhead, Duncan Campbell, A.W. Tozer and T. Austin Sparks - May it light a "revival fire" in you as it has in me! (Audio - Video downloads)
Few people have ever lived through the experience of God working in revival power. One of the few exceptions in modern times took place in the Scottish Isle of Lewis between 1949 and 1952. At Barvas Parish Church the Hebridean revival began. This thrilling story set just off the beautiful coast of Scotland is retold in Revival Hymn and will encourage you to pray for God to come down again with convicting and saving power. It was at here that Duncan Campbell started his mission in 1949, He described revival as "a community saturated with God". -- (Photo) Barvas Parish church on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland where Duncan Campbell was called to preach in 1949. -- This Revival Hymn video is a new edit of the original video found on various web sites around the internet. It has been passed on to me in DVD format by a friend and, now, I pass it on to you. It is also called "Revival Fire" at some locations on the internet. The transcript has been added to help with the clarity of the spoken word. The speakers included in this message are Ian Paisley, Leonard Ravenhill, Paris Reidhead, Duncan Campbell, A.W. Tozer and T. Austin Sparks. May it light a "revival fire" in you as it has in me! [article link]

Hebrides Revival (1949-1951) - Revival On The Isle Of Lewis by Duncan Campbell (Mp3s)
Description: Listen to this first-hand account of the Lewis Revival during the early 1950s. Duncan Campbell was God's instrument in this extraordinary awakening. In this tape Campbell recounts point-by-point this three-year movement of the Holy Spirit over the Hebrides Islands. Thousands were converted, conviction overwhelmed villages, outward sin disappeared, and prayer meetings were packed! Your heart will be thrilled as you listen to this tape about this heaven-sent revival in Lewis. {Note: Duncan Campbell differentiates between Revival and Church Evangelism (modern Church growth efforts). Modern Church growth "is not revival" only personal growth is Revival "God are my hands clean, God is my heart pure." The modern Rick Warren type of Churches are attempting to grow their own membership primarily in order to grow their finances and to increase their influence only within other modern socially driven Christian churches but not Biblically within society itself. The result is a compromised modern influence that is greatly based on biblical and doctoral error and therefore it is a worldly false influence and primarily being a false influence the revival and a personal fellowship growth with God is greatly diminished not being "gripped with eternity" even though the larger numbers of people in attendance might indicate revival and a worldly success modern church growth is more of an exercise in human manipulation than a Divine, eternal, personal revival move of God.} [article link]

Christ Life Ministries - (Mp3s)
Committed to providing messages, materials, and ministries that will further revival, both personally and corporately in the local church. [article link]

Pray The Scriptures - The Names of God
The Names of God 1: Paul Cox of Aslan's Place sent this incredible list to subscribers of his newsletter. When I looked through it, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. The Names of God just incite you to prayer! In fact, I just got a Names of God category going on the blog. What a prayer resource! There are enough names with Scripture references to provide you with daily study for a year. In fact, there are so many names that I plan to make them available in three or four installments. When I first printed the list for myself, it took thirty pages. So here is the first installment. The second installment is here: Names of God II. {Group prayer should primarily consist of different people prayerfully reading out loud and commenting on a Psalm or a scripture selection [each person reading in turn about 3-5 verses (only if they want to) then the person that read the verses can comment first on them then in order everyone can comment on the verses read and when ready the next person can read the next 3-5 verses (anyone can pass on their turn to either comment or read out loud)]. Then at one point or at several points in between the readings and the comments people can present personal prayer requests to the group but the group gathering itself should begin with God, focus primarily on God and end with God. - Also Note: It is up to the maturity of the prayer group to keep the focus on God and away from rumor and gossip and also it is the maturity of the group to be able to navigate through theological topics that might arise as discussions [not letting one person dictate theology - everyone is entitle to an equal comment]. Intend to focus the individual comments primarily on personal devotions and what the verse means in the life of each individual.} [article link]

Prayer Tips: George Müller
2. Müller's Discovery Was That After Meditating On Scripture He Was More Able to Experience a Meaningful Prayer time. "Reading [the Bible] without meditation is unfruitful; **meditation [and praying] without reading [the Bible] is hurtful [emotional wandering (i.e. emotion based New Age practices and highly emotional books like The Shack) - quickly leads to spiritual deception - especially in prayer groups if all people do is pray their emotions and their personal problems and the group does not focus on the Truth of God through the Bible it can open up a very big door to spiritual deception foreveryone involved in the prayer group]; to meditate and to read without prayer upon both is without blessing." ~ William Bridge, Puritan Writer Christian meditation (thinking deeply on Scripture) is "the missing link between Bible intake and prayer." If there was a "secret" to George Müller's prayer life, it was his discovery of the connection between meditation and prayer. Müller's discovery was that after [*actually during] meditating on Scripture he was more able to experience a meaningful prayer time. ~ Donald S. Whitney, "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life" (partial quote and partial paraphrase). -- [ Mueller read the Bible through over 200 times, half of these times on his knees. He said he knew of some 50,000 specific answers to prayer...requests to God alone! - source: www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=177] {Note: George Müller prayed as he read through the Bible - he didn't separate prayer and Bible devotions. His prayers and intercession to God where primarily during his daily Bible devotional readings and were based on what he was reading in the Bible at that moment.} [article link]

Prayer Meeting Tips
Always Begin Prayer Meetings with a Worshipful Tone, ala the ACTS method. This will pre-focus the attention of all, on God Himself, and thus brings all which we would pray about, into the proper perspective. It helps remind us that nothing is impossible for God, thus encouraging us to start believing, and confidently asking Him for the impossible. It reminds us that God loves us, is for us, and wants His best for us. Sometimes, it helps to start with a 1-5 minute period of silence, during which each is encouraged to thoroughly focus on God Himself. [2 Cor 10:5] Another idea, is to invite a worship leader, from your local church, to lead the prayer group in two or three worship songs [or use a CD], before prayer begins. Like I said on the Key Elements page, if we first get our eyes on our BIG God, our problems suddenly don't look as hard, for, we've engendered the faith that God, for whom nothing is impossible, will face these problems for us. {Note: Generally and historically personal prayer and prayer meetings are for Praying thorough scriptures in the Bible. Praying personal needs is important but praying [prayerfully reading and also commenting] on the Psalms, Proverbs the N.T. and other sections of scriptures while focusing on who God is by removing our focus from ourselves and our needs is really what is intended in prayer.} [article link]

Psalms 36 - The goodness of God leads mankind into goodness while the evilness of the world leads mankind deeper into depravity -- 'Psalms 36:1-2 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.'
Psalms 36:3-12 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; *he abhorreth not evil. **Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the Heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, Thou preservest man and beast. ***How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. ***For with thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light. O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart. Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise. - Note: The condition of mankind does not remain the same even if a person is doing little or nothing on their own with their own life in terms of personal growth a person is still constantly either growing for better in the attributes of God or a person is progressing deeper into depravity.

Psalms 40 - A Song of Renewal -- 'Psalms 40:1-3 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a Rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.'
Psalms 40:4-17 Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: **let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Psalms 45 - The Royal Wedding (Bridal) Song - - Psalms 45:1-2 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves. My heart is inditing [writing] a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee forever.
Psalms 45:3-17 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; ***So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord; and Worship thou Him. And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee forever and ever. - Note: The Christian Church is the bride of the King Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 21:9).

Psalms 46 - God is our Refuge and our Strength -- 'Psalms 46:1-2 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea'
Psalms 46:3-11 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the Holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Psalms 62 - A Song of Dependence on God -- 'Psalms 62:1-2 To the chief Musician, to Jeduthan, A Psalm of David. Truly my soul waiteth upon God: *from Him cometh my Salvation. He [Jesus Christ] only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.'
Psalms 62:3-12 How long will ye [people] imagine mischief against a [fellow] man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast Him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved. **In God is my Salvation and my glory: the Rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity [emptiness]. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work. - Note: The Disciple Peter with his confession (Matthew 16:18) that Jesus is God [the Son of God] Peter entered in to the Salvation of God and became a rock in God just as each of us become a rock in God when we enter into the Rock of God, Jesus Christ by our own confession that Jesus is God the Son of God. Confessing Jesus as God is a rock of a confession (Matthew 7:24) that will uphold us and upon Jesus the Rock we will not sink down into hell but will be firmly held in place to receive His salvation.

Psalms 72 - A Prayer to God from King David for his son King Solomon -- 'Psalms 72:1-3 A Psalm for Solomon. Give the King thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the King's son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. The mountains [governments - offices of God - King, Priest, Prophet] shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills [fellowship with God], by righteousness.'
Psalms 72:4-20 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure forever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. The prayers of [King] David the son of Jesse are ended.

Psalms 73 - A Psalm of Eternal Perspective -- 'Psalms 73:1 A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.'
Psalms 73:2-28 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Psalms 82 - Psalms 82:1-2 A Psalm of Asaph. God [Judge, Discerner - Elohiym, H430] standeth in the congregation of the mighty (angels and people); He [God] judgeth [lit. Supreme law giver - Shaphat, H8199] among the gods [judges, discerners (angels and people) - Elohiym, H430]. How long will ye (people) judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
Psalms 82:3-8 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye [humans] are gods [lit. judges, discerners between right and wrong - Elohiym, H430]; and all of you are [created as physical] children of the most High. But ye shall die like [physical] men [not live as the true eternal God], and fall like one of the princes [fallen angels]. Arise, O God [lit. judge, discerner - Elohiym, H430], judge [lit. judge as the Supreme law giver - Shaphat, H8199] the earth: for thou shalt inherit all Nations. - Note: The first mention of God in the Bible is as Elohiym [Eternal God, Creator, discerner and Judge]. The first act of God was to create light then the first act of God after creating light [law and the image of God] was to then Judge the darkness and as Judge [law and image] God [Elohiym, H430] separated [discerned and judged] "the light from the darkness." -- Genesis 1:1-4 In the beginning God [Eternal, Elohiym, H430] created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God [Elohiym, H430] moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God [Creator, Elohiym, H430] saw the light, that it was good: and God [Discerned, Judged - Elohiym, H430] divided [separated] the light [life] from the darkness [death].

Psalms 84 - A Song of longing to eternally live in the presence of God -- 'Psalms 84:1-2 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are Thy tabernacles [dwellings], O LORD of Hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.'
Psalms 84:3-12 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Thine altars, ***O LORD of hosts, *my King, and *my God. Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house: they will be still praising Thee. Selah. Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca [a dry, remote, harsh, hostile, unwelcome place] make it a well [oasis, provision, sanctuary]; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, **every one of them in Zion [the Mountain of God - where Jesus was crucified at in Jerusalem] appeareth before God. O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the House of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun [light] and shield [protection]: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Psalms 89 - A Song of God's Faithful Eternal Covenants and Promises -- 'Psalms 89:1-2 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.'
Psalms 89:3-25 I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn unto David [Beloved] my servant, Thy seed [Jesus Christ] will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: **thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the Saints. For who in the Heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him. O LORD God of Hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to Thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them (Mark 4:39). Thou hast broken Rahab (Jericho) in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with Thy strong arm. **The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, Thou hast founded them. The north and the south Thou hast created them: [Mount] Tabor and [Mount] Hermon shall rejoice in Thy name. Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right hand. **Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy Throne: **mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy Name shall they rejoice all the day: and *in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in Thy favour our horn [strength] shall be exalted. For the LORD is our defence; and the **Holy One of Israel is our King. Then thou spakest in vision to Thy Holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David [Beloved - Jesus Christ] My servant; with My Holy oil have I anointed Him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen Him. The enemy shall not exact upon Him; nor the son of wickedness [Judas] afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in My Name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation. Also I will make Him [Jesus Christ] my firstborn [inheritor], higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with Him. His seed also will I make to endure forever, and His throne as the days of heaven. If his [King David's] children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. **It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah. But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed [Israel]. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground. Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin. All that pass by the way spoil him [Israel]: he is a reproach to his neighbours. Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice. Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle. Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground. The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah. How long, LORD? wilt thou hide thyself forever? shall thy wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain? What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah. Lord, where are thy former loving kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O LORD; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed. Blessed be the LORD forevermore. Amen, and Amen. - Note: Many of the verses have multiple meanings, implications and fulfillments. David [lit. beloved] is used both of King David and of Jesus Christ as also are the words servant and king. Throughout the Psalms prophetic messages and divine discussions are given to mankind in seemingly ordinary down to earth verses of praise and adoration.

Psalms 91 - A Song of God's Eternal Protection -- 'Psalms 91:1-2 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.'
Psalms 91:3-15 Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare [traps] of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under his wings [in closeness to God] shalt thou trust: **His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the [spiritual] terror by night; nor for the [physical] arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall [overcome] thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His [holy] Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. {God's reply!} Because he [worshiper] hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My Name. **He [worshiper] shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him My salvation.

Psalm 91 • The Protection of the Lord
Introduction: There are so many words that we grow up with that carry with them the definition attached to them by the world. Words like "love", "peace", "joy", "faith", etc. all have worldly meanings that are often contradicted by their biblical definition. This Psalm provides the basis for understanding the biblical meaning of the protection of the Lord. Is it the same as what you envisioned when you first read the title of this Psalm? -- Point: People in need of being rescued or protected have to first want the help and then must cooperate with those from whom they're receiving help. Otherwise the rescue or protection efforts won't be successful. -- Application: Do we sometimes believe we can go anywhere, do anything, and we still be protected by God? What are some situations or scenarios that this might not be true? Would you characterize yourself as running towards God's shelter or away? -- A: They're much more focused on winning the spiritual battle than the physical. [article link]

Psalms 92 - A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath [Rest] Day -- 'Psalms 92:1-4 A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath Day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy Name, O most High: To shew forth Thy loving kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night, Upon an instrument of ten strings [during trials and tribulations], and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will triumph in the works of Thy hands.'
Psalms 92:5-15 O LORD, how great are Thy works! and Thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed forever: But thou, LORD, art Most High forevermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the House of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the LORD is upright: He is my Rock, and **there is no unrighteousness in Him. - Note: The Biblical desire [both Old and New Testaments] is that all mankind will Repent and come into the Salvation of God (1 Timothy 2:4). In the Psalms enemies are often referring to the Demonic and fallen Angelic realm and that is what the Christian is battling against not against our fellow mankind but against spiritual deception and wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

Psalms 93 - A song of God's Strength and Majesty -- 'Psalms 93:1 The LORD reigneth, He is clothed with Majesty; the LORD is clothed with Strength, wherewith He hath girded Himself: the world [reality] also is stablished [stable], that it cannot be moved.'
Psalms 92:2-5 Thy throne is established of old: Thou art [eternal] from everlasting. The floods [rebellion - Angelic, demonic, human] have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure: Holiness becometh Thine House, O LORD, forever.

Psalms 103 - A Song of God's Love and Mercy {Note: This is possibly the single greatest Psalm in the Bible, or at least one of the best Psalms. In my life [especially during my teen years and my college years] this Psalm (having learned parts of it as an AWANA's kid) has helped keep me in the mercy and goodness of God more than probably any other Bible verse.} -- 'Psalms 103:1-4 A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His [eternal] benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies'
Psalms 103:5-22 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel. ***The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide [strive with mankind]: neither will He keep His anger forever. **He hath not dealt with us [according to what we deserve] after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. ***For as the Heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. *But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep His Covenant, and to those that remember His Commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared His Throne in the Heavens; and **His Kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the LORD, ye His Angels, that excel in strength, that do His Commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His Word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye His hosts; ye Ministers of His, that do His pleasure. Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion: Bless the LORD, O my soul.

Awana - Leading Kids Worldwide to Know, Love and Serve Christ
Awana helps churches and parents work together to develop spiritually strong children and youth who faithfully follow Jesus Christ. Our programs offer a proven approach for evangelizing and discipling kids in the church and community. As a ministry leader for nearly 60 years, Awana is making an impact. A recent national survey found Awana to be as important to our alumni's spiritual foundation as all other church activities combined. Among alumni who participated in our programs for at least six years, 92.7 percent still attend church at least weekly as adults! Each week, more than one million kids ages 2 to 18 participate in Awana. Over 12,000 churches in the U.S. and 6,500 internationally run Awana programs that change young lives through biblical truth. [article link]

Psalms 109 - A Prayer for Protection and Divine Intervention -- 'Psalms 109:1-4 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. *For my love they [through their envy and despite] are my adversaries: **but I give myself unto prayer.'
Psalms 109:5-31 And *they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love. Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: *as he delighted not in blessing, *so let it be far from him. *As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul. But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust. My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness. I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads. Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy: That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it. Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice. Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise Him among the multitude. **For He [Jesus Christ] shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul. - Note: A prayer like this is primarily directed against the demonic spirit realm. King David throughout his entire life continued to be good to his enemies and generally [but with a few slipups] treated his enemies far better than his enemies ever treated him.

Psalms 110 - The Royal (King and Priest) Priesthood of Jesus Christ -- 'Psalms 110:1-4 A Psalm of David. The LORD [God] said unto my Lord [Jesus Christ], Sit thou [as King] at My right hand [Enthroned in Heaven], until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. ... ***The LORD [God] hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest [eternally] forever after the order of Melchizedek. {Note: Remember that John the Baptist though a cousin to Jesus he was a Levitical Priest [washed, baptized (Exodus 29:4) at the age of 30 (Numbers 4:3) - as was John's father (Luke 1:8)] from the Priestly Tribe of Levi. While Jesus is from the Kingly Tribe of Judah but at age 30 [about 30 A.D.] Jesus was also baptized (Luke 3:23), washed into His (Melchizedek) Priesthood. Just keep in mind that Jesus ministered under His Melchizedek Priesthood in all the Ministry, teaching and miracles that He performed. The fulfillment of the Levitical (emergent shadow - foretelling) Feast Days of Holy Week were each completed in the (eternal) Melchizedek Messiah Priesthood of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter tells us that we also (probably also when we are water washed, baptized) enter in to the eternal Royal (Melchizedek - "King of Righteousness") Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) of Jesus Christ.}
A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto My Lord, Sit thou at My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou [through the Holy Spirit] in the midst of Thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of Holiness from the womb of the morning: Thou hast the dew of Thy youth. The LORD [God] hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [Jesus Christ] art a Priest [eternally] forever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at Thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up the head.

Psalms 119 - The Longest Psalm and the Longest Chapter in the Bible - Psalm 119 is about the Bible, God's Word -- 'Psalms 119:1-2 ALEPH: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep His Testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart.'
Psalms 119:169-176 TAU: Let my cry come near before Thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to Thy Word. Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to Thy Word. My lips shall utter praise, when Thou hast taught me Thy statutes. My tongue shall speak of Thy Word: for all thy Commandments are Righteousness. Let Thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts [concepts]. I have longed for Thy Salvation, O LORD; and Thy Law (Image) is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let Thy Judgments help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant; for I do not forget Thy commandments.

Psalm 119 Bible Study - Introducing Sweeter than Chocolate! The new Psalm 119 Bible Study - Every so often, a "game changer" arrives on the scene - Something radically new comes along that is different enough to make you sit up and take notice - The publication of Sweeter than Chocolate, the new inductive Bible study of Psalm 119, is just one of those times (Book)
A New Psalm 119 Inductive Bible Study: Psalm 119 is the definitive chapter on the value of the Word of God and it is one of those chapters of the Bible that really get less attention than it deserves. All who desire to know the Word of God and the God of the Word would benefit tremendously from a very close examination of this passage of scripture. There are many answers to questions about what the Word of God is and what it does in Psalm 119. Actually, some of these questions you might not personally have considered. From cover to cover, Sweeter than Chocolate invites the student to dig in, digest Psalm 119 and taste how sweet the Word of God can be. Sweeter than Chocolate Bible Study can help you find sweet words and real solutions from God's Book! -- The First Inductive Bible Study Of Its Kind: The power and lasting effect of inductive Bible studies are legendary. Anyone who has ever studied the Bible using this method will readily admit that they see more truth and make better connections through this study method. This technique teaches you how to see truth for yourself and because you did the work, not listened to the results of someone else's study, the nuggets are yours forever. [article link]

Psalms 121 - A Song of Deliverance -- 'Psalms 121:1-2 A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.'
Psalms 121:3-8 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber [sleep]. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. *The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalms 122 - A Prayer for God's City of Jerusalem -- 'Psalms 122:1-2 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the House of the LORD. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.'
Psalms 122:3-9 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the Tribes go up, the Tribes of the LORD, unto the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the LORD. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the House of David. **Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the House of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

Psalms 138 - A Song of Thanksgiving -- 'Psalms 138:1-2 A Psalm of David. I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward Thy Holy Temple [in Heaven], and praise Thy Name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy Truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy Name.'
Psalms 138:3-8 In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. All the kings of the earth shall praise Thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of Thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the Glory of the LORD. Though the LORD be High, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me. **The LORD will perfect [complete] that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth forever: forsake not the works of Thine own hands.

Psalms 145 - King David's Psalm of Praise -- 'Psalms 145:1-2 David's Psalm of Praise. I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless Thy Name forever and ever. Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name forever and ever.'
Psalms 145:3-21 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. **One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. I will speak of the Glorious Honour of Thy Majesty, and of Thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible [awesome] acts: and I will declare Thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. ***The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and Thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the Glory of Thy Kingdom, and talk of Thy power; To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the Glorious Majesty of His Kingdom. *Thy Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and Holy in all His works. The LORD is nigh [near] unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserveth all them that love Him: but all the wicked will He destroy. My mouth shall speak the Praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless His Holy Name forever and ever.

Psalms 150 - The final Psalm in the Book of Psalms - A Psalm of Praise to the Lord Jesus Christ -- 'Psalms 150:1 Praise ye the LORD.'
Psalms 150:2-6 Praise God in His Sanctuary: Praise Him in the firmament [establishment] of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts: Praise Him according to His Excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: Praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. **Let everything that hath breath Praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

THE

PROVERBS

Overview of the Book of Proverbs - One would be hard put to come up with any topic other than wisdom as being the most referred to theme or topic in the book of Proverbs - Comparisons between God's way and Man's way of life: A big key to understanding and appreciating the Book of Proverbs is recognizing it as a book of many comparisons and contrasts
Themes in the Book of Proverbs - Wisdom: One would be hard put to come up with any topic other than wisdom as being the most referred to theme or topic in the book of Proverbs. There are at least 100 references to "wisdom", "wise men", or "being wise" in this book. Plus, there is one section where Wisdom, personified, calls and speaks (Proverbs 1:2-7, & 20-33), and still another section where we hear, as it were, the voice of Wisdom (Proverbs 8:1, 4-36). Linked to this or coupled with it is the matter of which comes up as the next theme but which can hardly be separated from wisdom in essential meaning. In many verses listed below as wisdom references you will find understanding mentioned as well. You might want to make special note of those verses. "Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech" (Proverbs 1:20-21). Wherever men are found, wherever they come together, wisdom, that is based on the fear of the Lord, cries out to be acknowledged, accepted, and allowed to guide and direct men's lives. Today the voice of wisdom or her teachings come to us over the air waves, from the printed page, as well as from those who follow God and live according to His ways. The call can be heard. Jesus Christ said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Wisdom, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, empowers you to make right decisions - decisions that lead to living a life of righteousness. -- Understanding: One who has true wisdom also will have understanding. This especially applies to spiritual things. One with wisdom understands God's principles and His teachings. He knows God's laws are good and are right for him or her. This person applies them in everyday living. Yea, he or she not only knows God's laws but loves them as did David, the psalmist. The Holy Spirit that he or she possesses helps to impart that understanding to the believer. -- Comparisons between God's way and Man's way of life: A big key to understanding and appreciating the Book of Proverbs is recognizing it as a book of many comparisons and contrasts. To give you a flavor of this, the comparisons and contrasts found in chapters 2 through 12 are presented below. Each comparison given is preceded by the chapter and verse where it can be found. [article link]

a Daily Proverb - a Daily Proverb is dedicated to delivering a selected Proverbs verse every day and other Proverbs resources - Because there are 31 chapters in the Book of Proverbs, You can read the entire book every month by reading a chapter a day - Proverbs teach wisdom, knowledge, and understanding - The Book of Proverbs is the "user manual for living" Proverbs 1:3 MSG - Follow each daily Proverb and comment here on the website, through twitter, or rss (KJV available)
Proverbs, an Old Testament book of the Bible, teaches knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. I started my growth as a Christian with Proverbs which led to the rededication of my life to the Lord. I went from not reading the Bible at all, to reading a Proverbs chapter a day, and now I follow the yearly Bible path and refer to the Bible many times throughout the day for guidance and inspiration. My faith grew the same way, from very little to the foundation of who I am. Proverbs not only helps me from falling back to the mistakes I made in the past but strengthens my faith. I still fail and try to do to much myself but I changed so much of my life, I don't focus on every little thing I do wrong. I had to eliminate a lot things in my life and that was hard to do but I replaced them with things that are more important and have a positive impact on my life. More time for my family, more time for the Lord, better direction, and I now have a greater appreciation for my purpose. Please share your favorite Proverbs, or verses that you live by, or how Proverbs has changed your life. The best part of my day is reading a tweet, direct message, email, or blog post from someone in the community. One of the messages I got recently pretty much sums me up, "I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be! a Daily Proverb ~ Chris [article link]

Spiritual Eyes Ministry Bible Study Podcast: Book of Proverbs (Mp3s)
Parents in the past trained their children by passing down their words of wisdom from generation to generation. When we read the book of Proverbs, we not only get the benefit of reading the words of wisdom that King David passed down to Solomon, and Solomon passed down to his children, we get a firsthand look at parent to child training that has been inspired by God. For show notes, please go to: spiritualeyes.servantsofjesuschrist.com [article link]

Proverbs 1 - The Book of Proverbs is Wisdom starting with God and handed down and passed along from father to son from generation to generation - The Book of Proverbs is fatherly advice and compassion lovingly given to guide and direct sons into the lifesaving righteousness of God in Jesus Christ -- 'Proverbs 1:1-4 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give suitability to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.'
Proverbs 1:5-23 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privately for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privately for their own lives. So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof. Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. - Note: Wisdom, Godly wisdom and not man's empty philosophies has very real results and consequences for each individual in life both presently and eternally.

Proverbs 2 - Where the Psalms were primarily the writings from King David [encompassing most of his life from shepherd boy to aged King] the next three books of the Bible are a Trilogy from the life and experiences of King David's son King Solomon - The Book of Proverbs is the first in the Trilogy of Solomon's books of Wisdom - Apparently Solomon was given the opportunity to eat from the tree of knowledge [both good and evil] more than any other man alive at least more than any other saved human - Solomon start out good and godly but by the time we get to the 3rd book of Solomon's Trilogy Solomon will have been deeply in a backslidden state and his book of Ecclesiastes 'searcher' will have more of a fallen, humanist, backslidden view than his first book of Proverbs -- 'Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and **apply thine heart [to prevent backsliding] to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.'
Proverbs 2:6-22 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Proverbs 8 - In the O.T. Book of Proverbs wisdom is referred to as a person generally in a feminine way and in the N.T. the Holy Spirit is referred to as a person generally denoted by the Greek feminine 'noun class'- Wisdom [the Holy Spirit] in the O.T. book of Proverbs being referenced as female (a companion to a man) and The Holy Spirit listed in the N.T. Greek with feminine nouns is primarily for Biblical consistency and does not donate the Holy Spirit as a female spirit, wife spirit, or any other weird genderized connotation it just simply and directly references God the Holy Spirit as the giver of Wisdom in both the Old and New Testaments -- 'Proverbs 8:1-5 Doth not wisdom [the voice of God - the Holy Spirit] cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors. Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.' - {Note: a 'noun class' in writing has absolutely nothing to do with actual physical gender it just matches verbs and nouns together in the sentence. A noun listed as neuter (neutral) would then have a neuter ending verb as a match etc., the same noun could later be listed with a masculine ending or even as a feminine noun ending but it would need a matching masculine or matching feminine verb ending so the reader can easily match the correct verbs to the correct nouns in a complex or compound sentence but it does not assign gender to the noun or physical subject.}
Proverbs 8:6-36 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge. Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures. The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

Proverbs 11 - Godly Wisdom is to encompass all facets and aspects of a person's life including dating, marriage, family, employment, etc. -- 'Proverbs 11:1-3 A false balance [deceptive business practices] is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.'
Proverbs 11:4-31 Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness. When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth. The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead. An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered. When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting. By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace. A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure. A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches. The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death. They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. The desire of the righteous is only good: but the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

Proverbs 15 - Godly Wisdom leads to godly results in our life while human wisdom leads to human disaster in our life -- 'Proverbs 15:1-4 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up *anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach [opening - a door to demonic entry allowing for human possession by an evil spirit] in the spirit.'
Proverbs 15:5-33 A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness. Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die. Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men? A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise. A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife. The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother. Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly. Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it! The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath. The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words. He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live. The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things. The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat. The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

Proverbs 18 - The Proverbs continue to remind us that our words have both value and eternal meaning -- 'Proverbs 18:1-4 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach. **The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.'
Proverbs 18:5-24 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment. A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit. Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility. He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity [be spiritually strong and built up in the spirit]; but a wounded spirit who can bear? The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge. A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him. The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle. A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly. A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [Jesus Christ (John 15:14)] that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 20 - The Proverbs are revealing that human emotions are a progression - Progressing us closer to God in righteousness or progressing us further from God in our own unrighteousness -- 'Proverbs 20:1-3 Wine [alcohol] is a mocker, strong [alcohol] drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.'
Proverbs 20:4-30 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes. Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD. Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread. It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel. Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good. Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way? It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry. A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them. The spirit [light] of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts [heart] of the belly [soul]. Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy. The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head. **The blueness [bruise - reminder] of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly. - Note: A bruise 'blueness' is a long term wound [God can use it to keep us from repeating the same mistakes] but emotionally in the hands of Satan a bruised soul is possibly the worst wound. A bruised emotion never goes away [except when given to Jesus Christ and God takes it away for us]. If we have a bruised soul then the next [even hint of an] event can be just as damaging or worse than the original wound. Satan knows for sure how to wound our soul and to keep it wounded but the healing of our soul is one of the triumphs of the cross of Jesus Christ. -- Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He [Jesus Christ] hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was *bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. - Also Note: It is important to be able to distinguish between a bruise that God is allowing us to have and bruises that Satan is inflicting us with. A bruised soul from God will keep closer to God while helping to keep us from evil, while the bruises of Satan are intended to keep us from God and direct us into more evil.

Proverbs 21 - A reminder that God is ultimately in control of all the Nations -- 'Proverbs 21:1-3 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will. **Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.'
Proverbs 21:4-31 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want. The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death. The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment. The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right. It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbor findeth no favour in his eyes. When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge. The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath. It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead. He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright. It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman. There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up. He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour. A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath. The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind? A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly. A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way. There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD. The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

Proverbs 24 - The Proverbs remind us to always have that eternal, long term, heavenly focus -- 'Proverbs 24:1-7 Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant [Kingdom of God] riches. A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate [as a leader of the city].'
Proverbs 24:8-34 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: **For a just man falleth seven times, ***and riseth up again [an eight time in the resurrection of Jesus Christ]: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both? These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer. Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Proverbs 27 - Continue to trust in God -- 'Proverbs 27:1-6 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy? Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.'
Proverbs 27:7-27 The full [boastful] soul loatheth [even] an honeycomb; but to the hungry [godly] soul every [trial] bitter thing is [eternally]sweet. As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him. A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself. Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not forever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.

Proverbs 29 - The purpose of wisdom and correction 'reproof' is to direct us out of our folly and the folly of others and directly into God's life of righteousness -- 'Proverbs 29:1-2 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. *When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.'
Proverbs 29:3-27 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance. The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it. A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet. In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice. The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it. Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath. If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest. The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul. A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked. The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes. The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established forever. The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul. Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer. Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him. He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length. An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression. A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not. **The fear of man bringeth a snare: ***but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD. An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

Proverbs 31 - King Solomon closes his book of Proverbs with a proverb given to him by his mother Bathsheba -- 'Proverbs 31:1-9 The words of king Lemuel [a poetic reference to Solomon], the prophecy that his mother [Bathsheba] taught him. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.'
Proverbs 31:10-31 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Learn The Bible - King Lemuel - Personally, I think the name and context points to a poetic reference to Solomon
Concerning Proverbs chapter 31, who is King Lemuel and his mother? Proverbs 31:2-9 is introduced as the words of King Lemuel from prophecy that had been taught to him by his mother. Proverbs 31:1 states, "The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him." Lemuel is mentioned only in this passage in the Bible (Proverbs 31:1, 4). This has left the door open to all kinds of speculation as to his true identity. He has been thought by interpreters to be imaginary, to be Solomon himself, to be Hezekiah, to be a Lemuel who was king of Massa (a play on the Hebrew words), or just some petty Arabian prince. In other words, no one really knows. The name means "to God" and has the implication of "belonging to God." El (the basic name for God in Hebrew) on the end of Lemuel shows the name to be a compound of God. Personally, I think the name and context points to a poetic reference to Solomon. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon never uses his own name but presents himself seven times as the "Preacher" (Ecclesiastes 1:1, 2, 12; 7:27; 12:8, 9, 10). The shift in emphasis in Proverbs would call for a different construction. Through most of Proverbs, Solomon is giving words of wisdom to his son. In Proverbs 31, King Lemuel is repeating the words of wisdom given to him by his mother. -- The advice is clearly advice that Solomon needed to hear. Lemuel's mother warned her son against giving his strength unto women (Proverbs 31:3). This problem directly led to Solomon's decline in later years (1 Kings 11:1-4). She also warned against strong drink (Proverbs 31:4-7). This is something we know Solomon toyed with from his testimony in Ecclesiastes 2:3--"I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life." Finally, she twice admonished her son: "Open thy mouth" (Proverbs 31:8, 9). He is to open it in the cause who cannot speak for themselves (v.8) and to judge righteously (v.9). We know of Solomon's initial hesitancy and concern in this matter of judging the people from his own testimony in 1 Kings 3:7-9. He saw himself as a child (v.7) and desired God's help to "judge this thy so great a people" (v.9). -- The words are also presented as "prophecy" given to Lemuel from his mother (Proverbs 31:2). Prophecy does include the proclamation of God's truth, but it normally has at least an element of foretelling the future. If this refers to Bathsheba and she is telling Solomon how he will need to act when he is king, then it definitely includes a strong element of prophecy, for Solomon was a younger son and therefore not the natural one in line to be king. When David drew close to death and Adonijah set himself up as king, Bathsheba approached him with this plea: "My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne" (1 Kings 1:17). David and Bathsheba had talked about it. The choice was to be Solomon. Bathsheba could prophesy the coming reign of her son as she spoke to the young prince Solomon. [article link]

A Virtuous Woman - A Proverbs 31 Ministry - A Virtuous Woman is a ministry for women based on the Scriptures of Proverbs 31
A Woman of Worth Quarterly Journal and Cookbook is a quarterly magazine filled with inspiring articles, ideas, and recipes. You will love every page! This full color e-Magazine is free for members of A Virtuous Woman. It is easy to join! Just click on "Sign Up" and fill out the quick form. In no time you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of being a member of this online community, including downloading and reading this wonderful magazine! Each issue is 36 - 44 pages in length. [article link]

ECCLESIASTES

OR THE PREACHER

Introduction to Ecclesiastes - By constantly inquiring into the significance of everything that exists, the Preacher presents himself as an optimist, not a pessimist, and his little success in discovering some absolute value in this world "under the sun", doesn't mean that he has failed in his intent - Ecclesiastes should not be called pessimistic or cynical, but it is brutally realistic - In Particular Ecclesiastes makes the reader confront the full and dreadful significance of death - **Most people, whether or not they are religious, refuse to face what death really is: a calamity that nullifies the achievements of human life - Ecclesiastes strips away the myths we use to shield ourselves from this stark fact - In Pointing out the dreadfulness of death, **Ecclesiastes helps us see how profound is our need for resurrection [and meaning found only in an eternal life existence] - More simply, Ecclesiastes drives us to Christ - The New Testament shares this perspective; death is not a friend or even a doorway but a terrible enemy - It will be, however, a conquered enemy (I Cor 15:26,54-55; Rev 20:14)
Ecclesiastes is generally attributed to Solomon (approximately between the years 971 and 931 B.C.), who would have written it in his old age. The rather pessimistic tone that permeates the book agrees with the spiritual situation that Solomon went through in those moments (I Kings 11). Although I Kings doesn't mention it, Solomon must have recovered his sound judgment before death, after which he must have repented and returned to GOD. That which is said in Eccl. 1:1, "Words of the preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem", seems to point to Solomon. Allusions to Solomon's wisdom (1:16), his riches (2:8), his servants (2:7), his inclination to pleasures (2:3), and his building activities (2:4-6) are found dispersed throughout the book. ... Ecclesiastes tells us it was written by a son of David who was king in Jerusalem over Israel (1:1,12). This points to Solomon since he alone, after David, ruled both Judah and Israel. ... The book evokes a time when the traditional answers to the great questions about the meaning of life have lost their relevance. Instead of responding to these questions with quotes from the Scripture, the Preacher introduces a methodology that leans on observation and inductive reasoning. In other scriptural books like Job, Proverbs, and certain Psalms, wisdom is synonymous with virtue and piety; its antithesis, foolishness, is converted thus into evil. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the word "wisdom" is sometimes used this way when it makes reference to the conventional interpretation of the concept by the Israelites (as in 7:1-8:9; 10:1-11:6). But in the initial chapter (1:12-18) the author approaches wisdom as a merely intellectual process, similar to the Greek philosophies, and questions its universal validity. Although he never disputes the existence of a GOD who grants significance to his creation, the Preacher is determined to discover it through his own experience and observation, in a way that he himself can verify it and pass it on to his disciples. Content: The book of Ecclesiastes offers evidence of being a carefully composed literary essay that should be considered in its totality before examining its parts. The content of the book is defined in the same terms (1:2; 12:8) that anticipate and summarize the author's convictions. The theme is continued in 1:3, "What profit does a man have from all his labor for which he strives under the sun?"; or "Can a man find true wisdom apart from GOD's revelation?" The Preacher's question investigates whether any kind of eternal, permanent value ("profit") exists, that can be found in this world ("under the sun") that might give meaning to life. The Hebrew word that's translated as "profit" is yitron (1:3), and can also be translated as "gain" or "value". "Vanity" is a key word in the book, and is the equivalent of the Hebrew word hebel (literally "breath", "encouragement"); it indicates that which is mortal, transitory or passing. By going over each one of the ways through which mankind has tried to find wisdom, the author of Ecclesiastes finds it elusive (like when one tries to catch "the wind") and deceptive ("vanity"). The "wisdom" of 1:12-18 is found empty of real value. The answer can be found neither in pleasures, nor in riches, great human achievements (2:1-11), in a doctrine of retribution (2:12-17) nor in material things (2:18-26). If neither human achievements, nor material things, are yitron, what should our attitude be toward them, considering they don't possess any permanent value? The answer to this question introduces the other question that the book is dedicated to: You should enjoy life as much as GOD blesses it (3:11,12; 5:18-20; 9:7-10), remembering that at the end, He will judge "all these things" (11:7-10). Not even the proper human life, in a merely secular sense, can be the yitron that the Preacher seeks. The interrelationship between life and death also makes up a subordinate theme of the book. But getting back to the principal question of the Preacher, "Is it all destined to end (12:8) like it began (1:2), on a note of hopelessness? By constantly inquiring into the significance of everything that exists, the Preacher presents himself as an optimist, not a pessimist, and his little success in discovering some absolute value in this world ("under the sun"), doesn't mean that he has failed in his intent. On the contrary, he becomes obligated (when he makes the observation that GOD introduced order into the universe at the moment of creation, 3:1-14) to seek the permanent value that he pursues in the world to come (not "under the sun", but "over the sun", in other words). Although he doesn't say it in that exact way, the logic that serves to guide his entire investigation forces him to recognize the only real yitron in fear (reverence) and obedience to GOD (11:7-12:7). This is affirmed in the epilogue: Fearing GOD and keeping his commandments is the fundamental duty of mankind (12:13). This point should be made recognizing that, while true justice doesn't exist in this life, in his time, GOD will judge and put everything in its place (11:9; 12:14). The book concludes with this profound thought. -- Message and Purpose: (HBH) Christian readers, after they have shaken off the initial shock of reading Ecclesiastes, have often described it as a defense of the faith or even an evangelistic work. Ecclesiastes shows that many of the pursuits of life, including wealth, education, and power, do not really fulfill. In that way Ecclesiastes shows that life without GOD is meaningless and drives the reader to faith. ... Ecclesiastes should not be called pessimistic or cynical, but it is brutally realistic. In Particular Ecclesiastes makes the reader confront the full and dreadful significance of death. Most people, whether or not they are religious, refuse to face what death really is: a calamity that nullifies the achievements of human life. Ecclesiastes strips away the myths we use to shield ourselves from this stark fact. In Pointing out the dreadfulness of death, Ecclesiastes helps us see how profound is our need for resurrection. More simply, Ecclesiastes drives us to Christ. The New Testament shares this perspective; death is not a friend or even a doorway but a terrible enemy. It will be, however, a conquered enemy (I Cor. 15:26,54-55; Rev. 20:14). -- Personal Application: Christians in the modern church often assume a passive intellectual attitude, accepting almost everything that's said to them, or simply questioning a doctrine according to appearances, instead of investigating whether it has a biblical foundation. The Preacher's challenge finds its parallel in the apostle Paul's recommendation to the Ephesian Christians that they not be "wavering children, carried everywhere by every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14). To the principle of interpreting the Scriptures for oneself, clearly established by Luther and the Reformers, is added the mandate to "Scrutinize the Scriptures" (John 5:39), to know what they truly teach. The Preacher's purpose for finding what really has value in this life, should be a challenge to each true believer in Jesus Christ, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The Preacher's failure at the time to find something of permanent value, in the things of the world, teaches Christians who live in these times of greed and materialism to concentrate on the "things from above" (Col. 3:1) and not glorify ambition and material possessions. -- Christ Revealed: Although the book of Ecclesiastes doesn't contain typical prophecies or allusions about Jesus Christ, it anticipates a certain number of teachings of the one in whom the law and the prophets are fulfilled (Matt. 5:17). Although Jesus said little about wisdom, Paul referred fully to the wisdom that comes from GOD (Rom. 22:44) in contrast to that of the narrow world of human limitations (I Cor. 1:17; 3:19; II Cor. 1:12). In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus warned against the pursuit of riches in this world, saying that it was the kingdom of heaven that should be sought, which reminds us of the Preacher's echo of condemnation against materialism in 2:1-11, 18-26; 4:4-6; 5:8-14. Likewise, the emphasis on heaven that Jesus makes reflects the impossibility of finding something of permanent value "under the sun" (in this world). The Preacher's conclusion, that the only true value resides in reverence and obedience to GOD (12:13), is equivalent to Jesus' teaching that what is of primary importance is our attitude toward GOD (Matt. 22:37, citing Deut. 6:5) and secondly, our attitude toward all other human beings (Matt. 22:39, citing Lev. 19:18). -- The Holy Spirit in Action: All the references to the "spirit" in Ecclesiastes designate the vital force that gives life to human beings and animals (see 3:18-21). However, the book anticipates some of the problems that Paul faced defining the use of the spiritual gifts in I Cor. 12-14. Those who believe that GOD has spoken through the Holy Spirit in dreams and visions (Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:17-21) would do well in following the Preacher's counsel: not all dreams communicate GOD's wishes to us (5:3). It seems as if Paul had these kinds of reserves in mind when he speaks in I Cor. 14:29 of the gifts of tongues and prophecy, recommending that an orderly manifestation of this nature might be followed by a judgment on the part of the assembly. Also, the Preacher's emphasis on reverence and obedience to GOD anticipates Paul's interest in the edification of the Church (I Cor. 14:5). True spiritual gifts - genuine manifestations of messages or miraculous actions - should be maintained within a spirit of reverence to GOD's glory through Christ and for the edification of the believers. [article link]

Ray Stedman - Adventuring Through the Bible - ECCLESIASTES: THE INSPIRED BOOK OF [HUMAN] ERROR - The book of Ecclesiastes, or "the Preacher, [Searcher]" is unique in scripture - There is no other book like it, because it is the only book in the Bible that reflects a human, rather than a divine, point of view {Note: The Book of Job is very similar also having more of a humanistic origin in point of view rather than being material presented from God through prophets or priests as with most of the other books of the Old Testament and all of the books in the New Testament.} (Mp3s)
In chapter 2 the writer [King Solomon] examines the *philosophy of hedonism - *the pursuit of pleasure as the chief end of life. What gives life meaning? Well, millions today say, "Just enjoy yourself! Have a good time, live it up, do as you like, seek pleasure. That's the purpose of living. That's why we are here!" But the Debater [Preacher, Searcher - King Solomon] says: I said to myself, "Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity (Ecclesiastes 2:1 RSV). Then he proceeds to itemize pleasure. He says that first he tried pleasure in the form of laughter, or mirth. Maybe this is what is needed to make life thoroughly enjoyable. So he sought out opportunities to give himself to genial, gracious, laughing, happy company. But he says that after a time, even this yielded a weariness of spirit. Then he says he tried the acquisition of possessions; perhaps meaning comes from wealth: So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them (Ecclesiastes 2:9-10a RSV); And he gave himself to the accumulation of wealth and possessions. (How many are living on that level today!) He says it too was emptiness of spirit and didn't satisfy his longing. -- Then in chapter 3 he views life from what we might call the existential viewpoint. That is a popular term today. It is fashionable to believe in existentialism [create your own version of reality - this is the religion of the world - it was Hitler's religion - Hitler thought if he could imagine it or set his will to it then it would come to pass i.e. his successful invasion of Poland and France early in WWII] and it is, of course, thought to be something new on the stage of world ideas. But it is nothing new at all. It is as old as the thinking of man. Actually, we might call this viewpoint fatalism, because there is always a fatalistic element in existentialism. We in America can hardly realize why existential thinking has so powerfully gripped the minds of people in our world. The popularity of existentialism was born at the end of World War II, when Europe was left in shambles. The great cities of Europe were in ruins, and all that men had previously pinned their hopes on -- in government and religion, as they knew it - had been powerless to arrest the catastrophe and terrible chaos of World War II. At the end of it, men were left with utterly shattered hopes concerning what they had believed in. They asked one another, "What can we trust? We can't trust religion. It did nothing to stem the awful tide of tyranny under Hitler. And we can't trust government, because it is the very tool of such power. So what can we trust?" And somebody suggested that the only thing that we can trust is our own reactions to life as we live through things. We experience feelings and reactions to events, and even though no two of us may have the same reaction, at least each person's reaction is real to him. So they said, "All we can really trust is our own reaction to events, to existence." And that is existentialism. ... Now this writer says, "I tried that. I discovered that I reacted to events, that I had certain inescapable experiences in life." The writer sees that all these events come upon us. And he sees also that man has a desire for something deeper, for finding significance, for finding meaning in life: He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man's mind (Ecclesiastes 3:11a RSV), In other words, man can never rest with simply external explanations of things. He has to look deeper. Eternity is in his heart. And this writer says he saw all this. He saw that events of life are inescapable and are experienced by all men -- but he saw that all men go to one place when it is all over. All turn to dust. And there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his work, ... for that is his lot; who can bring him to see what will be after him (Ecclesiastes 3:22b RSV)? He sees futility, hopelessness. What's the use? In chapter 4 he turns to capitalism, of all things. Here he sets forth the competitive enterprise of life. When we Americans hear the word "capitalism" perhaps we think it is a wonderful word. We think it describes the vigorous young insurance executive out to join the million-dollars-a-month club, or some high-powered executive in business who is building his own empire. We admire this. We say. "Capital is the answer." Remember that the word of God always ultimately looks at life as it really is. And capitalism is not a final answer to things. It may be a better answer than communism, and I'm convinced that it is, but this writer says he tried this competitive-enterprise approach and saw that it resulted in injustices and oppression. And he discovered that selfish motivation lies behind it, resulting in inequities. So, he says it all comes to the same thing: ... In chapter 7 Solomon approaches life from the standpoint of *stoicism - *a cultivated indifference to events - and his conclusion is that in order to view life this way, aim for a happy medium. Be moderate ... Chapters 8 through 10 and the first eight verses of chapter 11 are a connected discourse examining what might be referred to as the *wisdom of the world, or the *common-sense view of life. In chapter 8 anyone approaching life from this point of view is exhorted to master the power structures of the world in which he lives. He says, "Try to understand who is an authority and who isn't, and do your best to be on the right side at the right time." That is his philosophy. You recognize that, don't you? ... Then in chapter 9 he examines the world's value judgments and points out again that they all come to the same thing: Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11 RSV). What difference, then, do worldly values make? In chapter 10 he exhorts us to maintain discretion in life -- be temperate, diligent, cautious, accommodating - try to get by as best you can. But this is only an enlightened expression of selfishness, which is the motive underlying it all. We read in chapter 11 that success is simply a matter of diligence - in order to get something out of life, you need to work and apply yourself: [article link]

The Bible Collection: (5 DVD Box Set) - A set of 5 DVD's from a 12 DVD Series (DVD's)
Product Description: Experience the beauty and majesty of the grandest collection of the greatest stories ever told, magnificently produced to bring these epic tales to life. All five of these award-winning feature films, richly illustrates the strength, courage, and weakness of man and the faith that has sustained mankind for generations. Coded for all regions. 5 DVDs, approx. 11 hours. -- Solomon: Defeating his older brother, Solomon is crowned King of Israel and rules the land with love, peace and respect. While visiting the city, Solomon meets the beautiful Queen of Sheba and falls in love at first sight. When the time comes for her to return to her homeland, Solomon is unable to convince her to stay. Bereft of her beauty and companionship, he falls into a deep depression, departing from his once idyllic world of peace and luxury while his kingdom threatens to collapse. 172 minutes, closed captioned, viewer discretion advised. [article link]

Ecclesiastes 1-2 - The Book of Ecclesiastes King Solomon's final book of his Trilogy of Wisdom [Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes] -- 'Ecclesiastes 1:1 The words of the Preacher [Seeker], the son of David, King in Jerusalem. ... Ecclesiastes 1:12-14 I the Preacher [Seeker] was King over *Israel in *Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning *all things that are done under heaven [not in heaven - under heaven - from a strictly earthly, human point of view]: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun [upon the earth]; and, behold, all is vanity [emptiness] and vexation [frustration] of [human] spirit.' - Note: Only three men were King over Israel in Jerusalem, King Saul [a type of Satan], King David [a type of Jesus Christ] and King Solomon [a type of the Antichrist]. After Solomon's reign a civil war ensued in Israel and Israel was divided into two parts a Northern Kingdom (Samaria) and a Southern Kingdom (Jerusalem).
King Solomon the 'Searcher' begins his search for the meaning of life by trying to find eternal meaning in exaggerated joy, significant satisfaction, through momentous accomplishments and by seeking worldly wisdom. - Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth [partying], therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity [emptiness]. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

When Heaven Scrapes The Pavement - Music Video (Youtube)
What is the significance and meaning to life? - (4:40 min). [article link]

Ecclesiastes 3 - King Solomon's famous a Time and a Season for everything under the sun -- 'Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven ...'
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 4-5 - King Solomon sees the unjust oppression in a cruel world both to the oppressed and the oppressor -- 'Ecclesiastes 4:1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they [the powerful] had no comforter.'
Ecclesiastes 5:1-10 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also diverse vanities: but fear thou God. If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

Ecclesiastes 6-7 - King Solomon remarks that our life physically is more of a short term shadow than a long term permanent impression -- 'Ecclesiastes 6: 12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow [a vague presence]? for who [the Messiah - Jesus Christ] can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?'
Ecclesiastes 7:7-12 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth [eternal] life [over money] to them that have it.

Ecclesiastes 8-10 - King Solomon observes that earthly status and circumstances are not a true representation of the worth of the individual -- 'Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. - 'Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.'
Ecclesiastes 10:1-7 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to everyone that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

Ecclesiastes 11-12 - King Solomon notes that in the meaning to a person's life God's judgment is the final say -- 'Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.'
The Bible's book of Ecclesiastes concludes: Ecclesiastes 12:6-14 6 Or ever the silver cord [the cord that keeps the soul/spirit inside the human body] be loosed, or the golden bowl [life] be broken, or the pitcher [life] be broken at the fountain, or the wheel [of life] broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust [human body] return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher [searcher]; all is vanity [emptiness]. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher [searcher] sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, *even words of truth [the meaning of life]. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from **one shepherd. And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. ***Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole (duty) of man [lit this is what makes man whole - Salvation]. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

THE

SONG OF SOLOMON

Background of the Song of Solomon - The book is an oriental [Jewish] love song between King Solomon and the Shulamite woman - Both Jews and Christians have put forth the idea that the book is an allegory about God's love for Israel [and] or the Church
Interpretation: Students of the Song of Solomon differ widely as to the interpretation of the book. -- Allegory: Both Jews and Christians have put forth the idea that the book is an allegory about God's love for Israel or the Church. In the Christian Church this was first held by Origen (A.D. 185-254). According to this interpretation the events which are described never actually took place but are a picture of God's love for Israel or Christ's dealings with the Church. But the book does have a strong historical reference to fifteen or more geographical locations. While the book certainly points to Christ and the Church this is no justification for denying its historicity and treating it simply as an allegory. -- Drama: The naturalistic school of interpretation handles the book as a simple poem of human love, with no typical or figurative reference to the Church whatsoever. The emphasis according to this interpretation is on the purity and beauty of love expressed within the context of marriage and that it should not be despised. This view is supported from the frank descriptions of the physical side of love found in the book. However the expressions of love are never described in a lewd and cheap way but always with dignity and purity. This view suffers from the fact that Jesus said that He is found in all of the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:44). -- Wisdom Literature: To view this book simply as a love drama is to miss the connection with the wisdom style of Solomon's day. The major characteristic of wisdom literature is its emphasis on common, everyday human experiences. Proverbs speaks of human love in a similar way (Proverbs 5:15-19). The Song of Solomon is a wisdom song which celebrates the beauty and glory of marital love. It teaches the blessing of purity and faithfulness in the God given institution of marriage (Genesis 2:19-25). It reveals the dignity of sexual love and reinforces that it is God ordained and not evil. The fact that humanity is created in the image of God is central to the worth and dignity of sexual love between men and women (Genesis 1:27). But the fact that the Song of Solomon is found in the Scriptures points to the purpose of wisdom literature, this love must be understood in the larger sphere of God's love for us. While the book does not appear to be an [strictly] allegory or typology, it cannot help but turn our eye to the love of Christ for his Church as a bridegroom for His bride (Jeremiah 2:2; Hosea 2:14-20; Ephesians 5:22-23). One greater than Solomon has come in the Lord Jesus Christ and will again return for His bride (Revelation 21:2-17). [article link]

Ray Stedman - Adventuring Through the Bible - SONG OF SOLOMON: A LOVE SONG AND A HYMN - She [Shulammite] was a simple country [girl] lass of unusual loveliness who fell in love with the King [Solomon] *when he was disguised as a shepherd lad working in one of his own vineyards in the north of Israel {Note: The Song of Solomon is about love, life and a relationship between a common girl and an uncommon King. Most of all the Song of Solomon is about opportunity, the once in all creation opportunity to fellowship on an intimate one to one level with God the True King Jesus Christ.} (Mp3s)
The book comes to us in what we would call musical play form. The characters in this play are Solomon, the young king of Israel -- this was written in the beginning of his reign [while Solomon was multiplying wives unto himself], in all the beauty and manliness of his youth -- and the Shulammite. She was a simple country lass of unusual loveliness who fell in love with the king when he was disguised as a shepherd lad working in one of his own vineyards in the north of Israel. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us that he undertook expeditions to discover what life was like on various levels. Once he disguised himself as a simple country shepherd lad, and in that state he had met this young lady. They fell in love, and after they had promised themselves to each other, he went away and was gone for some time. The Shulammite girl cries out for him in her loneliness. Then comes the announcement that the king in all his glory is coming to visit the valley. While the girl is interested in this, she is not really concerned because her heart longs for her lover. But suddenly she receives word that the king wants to see her. She doesn't know why until she goes to see him, and discovers that he is her shepherd lad. He takes her away and they are married in the palace. The play is set in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, and a chorus of singers, referred to as the daughters of Jerusalem, asks certain leading questions from time to time during the account of the events leading up to the courtship, betrothal and marriage. The Shulammite girl addresses them on three occasions [reprimanding the other woman not to stir up and arouse her sexual urges before she is married]. It is interesting to note that the word "Shulammite" is the feminine form of Solomon. Therefore we would call this lady Mrs. Solomon. She is the bride, and we read of her encounter with this young man their courtship and the strength and the methods and the delights of love. The language of the book is highly poetical and figurative and there may also be some difficulty determining who is speaking at any one time. But you can distinguish the different speakers in this way: the bridegroom always refers to her as "my love," and the bride calls him "my beloved." And as each describes the other you can see the passion and the rapture of love. Here is the language of love as she describes him: [article link]

Secular Website: Solomon & the "Song of Songs" - Solomon's inspired masterpiece, the true meaning of which has long been regarded as the greatest puzzle in all literature, now forms the basis of this short course in creative genius and personal success which makes those powerful yet deceptively simple principles once again available to any person interested in discovering and developing their creative potential and achieving excellence in their chosen field (Part 1) {Note: Apparently this article is somewhat advocating the use of sexual energy, tensions and sexual urges as a means for creativity and advancement but the huge danger in this is coming under the influence and control of physical urges. A Christian would not use urges, sexual or otherwise to direct our life instead we seek God's will in prayer, in fellowship, through devotions and in righteousness.}
The Key to the Meaning of the Song: Although the true significance of the "Song of Songs" is still regarded by most scholars as a complete and complex mystery, the simple clue to its meaning is in fact to be found in the title, which makes up the first line of the Hebrew text. That title, like much of the rest of the text, is deliberately susceptible to different meanings. It can of course simply be a superlative, meaning the most beautiful of all songs, which is how it come to be regarded. On the other hand, however, it can also imply a song about songs, and the way they are created - which is its real purpose. Because songs can deal with any subject and convey both meaning and emotion and because every single note and word has to be a perfect fit, Solomon is in fact using the song as a metaphor for all creative works of excellence in all fields. It is interesting also that a song is actually a detailed plan of action - a sequence of notes and words that trained musicians can readily produce in order to create a desired effect. A song also demonstrates other principles of creativity - first the creation of something new by arranging known elements, notes, into a pleasing new pattern; and second the combining of music with appropriate words, a creative act of synthesis. Modern technology and invention rely heavily on these two principles. -- Multiple Meanings: Such was the depth of Solomon's wisdom and genius that each metaphor, it seems, is capable of sparkling forth a variety of insights, like a carefully cut diamond held up to the light of experience, with the result that numerous insights into a very complex subject were able to be condensed into eight short chapters of poetry. Although I have attempted to point out what I see as the key principles in each section, I hope that you, the reader, will perceive additional insights that are particularly relevant and useful to you, with your unique viewpoint, experience and aspirations. Amazingly, it seems also that the original Hebrew text, which is composed only of consonants, is framed in such an inspired manner that different but complementary insights can often be generated from the same phrases by the insertion of different vowels, which is why different translators often offer radically different, but complementary, renderings of the same verses. As a result, the insights I have attempted to draw out in each section, constitute, I am sure, simply the tips of metaphorical ice-bergs of understanding, and the efforts of those who take the time to meditate more deeply, will without doubt be richly rewarded. Additional insights also will appear as your experience prepares you to perceive and apply them. -- Lost Knowledge: Although the knowledge of the principles of creativity originally revealed to the first human beings somehow became lost, they were rediscovered some three thousand years ago by Solomon, famously the wisest person who ever lived, and preserved by him for posterity in the eight short chapters of intricately woven and often erotic poetry that makes up the "Song of Songs", acknowledged by many as the most beautiful - but misunderstood - work in all literature. Although that poetry, also known as the "Song of Solomon", was preserved by divine fiat as part of the sacred Hebrew Scriptures because of its immense potential importance, both artistically and commercially, the knowledge of its true significance soon became lost - if indeed it was ever made commonly known - most probably when the kingdom of Israel was destroyed and its people carried off into captivity and scattered far and wide after Solomon's death. In their captivity the people of Israel all but lost contact with their language, with the result that some of the language in the "Song" is extremely obscure, and a number of words occurring there are not used anywhere else in the Bible, a situation made even more difficult for the scholars by the fact that the Hebrew text consists only of consonants, as already noted, leaving the reader to supply the vowels and draw out the meaning, based on an understanding of the context. -- A Short Course in Creativity: As a result of these events, Solomon's much admired masterpiece soon came to be regarded as an impenetrable mystery, described by scholars as holding "without question the first place among the puzzles of literature". Happily, that ancient puzzle has now been solved and Solomon's true intention rediscovered, showing the "Song" to be in reality a short course in creativity - the most powerful but neglected inspirational/self-help work every written. By studying his book of "Proverbs", said Solomon, the simple would be made wise, and even the those already counted wise could increase their learning. Likewise, by studying the "Song of Songs", those who are not yet creative can become creative, and those who are already creative - even professionally so - can enhance their creativity. Such is the subtlety and depth of the inspired writings of Solomon which now form the basis of this short course in the technology of creativity. - It has long intrigued me that all the principles of personal and businesses success promoted by popular inspirational books, from Samuel Smiles' Victorian classic "Self Help" down to Steven Covey's recent blockbuster, "The Seven Habits of Successful People", are in fact to be found in the wisdom writings of Solomon, and readily available therefore in any copy of the world's perennial best seller, the Bible - confirmation perhaps that Solomon was indeed the wisest person who ever lived. I was not unduly surprised, therefore, to discover that the principles of creative excellence already mentioned are also to be found in the writings of Solomon, also in the Bible, but this time tucked away in the enigmatic passages of erotic love poetry of the "Song of Songs". -- Discover and Develop Your Creative Potential: The inspired intent of the "Song of Songs" is for you, the reader, to discover and develop the creative potential you already possess. What Solomon describes, you can experience, and what highly creative people do you can do too, because you already possess the psychological wherewithal to do so. The first step is to discover your potential, to become enlightened to the simple fact that the magical, productive thinking of the greatest creators who ever lived is simply a more patient and persistent extension the way you have been informally thinking all your life. The second step is to deliberately develop that potential by applying the principles Solomon identifies and describes in your own life, in your own unique manner, for your own unique purposes. -- Multifaceted Metaphors: In explaining the principles of creativity, Solomon makes use of a range of metaphors, based on what at first appears to be a bewildering miscellany of natural subjects, including foxes, lions, horses, gazelles, sheep, a garden and a vineyard, a king and a virgin, and even a young flat-chested girl. This metaphorical method of teaching and learning is of course the approach of the modern quantum physicist who attempts to understand and describe the weird complexity of ultimate physical reality, such as the behaviour of light and electrons, for example, by comparison with familiar everyday phenomena such as the motion of waves on water or the movement of balls rebounding from the cushions of a snooker table. Each of the thirty multi-faceted metaphors which comprise the "Song" is designed, when made the focus of quiet meditation and held up to the light of personal experience, to sparkle forth a variety of complementary insights into the creative process, just as the facets of a diamond refract the myriad subtle shades of colour of the rainbow when viewed from different angles. -- The Levites: The significance of the "Song" is not immediately obvious to the casual reader, or even to the scholar, who is unaware of Solomon's purpose, and I suspect that it was intended to be studied by mature students, under the guidance of wise and learned teachers called Levites, probably over a period of weeks or months, being read and discussed, in question and answer fashion, in a manner similar to that of the famous Oxford tutorial system. In the absence of Levites, this book is offered as a substitute - a distant learning package, if you will, designed to encourage and enable interested individuals to discover, develop, and maximise their creativity. It is interesting that although some Levites, members of the specially gifted family of Levi, were assigned to live and work in Jerusalem, supporting the work of the priests in the Temple and making music, most of them were located, by divine decree, in 48 "cities of refuge", which were spread throughout the whole land of Israel. Although the stated function of those cities, initially, was to provide safe legal sanctuary for any person who had killed someone accidentally, there seems little doubt that they were also intended to become centres of educational and cultural excellence, constituting what we would today describe as a university system of education. From the scriptural accounts, it seems probable also that every town and village in the land had its own resident Levite, a kind of village schoolmaster cum priest whose function was to provide academic and religious instruction for all, completing a complex legal, spiritual, educational, and administrative network that extended like a nervous system from Jerusalem on out to every corner of the land. Sadly the world leadership - socially, culturally, scientifically, and economically - that this sophisticated system, was intended bestow on Israel, making it a model for other nations to follow, was never attained, although important progress did begin to be made during the glorious reign of Solomon. [article link]

Secular Website: Solomon & the "Song of Songs" (Part 2)
Is the Song a Religious Book? Before looking at the "Song", perhaps we should dispel any notion that Solomon's mysterious masterpiece is a "religious" work, despite its inclusion in the Bible. According to the editor of the "Jerusalem Bible": "People have found it surprising that a book that makes no mention of God and whose vocabulary is so passionate should figure in the sacred canon". Scholar Charles Ellicott says that: "From the beginning to the end there is not a single word in it which suggests any connection with religion. The whole theme, he says, is one of "folly, vanity and looseness." He concludes, perhaps with a shake of the head, by asking: "How did the vigilance of those who watched the formation of the Canon allow it?" How indeed - and why? Such has been the confusion over the significance of the "Song" that when Jewish scholars in the first century sought to have it removed from the canon of scripture we are told that the Rabbi Akiba retorted that: "All the ages are not worth the day on which the 'Song of Songs' was given to Israel, for all the Writings are holy, but the 'Song of Songs' is the Holy of Holies". Commenting its literary merits, John Bowker, in his "Bible Handbook" offers the following opinion: "The book is full of exquisite poems that use almost every device available to the Hebrew poet. It is a rhapsody of the thoughts and feelings of a young woman and her beloved as they journey towards the consummation of their love. Rarely has a book been interpreted so diversely over the millennia." As we shall see, it is that kind of passionate love for a purpose or subject that engages our creativity. -- Is the Song Pornographic? In "The Song of Fourteen Songs", Michael Goulder rejects any spiritual meaning and focuses instead on the implicit sexuality of certain sections of the "Song". Lifting the lid on some of Solomon's seemingly innocent similes - but missing the creative message being conveyed - he concludes that "titillation is the key note". The girl in the "Song", he says, is portrayed "from the first verse as a nymphomaniac", and the whole book could well be regarded as "nothing else than a piece of high-class pornography". Virtuous readers, he warns, may well "emerge from such a study feeling soiled and disgusted". God, however, who created the male and female form and also inspired the poetry Goulder is referring to, is not prudish. It is easy to understand, however, why certain more sensuous sections of the "Song" were bawdily sung in the taverns of ancient Israel, much to the chagrin of rabbis, by revellers who were totally unaware of their true significance. -- Scholars Obscure the Meaning: Although some of metaphors selected by Solomon are obscured by the opacity of the ancient Hebrew, the full meaning of some sections of the "Song" has sometimes been deliberately denied modern readers by the prudishness of translators who have shrunk from conveying into English the literal meaning of many phrases. The great Adam Clarke, for example, writing over a century ago, says in his "Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible": "There are many passages in it which should not be explained, if taken literally, the references being too delicate; and Eastern phraseology on such subjects too vivid for European imaginations. Let any sensible pious medical man read over this Book: and, if at all acquainted with Asiatic phraseology, say whether it would be proper, even in medical language, to explain all the descriptions and allusions in this Poem." Virtuous readers beware! -- The Song Baffles the Scholars: Commenting on its enigmatic literary structure, Cohen, in "The Five Megilloth" says: "The various sections succeed one another without logical sequence, giving the appearance of incongruous fragments." Not surprisingly then, the "Song" has remained a puzzle throughout the centuries, and its erotic poetry greatly disturbed the celibate scholars of the Early Christian Church, prompting Origen, who considered it dangerously suggestive, to say: "These things seem to me to afford no profit to the reader . . . It is necessary therefore rather to give them a spiritual meaning." This he did, devoting a massive ten-volume commentary to the task, seeking to show that the metaphorical language was referring in reality to the relationship between Jesus Christ and Christian Church. Origen, however, was wrong, as were the equally baffled Jewish scholars vied with him to give the Song a non-Christian spiritual meaning, asserting that it referred to the loving relationship between the nation of Israel and God. -- The Pyramid of Wisdom: One basic clue to understanding the purpose of the "Song of Songs" is the fact that God revealed to Solomon the principles of successful living, making him the wisest person who had ever lived, and very significantly, who would ever live. Under the guidance of that inspiration, Solomon wrote three books which are not religious at all, in the normal sense of the word, but secular, because their intended purpose was, and is, to teach the principles of health, wealth and happiness. The "Song" simply complements his other two books - Proverbs, Ecclesiastes - to complete a wisdom trilogy or pyramid. "Proverbs", the base of the pyramid, deals with wisdom, the fundamental principles of successful living. It was understood by Jewish scholars to have been designed to interpret the law of God and the Ten Commandments, as revealed to Moses, into practical detail to provide guidance for successful secular daily living in a manner harmonious with that law - and that it was intended for all people, everywhere not just he people of Israel. Without this sound foundation of eternal principles of success such as self-discipline, control of the tongue, caution, courage, persistence, honesty, generosity, self analysis and general "righteousness" our creative efforts may well crumble to dust. "Ecclesiastes", the second level of the pyramid, focuses on the crucial importance of sound values and realistic goals in life. In it, Solomon reflects on his own experiences and the experiments in living he carried out in search of the truly good and satisfying life. Without this harmonising dimension of balance, moderation in things, including work, and an appreciation of the ultimate futility of riches for their own sake, our creative efforts will never bring real satisfaction. -- Creativity the Apex of the Pyramid: Finally, the "Song of Songs", which is the apex of the pyramid of wisdom, completes Solomon's trilogy by offering, to those ready and willing to learn, the secrets of creative excellence and success, even genius - principles which find application in any and every field of human endeavor. As already noted, for some reason, the true significance of the "Song" was lost, somewhere along the dusty paths of Palestinian history, most probably when Solomon's empire was destroyed and his people carried away into captivity and all but lost contact with the Hebrew language of the ancient scriptures. By studying his book of Proverbs, said Solomon, the simple could become wise, and those already accounted wise could increase their learning. Similarly, by studying his "Song of Songs" those who are not yet creative can discover and develop their creative potential - and those already accounted creative, even professionally so, can enhance the quality of their work. -- A Personal Exodus? I suspect that significant corroboration of Solomon's intent in the "Song" is afforded by the fact that some now unknown person or persons of authority, at some time in the distant past, saw fit to assign sections to be read to the congregations of Israel on the eighth day of the Passover festival, at the end of the days of unleavened bread. The Passover, which was instituted under Moses, commemorates Israel's exodus from Egypt - a glorious deliverance from slavery - and their entry into the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. Deliverance, I believe, is also the message of the "Song of Songs". Personal development gurus such as Anthony Robbins and many psychologists now recognize that most of mankind - even in the so-called civilized world - remains in a kind of mental bondage to mediocrity, fear and failure, unknowingly enslaved by negative attitudes, ignorance, and illusion. Through the inspired writings of Solomon, they are offered the opportunity to escape, and encouraged to undertake a personal exodus into a new and more satisfying life of creative excellence and enduring achievement. [article link]

Song of Solomon 1-2 - The Song of Solomon and the love story it encompasses helps us to understand better our relationship with God - Our relationship with God is intended to be a close, personal, individual, highly Spiritual and a deeply, intimately involved relationship with God -- 'Song of Solomon 1:1 The song of songs, which is Solomon's.'
Song of Solomon 1:4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. -- Song of Solomon 2:1-4 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. - Note: God's banner over us is His love for us.

Song of Solomon 3-4 - A theme in the Song of Solomon is that of missed opportunity and of the reality of hardships and work that sustain and drive a true meaningful love -- 'Song of Solomon 3:1 By night on my bed **I sought him whom my soul loveth: **I sought him, but I found him not [at that moment].'
Song of Solomon 3:2-4 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him [in the bars and in the low places], but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him [conducting legitimate business] whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. -- Acts 17:27 That they [mankind] should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him [Jesus Christ], and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us:'

Song of Solomon 5-6 - The 'beloved' had withdrawn himself from her not because he was angry with her but just because he wanted to spend some time alone in his own private garden -- 'Song of Solomon 5:6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.'
Song of Solomon 5:7-9 7 The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? - Note: The perils of being in a high profile, highly visible relationship with a prominent person the King and the envy and jealousy that it provokes from others even from those who it should not provoke envy from. As soon as they had opportunity the 'watchmen' who worked for the King instead of helping her this second time they abused her taking advantage of the opportunity of her wandering in the streets and being alone and not in the direct company and fellowship of the King. - Now she finds her 'beloved' doing his pleasure in his own private garden where he belongs and where he should be spending some of his own alone time. It was her that was needlessly wandering the dangerous streets in peril looking in areas where her 'beloved' would not be found. - Song of Solomon 6:1-3 Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.

Song of Solomon 7-8 - The Song of Solomon concludes with the husband and the wife going together hand in hand and in love with one another to see their various gardens of life flourish -- 'Song of Solomon 7:12-13 12 Let us get up early [together] to the [garden] vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves. The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.'
Song of Solomon 8:6-14 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for? If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will inclose her with boards of cedar. I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favour. Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred. Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it. Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

ISAIAH

Introduction: The Book of Isaiah - The Book of Isaiah is often considered the High Holy Book of the Old Testament - The Prophecy [Isaiah 52:13-53:12] of (Jesus Christ) the suffering servant is such an intimate look into the Soul of Jesus Christ that it is called the Holy of Holies of the Old Testament
The Prophet Isaiah has a New Testament counterpart in the ministry and the person of the Apostle Paul. Both Isaiah and the Apostle Paul were very highly educated, both began their ministries while serving in the upper echelons of the Judaism power structure. Isaiah was a counselor to several Kings of Israel [Isaiah 1:1], the Apostle Paul was a Pharisee and probably a member [or about to become a member] of the Jewish Great Sanhedrin (Supreme Court) because of his familiarity with their proceedings and Paul references them as "brethren" in Acts 23:1 'And Paul, earnestly beholding the council [Sanhedrin], said, Men and brethren ...' - Both the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul took their ministry from the highest echelons of Jewish society into [perhaps the highest ministry of all] a martyrdom. The Prophet Isaiah was martyred and it is thought he was martyred in about 665 B.C. by being cut into two with a dull wooden saw at the command of the evil King Manasseh of Judah and the event is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 11:37 as 'sawn asunder'. The Apostle Paul was arrested at the command of Cesar Nero in Rome after initially having been set free from his first trial under Cesar Claudius and Paul was then beheaded under Nero around 65 A.D. - The Apostle Paul often quoted the Prophet Isaiah. 'Isaiah 59:17 For He (Jesus) put on Righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of Salvation upon His head; and He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke [cloak].' - 'Ephesians 6:11-18 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the *breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the *helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;' - The Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul are considered to be counterparts and the 'beloved' Disciple and Apostle John is considered a counterpart to the 'beloved' Prophet Daniel while John the Baptist is a counterpart to Elijah the Prophet.

THE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF THE PROPHETS - The four prophets commonly styled "Greater" (or Longer in length), ISAIAH [Matthew 3:3], JEREMIAH [2 Chronicles 36:12, Matthew 2:17], EZEKIEL, and DANIEL [Ezekiel 14:14, Matthew 24:15], are all dated - Of the other twelve, called "Minor" (or shorter in length), six are dated and six are undated - The dated books are HOSEA, AMOS, MICAH, ZEPHANIAH, HAGGAI, and ZECHARIAH - The undated books are JOEL, OBADIAH, JONAH [2 Kings 14:25], NAHUM, HABAKKUK, and MALACHI - Of the whole sixteen, therefore, we have ten dated and six undated - From the particulars given in the dated books themselves, we are enabled to lay down with precision the years and periods covered by the respective prophecies - With regard to the undated books the case is different; and we have to rely upon the guidance of their internal evidence - But this in almost every case is so clear, that there is no great difficulty in assigning each of the prophetical books to its respective chronological position (Chart)
The First Group [early prophets - Assyrian activity] consists of six prophets: JONAH, AMOS, HOSEA, ISAIAH, MICAH, NAHUM, covering a period of 102 YEARS. - Then follows a great "gap" or "break" of 70 YEARS - The Second Group [middle prophets - Babylonian captivity] consists of seven prophets: JEREMIAH, HABAKKUK, ZEPHANIAH, DANIEL, JOEL, EZEKIEL, OBADIAH covering a period of 94 YEARS - Followed by a "gap" or "break" of 14 YEARS - The Third Group [later prophets - restoration in Israel, looking to the coming of the Messiah] consists of two prophets: HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH covering a period of 7 YEARS - Then follows a "gap" of 29 YEARS - Which is closed by the prophet MALACHI - The whole period covered by the sixteen prophets is therefore 316 YEARS. From the above (chart) it is seen that MALACHI is to be reckoned as being separate and apart from the rest; and not, as usually presented, linked together with HAGGAI and ZECHARIAH. "By the Hebrews, Malachi is known as 'the Seal of the Prophets', and as closing the Canon of the Jewish Scriptures." - Note: There is about a 400 year span from Malachi until the events of the Gospel of Matthew begin. [article link]

ISAIAH also known as the Bible in Miniature - Books of the Bible: 66 Chapters of Isaiah: 66
Books of the Bible: 66 Chapters of Isaiah: 66 -- Books in the Old Testament: 39 "Old Testament Isaiah," first 39 chapters (Isa. 1-39); Books in the New Testament: 27 "New Testament Isaiah," last 27 chapters (Isa. 40-66). This is quite reasonable in that the first portion of Isaiah is related primarily to the nation of Israel, and its interactions with the surrounding nations. In a nutshell, this is what the whole of the Old Testament is about. The last portion of Isaiah is related primarily to a single special Servant of Yahweh. In a nutshell, this is what the whole of the New Testament is about. [article link]

The Book of Isaiah - Introduction & Chapter 1 by Pastor Howard Fleury (Mp3s)
The Book of Isaiah is like a mini-Bible. The first 39 chapters (like the 39 books of the Old Testament) are filled with judgment upon immoral, idolatrous and rebellious men. Israel has sinned, Judah has sinned. The surrounding nations have sinned. The whole earth has sinned. Judgment must come, because God will not allow such blatant sin to go unpunished forever. But, the final 27 chapters (like the 27 books of the New Testament) declare a message of hope. The Messiah is coming as a Savior, and a Sovereign - to bear a cross, and to wear a crown. [article link]

Isaiah - The Wheel within the Wheel - In other words, Isaiah is like a 2D shadow of the 3D Bible
The overall, large-scale correspondence between Isaiah and the Bible is really rather difficult to miss. Isaiah opens with reference to heaven and earth, echoing Genesis, and closes with reference to the new heaven and new earth, echoing Revelation. And between these two great poles, we see Isaiah divided exactly as the Bible itself, with the Gospel first emerging from Isaiah 40, in perfect coherence with the Gospel of Matthew. The miracle of God is that the link between the prophecy of John the Baptist in Isaiah 40.3 and its fulfillment in Matthew 3.3 can be understood as a mathematical projection of the three-dimensional Bible Point PBible (40, 3, 3) onto the two-dimensional plane of Isaiah! In other words, Isaiah is like a 2D shadow of the 3D Bible ... [article link]

25 Fascinating Facts About the Dead Sea Scrolls - The Isaiah Scroll [written in Hebrew], found relatively intact, is 1000 years older than any previously known copy of Isaiah - In fact, the scrolls are the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found [scrolls dating from 200 B.C. to 68 A.D.]
The Dead Sea Scrolls were most likely written by the Essenes during the period from about 200 B.C. to 68 C.E./A.D. The Essenes are mentioned by Josephus and in a few other sources, but not in the New testament. The Essenes were a strict Torah observant, Messianic, apocalyptic, baptist, wilderness, new covenant Jewish sect. They were led by a priest they called the "Teacher of Righteousness," who was opposed and possibly killed by the establishment priesthood in Jerusalem. ... The Scrolls are for the most part, written in Hebrew, but there are many written in Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of the Jews of Palestine for the last two centuries B.C. and of the first two centuries A.D. The discovery of the Scrolls has greatly enhanced our knowledge of these two languages. In addition, there are a few texts written in Greek. ... Since the late fifties, about 40% of the Scrolls, mostly fragments from Cave 4, remained unpublished and were inaccessible. It wasn't until 1991, 44 years after the discovery of the first Scroll, after the pressure for publication mounted, that general access was made available to photographs of the Scrolls. In November of 1991 the photos were published by the Biblical Archaeological Society in a nonofficial edition; a computer reconstruction, based on a concordance, was announced; the Huntington Library pledged to open their microfilm files of all the scroll photographs. [article link]

Dead Sea Scrolls - Book of Isaiah - The Dead Sea scrolls comprise roughly 825-870 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran (near the Dead Sea) - The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they are practically the only known surviving Biblical documents written before 100 A.D. - About 30% are fragments from the Hebrew Bible, from all the books except the Book of Esther and the Book of Nehemiah (Abegg et al 2002) - About 25% are traditional Israelite religious texts that are not in the canonical Hebrew Bible, such as the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, and the Testament of Levi - Another 30% contain Biblical commentaries or other texts such as the Community Rule(s) - The biblical texts cited most often in the nonbiblical Dead Sea Scrolls are the Psalms, followed by the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Deuteronomy - Important texts include the [now famous] Isaiah Scroll (discovered in 1947), a Commentary on Habakkuk (1947); the Community Rule(s), which gives much information on the structure and theology of the sect; and the earliest version of the Damascus Document
The Dead Sea scrolls comprise roughly 825-870 documents, including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves in and around the Wadi Qumran (near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea). The texts are of great religious and historical significance, as they are practically the only known surviving Biblical documents written before AD 100. Date and contents: According to carbon dating, textual analysis, and handwriting analysis the documents were written at various times between the middle of the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. At least one document has a carbon date range of 21 BC AD 61. The Nash Papyrus from Egypt, containing a copy of the Ten Commandments, is the only other Hebrew document of comparable antiquity. Similar written materials have been recovered from nearby sites, including the fortress of Masada. While some of the scrolls were written on papyrus, a good portion were written on a brownish animal hide that appears to be gevil. The scrolls were written with feathers from a bird and the ink used was made from carbon black and white pigments. One scroll, appropriately named the Copper Scroll, consisted of thin copper sheets that were incised with text and then joined together. The fragments span at least 800 texts that represent many diverse viewpoints, ranging from the beliefs of the Essenes to those of other sects. About 30% are fragments from the Hebrew Bible, from all the books except the Book of Esther and the Book of Nehemiah (Abegg et al 2002). About 25% are traditional Israelite religious texts that are not in the canonical Hebrew Bible, such as the Book of Enoch, the Book of Jubilees, and the Testament of Levi. Another 30% contain Biblical commentaries or other texts such as the Community Rule (1QS/4QSa-j, also known as "Discipline Scroll" or "Manual of Discipline") and the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (1QM, also known as the "War Scroll") related to the beliefs, regulations, and membership requirements of a small Jewish sect, which many researchers believe lived in the Qumran area. The rest (about 15%) of the fragments are yet unidentified. Most of the scrolls are written in one of two dialects of Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew or Dead Sea Scroll Hebrew (on which see Hoffman 2004 or Qimron 1986). Biblical Hebrew dominates in the Biblical documents, and DSS Hebrew in the documents composed in Qumran. Some scrolls are also written in Aramaic and a few in Greek. Only a few of the biblical scrolls were written at Qumran, the majority being copied before the Qumran period and coming into the ownership of the Qumran community (Abegg et al 2002). There is no evidence that the Qumran community altered the biblical texts that they did copy to reflect their own theology (Abegg et al 2002). It is thought that the Qumran community would have viewed the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees as divinely inspired scripture (Abegg et al 2002). The biblical texts cited most often in the nonbiblical Dead Sea Scrolls are the Psalms, followed by the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Deuteronomy (Abegg et al 2002). Important texts include the Isaiah Scroll (discovered in 1947), a Commentary on the Habakkuk (1947); the Community Rule (1QS/4QSa-j), which gives much information on the structure and theology of the sect; and the earliest version of the Damascus Document. The so-called Copper Scroll (1952), which lists hidden caches of gold, scrolls, and weapons, is probably the most notorious. ... Christian Connections: Spanish Jesuit Jose O'Callaghan has argued that one fragment (7Q5) is a New Testament text from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, verses 52-53. In recent years this controversial assertion has been taken up again by German scholar Carsten Peter Thiede. A successful identification of this fragment as a passage from Mark would make it the earliest extant New Testament document, dating somewhere between AD 30 and AD 60. Opponents consider that the fragment is tiny and requires so much reconstruction (the only complete word in Greek is "and") that it could have come from a text other than Mark. {There are several NT quotes and apparently a Gospel and some epistles found among the Scrolls however some of the Scrolls have been hidden, censored and probably at this point in time forged and manipulated into something they originally were not.} [article link]

Isaiah 1-2 - The Prophet Isaiah begins his prophetic ministry to Israel in Jerusalem during the reign of King Uzziah (Azariah) -- 'Isaiah 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning *Judah and *Jerusalem in the days of [King] Uzziah [also known as Azariah], Jotham (son of Uzziah), Ahaz (son of Jotham), and Hezekiah (son of Ahaz), kings of Judah.' {Note: Manasseh who is thought to have martyred Isaiah is the son of King Hezekiah.} - Manasseh was a king of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the only son and successor of Hezekiah. He was 12 years old when he began to reign. - Manasseh was the first king of Judah who would not have had a direct experience of a Kingdom of [Northern] Israel, which had been destroyed by the Assyrians in c. 720 BC [during King Ahaz] and its population deported. He (Manasseh) is condemned in the Hebrew scriptures for reversing the religious reforms made by his father Hezekiah and re-instituting pagan worship. He was married to Meshullemeth, daughter of Haruz of Jotbah, and they had a son Amon, who succeeded him as king of Judah upon his death. He is mentioned in Assyrian records as a contemporary of Esarhaddon. After a reign of 55 years (for 10 of which he was co-regent with his father), the longest in the history of Judah, he died in c. 643 BC and was buried in the garden of Uzza, the "garden of his own house" (2 Kings 21:17-18; 2 Chronicles 33:20), and not in the City of David, among his ancestors. - Wiki.com
Isaiah 1:2-4 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me. The ox knoweth his owner [animals know and respond kindly to their provider but people do not], and the ass [donkey] his master's crib [stall]: but Israel doth not know, *My people doth not consider. Ah sinful Nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, *children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, *they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. - Isaiah in what would become a mini model of the entire Bible starts his prophecy "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken" a direct reference to God speaking creation into existence in the Book of Genesis. 'Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. *And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. ...' The problem God is having with His people is threefold 1. The people no longer "consider" God or the ways of God. 2. The people of God have become "children that are corrupters" teaching others how to sin against God. 3. The people of God have now "provoked" God and instead of fellowship with God have become as an enemy actually fighting against God opposing the very core existence, values and insights of who God is as a being. - With the people now openly opposing God in teaching others to sin against God and now not even considering God or the ways of God as a viable option in their own life God is going to recreate the circumstances in their lives just as He recreated the Universe from darkness into light and from formlessness and void into form and function. God is a capable Master of His creation and He will willingly and lovingly [the cross of Jesus Christ] bring His people back from darkness and into His glorious light to see His Spirit move, to hear His voice command and to experience His life eternal.

Isaiah 3-4 - Even in this relatively early stage of the Nation of Israel and for Judah the Prophet Isaiah will begin to distinguish between individuals in righteousness and wickedness and will focus primarily on the righteous Remnant of Israel and on their future return and restoration to fulfill the promises and destiny of the Nation of Israel -- 'Isaiah 3:10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.'
Isaiah 3:11-15 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him. As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people, *they which lead thee cause thee to err, *and destroy the way of thy paths. *The LORD standeth up to plead [follow the Lord], and standeth to judge the people. The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients [elderly] of His people, and the princes [upper-class] thereof: for ye have eaten up the Vineyard [the Garden of Jesus]; the spoil [belongings] of the poor is in your houses. What mean ye that ye beat My people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the LORD GOD of hosts. - From time memorial to forever mankind will always [knowingly and even unknowingly] lead mankind astray from God. We have the option of following man or of following God. - Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb (Jesus Christ) which is in the midst of the Throne [in Heaven] shall feed them, and *shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Isaiah 5 - Isaiah continues to declare the 'backward' fallen nature of mankind -- 'Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ...'
Isaiah 5:30 And in that day [the day their enemy overcomes them] they [enemy] shall roar against them [children of God] like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, *and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. - The land is dark and the people are overcome because God will no longer tolerate their sinful behavior. People think that God is obligated to assist us and that is not the case. What is the case is that God is obligated to remain True to Himself. God is not going to misrepresent Himself, compromise or sell Himself short in order to conform to the desires of a fallen mankind. It is mankind that is to conform to the image of God the image that we were created in and the image that we belong in.

Isaiah 6-7 - Isaiah incorporates the Triune (Trinity) nature of God into his writings more than any other O.T. prophet or writer -- 'Isaiah 6:1-3 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the Seraphims [Angels that are present at the Throne]: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy [Father], Holy [Son Jesus], Holy [Holy Spirit], is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.' - {Note: In both the O.T. [Isaiah 6:3] and the N.T. [Revelation 4:8] God is referred to as Holy, Holy, Holy. It is not that God is 3x Holy it is that the Father is Holy, the Son Jesus Christ is Holy and the Holy Spirit is Holy.}
Isaiah 7:10-14 Moreover the LORD spake again unto [king] Ahaz {an unfaithful king}, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. *But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And He (Isaiah) said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son (Jesus Christ), and shall call His Name {Title} Immanuel [God with and among us]. - Ahaz did not want to see the Spirit of God move in his life because he knew that he would be accountable for any knowledge and interaction he had with God so Ahaz decided to turn completely from God rather than give God any opportunity to work in his life. Isaiah then informed Ahaz that God didn't need Ahaz's permission to fulfill His plans for mankind and that to prove God would openly give a sign to the entire House of David to, all of Israel and to the entire world. The Sign is that a Jewish Virgin of the House of David will have a son. The word virgin (Almah H5959) in the Hebrew is for an adult marriage age virgin woman. The word virgin (Parthenos G3933) in the Greek Septuagint is the Greek word for a virgin woman not just an unmarried woman.

Isaiah's 'Virgin' Prophecy - NO prophecy of Holy Scripture better exemplifies the conflicting Bible interpretations between Judaism and Christianity on the use of their mutual holy scriptures than Isaiah's prophecy to king Ahaz about the coming Immanu-el child (Isaiah 7:1 to 9:7)
THE core of this conflict is the translation of the word 'almah' in Isaiah 7:14 which refers to the mother of this future child. CHRISTIANS from the beginning saw in this prophecy the virgin birth of Jesus, a fact central to His deity and therefore to His capacity to be the sufficient sacrifice for all sin. BUT in contrast Judaism asserts correctly that the Hebrew word 'almah' does not mean virgin, as it has almost always been translated in Christian versions of Isaiah 7:14. Yet surprisingly, the first known translation of this word as 'virgin' (parthenos) is not Christian but pre-Christian Jewish: a translation into Greek more than a century before the birth of Jesus, and known as the Septuagint (LXX). Septuagint fragment of Psalm 89:4-7. TO understand this, it must be noted that the Septuagint translation often verges on a paraphrase (as some modern English versions do), indicating that the Jewish translators were aware that its Greek-speaking readers may miss the meaning in a literal translation because of cultural differences. They evidently believed that a translation was needed that would help bridge the cultural gap by giving more than simply a literal equivalent of each word. Please Note! AN example of this is Isaiah 1:13 where the Septuagint translates "calling of assemblies" (Hebrew qr` mqr`) as "Great Day" (meaning the Day of Atonement assembly). This paraphrase by the Septuagint is supported in the Jewish Talmud; the collective wisdom of Judaism. Thus the Septuagint translation reflects the interpretative understanding (the exegesis) of the more orthodox Judaism of its time. It is all the more significant then that these same Jewish scholars should have translated the Hebrew 'almah' as 'parthenos' - the Greek term for virgin. ... That the Immanuel prophecy should fulfil a dual role in God's Word like this should not be thought unusual. This is common to messianic prophecy, that first the immediate situation of the prophet be addressed, and then the principle involved in the prophecy be applied, beyond the immediate, to the larger picture of Israel's destiny. Hence the messianic sense became the orthodox Jewish translation of the time - of a virgin who would conceive a son as God's great sign. Thus, did Israel anticipate the birth of the Gospel that would grow up in Galilee, walk the roads of Judah, and become God's gracious Lamb! ,,, Today, even the Bible's awesome description of this sign-child as "Mighty God, Everlasting Father", which so obviously did not apply to Isaiah's own sign-child (8:18), is applied by modern rabbis to Ahaz's son 'Hezekiah' in order to avoid acknowledging Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah or Christ. ... Yes, real faith can never be forced: no more by pressure of argument than by force of arms. But, the unbelief of Israel, in Ahaz's time as in any other time, also cannot undo this Word of God or make it of no effect! For, as Isaiah himself said - "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:7 [article link]

Isaiah 8-10 - Isaiah continues to reveal that the plans of God will come to pass and anything that is ultimately against the plans of God will not come to pass -- 'Isaiah 8:10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.' - 'Isaiah 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that [liberation] day, that his burden [the burden of Egypt and the world] shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed *because of the anointing [the presence of God]. - {Note: It is the presence of God that sets us free by removing our burdens and bondages. If you want to get set free from bondage, addictions and spiritual warfare then seek after the face and the presence of God [Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit]. Battling spiritual forces and addictions will not free us up it is our prayers to God, our Bible study with God, our fellowship with God and with one another and our service to God and to one another that will free us up to then battle and conquer and overcome but only with the Spirit anointing in the presence of God.
Isaiah 9:2-7 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light [of Jesus Christ] shined [Matthew 4:16]. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born [Virgin birth], unto us a Son is given [Cross and Resurrection]: *and the [Resurrection] Government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name {Title} shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, *The mighty God, *The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His Government and peace there shall be no end [eternal], upon the Throne of David, and upon His Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. - Isaiah has prophetically declared in no uncertain terms that God is going to enter into the human realm and that the eternal Resurrection Kingdom to be established is to be that of God's Kingdom and it will be from His achievement.

Isaiah 11-12 - Isaiah continues to bring the vision of the future, eternal, healthy (salvation), rejoicing, refreshing, satisfying, Kingdom of God that is available to the people -- 'Isaiah 12:3-4 Therefore [having Salvation] with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon His Name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His Name is Exalted.'
Isaiah 12:1-6 And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. *Behold, God is my Salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my Salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of Salvation. *And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His Name is Exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done excellent things: **this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion [Mt. Zion in Jerusalem]: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. - Isaiah is making it clear that 'Salvation' eternal healing is what is being offered by God to mankind. The momentary afflictions and sorrows of this world will be overcome by God and the joys of this world few as they are cannot possibly be compared to the eternal rejoicing and joy that is yet to come in our Salvation through God.

Isaiah 13-14 - Isaiah prophesies a series of judgments against Gentile Nations - Starting with Babylon, Assyria and the Philistines - The judgments given by Isaiah are beyond the scope of mere human beings living in cities and villages - The prophecies of Isaiah seem to enter into judgments against wicked, evil, spiritual, demonic and fallen entities that inhabit and rule over the locations prophesied about - 'Isaiah 13:1-14:20 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. ... Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee [King of Babylon - Satan] at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. ...'
Isaiah 14:7-20 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they [people - creation - trees] break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou [Satan] art laid down, no feller is come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming [as a prisoner]: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief [deceived] ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. *All they [deceived] shall speak and say unto thee [Satan], Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us [condemned]? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer [Lucifer means light bearer it is a title not a name, the name of Satan is unrecorded in the Bible], son of the morning [first creation of the Angels]! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars [Angels] of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High [God, YHWH]. Yet thou [Satan] shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. *They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, everyone in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. *Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial [Satan does not have a kingdom in hell he is a routine prisoner in hell], because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. - The fallen Angel Satan, the king of Babylon is addressed by God through God's Prophet Isaiah. - Note: The fallen Angelic and Demonic realm does not have open access to the Throne of God and therefore do not have access to the plans of God.

Isaiah 15-17 - The judgments of the Nations of Moab and Damascus - 'Isaiah 15:1 The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence;'
Isaiah 16:6-7 We [Hebrews] have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so. Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken. - Encompassing and reigning over these ancient cities, nations and civilizations were entrenched [fallen angelic], demonic entities, spiritual rulers and principalities. It is still that way today but since the cross of Jesus Christ the demonic realm has had to slightly morph and has been unable to rule as openly as they did in the past. The ancient Canaanite capital city of Jericho "Moon" city [or New Age city] in Canaanite language was also an ancient spiritual stronghold. In modern times the spirit entities that once reigned over and controlled the people of ancient civilizations still exists though the ancient civilization have long since ceased to exit the spiritual entities have morphed into a modern structure but still reign and rule in a concerted [Satanic] NWO effort. Moab though not now a Nation it could possibly be that the ancient spirits of Moab are now what are influencing and are behind the modern Mormon (LDS) cult religion [and probably the LDS hierarchy knows this at least the earlier LDS hierarchy seemed to in giving the name Moab some prominence even naming Moab as a city in Utah] while the ancient entities of ancient Jericho are possibly busy deceiving via a modern deceptive New Age enlightenment agenda.

The Moabite Stone - The Moabite Stone discovery is important in the study of Biblical Archaeology - It is the actual record of Mesha, king of Moab rebelling against the king of Israel - This stone is one of the [many] places where Israel is mentioned in ancient times outside of the Bible
The Moabite Stone also known as the Mesha Stele is an interesting story. The Bible says in 2 Kings 3:5 that Mesha the king of Moab stopped paying tribute to Israel and rebelled and fought against Israel and later he recorded this event. This record from Mesha has been discovered. The Moabite Stone was discovered in 1868 in Moab, at Dibon, 20 miles east of the Dead Sea. It was actually discovered by a German Missionary named F.A. Klein. It is a black and blue basalt stone standing 4 feet high, 2 feet wide and 14 inches thick. It was purchased for a large sum of money by the French Consulate in Jerusalem. It is interesting that the local Arabs believed that it contained a treasure and therefore broke it in large pieces by lighting it on fire and then pouring cold water over it. The inscription is summarized with these words: "I Mesha, king of Moab, made this monument to Chemosh, to commemorate deliverance from Israel. My father reigned over Moab 30 years, and I reigned after my father. Omri, king of Israel oppressed Moab many days, and his son (Ahab) after him. But I made war against the king of Israel and drove him out, and took his cities, Medeba, Ataroth, Nebo, and Jahaz, which he built while he waged war against me. I destroyed his cities, and devoted the spoil to Chemosh, and the women and girls to Ashtar. I built Qorhah with prisoners from Israel." The Moabite Stone discovery is important in the study of Biblical Archaeology. It is the actual record of Mesha, king of Moab rebelling against the king of Israel. This stone is one of the places where Israel is mentioned in ancient times outside of the Bible. "And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel." 2 Kings 3:4-5 [article link]

Isaiah 18-20 - Judgment to a land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia - Judgment upon the Nation of Egypt - Isaiah reveals that the end result of the judgments upon the Gentile Nations is a reconciliation of the Gentile people to God and to a relationship and fellowship with the Jewish Nation of Israel -- 'Isaiah 19:25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance.'
Isaiah 19:16-25 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He shaketh over it. And the land of Judah [Israel] shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, *because of the counsel of the LORD of Hosts (Jesus Christ), which He hath determined against it. In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of Hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction. In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: *for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the [Gentile] oppressors, *and He shall send them a Saviour, and a great one, and He (Jesus) shall deliver them. And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. And the LORD shall smite Egypt: He shall smite and heal it: *and they shall return even to the LORD, and He shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. In that day [New Millennium] shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third [also in fellowship] with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the LORD of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance. - The great Millennial Restoration and 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth is going to include Gentile people and gentile Nations.

Wikipedia.org: Assyrian independence - the Syriac-speaking Christian Assyrian people in the Nineveh plains of Northern Iraq
The Assyrian independence (also known as the Assyrian Question) is a political movement and ideology that supports the creation of an Assyrian homeland for the Syriac-speaking Christian Assyrian people in the Nineveh plains of Northern Iraq. The issue of Assyrian independence has been brought up many times throughout the course of history from the end of World War I to the present-day Iraq War. The Assyrian-inhabited area of Iraq is located in the Ninawa-Mosul region in Northern Iraq where the biblical Assyrian capital of Nineveh was located. This area is known as the "Assyrian Triangle." ... Before World War I, about half of the Assyrian population lived in what is today Turkey, specifically the Hakkari region. In 1914, Young Turks began to systemically target Christians of Asia Minor with events such as the Assyrian Genocide. In the beginning, key Assyrian nationalist leaders and religious figures were wiped out of communities, whereas at one point the patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East was only twelve years old (Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII). The Ottoman Empire declared war against the Allies and the British in October 1914. For geographic reasons, it was important for the British to gain the support of the Assyrians. Because of large oil fields, Britain wanted to insure that the Mosul region would be part of the newly-colonized Iraq instead of the future state of Turkey. The Assyrians promised loyalty to the British in return for an independent state in the future. After the invasion of Mosul by the Young Turks, the Assyrian army, led by General Agha Petros, fought intensively against the Turkish soldiers and pushed them out of the region, leading to Britain's control of the region. The battles are described in detail by surviving letters of Petros and British officials. By the end of 1922, no sufficient Assyrian population was left in Turkey and a small population left in Iran. Many fled southward to join native Assyrians in the Nineveh plains. The Assyro-Chaldean National Council stated in a December 4, 1922 memorandum that the total death toll is unknown, but it estimates that about 275,000 Assyrians died between 1914-1918. For comparison, in the Serbian military there were also 275,000 casualties during the war. ... During recent kidnappings and murders of Assyrian Bishops and priests in the North Iraqi region, Assyrians have demonstrated worldwide in the thousands in demanding protection for their villages and the Nineveh Plains region, which Assyrians hope will become an autonomous area under the control of the Assyrians and minorities in the North. A $4 million measure will fund a 711-man local police force for the Nineveh Plain. It is part of a $30 million emergency relief package for the predominantly Christian region submitted to Congress last month by Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. In April 2008, the initial complement of 711 policemen were called up and began training. Another 4000 policemen will be needed to fully secure the region and establish checkpoints on all highways and roads leading into the villages. [article link]

Isaiah 21-22 - Isaiah prophecies the fall of Babylon - A statement about Edom - [Saudi] Arabia is diminished for a time - Judgments against some of the inhabitants in the city of Jerusalem -- 'Isaiah 22:12-13 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call [to repentance] to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.' - {"Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die" is still a popular theme and a popular saying today among people who are disassociated and disconnected from the plans and the visions of God.}
Isaiah 21:9-10 9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, *Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. O my threshing, and the corn [lit. son] of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you. - The fall and destruction of Babylon is one of the most widely prophesied events in the Bible. - 'Jeremiah 50:1-2 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the Nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.' - 'Revelation 14:8 And there followed another Angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all Nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication [unfaithfulness].'

Isaiah 23-24 - Tyre will be judged [after early Babylon Tyre/Tyrus then becomes a throne location of Satan (Ezekiel 28:12-19), Pergamos is the throne of Satan when the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:13), eventually Satan will try to establish a 'seat' in Jerusalem in the Temple Holy of Holies (Matthew 24:15)] - Isaiah concludes this current segment of Prophecies and Judgments with a declaration that in actuality all the earth including every inhabitant the entire universe with both the sun and the moon and all demonic, fallen Angelic beings "the host of the high ones that are on high" are to be judged by God -- 'Isaiah 24:21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients {Adam, Noah, Abraham, etc.} gloriously.'
Isaiah 24:1-6 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned [i.e. parched, H2787], and few men left. - The coming judgment of God is to be complete and thorough encompassing all of creation including both the human and the spirit realm.

Isaiah 25-26 - After concluding a segment of prophecies and judgments Isaiah then exalts God, praises His Name and rejoices in the and decisions, faithfulness and [eternal] truth of God -- 'Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy Name; for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.'
Isaiah 26:19-21 Thy dead [deceased] men shall live, together with My dead [crucified] body shall they arise [resurrection]. *Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, *and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come [rapture], My [Christian] people, enter thou into thy chambers [rooms in Heaven], and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment [7 years], until the indignation [full Tribulation Period] be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain [Martyred saints]. - The prophecy in Isaiah 26:19-21 is one of the most remarkable prophecies in the Bible. Like all Biblical prophecies regarding, people, Nations, places and End Times events the exact context, meaning and fulfillment is slightly unknown while the Biblical prophecies regarding Jesus the Messiah are more important and are more clearly given and are more distinctly fulfilled making them easier to understand possibly so that people will focus on Jesus and the accomplishments of Jesus while still being somewhat informed about the future of mankind. - Once we can look back on these future events of mankind they will become clear but until then we have to maintain that we are considering a future parameter and therefore we can speculate and make temporary conclusions but a complete commitment to absolute unquestioned End Times interpretations is premature.

Isaiah 27-28 - Isaiah continues to tie together past, present and future Biblical Scripture verses and concepts - Isaiah then continues to present considerable End Time fulfillments intermixed with vast Biblical doctrines, prophecies and judgments -- 'Isaiah 27:1-3 In that day the LORD with His sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent; and He shall slay the *dragon (Leviathan) that is in the sea. In that day sing ye unto her [bride of Christ, Christian Church], A vineyard of red [Communion] wine. I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.' - {Note: The Book of Job introduces two beasts uncontrollable by man the Leviathan the sea beast/dragon (Job 41:1-34) and the Behemoth the beast of the land (Job 40:15-24). The Book of Revelation mentions the land beast [Antichrist] (Revelation 13:4) and the beast [false prophet] coming up out of the sea (Revelation 13:1) and both domains are already decreed against back in Revelation 10:2.}
Isaiah 28:5-6 In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people, And for a Spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. -- Isaiah 28:16-18 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion [Mt. Zion in Jerusalem] for a foundation a stone [Jesus Christ], a tried stone, a precious corner stone, *a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line [horizontal line, human relationships], and righteousness to the plummet [vertical line, a relationship with God]: and the [Tribulation] hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. *And your [occult] covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. - Only the covenants, agreements and contracts with God are valid and will stand while all contracts, agreements and covenants with the occult realm are non-binding, non-effective and will not stand. An occult covenant can be broken by any human at any time in any second because the occult agreements are all misleading, fraudulent and without any authority lacking the blood and authority of Jesus Christ. Any human can at any time walk away from the occult realm and claim the promises and blood of Jesus Christ and the occult realm other than continued deception is harmless and unable to interfere. If the occult realm does interfere then follow the example of Jesus Christ and preach to them [1 Peter 3:19] with your soon to be resurrection life as an example of a faithful witness and servant of Jesus Christ then when all the demonic realm sees is a commitment to Jesus Christ and the light of Jesus Christ being manifested in our praise, adoration and love for Jesus the demonic realm tends not to stay around.

Isaiah 29-30 - Isaiah continues to provide leadership and to light the way for man to enter into a personal fellowship with God -- 'Isaiah 29:15-16 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed [lifeless] as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of Him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing [created object] framed say of Him that framed it, He had no understanding?' - 'Isaiah 29:24 They also that erred [false doctrine] in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured [occult practices] shall learn [true] doctrine.'
Isaiah 30:1-3 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of Me; *and that cover with a covering, *but not of My spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, *and have not asked at [the source] My mouth; [but] to [instead] strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh [worldly leadership], and to trust in the shadow of Egypt [the physical world]! - Humans are all called into a personal relationship with God. Isaiah and all of the Prophets of the Holy Bible have each instructed mankind to seek God, in fact mankind is to seek the very face of God in a intimate one to one relationship with God. Note: The concept that Isaiah is talking about is that what is the pride of the world the glory of worldly accomplishments will one day be looked upon as a shame when viewed in the context of the light and in the plans and accomplishments of God. For example going to a Rock concert that once was such a great worldly [Egypt] moment will be looked back on as an act of shame once we realize that it was an act of going down into Egypt and not a meaningful divine act of worship and fellowship with God.

Isaiah 31-32 - Isaiah the prophet continues to distinguish between the wonderful rewards of righteousness and the disastrous results of wickedness -- 'Isaiah 32:17-18 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and *assurance [eternal] forever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation [Heaven], and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places ...'
Isaiah 32:1-8 Behold, a King (Jesus) shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man (Jesus) shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; *as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, *and the ears of them that hear shall hearken [listen]. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly. The -vile- person shall be no more called liberal [generous], nor the churl [rude, obnoxious] said to be bountiful. For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, *to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. The instruments also of the churl are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right. But the [true righteous] liberal deviseth liberal [generous] things; and by [true, godly] liberal things shall he stand. - Satan is continually corrupting the things of God particularly the concepts, doctrines and teachings of God. The concepts of God are being corrupted by Satan and by mankind. Satan is deceiving mankind into thinking that evil is good, wrong is right and even that killing is now compassion. Notably, the concept that is among the most corrupted by Satan is the meaning of the word 'love'. Biblically love means a commitment, a godly commitment to the highest good in God for another person (John 3:16). Now Satan has redefined love into sex and selfish, sinful, sex at that, very strange!

Isaiah 33-34 - Isaiah details that God is going to deliver the Jews from the Gentile 'Controversy' - The controversy over their right to exist as a Jewish people and as a Nation of Israel -- 'Isaiah 34:8 For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.'
Isaiah 34:1-8 Come near, ye Nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: *let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host [stars, planets, moons, comets, etc.] of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For My sword shall be bathed in Heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of My curse, to judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns [an occult, magic, (unknown animal in modern times), symbol] shall come down with them, and the bullocks [stron animals] with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. *For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences *for the [Gentile induced] controversy of Zion [Israel, Jerusalem]. - The Tribulation judgment of God is going to also encompass the fallen spiritual [Satanic, demonic] realm and it is also going to be global in scope upon the earth. All the nations of the world are to be judged this second time as in the first global judgment during the days of Noah and the flood of Noah. A part of the Great Tribulation judgment against the Gentile Nations is for the mistreatment of the Nation of Israel. God is the ultimate protector of Israel and to oppress Israel and the Jewish people is to draw the wrath of God.

Isaiah 35-36 - Isaiah instructs to people of God to be strong, to fear not and to look only to God for Deliverance and Salvation -- 'Isaiah 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you.'
Isaiah 35:1-10 The wilderness [of the land of Israel] and the solitary place [in Israel] shall be glad for them [Jews]; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they [wilderness places] shall see the Glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our [Jewish] God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons [lizards], where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. *And an highway shall be there [leading to worship in Jerusalem], and a way, and it shall be called The Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion [Jerusalem] with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. - The land, the flowers, the plants and all of creation rejoices in the plan of God and in the presence of the Jews as the eternal plans of God are is being fulfilled in part through the presence of the Jewish descendants of Abraham.

Isaiah 37-39 - Isaiah discloses the reminder that there is always a future for the observant, obedient Jews of Israel -- 'Isaiah 37:31 And the [Jewish] remnant that is escaped of [belongs to] the House of Judah [lit. Praise] shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: For out of Jerusalem [the Holy city of God] shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of [have within their heart] Mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of Hosts shall do this.'
Isaiah 37:33 [an additional source repeat of the Biblical historical events starting in 2 Kings 18:13] Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city [Jerusalem], nor shoot an arrow there nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. 34 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for My servant David's (Beloved, Jesus') sake. Then the Angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand [185,000]: and when they [leaders] arose early in the morning, behold, they [troops] were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass [that he was very unpopular], [and] as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword {he and other people might have thought his false god Nisroch had saved his life but that was cleared up as he was killed at the altar of his false god}; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead. - Note (Part 1): one Angel the "Angel of the LORD" killed in a single night 185,000 warriors without their officers in nearby tents even aware of what was taking place. A clarification: Jesus is usually considered the O.T. Angel of the Lord and Jesus fights for and defends the Jews, Jerusalem and all of Israel and this event is considered in all likeliness to be a repeat of the Passover deaths of the firstborn in Egypt where Jesus was present however a death Angel "destroyer" actually killed the people [Exodus 12:23, Exodus 12:29]. - An important Biblical concept to understand is that human death is not a natural occurrence [Genesis 2:17] as humans were originally created to live forever [Genesis 1:26]. The Bible is clear that human death [separation of the human spirit and soul from the physical human body] only comes at the direction of God and the Angels [reapers] are the agency that actually carryout the [death] separation process [Matthew 13:39]. This group of reaper [demonic death] Angels can apparently kill a human without even physically touching a human. Angels are spirit beings of such a higher dimension [6th dimension] that they can interact internally in the physical body [realm] of a [4th dimensional (width, height, length, time)] human without a human even really being aware of it though it is considered that Demons [5th dimensional beings, offspring of 6th dimensional fallen angels and 4th dimensional human beings] do not have this capability [and therefore demons and fallen angels are different beings]. Sometimes people will report events that when they were asleep, or about asleep, they felt a heavy presence or something unseen touched them sometimes people are lifted into the air and these physical contacts are generally Demonic spirit encounters where a person can have a thought, suffer a delusion or a confusion or even suffer a physical heart attack or stroke type of medical event by the mere presence of a fallen Angel. God is the final authority of when and where a human physical death will occur at the hands of a reaper angel and to illustrate this the event of human death is going to be suspended for a time during the Great Tribulation event [Revelation 9:6]. What this means is that God has all authority over the spirit realm particularly the human spirit/soul realm where a person remains physically alive at the command of God then at death ultimately by reaping Angels a Holy Angel [or Angels] will then escort the disembodied human spirit and soul of a person into Heaven and the presence of Jesus Christ where the spirit of the human will be judged and if found with sin, not having the blood covering of the cross of Jesus the unclean human spirit will have to depart the Holy presence of God and will be remanded to hell for all eternity while a clean human spirit having been washed in the blood of the cross of Jesus will enter into Heaven and receive the adoption as a Son of God, receiving an eternal heavenly body and home for all eternity with God in Heaven. This precludes the possibility of human ghosts roaming the earth after death because humans [staying in either heaven or hell] are not given that [to roam] authority by God. In reality ghosts are too vague and too shy to be humans and clearly are morbid, deceiving (demonic) entities though humans while alive can perform some occult activities where they can through 'astral projection' temporarily remove their soul from their body while their spirit still remains in their body and then after a short time their soul returns to their body this can also be accompanied with a demonic tour 'guide' overseeing the journey and possibly at times a fallen angel can just suggest or project the appearance of astral projection or the appearance of an out-of-body experience into the mind of a person. Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever had their own authority to command His own Spirit from His body 'gave up His ghost' [Luke 23:46] and to command His Spirit into the presence of God in Heaven [in order to fulfill prophecy three days later]. The Apostle Paul conducted his evangelical ministry for Jesus to the point of spiritual warfare that the death process was revealed [Acts 14:19-20] and manifested [2 Corinthians 12:1-4] to him and most important of all the Apostle Paul having experienced the death process for himself he no longer feared death [Philippians 1:21] that is a death after having in himself the baptism of Jesus Christ. - Note: (Part 2) about fasting and its important connection to and bridging into the spirit realm will be continued in Isaiah chapter 58 where Isaiah prophecies an entire teaching on fasting and what is an acceptable fast to God.

Isaiah 40-41 - Isaiah instructs that as God corrects and punishes His punishments are of a limited duration especially regarding the Jews, the city of Jerusalem and the Nation of Israel -- 'Isaiah 40:1-2 Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.' {Note: God is in the process of visibly restoring the Kingdom of God to Israel [May 14, 1948] what Matthew called "The Kingdom of God" the visible Kingdom of God here on earth as compared to Matthew also mentioning "The Kingdom of Heaven" the eternal Kingdom of God that has always remained for the Jews. Since May 14, 1948 and the restoration of the Nation of Israel the Nation of Israel and all the Jews worldwide have passed from the judgments of God and are now back in the blessings of God. To declare that Israel is outcast by God or is still under some of the judgments is to be behind the times as now Israel is once again back in their homeland and once again preparing to receive the presence of the Messiah the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Note: God is in the process of visibly restoring the Kingdom of God to Israel [i.e. May 14, 1948] what Matthew called "The Kingdom of God" the visible Kingdom of God in the midst of the Jews here on earth as compared to Matthew also mentioning "The Kingdom of Heaven" the eternal Kingdom of God that has always remained for the Jews. Since May 14, 1948 and the restoration of the Nation of Israel the Nation of Israel and all the Jews worldwide have passed from the judgments of God and are now back in the blessings of God. To declare that Israel is outcast by God or is still under some of the judgments is to be behind the times as now Israel is once again back in their homeland and once again preparing to receive the presence of the Messiah the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.}
Isaiah 40:3-5 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, *Prepare ye the way of the LORD, *make straight [have no obstacles between you and God] in the desert a highway *for our God (Jesus). Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. - This prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in John the Baptist. Notice what the words of the prophecy of Isaiah are "make straight in the desert a highway for our God" it is just simple not possible that Jesus is anything other than God. To attempt to remove the Divinity of Jesus from Jesus as the cults do is to completely misquote the Prophets of old and completely misrepresent the message of the Bible. 'Matthew 3:1-4 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. For this is he (prophet) that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias (Isaiah), saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord (God), make His paths straight. And the same John [the Baptist] had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.' - 'Acts 9:11 And the Lord said unto him [Ananias], Arise, and go into *the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul [the Apostle Paul], of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth' - Saul of Tarsus encountered the glory of God on his way into Damascus and then while he stayed and prayed on a street named "Straight" the Christian disciple Ananias came and prayed for Saul and prophesied to Saul about his future service to Jesus and the spiritual blindness literally fell from Saul's eyes. Ananias then baptized Saul in a water fountain in the courtyard of the house on "Straight" street and Saul of Tarsus was well on his way to becoming Paul the Apostle the New Testament counterpart to the great Old Testament prophet Isaiah. The Book of Isaiah is the longest prophetic book of the Old Testament and it is in many ways the glue of the Old Testament where Isaiah compiles Israel's past and redirects it towards their glorious future the Apostle Paul would write over half of the New Testament by also compiling the past and redirecting it into the glorious future of the Christian Church the Bride of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 42 - Isaiah continues to declare that human events are in the process of changing and being redirected by the hand and plans of God the LORD Jesus -- 'Isaiah 42:9-10 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I (the LORD Jesus) declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth [all Nations], ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.' {Note: We are now also in a similar time of change as the world accelerates into the global End Time events of the Book of Revelation and spoken of throughout the Bible.}
Isaiah 42:1-9 Behold My Servant (Jesus), whom I uphold; Mine Elect ['chosen purpose' to Redeem all people], in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not [make a scene] cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. [instead by His compassion] A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: *He shall bring forth Judgment unto Truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles [far away Nations] shall wait for His [Royal] Law. Thus saith God the LORD, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, ***and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I (Jesus) Am the LORD: that is My Name: and My Glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and *new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. - Isaiah tells that God Himself is the coming Messiah and that He is coming to both the Jews and the Gentiles - Note: Jesus gave His life as a Covent sacrifice to the Jews and as a light to the Gentiles. The Gentiles are to enter into the existing Jewish Promises and Covenants. There are some Promises from God to the Gentiles however both the Old Covenant [O.T.] and the New Covenant [N.T.] both strictly belong to the Jews of Israel through the death [physical finality] and resurrection [spiritual reality] of Jesus Christ and only through Jesus Christ we Gentiles can also receive of the New Testament Covenant.

Isaiah 43-44 - Isaiah makes it clear that although change has come to the Children of God - God is still their provider and God will still provide for them and He will make a way for His Children through the desert places and obstacles of this life - Isaiah 43:18-19 18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old [don't be trapped by the old ways]. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it [be informed that change has come]? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:10 Ye (Jews) are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and My Servant (Jesus) whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I Am He [YHWH]: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD; and *beside Me (Jesus) there is no Saviour. *I have declared, *and have saved, *and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye [Disciples] are My witnesses, saith the LORD, that I Am God. - Isaiah the prophet declares that God alone is God and that Jesus is God as Isaiah continues to repeatedly declare that the coming Redeemer, Savior, Messiah is God Himself.

Isaiah 45 - God through His prophet Isaiah continues to confirm His promises to His Nation and His people of Israel especially as the events of the day were leading Israel into their prophesied [70 year] captivity in Babylon and their later [2,000 year] Diaspora (dispersion) among all the Gentile Nations of the world -- 'Isaiah 45:17 But Israel shall be Saved in the LORD (Jesus) with an everlasting Salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.' {Note: as long as the world exists "world without end" including the New heaven and the New earth the Jews are the Chosen people of God.}
Isaiah 45:1-9 Thus saith the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus [future King of Persia/Iran], whose right hand I have holden, to subdue Nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings [Belshazzar King of Babylon], to open before him the two leaved gates [of Babylon]; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the [plundered] treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, Am *the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant's sake, and *Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I Am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded [strengthened] thee, though thou hast not known Me: That they [Gentiles] may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I Am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil [adversity]: I the LORD do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. Woe unto him [man] that striveth with (God) his Maker! - Through Isaiah the prophet God reveals future events that are clearly outside of mankind's knowledge and outside of mankind's origins and separate from the ability of mankind to fulfill therefore confirming the all-knowing, all wise and all powerful nature of God.

Wikipedia.org: Cyrus cylinder - The Cyrus cylinder, also known as the Cyrus the Great cylinder, is a document issued by the Persian [Iran] ruler Cyrus the Great in the form of a clay cylinder inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform script - The cylinder has also attracted attention in the context of the repatriation of the Jews to Jerusalem following their Babylonian captivity; it has generally been viewed as corroboration of the Biblical account in the Book of Ezra [and the prophesies of Isaiah] - Extract from the Cyrus Cylinder (lines 15-21), giving the genealogy of Cyrus the Great and an account of his capture of Babylon in 539 B.C. (Photos)
The Cyrus cylinder, also known as the Cyrus the Great cylinder, is a document issued by the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great in the form of a clay cylinder inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform script. The cylinder was created following the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC, when Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian king Nabonidus and replaced him as ruler, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The text of the cylinder denounces Nabonidus as impious and portrays the victorious Cyrus as pleasing to the chief Babylonian god Marduk. It goes on to describe how Cyrus had improved the lives of the citizens of Babylonia, repatriated displaced peoples and restored temples and cult sanctuaries. The cylinder was discovered in 1879 by the Assyro-British archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam in the foundations of the Esagila, the main temple of Babylon, where it had been placed as a foundation deposit. It is today kept in the British Museum in London. There have been reports of attempts by the directors of the British Museum and the National Museum of Iran in Tehran to arrange a loan of the Cyrus Cylinder to be temporarily displayed in the National Museum of Iran for a special exhibition. According to the British Museum, the cylinder "reflects a long tradition in Mesopotamia where, from as early as the third millennium BC, kings began their reigns with declarations of reforms." It is composed in a form that broadly matches long-standing Babylonian styles and themes, although the use of the first person marks a striking departure from this pattern. The cylinder may be seen as an example of Cyrus seeking the loyalty of his new Babylonian subjects by stressing his legitimacy as king, and showing his respect for the religious and political traditions of Babylonia. It has been regarded for over a century as an instrument of ancient Mesopotamian propaganda. In the early 1970s, the Shah of Iran adopted it as a symbol of his reign and celebrating 2,500 years of Iranian monarchy, asserting that it was "the first human rights charter in history", **The cylinder has also attracted attention in the context of the repatriation of the Jews to Jerusalem following their Babylonian captivity; it has generally been viewed as corroboration of the Biblical account in the Book of Ezra (see: Ezra 1.1-6, 6.1-5; Isaiah 44.23-45.8; 2 Chronicles 36.22-23). ... Discovery: The cylinder was discovered following an earlier, fruitless excavation by the British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard. In 1850 Layard dug into three mounds on the site of the ruined city of Babylon but found little of importance and concluded that it was not worth his time continuing there. His assistant Hormuzd Rassam, a controversial figure remembered as much for his brutal tactics as his discoveries, returned to the mounds in 1879 on behalf of the British Museum. He uncovered a number of important buildings, most notably the Esagila - a major temple to Marduk, though it was not identified as such until Robert Koldewey's excavation of 1900. Rassam's excavations found a large quantity of business documents and, buried in the temple's foundations, the Cyrus Cylinder. Rassam's excavations went on until 1882. The cylinder was announced to the public by Sir Henry Rawlinson at a meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society on 17 November 1879. Rawlinson's paper on "Notes on a newly-discovered Clay Cylinder of Cyrus the Great" was published in the society's journal the following year. [article link]

Fulfilled Prophecies - Exhibit #9: Isaiah's Prophecy about Cyrus, King of Persia - This prophecy is abundantly clear: A certain man named "Cyrus" will authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple - The prophecy is crystal clear, historically fulfilled, and beyond control of the Jews [critics are unable to claim that the Jews self-fulfilled their prophecies with God so obviously fulfilling them Himself]
Please check the timeline (see figure above) related to this prophecy. Isaiah prophesied around 700 BC, about 100 years before Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and perhaps 160 years before Cyrus, king of Media and Persia, conquered Jerusalem and Babylon in 539 BC. The following year Cyrus permitted Jews to return to their land and build a temple: "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah . Anyone of his people among you-may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.'" 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 (cf. Ezra 1:1-4). ... The prophecy is crystal clear, historically fulfilled, and beyond control of the Jews. The archaeological discovery of the "Cyrus Cylinder" confirms Cyrus' policies as to the freedom of religion. It explains why Cyrus let the Jewish captives return to rebuilt the Jerusalem temple exactly as predicted in the prophecy. The weakest criterion is the dating of this prediction of Isaiah, given the Deutero-Isaiah alternative. This theory claims the latter part of the book was written later by another author. Actually, the Cyrus prophecy is probably the reason liberal critics have tried to re-date the second half of Isaiah and onwards to around 550 BC or later. [article link]

Isaiah 46-47 - Isaiah continues to make clear the distinctions between the Holy God of Israel and everything else in existence -- 'Isaiah 46:3-5 Hearken [Listen] unto Me, O House of Jacob, *and all the remnant of the House of Israel, which are borne by Me from [conception] the belly, which are carried from the womb [birth]: And even to your old age I Am He; and even to [grey] hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, *and will deliver you. To whom [what human or false god] will ye liken Me, and make Me equal, and compare Me, that we may be like [equal]?' {There is none like God. God is God, Angels are Angels, people are people, animals are animals and demons are demons and all are separate and distinct from one another.}
'Isaiah 46:8-10 8 Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, *Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure ...' - In the Bible's Old Testament before the physical life and Ministry of Jesus Christ the Bible lists many things in a reverse order "Declaring the end from the beginning" while later in the New Testament many of the same lists are presented as "the beginning and the ending" it's just that the Bible continues to differentiate between the Old Testament times before Jesus and the New Testament Times and now humanity with Jesus. - 'Revelation 1:8 I (Jesus) am Alpha [start] and Omega [finish], the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.'

Isaiah 48-49 - Isaiah begins to reveal that although the Messiah will initially be rejected by many of the people and by the Nation of Israel that God will be Glorified in and through the work and ministry of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) -- 'Isaiah 49:3 And said unto me [Isaiah], Thou [Jesus] art My servant, {hear} O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.' - 'Isaiah 49:7 Thus saith the LORD [Father God], the Redeemer of Israel [Jesus Christ], and His Holy One [Holy Spirit], to Him (Jesus) whom man despiseth, to Him whom the Nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, *because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and He shall choose thee.' {Note Isaiah uses the phrases "the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and His Holy One" and the concepts of it several times throughout his prophecy scroll. The phrase "the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and His Holy One" is a Triune (Trinity) 'Mystery' verse. The Apostle Paul would later refer to the Triune [3 in 1] nature of God as a Mystery (Romans 16:24, 1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 3:3).}
Isaiah 49:8-18 8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time [after the cross and resurrection of Jesus] have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; *That thou [Christians] mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. And I will make all My mountains [governments, administrations] a way, and My highways [paths] shall be exalted. Behold, these {Gentiles} shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: *for the LORD hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted. But Zion [the Jews] said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. [Not so!] Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they [people] may forget, yet will I [God] not forget thee (Jews). Behold, I have graven thee [all His people] upon the palms [nail holes of the cross] of My hands; thy walls [building up] are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth [away] of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. *As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them {Christians} all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride {the bride of Jesus Christ} doeth. - The Apostle Paul declares that "now is this acceptable time" for Gentiles as well as the Jews to seek after God and to be accepted by God through the cross of Jesus Christ. - '2 Corinthians 5:19-6:2 To wit, that God was in Christ (Jesus), reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing [humans] their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us (Christians) the word [Gospel] of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead [proxy], be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we (sinners) might be made the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him (Jesus), beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. *For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured [helped] thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.'

"THE BOOK OF ISAIAH" The Man, The Times, And The Book - Isaiah is often referred to as "The Messianic Prophet" because of his many prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus - The New Testament quotes and applies more scriptures from the book of Isaiah than any other Old Testament prophet - Another designation for the Lord used by Isaiah is "The Holy One Of Israel" - In his book it is used 25 times, while found only six times in all the rest of the Bible
ISAIAH, THE TIMES: It was a time of great political turmoil for the nation of Judah. Assyria was expanding its empire, attacking Israel and Syria to the north. When Judah refused to joined a coalition with Israel and Syria to resist Assyria, Judah was attacked by Israel and Syria in retaliation. As Judah seriously considered inviting Assyria to help, Isaiah sought to encourage the king and the people to trust only in Jehovah. King Ahaz of Judah rejected Isaiah's advice and asked Assyria to come to his aid. Assyria accepted, and the capital of Israel (Samaria) fell in 722 B.C. (Hendriksen). It soon became apparent that Judah was next on Assyria's hit list. Judah began looking to Egypt in the south for help. Once again, Isaiah counseled the nation to make no alliances but trust only in the Lord. King Hezekiah heeded Isaiah and God rewarded his faith by destroying the Assyrian host (Isa 36-37). But in a moment of weakness Hezekiah showed the ambassadors from Babylon (Assyria's enemy) the house of his treasures (Isa 39:1-2). This prompted Isaiah to foretell that the king's treasures and his descendants would be taken away to Babylon (Isa 39:5-7). With this prophecy as an introduction, in chapters 40-66 Isaiah speaks from the viewpoint of Babylonian exile and foretells of coming pardon, deliverance, and restoration. (ibid.). During this time God sent several prophets to Israel and Judah. Hosea (750-725 B.C.) prophesied mainly to Israel, the northern ten tribes. Micah (735-700 B.C.) together with Isaiah spoke primarily to Judah in the south. [article link]

Isaiah 50-51 - The cross of Jesus Christ the Messiah continues to come into view to mankind through the prophecies of the prophet Isaiah -- 'Isaiah 50:6-7 6 I (Jesus Christ) gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting. For the [Father] Lord GOD will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like a flint [determination], and I know that I shall not be ashamed.'
Isaiah 50:4-5 The Lord GOD hath given Me (Jesus Christ) the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear [piercing of a bond slave - Exodus 21:6], and I was not rebellious, neither turned [away from the cross] away back. - Previously Isaiah had just accused the people of not having an open ear. "Isaiah 48:8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, *from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.' - Later the Disciple John would write multiple time about the necessity of the Christian to have an open, attentive and obedient ear towards the Holy Spirit. 'Revelation 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.'

Isaiah 52-53 - Isaiah the prophet views the cross of Jesus Christ for us and in his faithful report Isaiah acknowledges the fact that the cross of Jesus Christ, the cross of man rejecting God, is such an odd circumstance that mankind is not going to be able to immediately grasp the eternal purpose and consequences of the gift and sacrificial cross of Jesus Christ - But to those to whom the arm of Salvation of the Lord is revealed they will believe the report -- 'Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?'
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Behold, My servant (Jesus Christ) shall deal prudently, He (Jesus) shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men: *So shall He sprinkle [with His redemption blood] many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem [value] Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off [Daniel 9:26] out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken. And He made His grave [cross] with the wicked, and with the rich in his [tomb] death [three days and nights]; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: *when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, *He shall see His seed [Born Again Disciples], *He shall prolong His days, and *the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. *He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: *by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. - The Prophecy of Jesus Christ the suffering servant the intimate and personal look into the Soul of Jesus Christ in the Holy of Holies of the Old Testament of the Bible.

Thru the Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon Mcgee - Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - The Suffering Servant Jesus Christ [Isaiah 52:13-53:9] - The resulting Satisfaction of the Servant Jesus Christ [Isaiah 53:10-12] - (Mp3s, short approx. 7 minute segments)
ABOUT TTB: Dr. J. Vernon McGee was an active participant in this radio ministry for 47 exciting years. When his health began to fail, plans were made in advance to decide how the Bible study program would continue in the event of his home going. The message would remain the same and the "voice" of Thru the Bible Radio would continue to be Dr. McGee, through the use of the taped 5-year program. After our Savior called Dr. McGee home in December of 1988, the program's reach continued to grow. Today, Thru the Bible is a worldwide ministry airing on over 800 stations in the U.S. and Canada, and heard in more than 100 languages and dialects around the world. Our mission is simple and the same one Dr. McGee himself embraced: To take the whole Word to the whole world. [article link]

Isaiah 54-55 - After viewing the cross and sacrifice of the Messiah Jesus Christ - Isaiah the prophet begins prophesying and reporting on the results and on the after effects of the cross of Jesus Christ -- 'Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage [from the cross of Jesus Christ] of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD.'
Isaiah 55:1-3 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price [the price of Life has been paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross]. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: *hear, and your soul shall live; *and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, *even the sure mercies of David (Lit. Beloved, Jesus). - This message of Jesus Christ from shortly after the cross given by the prophet Isaiah is so important and so instrumental to the salvation of mankind and of the plans of God that this exact message is again repeated by the Disciple John and among the very last messages given in the entire Holy Bible. - 'Revelation 22:16-17 I Jesus have sent mine Angel (messenger) to testify unto you these things in the churches. *I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the [Holy] Spirit and the bride [Christian Church] say, Come [to Jesus]. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'

Isaiah 56-57 - After the cross of Jesus Christ and now our ability to live an earthly "Kingdom of God" [Matthew 6:33] existence and also the necessity for us to also at the same time live a Heavenly "Kingdom of Heaven" [Matthew 7:21] existence -- 'Isaiah 56:1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for My Salvation is near to come, and My Righteousness to be revealed [the Millennial reign on earth of Jesus Christ].'
Isaiah 56:1-8 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. *Blessed is the man that doeth this, *and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath [rest in God] from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak [despairingly], saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say [despairingly], Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep My Sabbaths, and choose the [Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven] things that please Me, and take hold of My Covenant; Even unto them [no one is excluded by God from the Kingdoms of God] will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them [childless] an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. *Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the Name of the LORD, to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; Even them will I bring to My Holy Mountain [Government], and make them joyful in My house of prayer: their [outsiders who accept Jesus] burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine [Melchizedek] altar; for Mine House (Temple) shall be called an House of Prayer for all people. The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, *Yet will I gather others [Gentiles] to Him, beside those [Hebrews] that are gathered unto Him. - The Kingdoms of God are given from God to be accessible to mankind all of mankind.

**Isaiah 58-59 - Isaiah prophesies a teaching on fasting {bridging spiritual realms} and of our ability to overcome (spiritual) bondage and oppression through bridging - Simultaneously while bridging {fasting - doing the will of God} we are spiritually bridged in Heaven and spiritually in fellowship with God on High in Heaven all the while we are on this side of the bridge and physically serving and worship God here on earth -- 'Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast [bridge] that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every [bondage] yoke?'
Isaiah 58:3-14 3 [Worshipers ask:] Wherefore have we fasted [gone without food], say they [worshipers], and Thou (God) seest [observes them] not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and Thou takest no knowledge? [God Answers:] Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure [so they have not really 'afflicted the soul' and its the wrong day and wrong way to do it anyhow], and exact all your labours [your employees get no extra break]. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate [for physical results], and to smite with the fist of wickedness [physical results]: *ye shall not fast [physically] as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard [spiritually] on High. Is it such a [physical] fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul [only Yom Kippur (our Good Friday or Crucifixion Thursday) and possibly one other day is an appointed day to afflict our souls]? is it to [physically] bow down his head as a bulrush, and to [physically] spread sackcloth and ashes under him? *wilt thou call this a fast {a bridge to the heavenly realm}, and an acceptable day to the LORD? [Instead] Is not this the fast {a bridge into the heavenly realm} that I (God) have chosen? to [use the gifts of the Holy Spirit and] loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to [feed] the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then [with Spiritual gifts] shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward [military - rearguard]. Then shalt thou [Spiritually] call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke [oppression], the putting forth of the finger [accusing one another], and speaking vanity [gossip]; And if thou draw out [assist] thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. *And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My Holy day; and [now] call the Sabbath [rest in Jesus, seventh realm] a delight, the Holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour Him (Jesus), not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. - The fast is a bridge from the human earthly realm into the Spiritual Heavenly realm in order to accomplish and grow in the heavenly spiritual realm. What is at issue here is that people are fasting {bridging} for the wrong reason and therefore the wrong results are being obtained. - Note (Part 2): The spiritual realms as unfolded in the Genesis creation model man was created on the six day and was probably originally a six dimensional being however with fall into sin man fell into the fourth [strictly earthly] dimension. The Angels were also previously created in the sixth dimension and remain in the sixth dimension though for fallen Angels their access to the Throne of God is limited and perhaps even in some cases prohibited. Sixth dimensional fallen Angels and fifth dimensional demons have every advantage over fourth dimensional humans unless the humans can {fast} bridge the dimensions into a higher realm. The seventh day of creation is the day of rest and by the Genesis creation realm model restored humans entering into the rest "Sabbath" of Jesus Christ have entered into the seventh and highest dimension a dimension higher than the Angels all Angels, holy or fallen. - The Bible gives some interesting concepts 1. Revelation 20:1-2 Satan is to be bound for 1,000 years with a strong chain. Satan as a fallen Angel is a sixth dimensional being [hell is created for Satan and his angels] and apparently this strong chain is at least a sixth dimensional chain or possibly a seventh dimensional chain. The reason to note this is because Jesus instructed his Church that whatever we bind on earth will {bridge} and be bound in Heaven [Matthew 16:19] meaning that Christians have access to Heaven and also that our access is in a restored higher dimension, high enough to bind Satan and the works of Satan. Therefore our Spiritual prayers in the higher seventh dimension and are effective in effecting the plans of God. Also Note: We are not countering Satan or the demonic realm one to one but we are bridging over the fallen Angelic realm into a higher realm with a higher purpose in order to overcome the fallen nature of sin and of this world. -- Genesis 1:1-2:3 the physical and spiritual realms are made and established. - 'Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [realms] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ...' Also Note: God is not a created being. God Himself is infinite and is outside of all the created realms the realms that restrict and limit the Angels and mankind into our areas and abilities of existence and also limit us in our accountability [in God's view (Luke 12:47-48)] and in our responsibilities where God's responsibilities are probably about limitless though His accountability is only to Himself.

Basic Christian Article: Who is Melchizedek? - An Eight Part Article Introduction - The physical and spiritual realms as unfolded in the Genesis creation model
Coming Soon the Basic Christian Article: Who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20) is a higher multidimensional being. Melchizedek exists outside of our own human time and space dimensions (restrictions). Humans exist in and are limited to the first three physical dimensions (length, height, width) and also the fourth dimension (restriction) of time. The spiritual realm of demons, angels and in part the coming Antichrist exists in the less restricted 5th and 6th dimensions. In fact the coming Antichrist is going to bring down or "contact" the 5th and 6th dimensions and infuse 4th dimensional human beings with 5th dimensional demons [Nephilim spirits] and 6th dimensional fallen [Satanic] angelic spirit beings consequently orchestrating 5th and 6th dimensional miracles and signs and wonders in order to deceive mankind. So who is Melchizedek? Melchizedek is the manifestation of the infinite dimensional (infinite dimensions - no restrictions - unrestricted) God in Person. Melchizedek is God the Holy Spirit in Person. Melchizedek is the Order of the Holy Spirit Priesthood. -- Note: In the Basic Christian article "Who is Melchizedek?" the 8 dimensions (restrictions) are listed in conjunction with the original creation week (Genesis 1:1-2:4) and are categorized as follows: 1. Length [Day one creation - light separated [Judgment] (length) from darkness] 2. Height [Day two creation - divided the waters above from the waters below] 3. Width [Day three creation - dry land and plants] 4. Time [Day four creation - sun, moon, stars for times and seasons] 5. Demonic - demons [Day five creation - fish from the waters below, birds from the waters above] 6. Angelic - Holy Angels and also Satan with all of his fallen angels [Day six creation - land animals and humans (pre-fall) - humans the highest part of creation created separate and above the animals and equal to the angels but with sin mankind fell from the 6th dimension to the 4th dimension, in fact with the sin of mankind all of creation also fell from its original creation status] 7. Human Salvation redeemed by the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Day seven creation - Rest] 8. Unrestricted [outside of creation] - The only Unrestricted, Eternal, Wise, ∞ Infinite, Almighty God consisting of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. -- Genesis 2:4 These are the generations [dimensions] of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens ... [article link]

Isaiah 60-61 - Isaiah gives the command to the people of God to arise with our Savior and to shine in the resurrection glory of Jesus Christ - Jesus began His teaching Ministry by famously claiming to be the fulfillment of Isaiah and quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2 -- 'Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen [Resurrection] upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy [Christian (early Jewish Church) resurrection] light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.'
Isaiah 61:1-9 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD[,] {when Jesus read this passage in Luke 4:18 proclaiming liberty for the people Jesus then stopped at the comma - not yet proclaiming the coming day of vengeance} and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the [Melchizedek] Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and *I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. Luke 4:14-22 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And He came to Nazareth [the hometown of Joseph and His mother Mary], where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the Synagogue (Jewish Church) on the Sabbath Day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias (Isaiah). And when *He had opened the book, *He found the place where it was written, The [Holy] Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord[.] *And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the Synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them, *This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare Him witness [at hearing His declaration], and [but] wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? - Jesus begins His teaching Ministry by famously claiming to be the fulfillment of Isaiah and quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2. Quoting proclaiming liberty for the people but also stopping and closing the book on the future "day of vengeance" the events of Revelation when the Books are reopened and the "liberty" verses are not as applicable and the vengeance verses will be in effect.

Isaiah 62-63 - Isaiah after declaring the Teaching Ministry of Jesus Christ the Messiah - Isaiah now focuses again on the following Tribulation, End Times events -- 'Isaiah 62:1-3 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: *and thou shalt be called [both individually and as a group] by a new name [Christian], which the mouth of the LORD shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem [Royal Priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)] in the hand of thy God.' - {Note: It is considered that this verse is what gave the Christian Church the authority to take on the new 'group' name Christian (Acts 11:26) a name given by others but then also received as the new title for the new work of God. God will still give each individual a new name in heaven (Revelation 2:17).}
Isaiah 63:1-6 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? *I have trodden the winepress alone; *and of the people there was none with Me [during the Tribulation the Christian Church will be in Heaven, Israel will have fled from Jerusalem and the rest of mankind will actually be waging war against Jesus and God their creator]: for [in warfare] I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, *and the year {70th Week of Daniel} of My redeemed is come. *And I looked, and there was none to help; *and I wondered that there was none to uphold: *therefore Mine own arm brought [healing] salvation [ridding the world of evil] unto Me; and My fury [passion for righteousness], it upheld Me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk [strong delusion] in My fury, and I will bring down their strength [pride] to the earth. - This same event is seen by the Disciple John and recorded in the Book of Revelation. - 'Revelation 19:11-16 11 And I [Disciple John] saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He (Jesus) that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns [authorities]; and *He had a name written, that no man knew [no man knows what it is create mankind to redeemed mankind at the cross with His own blood and life and to then have mankind attack God to the point of going to war with God in order to destroy God], but He himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and *His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were [remaining] in heaven followed Him [later] upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, *white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword [Holy Bible], that with it He should smite the Nations: and He shall rule them with [strength] a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a Name [that everyone will know] written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'

Isaiah 64-66 - Isaiah the prophet begins to close his ministry to the people by once again declaring the coming of the new heaven and the new earth -- 'Isaiah 65:17-18 For, behold, I (God) create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.'
Isaiah 66:18-24 For I know their [sinful] works and their [sinful] thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see My glory. And I will set a sign [cross and resurrection] among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. And [during the Millennium reign of Jesus Christ] they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, *to My Holy Mountain [government] Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. 21 And I will also take of them for [eternal Melchizedek] priests and [even] for Levites {will become Melchizedek priests}, saith the LORD. *For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain [eternally] before Me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another [in order], and from one Sabbath to another [season to season], shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses 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. - The prophet Isaiah concludes his scroll of prophecy with a warning to all mankind. At this point in his life Isaiah probably now knows that Manasseh (the only son of King Hezekiah) is going to be an evil king bringing the Nation of Israel into a corrosive destructive point of no return until God brings Israel back to Himself through the purifying and refining fires of tribulation and distress. - The prophet Isaiah wrote one of the most incredible documents of all time a book (scroll) encompassing the very heights of heaven and the depths of hell. The ministry of Isaiah is at the forefront of the foundation for both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Isaiah was above all a prophet that knew the spiritual realms and was able to successfully wage spiritual warfare against Satan and against the forces of darkness, even saving Jerusalem (by his prayers) from being invaded. The 'salvation' knowledge that Isaiah imparted from God into a darkened humanity is of such an extent that like Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul, the prophet Isaiah would pay for his ministry with his life. Isaiah received of the wrath of Satan and was martyred though having the spirit of God he is resurrected to see the many promises of God fulfilled and will enter into the new heaven and live upon the new earth that he so often prophesied about.

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

JEREMIAH

Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah: Jeremiah was a part of the 'middle period' prophets and saw the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction of King Solomon's Temple and many of his fellow Jewish countrymen taken away captive to the distant nation of Babylon - As a result of all the grief and hardship that Jeremiah experienced he is known as the 'Weeping Prophet' - Jeremiah also wrote the Bible's book of Lamentations (meaning "How [could this happen - the destruction of Jerusalem]" being the formula for the commencement of a song of wailing [and mourning] - wiki.com)
Jeremiah was a part of the 'middle period' [Babylonian captivity] prophets including fellow Jerusalem prophets Habakkuk and Zephaniah while Daniel and Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon being a part of the captivity. The prophet Obadiah is thought to have prophesied about the same time as Jeremiah and also in Jerusalem however there is also a strong indication that Obadiah prophesied at a slightly earlier period in Jerusalem than Jeremiah. - The earlier prophet Micah is mentioned (Jeremiah 26:18-21) to the leaders of Israel by Jeremiah as an example of a prophet who also foretold the destruction of Jerusalem though the leaders of that time did not seek to put Micah to death for his message as the current leaders were seeking to do to Jeremiah. - It is important to note that the earlier prophets like Micah were prophesying about the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity about 100 years before the actual events happened later in time during the time of Jeremiah and the other 'middle prophets' and that though the messages of the 'middle prophets' will sound similar to the messages of the 'earlier prophets' often the focus will now shift forward again and will actually be further out in time. During the time of the middle prophets the prophets were not primarily focusing on the Babylonian captivity but were actually prophesying out into the future 2nd destruction of Jerusalem and the destruction of the 2nd Temple by Rome in 70 A.D. and the resulting great Jewish "Diaspora" dispersion among all Gentile Nations not just being taken away into the one Nation of Babylon. - While the Jerusalem prophets prophesied about the future Diaspora of Israel the two prophets [Daniel and Ezekiel] in captivity in Babylon prophesied much further out into the future with Daniel prophesying about the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem and his famous "70 Weeks" Prophecy while Ezekiel is prophesying possibly about a 4th rebuilt Millennial Temple [the 3rd Temple also belonging to God is yet to be rebuilt in Jerusalem but the Antichrist will attempt to use it as his throne and the dimensions of Ezekiel's 4th Temple are much larger than what would currently be physically possible upon the Temple Mount location of today] in Jerusalem and the Millennial reign on earth with the Messiah Jesus Christ reigning from the [4th] Temple in Jerusalem.

The Book of Jeremiah - Jeremiah was a young devout Levitical Priest from the (Levite) City of Refuge in Anathoth (Joshua 21:18) and he also very likely served duties in the Temple at Jerusalem - Jeremiah lived from about 627 to 580 BC, a crucial period in the history of Judah, the Southern Kingdom [of Israel] except for a brief period of independence under Josiah - Judah existed as a vassal under Assyria, Egypt and Babylon {Assyria a major kingdom though not controlling all of the area including Jerusalem it was not a kingdom of the world (Revelation 17:10), Egypt is the second of the seven world kingdoms (after Nimrod the first world ruler), Babylon is the third of the seven world kingdoms, fourth is Persia (Iran), fifth is Greece, the sixth is Rome and the seventh being the Antichrist] - He [Jeremiah] began writing during the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign (Jeremiah 1:2, 25:3) - On the world scene, Jeremiah's lifetime was a period of empires jockeying for world domination {Note: the final world domination [of Satan] via Antichrist will be primarily a spiritual domination [false worship] first and physical domination second (Revelation 13:17) where the earlier kingdoms were physical domination first and spiritual domination followed.}
Jeremiah ministered during the reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah, and the governorship of Gedaliah. When he began his ministry, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had already been in captivity for nearly one hundred years; Josiah was attempting to extend his influence over the territory formerly controlled by the north. Manasseh's evil reign had ended fifteen years before, perhaps when Jeremiah was quite young. After Manasseh, Amon's reign, also evil, lasted barely two years. Jeremiah's ministry began during the early reformation by Josiah, a reformation that was mostly skin deep, affecting few beyond his immediate circle. It would be five more years before the book of the law would be found by Hilkiah, as he was cleaning the temple. On the world scene, Jeremiah's lifetime was a period of empires jockeying for world domination. The Assyrian empire began to disintegrate after the death of Ashurbanipal in 626 BC, with the capital, Nineveh, falling to Nebuchadnezzar in 612 BC. In 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt at Carchemish, thus gaining control of all of western Asia. In 609 BC Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo, when he foolishly went out to fight Pharaoh Necho. Judah, at this point, became a vassal to Egypt. In 606/05 BC, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and took many captives (Daniel 1:1). In 603 BC, Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar; from that time on, Babylon, Moab and Ammon began systematically dismantling the Jewish state. In 597 BC Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, bound Jehoiakim, and took him to Babylon, along with many of the temple vessels. In 588 BC, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem until 586 when famine swept the city; Nebuchadnezzar sacked the city, and burned it to the ground. The temple was destroyed. Jeremiah was not the only prophet at this time: preaching with him, were Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Huldah, the prophetess in Judah. Meanwhile, Daniel and Ezekiel were busy in Babylonian captivity. [article link]

The Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 52:28-30) notes three deportations: The first [Daniel and his friends went to Babylon in this first deportation of Jews from Jerusalem to Babylon] was in the time of [king] Jehoiachin, in 597 BCE, when the Temple of Jerusalem was partially despoiled and a number of the leading [talented and brilliant] citizens were removed (2 Kings 24:10-16) - After eleven years, in 586 BCE, in the reign of Zedekiah, a fresh uprising of the Judaeans occurred - The city and Temple of Jerusalem was razed [destroyed, leveled to the ground] and a further [2nd] deportation ensued (2 Kings 25:1-21) [Ezekiel was a part of this 2nd deportation to Babylon] - Finally, five years thereafter, in 581 BCE, Jeremiah records a third deportation (Jeremiah 52:30)
The book of Daniel records a deportation of Judaean nobility that occurred around 605 BCE, in the reign of Jehoiakim (Daniel 1:1-6; cf. 2 Chronicles 36:6-7). The Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 52:28-30) notes three deportations: The first was in the time of Jehoiachin, in 597 BCE, when the Temple of Jerusalem was partially despoiled and a number of the leading citizens were removed (2 Kings 24:10-16). After eleven years, in 586 BCE, in the reign of Zedekiah, a fresh uprising of the Judaeans occurred. The city and temple of Jerusalem was razed and a further deportation ensued (2 Kings 25:1-21). Finally, five years thereafter, in 581 BCE, Jeremiah records a third deportation (Jeremiah 52:30). ... Significance in Judaism: The Babylonian Captivity and the subsequent return [back] to Israel [70 years later] were seen as one of the pivotal events in the drama between God and His people: Israel. Just as they had been predestined for, and saved from, slavery in Egypt, the Israelites were predestined to be punished by God through the Babylonians, and then saved once more. The Babylonian Captivity had a number of serious effects on Judaism and the Jewish culture. For example, the current [modern] Hebrew script was adopted during this period, replacing the traditional Israelite script. This period saw the last [Jewish] high-point of Biblical prophecy in the person of Ezekiel, followed by the emergence of the central role of the Torah [Five Books of Moses] in Jewish life; according to many historical-critical scholars, it was edited and redacted during this time, and saw the beginning of the canonization of the Bible [O.T.], which provided a central text for Jews. This process coincided with the emergence of scribes and sages as Jewish leaders (see Ezra and the Pharisees). Prior to exile, the people of Israel had been organized according to tribe; afterwards, they were organized by clans, only the [Levitical] tribe of Levi [and the Tribe of Judah] continuing in its 'special role'. After this time, there were always sizable numbers of Jews living outside Eretz Israel [Promise Land]; thus, it also marks the beginning of the "Jewish diaspora" [Jews dispersed and living among the Gentile Nations], unless this is considered to have begun with the Assyrian Captivity of [Northern] Israel. In Rabbinic literature, Babylon is a metaphor for the current Jewish diaspora. [article link]

Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet (Mp3)
Biblical Truths from West Palm Beach church of Christ - A sermon from Bubba Garner. Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet [35:04m]: MP3. [article link]

Jeremiah 1 - Jeremiah at a young age [probably early twenties] was called by God to be a prophet to the Nation of Israel and to the Nations and the Kingdoms of the Gentiles - The calling and office of God will cover about the next 50 years in the life of Jeremiah - With the long Ministry of Jeremiah and the book (scroll) of Jeremiah having more words than any other Bible book except for the Book of Psalms the Book of Jeremiah has been arranged by scribes from a chronological order into Three main Oracles [Teachings] given from God through Jeremiah -- 'Jeremiah 1:1-3 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the [Levitical] Priests that were in Anathoth [a Levite city of refuge slightly north of the villages of Bethpage and Bethany] in the land of Benjamin: To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.'
Jeremiah 1:4-10 Then the word of the LORD came unto me [Jeremiah], saying, Before I [God] formed thee [Jeremiah] in the belly [womb] I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified [set apart] thee, and I ordained thee *a prophet unto the Nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child [probably early twenties though possibly much younger, a Priest was a 'child' and could only assist the Priesthood until the adult age of thirty]. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee *over the Nations and over the Kingdoms, to {first} root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down [the breaking of the Old Testament (Jeremiah 19:10) by Israel], {then} to build, and to plant [the New Testament (Jeremiah 31:31) by and through God]. - "Jeremiah 1:5 Before I [God] formed thee [Jeremiah] in the belly I knew thee ..." God is the creator of each individual life! This verse is indicating that God has all knowledge and knows both the beginning and the end of all human history this is not a verse about pre-existence as God with His knowledge foreknew Jeremiah even though Jeremiah did not yet exist spiritually or physically. (James 2:26) mentions that the body without a spirit is dead and therefore it seems that in the womb God creates the human life spirit and then God takes about 9 months to form a body around the human spirit that He has given [remember though we are now created in a fallen sinful world and our human bodies even in the womb and at birth do reflect the fallen imperfect nature of this world]. "John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I (Jesus) say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." With the words of Jesus it would exclude any form of human spirit preexistence as Jesus said humans are born of water then born again by the Holy Spirit while to preexist (i.e. live in heaven as a human spirit without a body as is an LDS Mormon teaching) the [LDS] human would be born a preexistent human spirit then 'born again' in water and then 'born again, again' by the Holy Spirit and it is another LDS teaching that is simply not at all Biblical.

Jeremiah 1 (Part 2) - As a prophet in the middle period move of the Holy Spirit Jeremiah is going to encounter several visions from God - Visions and dreams are going to help characterize the middle prophecy period -- 'Jeremiah 1:11-12 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou [in a vision]? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.'
Jeremiah 1:13-14 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou [in a vision]? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. - Previously in the Bible God primarily spoke to the prophets in an audible voice (Genesis 12:4), occasionally in a vision (Genesis 15:1) and often through a dream (Genesis 37:5) however as God is preparing mankind to receive the New Covenant (New Testament) gifts and callings of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28) the middle period prophets including Jeremiah begin to prophesy more in accordance with the coming New Testament gifts of visions, dreams and and discernment while still hearing audibly from God.

Jeremiah 2 - Chapter 2 begins with what is considered [and grouped into] the first of three Oracles of Jeremiah to the people - Oracle 1: Chapters 2-25 {remembering Israel's past with God, reminding the people that to know God is to have fellowship in a personal relationship with God and that the O.T. covenant between God and Israel is broken [by Israel] it is not working and will be removed [at the cross of Jesus Christ when the veil in the Temple it torn from top to bottom]}, Oracle 2: Chapters 30-31 {The New Covenant (New Testament) is to be instituted [in the blood and body, death and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus Christ]}, Oracle 3: Chapters 46-51 {Judgments upon the Gentile Nations (and more so upon the demonic entities that are behind the scenes in manipulating Gentile societies, rituals and pagan practices.)} -- 'Jeremiah 2:1-3 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me (Jeremiah), saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after Me in the wilderness [desert wandering], in a land that was not sown [unplanted]. Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of His increase ...'
Jeremiah 2:8-9 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew Me not: the pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal [Satan], and walked after things that do not [spiritually] profit. Wherefore I will yet plead [lit. make a legal charge against you] with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead [lit. make a legal charge against them]. - Ultimately it is the leadership of Israel both politically and priestly that has caused error to the point of separating the people of Israel from God and as a result have brought the Nation of Israel to ruin, defeat and into captivity.

Jeremiah 3 - Jeremiah is making it evident beyond any doubt that it is the people of Israel [and the entire world] that have strayed from God - While throughout all time, locations and events God remains faithful to both Himself and to the people -- 'Jeremiah 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel [Northern Kingdom] hath justified [made right] herself more than treacherous [Southern Kingdom] Judah.' - Note: God is saying that the disastrous Northern Kingdom led by the tribe of Dan, with the limited knowledge of God that they had have actually been more faithful than the Southern Kingdom Tribe of Judah. The Northern Kingdom was previously judged by God and taken into captivity by the Nation of Assyria yet the Southern Kingdom having had more interaction and knowledge with God and seeing the judgment and captivity of the Northern Kingdom but still the Southern Kingdom of Judah turned from God to an even greater extent than the Northern Kingdom did. - Even today it is an astonishing achievement that the Christian Church that has significantly more knowledge and experience with God than the Jewish brethren yet the Christian Church in its unfaithfulness to God and to His word is backsliding and misrepresenting God far beyond what ancient Israel, Judah or even modern Israel has done during their inconsistent relationship with God.
Jeremiah 3:20-25 ... O house of Israel, saith the LORD. A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto Thee; for Thou art the LORD our God. Truly in vain [emptiness] is salvation hoped for from the hills [other people], and from the multitude of mountains [other Nations i.e. Egypt, Edom ...]: *truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. For shame hath devoured the labour [our inheritance] of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. - By not following the words of God they have brought on themselves the confusion that comes from following the [news] stories and misrepresented events of the day. - In our own day practically every public teaching [evolution, ethics, etc.], every cultural event [TV, movies, plays, etc.] and every news item [CNN, Fox News, etc.] that has the pretext of teaching, enlightening and informing the people is by design a system of confusion. Once people are confused they are more easily deceived, led astray, corrupted and taken advantage of.

Jeremiah 4 - Jeremiah is insisting that the people return to God but only through following the ways of God -- 'Jeremiah 4:1-4 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto Me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of My sight, then shalt thou not remove {go into captiviy}. And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; *and the Nations shall bless themselves [though the obedience of Israel] in Him, and in Him shall they [Gentiles] glory. For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow [unproductive] ground, and sow [plant] not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins [hardness, covering] of your heart [soul], ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.'
Jeremiah 4:22-28 For My people is foolish, they have not [personally] known Me; they are sottish [drunken, intoxicated from another influence (spiritual)] [immature] children, and they have none understanding: *they are wise to do evil, *but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly [easily]. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by His fierce anger. For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. - God is consistently creating His order from out of the void, emptiness and failings of humanity. Along with His establishing of His order God is also routinely rearranging the structure of all of creation and all of society in order to continue to accurately reflect who He is as God in reflecting His nature and His personality through His society, His word [Holy Bible], His accomplishments [past prophecies], His future prophecies and also through all of His physical creation revealing unto to all of mankind just who He is as God our creator.

Jeremiah 5 - Israel has been trusting in many false securities - Trusting mainly in their own capabilities to achieve in life and to achieve over or to negotiate with their fellow Nations but now the false securities, the securities apart from God, are going to come crashing down -- 'Jeremiah 5:10 Go ye [strangers] up upon her [Jerusalem] walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements [false securities]; for they are not the LORD'S. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously [lit. secretly and deceitfully] against Me, saith the LORD.'
Jeremiah 5:29-31 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not **My soul be avenged on such a Nation as this? A wonderful [lit. large scale desolation] and horrible thing is committed in the land; *The prophets prophesy falsely, *and the priests bear rule by their means [wealth and power]; *and My people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? - In the "end thereof" the people will no longer have the option of residing in the false securities. The false prophets will be revealed as false, the priests [pastors] will have lost their authority and ultimately the people will have to either look directly to God or look directly away from God as all of the middle pretenses and distractions in the rulers, false prophets, and priests will be removed from the decision making process of the ordinary person. Note: the ideal situation is for people to first go directly to God in a personal relationship with God in prayer, reading the Bible, fellowship and service to God and avoiding the necessity of having to have life's circumstances become a 'large scale desolation' in order to have enough of the false securities fail and removed before finally turning to God as a last resort but keep in mind that turning to God even as a last resort [or especially as a last resort] is still the much better [and much more common] option than not turning to God at all.

Jeremiah 6 - While the Children of God are unable or unwilling to be an example to the rest of the world regarding God's wonderful plan of Salvation to the world - Then the Children of God can become an example to the rest of the world regarding God's ability to judge [beginning first in the household of God] between good and evil and to reward good while correcting evil -- 'Jeremiah 6:18-19 Therefore hear, ye [Gentile] Nations, and know, O [remnant] congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this [backslidden] people, even *the fruit [outcome] of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto My Words, nor to My Law, but rejected it.'
Jeremiah 6:24-30 We [the Children of God] have heard the fame thereof {now the fame is in the correction of God and in the captivity instead of as in the past fame regarding the deliverance from Egypt and the amazing victories both inside and outside of the Promise Land}: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way [road]; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side. O daughter of My people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes [repentance]: ***make thee mourning, as for an only Son [Jesus and the cross of Jesus is always where every plan of God is intending to bring mankind], most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us. I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among My people, that thou mayest know and try their way. They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass [sin, brass is man's cheap imitation of gold - cheap glory and sin] and iron [strong unrepentant sin]; *they are all corrupters. The bellows are burned, the lead [lead the cheapest and dullest metal] is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away. Reprobate [no longer shining] silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them [from man's worldly casual view God had rejected Israel but according to the Word, plans and purposes of God the Jews and the Nation of Israel have never once been rejected by God].

Jeremiah 7 - Jeremiah is told by God to go stand in the [main] gate into the Temple in Jerusalem and to give a message from God to all the Worshipers of Israel - 'Jeremiah 7:1-3 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD'S [Temple] House, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the Word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, *Amend [lit. be cheerful] your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. ...'
Jeremiah 7:1-34 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Stand in the [main] gate of the LORD'S [Temple] House, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the Word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these [Temple] gates to worship the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these {buildings that make us great, while it is the Word and presence of God that makes a Nation great}. For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal [Satan], and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before Me in this [Temple] House, which is called by My Name, and say, We are delivered [from Egypt] to do all these abominations? Is this [Temple] House, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD. But go ye now unto My [original Tabernacle] place which was in Shiloh [Northern Israel], where I set My Name at the first, and see what I did to it [Northern Israel] for the wickedness of My people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; *Therefore will I do [destroy the Temple] unto this [Temple] House [in Jerusalem], which is called by My Name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight [into captivity in Babylon], as I have cast out all your brethren [into Assyria (now Northern Babylon)], even the whole seed [Tribe] of Ephraim. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee. Seest thou not what they do [group false worship] in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven [Ishtar], and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out [like a drink offering] upon this place [Jerusalem], upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Put your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat flesh. For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet they hearkened not unto Me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: *they did worse than their fathers. Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth. Cut off thine hair [glory], O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath. For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight, saith the LORD: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn [sacrifice, abortion] their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but [in truth] the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth [joyous laughter], and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate. -- The Temple Sermon [Jeremiah 7:1-8:3] of Jeremiah continues ...

Jeremiah vs. Politically Correct Theology - Jeremiah's "Temple Sermon" stands as one of the great texts that define for us the prophet's theology - It was preached early in the reign of [king] Jehoiakim [aka. Eliakim] (609-598 BC) - It seems to be the sermon that initially created animosity on all levels of society for the prophet
INTRODUCTION: Jeremiah's "Temple Sermon" stands as one of the great texts that define for us the prophet's theology. It was preached early in the reign of Jehoiakim (609-598 BC). It seems to be the sermon that initially created animosity on all levels of society for the prophet. It was not the harshness of the message that alienated these new found enemies, which were numerous, but it was the content--the subtle and not so subtle comments and implications--that drove them to try and lynch the prophet. ... THE SECOND LIST OF SINS--MORE EXPLICIT! In the second list of sins (7:8-11) begins by again, a second time, calling the "official theology" a sheker, but adds "that cannot profit." This list is not a list that would evoke images of what the king had done, but reached into the lives of the people. It, like the first list, begins with crimes against man. It sounds like the second half of the 10 commandments with only coveting left out. "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely" What is more explicit is the crimes against God. In addition to following other gods the name of the main deity they have substituted for Yahweh is given--Baal! In their religious devotion they have done two things for these other gods: burned incense to them and walked after them. The first act is probably pars pro toto (the part for the whole). Why choose incense burning when the associated acts are so awful? Things like child sacrifice, sacred prostitution, bestiality, incest, and self-mutilation seem to make incense burning a gross understatement. Jeremiah is not adverse to using strong language if it fits the situation. Earlier he had called the nation "a wild ass in heat." He had asked them to show him a place where they had not been "violated/defiled." (3:1-4) The word 'shugal' was the gutter term for sexual intercourse. It was not pronounced aloud in public reading, but had a euphemistic term substituted for it. Why did Mr. "I will say anything" [Jeremiah] not unleash his tongue? Several suggestions could be made 1. He was standing in the temple at the time of worship and discretion was called for. ... What is particularly heinous is that they would then "come and stand before me (Yahweh) in this house, which is called by my name, and say [by their actions], 'We are delivered; that ye may do all these abominations?'" It is doubtful that the quotation was an actual saying of theirs. It is either just the implication from their acts and their actual words or a modification of an unknown ritual formula they used. The former [their acts] is probably the case. [article link]

Jeremiah 8 - Jeremiah has concluded his Temple Sermon [Jeremiah 7:1-8:3] given publically to the worshipers coming in and out of the main gate on the Temple grounds [in Jerusalem] and Jeremiah continues with more messages to the people -- 'Jeremiah 8:11 For they [prophets, priests and leaders] have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, Peace [with sin], peace [with sin]; when there is no peace [with sin].'
Jeremiah 8:20-21 The Harvest [of God] is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. For the hurt of the daughter of My people Am I hurt [on the cross]; I am black [lit. cloathed in darkness, mourning]; astonishment hath taken hold on Me. Is there no balm [medicine] in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of My people recovered? - The health of the people has not recovered because the illness of all people is spiritual and will require more than medicine, salve and balm it will require the eternal, spiritual sacrifice of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) on the cross in order to heal mankind from the sickness of sin.

Jeremiah 8:20 "The Harvest Is Past" by Pastor David Legge (Mp3)
We're turning in our Bibles to the book of Jeremiah the prophet, and his prophecy - chapter 8 of that book, and only one verse that we will read together this evening. Jeremiah chapter 8, verse 20 is our text - and let me say before I read this, I feel it's important to say this: last week, last Sunday evening was our watch-night service, and this is the message that I felt God was giving me for that. It's the exact same message, so if you've come tonight don't think that anybody has tipped me off that I know where you are and I know all about you - this is the message I hoped to preach last week, but God led me to preach something else. So I bring it to you this week, and that - I believe - is for a reason. It must be for a reason, there's no coincidences with God - and I believe that reason is you! No matter who you are, or where you are in this gathering tonight: this is God's message for you tonight, and I am 100% certain of that - you may not be, but I am, so I want you to listen to it this evening. Verse 20 of chapter 8: "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved"..."The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved". Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer, and perhaps as we bow our heads together we could sing quietly and prayerfully that first verse of the hymn we've just sung: 'Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry, While on others Thou art calling Do not pass me by'. Can you sing that? Let's sing it together ... [article link]

Jeremiah 9 - We are to glory in the true gold of God, a knowledge of God in the lovingkindness of God and in the mercy of God - Not in the false compassions of brass and iron from mankind -- 'Jeremiah 9:24 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I Am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.'
Jeremiah 9:25-26 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them [Jews and Gentiles] which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these Nations are uncircumcised, and all the House of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. - The judgment day of God is going to encompass all of mankind. The Jews [Hebrews] and all Gentiles come under the judgment and authority of the Almighty God and all will be judged by God.

Jeremiah 10 - Jeremiah 10:1-10 Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O House of Israel [those Governed by God]: Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen [unsaved], and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the [unsaved] people are vain [empty] ... But the LORD is the True God, He is the living God, and an everlasting King: at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the Nations shall not be able to abide His indignation.
Jeremiah 10:11-16 *Thus shall ye [Jeremiah] say unto them [Gentiles], The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion. When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures. Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder {metal worker} is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood [not a god], and there is no [life] breath in them [metal statues]. They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation [testing by fire - 1 Corinthians 3:13] they [false gods, metal statues] shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like them: for he is the former [beginning] of all things [Israel]; and Israel is the rod [lit. walking stick, companion] of His [Jesus'] inheritance: The LORD of Hosts [Jesus] is His Name. - Note: verse 11 is directed from God through Jeremiah to the Gentiles and being addressed to the Gentiles verse 11 is one of the few verses in the O.T. Bible that is not written in Hebrew but is written in the Aramaic language [ancient Canaanite language - Wiki.com].

An Introduction to Aramaic "...Today few people study Aramaic because they are interested in the Arameans - Most are motivated by the fact that [a few] parts of the Bible [concerning Gentiles] are written in Aramaic, specifically major[?] sections of the books of Ezra (4:6-6:18 and 7:12-26) and Daniel (2:4-7:28), as well as one sentence in Jeremiah (10:11) and two words in Genesis (31:47) - In order to read the entire "Hebrew" Bible in the original, then, one must know Aramaic (Book)
What is Aramaic and Why Should You Learn It? (Excerpted from An Introduction to Aramaic chapter 1) "...Today few people study Aramaic because they are interested in the Arameans. Most are motivated by the fact that parts of the Bible are written in Aramaic, specifically major sections of the books of Ezra (4:6-6:18 and 7:12-26) and Daniel (2:4-7:28), as well as one sentence in Jeremiah (10:11) and two words in Genesis (31:47). In order to read the entire "Hebrew" Bible in the original, then, one must know Aramaic. "With only some 200 verses of the Bible in Aramaic, there would be little reason to learn the dialect for that reason alone. However, mastering this limited body of material can open the door to a wide range of possibilities. "Because Aramaic was a dominant language among the Jews of first century Palestine [not substantiated], a wealth of important [questionable, forged] texts are written in it. Although Jesus' teachings survive only in the Greek New Testament, the [modern] Gospels provide ample [tampered] evidence of Aramaic traditions surrounding him, and the language's influence can be felt in several other passages as well. - Note: There is no Biblical or archeological evidence that Aramaic was the main language in use at the time of Jesus. The overwhelming evidence is that Hebrew continued to be the language spoken and written in Israel and in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus and until the Diaspora in 70 A.D. - Also Note: there is some evidence that what were originally some New Testament words written in Hebrew have been replaced at a later date with Aramaic words in an attempt by somebody possibly Christian Gentiles to separate the New Testament from its original Jerusalem, Jewish origins. In fact all of the emphasis on the miniscule use of Aramaic in the Bible is a direct attempt by Gentiles to lessen the Jewish-Hebrew foundations and influences of the Bible. [article link]

Introduction to The Book of Daniel - The Aramaic langue was the common language or lingua franca, used in Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian communication
Languages: Aramaic and Hebrew are the two languages used in Daniel. Hebrew is used in Daniel 1:1 to Daniel 2:4a and Chapters 8 through 12, Aramaic is used from Daniel 2:4a to 7:28. The Aramaic langue was the common language or lingua franca, used in Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian communication. Aramaic is found also in the Ezra 4:8-6:18, 7:12-26 and Jeremiah 10:11. Why did Daniel compose a portion of his revelation in a foreign language? Some have used this to argue a late date for the book of Daniel. Aramaic in fact was the common language in the 6th century B.C., not the Maccabean period (166 B.C) where Greek [Greece the 5th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] became the common language. Daniel message was not only to the Jewish people, but to the nations. Aramaic in Daniel's day is equivalent to English in our day. Daniel 2:4 to 7:28 would be accessible to any literate, Greek, Babylonian or Jew in Daniel's day and later. [article link]

In what language was the Bible first written? - Some Aramaic words were even used by the Gospel writers in the New Testament {It's extremely doubtful even impossible that Aramaic was originally used in the original and early New Testament [N.T.] manuscripts [because the current written Aramaic words [i.e. Matthew 27:46] do not fit within the context and meaning of what was spoken but a written Hebrew word would fit exactly the spoken context]. It's most probable that at a later date several of the Hebrew words in the (Greek) New Testament were replaced with Aramaic and that today we now have a few Aramaic words in the New Testament where originally there were none.}
Hebrew is one of a group of languages known as the Semitic languages which were spoken throughout that part of the world, then called Mesopotamia, located today mainly in Iraq. Their alphabet consisted of 22 letters, all consonants. (Imagine having an alphabet with no vowels! Much later they did add vowels.) Almost the entire Old Testament was written in Hebrew during the thousand years of its composition. But a few chapters in the prophecies of Ezra and Daniel and one verse in Jeremiah were written in a language called Aramaic. This language became very popular in the ancient world and actually displaced many other languages. Aramaic even became the common language spoken in Israel in Jesus' time, and it was likely the language He spoke day by day. Some Aramaic words were even used by the Gospel writers in the New Testament. The New Testament, however, was written in Greek. This seems strange, since you might think it would be either Hebrew or Aramaic. However, Greek was the language of scholarship during the years of the composition of the New Testament from 50 to 100 AD. The fact is that many Jews could not even read Hebrew anymore, and this disturbed the Jewish leaders a lot! So, around 300 BC a translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek was undertaken, and it was completed around 200 BC. Gradually this Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, was widely accepted and was even used in many synagogues. It also became a wonderful missionary tool for the early Christians, for now the Greeks could read God's Word in their own tongue. So the New Testament authors wrote in Greek. They did not, however, use really high-class or classical Greek, but a very common and everyday type of Greek. For many years some scholars ridiculed the Greek of the New Testament because many of its words were strange to those who read the writings of the great Greek classical authors such as Plato and Aristotle. But later many records were uncovered of ordinary people, and amazingly there were the same common terms used in everyday speech! The ridicule dried up accordingly. [article link]

Jeremiah 11-12 - Israel is given a final opportunity to follow the [Old] Covenant -- 'Jeremiah 11:1-5 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Hear ye the words of this Covenant [O.T.], and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this Covenant, Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be My people, and I will be your God: That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I [Jeremiah], and said, So be it, O LORD.' - Note: Israel will again be unable to follow the Old Covenant because any Covenant [agreement] between God and man that requires human effort will always fall short, way short, on man's side. One way to look at the broken Old Covent is that if Israel the Jews were unable to keep a Covenant with God then no one else ever had any possibility of keeping a Covenant with God. The Covenant broke with the people most capable of keeping a Covenant with God therefore with the Jews or any people unable to keep the Old Covenant the coming New Covenant will strictly be enforced and fulfilled in God alone. God in the person of Jesus Christ will fulfill on behalf of all mankind the New Covenant between God and mankind.
Jeremiah 12:10-17 Many pastors have destroyed My Vineyard, they have trodden My portion under foot, they have made My pleasant portion [Israel] a desolate wilderness. They [inadequate pastors] have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth [grieves] unto Me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace. They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain [hard labor], but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil [Gentile] neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them [Gentiles] out of their [Jewish] land, and pluck out the House of Judah from among them [Gentile Nations]. *And it shall come to pass, after [starting May 14, 1948] that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again [from the 70 A.D. Diaspora], every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My Name, The LORD liveth; as they [pastors] taught My people to swear by Baal [Satan]; then shall they be built in the midst of My people. But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that Nation, saith the LORD. - The consequences of inadequate Bible teaching affect the people, the land and the surrounding Nations in fact all of humanity and all of creation are affected in one way or another by false and inadequate Bible teachings. When the truth of God's Word is faithfully being taught, spoken forth and encouraged by faithful pastors then it is the opposite of desolation as humanity and even creation benefit from the healing (Salvation) truth of God's Word.

Jeremiah 13 - As God is expanding Jeremiah's Ministry from primarily a Jewish audience to including the Gentile Nations - God will now add several 'object lessons' to the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah - Object lessons involve actual objects like clothing, food and animals enabling the objects to easily transcend language barriers as a rock in any language is still a rock and a sheep is a sheep while a goat is a goat - An object lesson is almost a polar opposite of a Parable - In a parable practically every detail is yet future or heavenly and can be debated as to its exact meaning - An object lesson has a much more clear, concise, present and universal message -- 'Jeremiah 13:1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle [belt, waistband], and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. ...'
Jeremiah 13:12-17 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, [of course] Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David's throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness [lit. intoxication]. And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud [humble yourself]: for the LORD hath spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God, before He cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, He turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul [Jeremiah the Weeping Prophet] shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive. - The tendency among people is to think that those who are serving God in an official capacity as a pastor, a city official or by living in a 'promise land' location that those positions and locations are impervious to the judgments of God when in actuality it is those very positions and locations that are scrutinized the most by God. It is also often though that those in the favored positions and locations somehow cannot offend God as though being favored and seemingly doing the work of the Lord the leaders have a free pass in life and can do no wrong against God but as Jeremiah is revealing it is the very people in trusted ministry [servant] positions who have actually routinely offended God the most. Having been routinely offended and misrepresented by His own servants God is then placed in the unenviable position of actually having to hinder and even combat the people who have assumed their lofty positions over other people. If God did not send intoxication and darkness upon the people in leadership they would continue to use their vast abilities and talents to further spread false teachings and deceptive examples putting God in the position of having to hinder the abilities and talents of His own servants and of His own people in order to help slow the spread of sin that is increasing at an ever alarming rate by the very hands of His own servants and ministers.

Jeremiah 14-15 - There is now a Divine Judgment drought upon the land of Israel - 'Jeremiah 14:1-3 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth [drought]. Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.'
Jeremiah 14:7-14 {A prayer of Jeremiah for the people} O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do Thou it for Thy Name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against Thee. O the hope of Israel, the Savior thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest Thou be as a stranger [unacquainted] in the land, and as a wayfaring [passing through] man that turneth aside to tarry [only] for a night? Why shouldest Thou be as a man astonied [unable to take action], as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by Thy Name; leave us not. {God answers Jeremiah and the people} Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; He will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins. {God directs Jeremiah} Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good [it will be an unanswered prayer]. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in My Name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of naught, and the deceit of their heart. - Creation suffering in a drought is bearing a burden for Israel's disobedience to God and now Israel will also bear of their disobedience as God has set a course of correction for His children. A course that will involve the loss of opportunity, the loss of life, hardship and captivity all because Israel has chosen the ways of man over the ways of God and man's ways though seemingly just and seemingly reliable will ultimately always lead to hardship and destruction.

Jeremiah 16-17 - Jeremiah is told by God not to take a wife because of the severity of the coming judgment -- 'Jeremiah 16:1-2 The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.'
Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and *they that depart from me shall be written in the earth [John 8:6,8], because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now. As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction. *Thus said the LORD unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath [Rest] Day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath Day, neither do ye any work, but hallow [Sanctify] ye the Sabbath Day (Genesis 2:2), as I commanded your fathers. - Jeremiah is now told by God to go stand in the gate of the city of Jerusalem and give a message to the people much like Jeremiah did earlier by standing in a gate at the entrance to the Temple. With Jeremiah now away from the Temple and at the edge of the city in a gate of the city God is signifying that His presence has departing from the Temple and His presence is also about to depart from the city. The Prophet Ezekiel [Ezekiel 10:18] will actually see a vision of the Spirit of God departing from the Temple the Holy Spirit having indwelt the Temple since the dedication ceremony [2 Chronicles 5:14] of King Solomon.

Jeremiah 18-19 - Jeremiah is instructed by God to "go down to the potters house" - God instructs Jeremiah that people and Nations are but clay in the hands of God - Next Jeremiah is to take a clay vessel [pot] and take the elders of Israel out to the city dump where Jeremiah is cast down to the ground the clay pot breaking it into unusable pieces as Jeremiah is to proclaim that God will break like a clay pot the people and the city of Jerusalem -- 'Jeremiah 18:1-2 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.'
Jeremiah 19:10-15 Then shalt thou break the bottle [clay pot] in the sight of the men that go with thee, And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury. Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and even make this city as Tophet [the city dump]: And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods. *Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the [Temple] court of the LORD'S House; and said to all the people, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear My Words. - What began As a Nation of people delivered out of Egypt and slavery, freed to worship and serve God, has now ended in a city dump outside of Jerusalem. God will continue His plan that He enacted through Abraham and He will continue His calling upon the Nation of Israel though now the intentions of God will be more focused on a faithful remnant of Israel than on the Nation as a whole.

Jeremiah 20-21 - Jeremiah becomes overwhelmed in his ministry by the enormity of the events happening in Jerusalem and around him - Jeremiah 20:7-18 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of Him (God), nor speak any more in His Name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing [stalling], and I could not stay. For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars [enemies] watched for my halting [lack of forward progress], saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. But, O LORD of Hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause. Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for He hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers. Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide; Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me. Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?
Jeremiah 21:2-14 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all His wondrous works, that he [Nebuchadnezzar] may go up from us. Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; *Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. *And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; **Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. For I have set My face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon [Babylon the 3rd Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], and he shall burn it with fire. And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD; O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? 14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it. - The nation of Babylon now comes on the scene as an instrument of judgment in the hands of God. The Northern Kingdom of Israel admired strength and courage so God sent them into captivity by the strong and courageous nation of Assyria [i.e. Texas, military, industry, alcohol]. The Southern Kingdom of Israel [Judah] admires enchantments, mysticism and divination so Judah is going to be taken captive by the mystical, enchanting nation of Babylon [i.e. California, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Disneyland, entertainment, sex, marijuana]. - Note: Egypt in a modern sense would be represented as [i.e. New York, Manhattan, Broadway, culture, education, the insurance and finance markets, money, drugs].

Jeremiah 22 - Jeremiah is to go to the House of the king of Israel and inform the king that he is no longer eligible to be the king and that neither he or any of his descendants are entitled to sit on the throne of King David - Cutting off that segment of the Davidic line from delivering the Messiah into Israel and to the world -- 'Jeremiah 22:1-2 Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates ...'
Jeremiah 22:28-29 Is this man Coniah [aka King Jeconiah] a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed [descendants], and are cast into a land which they know not? *O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. - Jeconiah is removed by God from being a king over Israel. "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD" Jeremiah like Isaiah and all the Prophets before him prophesies in the 'mystery' [1 Corinthians 2:7, Ephesians 3:4, Colossians 1:27] Triune (Trinity) nature of God. Note: There are not three 'earths' there is one earth and one LORD. The one LORD is speaking to the one earth as Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. -- Jeremiah 23:14-24 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. ... But if they [prophets, pastors] had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My Words, then they should have turned [repented] them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. Am I a God [close] at hand [and accessible to mankind], saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I [Divine Omnipresence] fill Heaven and earth? saith the LORD. - After rejecting the king and his descendants God through Jeremiah again turns His attention to the false, misleading and inadequate prophets [pastors, teachers and ministers] of Israel.

Jeremiah 23 - The human kings of Israel unable to faithfully represent God are to be replaced by the Divine Righteous Messiah (Jesus Christ) - The Messiah is to be the King in Israel and for all Nations exercising "judgment and justice in the earth" -- 'Jeremiah 23:5-6 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, *and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He [Jesus] shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS [during the Millennial Reign].'
Jeremiah 23:7-8 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; **But [now, in our day], The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the House of Israel out of the North Country [Babylon, by way of walking], **and [the 70 A.D. Diaspora] from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land [starting May 14, 1948 - modern Israel independence day (and as a Nation State of the U.N.)]. - Jeremiah is prophesying about several events ranging from the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple (586 B.C.) and the Babylonian captivity to the coming of the Righteous Branch the Messiah Jesus Christ (approx. 32-33 A.D.) to the 70 A.D. Diaspora [dispersion among the Gentiles] to the [May 14, 1948] re-gathering and on into the still future 1,000 Millennial Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 24-25 - Chapter 25 concludes what is considered the 1st Oracle group of Messages from Jeremiah the prophet regarding the fate of the people and Nation of Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple -- 'Jeremiah 24:11-13 And this whole [Middle-East] land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these Nations [Gentiles and Jews] shall serve the king of Babylon [3rd Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished [Persia (Iran) will be the 4th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that Nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the Nations.
Jeremiah 24:1-10 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the Temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive [1st deportation] Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah [including Daniel], with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon. *One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; *the good figs, very good; *and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them. And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. - As God interacts with and deals with the Nation of Israel and His people the people begin to polarize into two distinct groups. The good figs becoming very good, those attempting to do the will of God even though they do not understand the times, the predicament or the captivity they just know they are trusting God with and through all things in their life. The bad figs becoming very bad, those who are attempting to escape and flee the plans of God in desiring to carryout their own life in their own way regardless of the consequences to themselves, their families, their nation and even the Salvation plans of God in bringing in His Salvation through Himself the Righteous Branch. Salvation of God for the Jews at that time was in captivity in Babylon not in fleeing for a false security in Egypt as many attempted at that time. Note: Figs and the fig tree is a reference to the original Fig Tree (Genesis 3:7). The fig tree represents individual human religion, it was how Adam and Eve attempted to cover themselves in religion after their fall into sin but God required a death for their sin an blood to give them life so God substitutionally sacrificed an animal for Adam and Eve until the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross could be made. Here God is using the fig tree and figs again because God is now dealing with individuals in Israel the individuals in the remnant and the individuals fleeing for the false safety of Egypt. In Matthew 24:32 and the parable of the Fig Tree Jesus is talking again about individual religion and in a sense stating that after His cross (death for sin) and resurrection (life giving Spiritual blood) that the rebuilt 3rd Temple [unlike the Tabernacle and the first two Temples] will not be the religion of God but of the fig tree religion of man (Adam and Eve). Jesus tells us to look for the budding of the fig tree the gathering of implements and resources to rebuild the [3rd] Temple (something that has been happening since [June 8, 1967] and the recapturing of Jerusalem back into Israel). Also Note: The fig tree in the Bible is not directly a reference to the Nation of Israel but to the individuals in Israel the faithful remnant those seeking to rebuild the Temple and the bad figs those still attempting to find security in Egypt.

Seventy years of Babylonian rule: A detailed look at Jeremiah 25:9-12 - Using the 609 BC date for the demise of the Assyrian Empire and for the rise of the new Babylonian Empire, and using the 539 BC date for the end of the Babylonian Empire, we end up with a 70-year span of Babylonian rule - That, for the reasons described above, is what I believe is the 70-year period referred to in Jeremiah 25:9-12 and Jeremiah 29:10
Many people have questioned the accuracy of Jeremiah's prophecy about a 70-year period during which Babylon would dominate Judah and hold Jews as captives in Babylon. These questions, in my opinion, are based on *a mistaken belief that the captivity was supposed to last 70 years. ... The people who have questioned the accuracy of this prophecy are, as far as I have been able to determine, are correct in that the captivity Jews in Babylon did not last 70 years, if the commonly assigned dates for the captivity are taken seriously. Most historical sources that I have seen state that 539 BC was the year that Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persians. And that would seem to be a reasonable ending date for the captivity. But when did the captivity begin? Some say it began in 597 BC, when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. If this date is accepted, then the captivity spanned no more than 59 years. So how does or 59 years equal 70 years? It can't and it doesn't. ... Part 3. My theory on when the 70 years began: When did Babylon begin its domination of Judah? We know that there are historical records that claim that the Assyrian Empire dominated Judah, and many other nations. And we know that the Assyrian Empire was conquered by the Babylonian Empire. In 612 B.C. the Babylonians and the Medes conquered Nineveh, which at that time was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: "...Nineveh suffered a defeat from which it never recovered. Extensive traces of ash, representing the sack of the city by Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes in 612 BC, have been found in many parts of the Acropolis. After 612 BC the city ceased to be important..." After the defeat of Nineveh, the last of the Assyrian kings, Ashur-uballit II, fled to the west with members of his army. Most online historical references that I have been able to find state that the reign of Ashur-uballit II ended in 609 BC. My sources for this are the two Web site addresses below, the first of which is a page from the Missouri Western State College web site: http://crain.english.mwsc.edu/Jonah/assyrians.htm - The conquest of the Assyrian Empire allowed Babylon and the Medes to divide the empire amongst themselves. The Babylonians chose a vast area of the Assyrian-controlled territories, including Judah and the surrounding countries. Using the 609 BC date for the demise of the Assyrian Empire and for the rise of the new Babylonian Empire, and using the 539 BC date for the end of the Babylonian Empire, we end up with a 70-year span of Babylonian rule. That, for the reasons described above, is what I believe is the 70-year period referred to in Jeremiah 25:9-12 and Jeremiah 29:10. [article link]

Jeremiah 26 - Having concluded the 1st Oracle of messages by Jeremiah - Chapters 26-29 cover some of the daily life of Jeremiah and some events of that time - Jeremiah is sent by God to stand in the Temple court and give a message to the new king Jehoiakim and to all the people -- 'Jeremiah 26:8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.'
Jeremiah 26:1-16 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word: If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house. Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God. - Jeremiah obeys God and goes into the very power structure of the city and Nation and faithfully delivers God's message to the people. Jeremiah was challenged and threatened by the people but God still had enough faithful servants left who were able to recognize the voice of God and were willing to hear and obey the voice of God. The faithful remnant of only a few people was still bold enough to publically stand up for Jeremiah and Jeremiah's life was saved that day.

Jeremiah 27-28 - Jeremiah is daily having to contend with the false teachers and false prophets that are throughout the land and in the positions of power, authority and counsel in Israel -- 'Jeremiah 27:4-10 4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I [God] have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm [redemption on the cross], **and have given it [kingdoms] unto whom it seemed meet [appropriate] unto Me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. *And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall [defeat and] serve themselves of him [the Nation of Babylon (modern Iraq)]. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. *Therefore hearken not ye to your [false] prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon [Iraq]: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.'
Jeremiah 28:5-9 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the [false] prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD, Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels [Temple implements] of the LORD'S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. *Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; **The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. - Jeremiah explains some of the differences between a true prophecy of God and a false prophecy of man and deceiving spirits. A true prophecy from God is going to have broad implications [meaning it is equally relevant and valuable to everyone] it will include along with the future info and insight a depth, height, scope and authority that the flat, uninspired, self-serving, false prophecies just do not have.

Jeremiah 29 - Jeremiah writes a letter of encouragement to the Jews in captivity in Babylon - There was consistent contact [by messenger and letters] between the Jews exiled in Babylon, the Jews that sought refuge in the area of Tahpanhes Egypt and the Jews that were able to remain for a while in Jerusalem - It is considered that while in Jerusalem the prophet Jeremiah alone had about 18 points of contact with the prophet Ezekiel who was in captivity in Babylon -- 'Jeremiah 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon ...'
Jeremiah 29:10-15 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. *For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, *thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. *Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. **Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon; - Jeremiah writes an amazing letter of encouragement to the Jews in Babylon and including those scattered thought the world in the later Diaspora as this is a True prophecy from God the message is universal, the scope is global and the effects are eternal.

Bible History Timeline - 612 BC Babylon conquers Nineveh - {seven years later} 605 BC Babylon exerts influence over Judah [first captives are taken from Jerusalem to Babylon] - 586 BC Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the Temple - 539 BC Cyrus the Great [Persia] conquers Babylon - [1 year later] 538 BC Cyrus releases Jews from Babylonian Captivity - [2 years later] 536 BC Work begins to rebuild Temple - [20 years later] 516 BC Second Temple is dedicated [Ezra 6:16] - Note: There seems to be multiple 70 year periods taking place. For 70 years Babylon reigned as the power of the region - For 70 years there were Jewish captives exiled into Babylon - It was exactly 70 years [586-516] from the destruction of the 1st Temple [Solomon's Temple] in Jerusalem to the dedication of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem
Below is a list of some historical events that are important to the study of the Bible and its prophecies. The research for this Biblical history timeline was done by George Konig and Ray Konig, authors of the book, 100 Prophecies. Scholars vary in the dates that they assign to ancient events. The dates shown below are approximations. ... 612 BC Babylon conquers Nineveh (Assyrian Empire) The Assyrian Empire's capital city - Nineveh - is attacked by coalition of Babylonians and others. As explained by the prophet Nahum in the Bible, Nineveh was to be destroyed because of the Assyrian Empire's treatment of Israelites and other people. -- 605 BC Babylon exerts influence over Judah: The neo-Babylonian Empire, under the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar, begins forcing Judah into submission. Nebuchadnezzar takes many Jews as captives to Babylon to ensure Judah's obedience. -- 597 BC Babylon attacks Judah: Babylonian army attacks Judah and takes more Jews as captives to Babylon. Ezekiel, one of the captives, becomes a prophet of God. Ezekiel explains that God is allowing Babylon to punish Judah because the people have been unfaithful to God. -- 586 BC Babylon destroys Jerusalem and the Temple: Babylon attacks Judah again. This time, the Babylonians [3rd Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] destroy Jerusalem and *the [1st] Temple that Solomon had built. More Jews are taken as captives to Babylon. -- 586 BC to 573 BC King Nebuchadnezzar attacks Tyre mainland: Babylon begins a 13-year siege of the mainland of the Phoenician city of Tyre. -- Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon: After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, the neo-Babylonian Empire begins to lose power. Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon in 539 BC, establishing the Medo-Persian Empire [4th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10]. -- 538 BC Cyrus releases Jews from Babylonian Captivity: After conquering Babylon, Cyrus offers the Jews their freedom to leave Babylon and to return to Judah. Cyrus' kingdom rules over Judah and many other parts of the Middle East, but Cyrus allows people more cultural and religious freedom than did the neo-Babylonian Empire. -- 536 BC *Work begins to rebuild Temple [via an edict from Persia/Iran]: Some of the Jews in Babylon return to Judah and begin work in about 536 BC to rebuild the Temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. -- 516 BC Second Temple is dedicated: The Temple is consecrated for worship, 70 years after the Babylonians had destroyed it in 586 BC. -- 333 BC Greeks [5th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] begin rule over land of Israel: The Greeks, under the leadership of Alexander the Great, defeat Persian armies in Macedonia in 333 BC. This marks the fall of the Medo-Persian Empire and the rise of the Grecian Empire. ... 164 BC to 63 BC [time period between (Malachi) O.T. and (Matthew) N.T.] Jews have independence: The Maccabees, a group that fought for Jewish independence, stage a revolt against the Greeks and establish the Hasmonean royal dynasty, as well as sovereignty over all or part of the land of Israel for about 100 years, from about 164 BC to 63 BC. -- 63 BC The Romans [6th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] take over land of Israel: After the death of Alexander the Great, the empire of the Greeks is divided up and becomes weaker. During this time, the Roman Empire becomes increasingly powerful. The Roman general named Pompey seizes control over the land of Israel. -- About 5 BC Jesus is born in Bethlehem: Jesus is born in the town of Bethlehem. The Apostle Matthew later points out that Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfilled a prophecy delivered by the prophet Micah, about 700 years beforehand. (See Micah 5:2). -- About 25 AD Jesus begins His ministry: Jesus is about 30 years old when he begins his ministry. He preaches salvation, delivers prophecies and performs miracles. He announces that he is the Messiah (the Christ) who was promised by the prophets of the Old Testament. Jesus promises salvation and eternal life to those who believe in him (See John 3:16, as an example). -- About 28 AD [or about 32-33 AD] Jesus is crucified and resurrected: Jesus is falsely accused and is sent to Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler of the land of the Jews, to be crucified. Jesus is later resurrected, meaning he is brought back to life, and his followers began evangelizing him to others, allowing Christianity to spread very quickly throughout the Roman world and to eventually become the first religion to spread throughout the world. - 70 AD Romans destroy Jerusalem and [2nd] Temple: In 70 AD, the Roman Army, under Titus, destroys Jerusalem and the Temple, to suppress an uprising of the Jews. According to the historian Josephus, about 1.1 million Jews were killed. Others were taken as slaves. -- First century AD [about 95 AD - Book of Revelation] The Bible is completed: During the first century of this era, the New Testament, which describes the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, is completed. The writing of the Bible (the Old Testament and the New Testament) comes to an end. It began during the time of Moses, about 3400 years ago. ***Jesus becomes, and remains, the final subject of the Bible. [article link]

Jeremiah 30-31 - The 2nd Oracle by Jeremiah is given - The Old Covenant [Old Testament] between God and mankind having been un-maintainable by man it is to be replaced by a New Covenant [New Testament] - God Himself in Jesus Christ will fulfill all of the requirements for mankind in the New Covenant [Gospel/Good News] with God except for the one universal requirement of faith/choice - Mankind will still individually have to choose [by the human spirit over the human soul] and exercise individual faith to enter into and to remain in the New Covent [New Testament - Gospel] relationship with God -- 'Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD [YHWH], that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel [Northern Kingdom], and with the House of Judah [Southern Kingdom] ...'
Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD [YHWH], that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel [Northern Kingdom], and with the House of Judah [Southern Kingdom]: Not according to the [Old] Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My Covenant they [mankind] brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the [New] Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel; After those [Old Covenant] days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all [by Spiritual experience and through personal encounters] know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for [on the cross of Jesus Christ] *I will forgive their iniquity, *and I will remember their sin no more. - The New Covenant is to come to the House of Israel, all of Israel and because it is a Covenant resulting from physical death [finality] the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and in the newness of the resurrection Spiritual life of Jesus Christ the New Covenant is universally applicable to everyone in the entire world. Because of the Spiritual nature of the New Covenant vs. the physical nature [circumcision] of the Old Covenant everyone universally is eligible through choice to be able to Spiritually enter into the New Covent of God in Jesus Christ but entering in only through the provided works of God in Jesus Christ. The New Covenant is only accessible to mankind through the Covenant [Matthew 26:26-28], death, blood and new life Spiritual resurrection of Jesus Christ. - The death of Jesus Christ on the cross put an end to the power of the physical realm and the sin that encompassed it while the resurrection life of Jesus then begins the power of a new eternal Spiritual life to what had previously [since the fall of Adam and Eve] become only a temporary physical life. - 2 Timothy 1:8-12 [Christian] Be not thou therefore ashamed of the Testimony [that resulted in the death on the cross] of our Lord, nor of me [Apostle Paul] His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel [Good News - New Covenant] according to the [resurrection] power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an Holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest [physically and] by the [resurrection] appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought [eternal] life and immortality to light through the Gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a Preacher, and an Apostle, and a Teacher of the [whole world] Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these [persecution] things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know [Jesus Christ] whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that [spirit and soul of mine] which I have committed unto Him against that [individual eternal judgment] day. - Note: A Gentile could enter the Old Covenant of God through physical circumcision and through observing the O.T. Jewish observances. Likewise a Gentile can enter into the New Covenant with God however with the physical death on the cross of Jesus Christ and the Spiritual new life resurrection now in effect a person in the New Covenant passes over the physical Jewish aspects of the first Covenant and enters into the resurrection life of Jesus as a Spiritual 'born again' Christian. Also Note: All of the events of the temporary 1st Covenant the ordinances, regulations and teachings foreshadowed, highlighted and illustrate the coming of the permanent, eternal 2nd Covenant between God and mankind.

Apostolic (Witnesses of the Resurrected Savior Jesus Christ) [Holy Spirit directed] Church - Speaker: Art Katz/Bob Gladstone (Mp3)
My brother and sister have listened to these Christian Compilations off and on for a few years and it's really encouraged and convicted us to draw closer to the Lord. Messages are much shorter than sermons which are particularly great for listening to in the car, or for giving to someone who will not listen to a 30 minute message. I only want to share messages that line up with the Bible in the right Spirit. [article link]

Jeremiah 32 - What is considered the 2nd Oracle of Jeremiah has been completed in the prophesying and announcing of the New Covenant - Chapters 32-45 now begin another section in the daily life and events of the Prophet Jeremiah - Jeremiah has prophesied both the destruction and the rebuilding of Israel and Jerusalem and to illustrate that the Jews will indeed return to their homeland in Israel God instructs Jeremiah to purchase a plot of his families land from a cousin in Anathoth -- 'Jeremiah 32:14-15 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences [purchased land agreement], this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel [clay jar], that they may continue many days. *For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this [Israel] land.'
Jeremiah 32:36-44 And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city [Jerusalem], whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in Mine [instructing-correcting] anger, and in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: *And they shall be My people, and I will be their God: *And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear [know] Me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an Everlasting Covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear [of evil] in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me. *Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this [Holy] Land [Israel] assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul. For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil [distress] upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good [blessings] that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans [Babylonians]. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD. - Though Jerusalem, the Temple and all of Israel is about to be destroyed by the invading Babylonians God has already declared that He will not forsake His children and that He will re-gather the dispersed Jews and (eventually) permanently rebuild their homeland of Israel. - Note: Jerusalem at that time gets wiped out to the point that very few Jewish people were even able to remain in the Jerusalem area. The prophet Jeremiah himself caught up in the events and the intrigues of the day had to depart Jerusalem and eventually Israel and in the ensuing chaos and destruction of Israel the last known and recorded whereabouts of Jeremiah the Prophet are in Tahpanhes Egypt [Jeremiah 43:8].

Jeremiah 33-34 - With the Babylonian army having conquered much of Israel and now poised at the gates of Jerusalem the people in Jerusalem undergo a temporary return to godliness [observing the seventh year of release for servants] - The Babylonian army temporarily departed from the Jerusalem area and the people in Jerusalem quickly returned to their previous backslidden ways -- 'Jeremiah 34:10-11 Now when all the princes, and all the people [in Jerusalem], which had entered into the covenant, heard that everyone should let his manservant, and everyone his maidservant, go free [to observe the seventh year of release (Leviticus 25:6)], that none should serve themselves of them anymore, then they obeyed, and let them go. But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.'
[1] Jeremiah 34:1-7 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; *Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city [Jerusalem] into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire: *And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; *and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, **and thou shalt go to Babylon. Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: But thou shalt die in peace [not in a battle]: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD. Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah. - The famous Jeremiah and Ezekiel double Prophecy fulfillment about King Zedekiah: Jeremiah prophesying from Jerusalem prophecies that king Zedekiah "and thou shalt go to Babylon" while about the same time the Prophet Ezekiel prophesying in captivity in Babylon prophecies that King Zedekiah would go to Babylon but would not see it. When the actual prophesied events occurred and king Zedekiah was taken prisoner and brought into the presence of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar he then had Zedekiah blinded [unable to see his captivity] just as Zedekiah was taken away captive to live the rest of his life in Babylon. - [2] 'Ezekiel 12:9-13 Son of man [Ezekiel], hath not the House of Israel [in captivity in Babylon], the rebellious house, said unto thee, What [are you doing] doest thou [Ezekiel was physically acting out (in a skit) part of this prophecy to the Jews in Babylon]? Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince [King Zedekiah] in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. Say, I am your sign: like as I have [acted out] done, so shall it be done unto them [for real]: they shall remove and go into captivity. And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall [palace wall and possibly also the city wall of Jerusalem] to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face [disguise, hide himself], that he see not the ground with his eyes. My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare [by king Nebuchadnezzar]: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; *yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.' - [3] 'Jeremiah 52:8-11 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him. And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.'

[The famous Jeremiah and Ezekiel double Prophecy fulfillment about King Zedekiah] Ezekiel 12-14 Supplemental notes for the Daily Bible Study Bible Reading Plan by Wayne Blank
Ezekiel Chapter 12 - Zedekiah was the last king of Judah (see Kings of Israel and Judah) before the fall to the Babylonians. Ezekiel had been taken into exile to Babylon in the earlier deportation (the prophet Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem). Nevertheless, Ezekiel was given a very detailed prophecy of Zedekiah's downfall: "Ezekiel 12:12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes. 12:13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there." (Ezekiel 12:12-13 KJV). -- That prophecy was fulfilled, as recorded by "Jeremiah: 52:7 Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain. 52:8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. 52:9 Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him. 52:10 And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 52:11 Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death" (Jeremiah 52:7-11 KJV). [article link]

Jeremiah 35-36 - The Rechabite family is commended by God for diligently following the instructions of their earthly forefather Jonadab while the House of Israel is unwilling to follow the instructions of their Father God in Heaven -- 'Jeremiah 35:12-14 12 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD. The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you [Nation of Israel], rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto Me.'
Jeremiah 36:1-25 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Take thee a roll of a book (scroll), and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, *and against all the Nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even into this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. ... So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. - While some of the advisers to the king were able to grasp the seriousness of the situation and the authenticity of Jeremiah's messages from God the highest leadership, probably being the most comfortable and the most alienated from the actual day to day events occurring in the land, were completely unwilling to even consider any alternatives to their already preconceived desires and notions.

Jeremiah 37-38 - Even with new kings in Jerusalem Jeremiah's messages continues to go unheeded - Jeremiah and his ministry of restoration are unwelcome in his own homeland -- 'Jeremiah 37:1-2 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah [king Jeconiah] the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.'
Jeremiah 37:12-16 Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison. When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; - Jeremiah is falsely accused of being a collaborator with Babylon and is imprisoned based on the false accusations. King Zedekiah seeks the counsel of Jeremiah and thought the words of Jeremiah weren't what the king wanted to hear he gave Jeremiah a little more freedom with access from the prison out to the courtyard. In the courtyard Jeremiah again preached to the people that to remain in Jerusalem was to die and officials of the king hearing the message threw Jeremiah down and abandoned water well. Ebed-melec a Ethiopian eunuch visiting or serving in the kings house heard that Jeremiah was cast down a well and went and rescued him. - Jeremiah 38:13 So they drew up Jeremiah with cords [rags], and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained [under house arrest] in the court of the prison.

Jeremiah 39-41 - 586 B.C. The great Jewish capital city of Jerusalem falls to the invading Babylonian army - The city of Jerusalem, the Temple of God and the Palace of the Davidic Kings of Israel are all destroyed on about the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av [Tisha B'Av] about the end of July early August on our Roman calendar -- 'Jeremiah 39:1-2 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month [Tisha B'Av], the city was broken up.'
Jeremiah 39:8-18 And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem. Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained. But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard, saying, Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee. So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rab-saris, and Nergal-sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes; Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people. Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in Me, saith the LORD. - Jerusalem was destroyed and burned to the ground by the Babylonian forces. The king of Babylon [Nebuchadnezzar] removed the throne of Israel and placed a Jewish man living in Mizpah named Gedaliah as Governor of Israel. In the events of the day the Ammonites hired a Jewish man named Ishmael to assassinate Gedaliah attempting to further spiral Israel into an unrecoverable destruction. Johanan a faithful Jewish servant tried to warn Gedaliah of his impending assignation at the hands of Ishmael but Gedaliah thinking he was secure because he had the backing of Babylon refused to believe that he was in any physical danger. After the assignation of the Babylonian appointed Governor Gedaliah by Ishmael then Johanan and a small remnant of Jews fearing Babylonian reprisals decided to seek refuge in Egypt.

Jeremiah 42 - With all the intrigues and the resulting Babylonian reprisals the destruction and devastation of Israel, Jerusalem and the surrounding area is so complete that the small remaining Jewish remnant begins to doubt whether or not they can even hold on let alone ever recover -- 'Jeremiah 42:1-3 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us: That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.'
Jeremiah 42:4-15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God. And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before Him; If ye will still abide in this land [Israel], then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. - Even after this clear persistent and dire warning coming in the reply that they requested and agreed to follow in a short time they still departed and left the promised safety of Israel for Egypt even taking Jeremiah with them as a captive.

Jeremiah 43 - Jeremiah his assistant Baruch and much of the remnant that had returned to Israel from hiding in nearby areas were all taken captive by a rogue Jewish group and forced to go to Egypt against the directions of God and against the advice of Jeremiah -- 'Jeremiah 43:7 So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to [the area of] Tahpanhes.'
Jeremiah 43:1-7 And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent Him to them, even all these words, Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there: But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon. So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah; Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah. So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes. - The children of God in their inability to discern the voice of God and in their complete failure to cooperate among themselves were actually prolonging their trials and making their tribulations harder than they were ever intended to be by God.

Jeremiah 44-45 - The word of the Lord still came to Jeremiah even while he was a captive in Egypt -- 'Jeremiah 44:1-5 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers. Howbeit I sent unto you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense [adoration] unto other gods.'
Jeremiah 45:1-5 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch; Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. - Baruch the assistant, servant and faithful scribe of Jeremiah the prophet is to escape the dangers of being in exile however he is not to seek to prosper from his Divine protection from God but is to live out his life in a discrete and humble fashion knowing that his country had been destroyed and many of his fellow countrymen had suffered their fates with their lives.

The Seal of Baruch, Jeremiah's Scribe - In 1975 the first few pieces of 200 clay bullae were discovered in the shop of an antiquities dealer in East Jerusalem - From the shape of its Hebrew characters which vary throughout history [especially before and after the Babylonian captivity] scholars date the collection to the 6th century BC, the time of Jeremiah - The bulla is now displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem - The March/April 1996 issue of Biblical Archeology Review featured an article on another bulla belonging to a private collector from the same seal - What is unique about this is the clear impression of a fingerprint on the upper left of the bulla - The article suggested this was the "fingerprint of Jeremiah's scribe" Baruch (Photo)
In 1975 the first few pieces of 200 clay bullae were discovered in the shop of an antiquities dealer in East Jerusalem.1 Bullae are lumps of clay which were attached to documents and impressed with a seal. From the shape of its Hebrew characters (which vary throughout history) scholars date the collection to the 6th century BC, the time of Jeremiah. Within this collection are two bullae believed to have belonged to Baruch, and Jerahmeel. The three lines on the Baruch bulla read: "(Belonging) to Berekhyahu, the son of Neriyahu, the scribe.: The suffix -yahu was a common epithet attached to names in Judah, meaning, "blessed of Jehovah." While translations sometimes render it "-iah" (cf. Baruch's father Ner-iah), some texts drop it altogether. - The bulla is now displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. -- The March/April 1996 issue of Biblical Archeology Review featured an article on another bulla belonging to a private collector from the same seal. What is unique about this is the clear impression of a fingerprint on the upper left of the bulla. The article suggested this was the "fingerprint of Jeremiah's scribe." - While it is presumptuous to assume this is Baruch's fingerprint, at the very least discoveries such as this remind us that the people of the Bible were not imaginary figures from fairy tales, but real souls who served our God in the past. - Note: Jeremiah and Baruch were some of the last people in the original Jerusalem before it was destroyed, burned and covered over with dirt so any excavations in Jerusalem to the depth of the first Jerusalem would first reveal items from the last people there. Jerusalem and Israel were again destroyed in 70 A.D. so any excavations and archeology to the 2nd Jerusalem period go back to the times of the Apostles and the early Church just after the 32 A.D. ministry, cross and resurrection of Jesus. - To excavate the first Jerusalem is to enter into the time of the Davidic Kings of Jerusalem while to excavate at the level of the 2nd Jerusalem is to inter into the time of the Messiah Jesus Christ. [article link]

Jeremiah 46-47 - Chapters 46-51 contain the 3rd and final Oracle grouping of messages, prophesies and teachings from the Prophet Jeremiah - The third Oracle is directed primarily at the Gentile Nations - The Gentile Nations are to know that though God has judged Israel He has not abandoned, rejected or forsaken Israel and that in actuality every Gentile Nation would be made to come to an end before the possibility that the Nation of Israel would be made to cease to exist [both Israel and the Gentile nations will continue to exist - but the Gentile Nation's existence and even the Gentile population is based on the existence of Israel (Acts 17:26-27)] -- 'Jeremiah 46:27-28 But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.'
Jeremiah 46:1-12 The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles; Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah. Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle. Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines. Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the LORD. Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers? Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof. Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow. For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured. The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together. - Jeremiah prophecies the great battle of Carchemish between Egypt and Babylon where Egypt [2rd Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] is defeated and Babylon is the undisputed [3rd Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10].

Carchemish, Turkey - Carchemish [modern - Karkamis, Turkey] was an important ancient city of the northern Hittite empire, located on the border between Turkey and Syria - It was also the location of one of the decisive battles in world history - It was here that the armies of Babylon and Egypt met in battle
Carchemish (now Karkamis) was an important ancient city of the northern Hittite empire, located on the border between Turkey and Syria. It was also the location of one of the decisive battles in world history. It was here that the armies of Babylon and Egypt met in battle (Jer. 46:2; 2 Chr. 35:20-24). The prophet Isaiah lists Carchemish as one of the kingdoms overthrown by Sargon II of Assyria in 717 BC (Isa. 10:9). Carchemish is also mentioned in Egyptian and Assyrian texts. The ruins of Carchemish are located on the West bank of Euphrates River, about 35 miles southeast of Gaziantep, Turkey. The site lies in Turkish territory on the border of Syria. A large Turkish military now stands on the Carchemish acropolis, and access to the site is now heavily restricted and is out of bounds to archaeological exploration. The site was excavated three different times before World War One by the British Museum, led by David George Hogarth, Reginald C. Thompson, Leonard Woolley, and T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"). These expeditions uncovered substantial remains of the Assyrian and Neo-Hittite periods, including forts, palaces, temples, market places, and a great wall sculptured with a procession of warriors, with the king and crown prince celebrating a great victory. ... The Battle Of Carchemish: The Battle of Carchemish was fought in May/June of 605 BC between an allied army of Egyptians and Assyrians against the Babylonian army. When the Assyrian capital of Ninevah was overrun by the Babylonians in 612 BC, the Assyrians moved their capital to Harran (now in Turkey). When the Babylonians captured Harran in 608 BC, the Assyrian capital was moved to Carchemish. Egypt was allied with the Assyrians, and marched to their aid against the Babylonians. In 609 BC, the Egyptian army of Pharaoh Necho II was delayed at Megiddo (in Israel) by the forces of King Josiah of Judah. Josiah was killed and his army was defeated. ... The Egyptians were further delayed at Riblah, and Necho arrived at Carchemish too late. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had surprised the Assyrians and had captured Carchemish. He then turned on the Egyptians and thoroughly defeated them in a bloody battle and the combined Egyptian and Assyrian forces were devastated. The Babylonian Chronicles, now housed in the British Museum, claim that Nebuchadnezzar "crossed the river to go against the Egyptian army which lay in Carchemish. The armies fought with each other and the Egyptian army withdrew before him. He accomplished their defeat and beat them to nonexistence. As for the rest of the Egyptian army which had escaped from the defeat so quickly that no weapon had reached them, the Babylonians overtook and defeated them in the district of Hamath so that not a single man escaped to his own country. At that time Nebuchadnezzar conquered the whole of Hatti-land." Before the battle of Carchemish, Egypt had one of the greatest armies in northern Africa and was a threat to the Middle East, but the battle of Carchemish changed all of that when the Babylonians destroyed the power of Egypt and the independent existence of Assyria. The Battle of Carchemish was the end of the Assyrian Empire, and Egypt was reduced to a second-rate power. Babylon became master of the Middle East. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Battle of Carchemish - The Battle of Carchemish was fought about 605 BC between the allied armies of Egypt and Assyria against Babylonia
Background: When the Assyrian capital Nineveh was overrun by the Babylonians in 612 BC, the Assyrians moved their capital to Harran. When Harran was captured by the Babylonians in 610 BC, the capital was once again moved, this time to Carchemish. Egypt was allied with the Assyrian king Ashur-uballit II, and marched in 609 BC to their aid against the Babylonians. The Egyptian army of Pharaoh Necho II was delayed at Megiddo by the forces of King Josiah of Judah. Josiah was killed and his army was defeated. The Egyptians and Assyrians together crossed the Euphrates and laid siege to Harran, which they failed to re-take and retreated back to northern Syria. - The Battle: The Egyptians met the full might of the Babylonian army led by Nebuchadnezzar II at Carchemish where the combined Egyptian and Assyrian forces were soundly destroyed by the Babylonians and the Assyrian Empire collapsed. - The Results: Assyria ceased to exist as an independent power. Egypt retreated and was no longer a significant force in the Ancient Near East. Babylon controlled the territory up to the Wadi of Egypt and the Pharoah no longer left Egypt to exert any influence in the affairs of the region. Babylonia reached its economic peak after 605 BC and became the dominant military power in the region from the Battle of Carchemish until the defeat of Nabonidus at the hands of Cyrus at the Battle of Opis some sixty-five years later. - Records of the battle: The Jerusalem Chronicle, part of the Babylonian Chronicles, now housed in the British Museum, claim that Nebuchadnezzar "crossed the river to go against the Egyptian army which lay in Karchemiš. They fought with each other and the Egyptian army withdrew before him. He accomplished their defeat and beat them to non-existence. As for the rest of the Egyptian army. which had escaped from the defeat so quickly that no weapon had reached them, in the district of Hamath the Babylonian troops overtook and defeated them so that not a single man escaped to his own country. At that time Nebuchadnezzar conquered the whole area of Hamath." The battle is also mentioned and described in the Bible. [article link]

EndTimeProphecy.org: Pharaohs Of The Bible Study Tool - Paraoh Necho [King of Egypt]
Easton's Bible Dictionary additionally states concerning Necho, or Necho II: An Egyptian king, the son and successor of Psammetichus, (B.C. 610), the contemporary of Josiah, king of Judah. For some reason he proclaimed war against the king of Assyria. He led forth a powerful army and marched northward, but was met by the king of Judah [Josiah] at Megiddo, who refused him a passage through his territory. Here a fierce battle was fought and [King] Josiah was slain -- 2 Chronicles 35:20-24. Possibly, as some suppose, Necho may have brought his army by sea to some port to the north of Dor (comp.) -- Joshua 11:2, 12:23 -- a Phoenician town at no great distance from Megiddo. After this battle, Necho marched on to Carchemish (q.v.), where he met and conquered the Assyrian army; and thus all the Syrian provinces, including Palestine, came under his dominion. - On his return march, he deposed Jehoahaz, who had succeeded his father Josiah, and made Eliakim, Josiah's eldest son, whose name he changed into Jehoiakim, king. Jehoahaz he carried down into Egypt, where he died -- 2 Kings 23:31, 2 Chronicles 36:1-4. Four years after this conquest, Necho again marched to the Euphrates; but here he was met and his army routed by the Chaldeans, (B.C. 606), under Nebuchadnezzar, who drove the Egyptians back, and took from them all the territory they had conquered, from the Euphrates unto the "river of Egypt" -- Jeremiah 46:2, 2 Kings 24:7,8. Soon after this, Necho died, and was succeeded by his son, Psammetichus II. [article link]

Jeremiah 48 - A prophecy of Jeremiah from God to the Nation and area of Moab -- 'Jeremiah 48:1-2 Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed. *There shall be no more praise of Moab [modern Mormonism?] ...' [Has the ancient spirit of Moab become manifested today in the false religion of the modern LDS Mormon cult?]
Jeremiah 48:42-43 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the LORD. Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD. He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the LORD. ... Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives. *Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab *in the latter days [LDS?], saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab. - The modern spirit of Moab is very possibly being manifested today in the modern LDS [Latter Day Saints] Mormon cult. Though a modern and ever so slightly revised version of ancient Moab the pride, deceit and false religion of LDS Mormonism if it is the ancient spirit of Moab the LDS is going to meet and deserve the same destruction.

Jeremiah 49 - A prophecy of Jeremiah from God to the Nation and area of the Ammonites -- 'Jeremiah 49:1-2 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities? Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD.' [Is the ancient Ammonite spirit manifested today in the modern day Palestinians?]
Jeremiah 49:12-18 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup [of afliction, wrath] have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. For I have sworn by Myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle. For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men. Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD. Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. - All of the Gentile Nations are to drink from the cup of the wrath and indignation of God, there will be no exceptions. Since God's chosen Nation of Israel has had to drink from the cup of the wrath of God in part because the Gentile Nations helped to lead Israel astray from God now all of the Gentile Nations will also drink from that same cup of wrath that judged and destroyed Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 50 - A prophecy of Jeremiah [in conjunction with all the other prophecies particularly the future prophesies of Revelation about Babylon] from God to the Nation and area of Babylon -- 'Jeremiah 50:1-2 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. *Declare ye among the Nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel [Satan] is confounded, Merodach [statue] is broken in pieces; *her [Mystery Babylon] idols are confounded, *her [Mystery Babylon] images are broken in pieces.'
Jeremiah 50:6-7 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place. All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers. - The pain and suffering of the Children of God extends from a threefold injustice. 1. We are all lost sheep who ourselves will go astray from god. 2. The shepherds [pastors and leaders] who were supposed to help direct the paths of the lost sheep failed themselves to do so. 3. The Gentiles and people who do not know God add insult to injury as they wrongly believe that they are doing the will of God in seeking opportunity to inflict additional judgment and injury upon the people of God. - Note: All three of these unjust actions are overcome and corrected in Jesus Christ the True Shepherd for the lost sheep of humanity.

Jeremiah 51 - The multiple destructions of Babylon continue out into the future and eventually the destruction of Mystery Babylon will be complete -- 'Jeremiah 51:1-2 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind [lit. spirit]; And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.' - Note: The Prophet Jeremiah concludes his Scroll with a prophecy and an object lesson regarding the eventual complete destruction of Mystery Babylon.
Jeremiah 51:60 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil thatshould come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words; Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate forever. *And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, *that thou shalt bind a stone [7th and final vial (bowl) judgmant of Revelation] to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: And thou shalt say, *Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. *Thus far are the words of Jeremiah. - The ancient Prophet Jeremiah is prophesying in conjunction with the future prophesies to be written by the Disciple John in the Book of Revelation. - Revelation 16:17-17:6 And the seventh angel poured out his vial (final bowl judgment mixture) into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: *and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto *her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. *And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every *stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. -- And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me (Disciple John), saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters [peoples, nations]: With whom the kings [leaders] of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine [deceitful spirit] of her fornication [unfaithfulness]. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness [empty place]: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet [red] coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman [false religion] drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration [astonishment].

Jeremiah 52 - Chapter 51 concluded the 3rd Oracle of Jeremiah and the Scroll writings of the Prophet Jeremiah - Chapter 52 is an additional source [like the Books of Chronicles are additional Source material for the books of Samuel and Kings] primarily regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple and the captivity of the people - Jeremiah 52:12 Now in the fifth month [Av], in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, And burned the House of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: - Note: The second source of the Jeremiah Scroll records the tenth day of the month of Av as the day the Temple was burned, the 9th day of AV [Tisha B'Av] is historically mourned as the day of the destruction of the Temple, the 9th day being the first day the Temple was unable to fulfill the Temple sacrifices and ordinances to God.
The Prophet Jeremiah who was imprisoned in the king's courtyard during the 586 B.C. fall of Jerusalem was clearly overwhelmed with grief and despair as a result from the destruction of Jerusalem and later wrote the Book of Lamentations about the event. The Prophet Jeremiah can barely bring himself to record in a few vague sentences the painful destruction of Jerusalem and those few sentences only show up later in Chapter 39 of his scroll as if he never intended to write about it until the last possible moment. Comparing Jeremiah to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus who was an eyewitness to the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the second Temple of Jerusalem where Josephus wrote broadly about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. - Jeremiah 52:31-34 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin [Coniah] king of Judah [the last independant Jewish king was deported then Zedekiah his uncle was made king in Israel by Babylon and Zedekiah the very last King of Israel was later captured and blinded by Nebuchadnezzar], in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon [after king Nebuchadnezzar] in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison, And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

Wikipedia.org: Siege of Jerusalem 70 A.D. - The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was a decisive event in the First Jewish-Roman War - It was followed by the fall of Masada in 73 AD - The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had been occupied by its Jewish defenders in 66 AD - The city and its famous Temple were destroyed [70 A.D.] - The destruction of the Temple [both 1st Solomon's Temple and the 2nd Herod's Temple] is still mourned annually as the Jewish fast Tisha B'Av, and the Arch of Titus, depicting and celebrating the sack of Jerusalem and the Temple, still stands in Rome (Photo)
Josephus had acted as a mediator for the Romans and, when negotiations failed, witnessed the siege and aftermath. He wrote: "Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done), [Titus] Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and Temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as they were of the greatest eminence; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison [in the Upper City], as were the towers [the three forts] also spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall [surrounding Jerusalem], it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it [Jerusalem] had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind. And truly, the very view itself was a melancholy thing; for those places which were adorned with trees and pleasant gardens, were now become desolate country every way, and its trees were all cut down. Nor could any foreigner that had formerly seen Judaea and the most beautiful suburbs of the city, and now saw it as a desert, but lament and mourn sadly at so great a change. For the war had laid all signs of beauty quite waste. Nor had anyone who had known the place before, had come on a sudden to it now, would he have known it again. But though he [a foreigner] were at the city itself, yet would he have inquired for it." -- Josephus claims that 1,100,000 people were killed during the siege, of which a majority were Jewish. 97,000 were captured and enslaved, including Simon Bar Giora and John of Gischala. Many fled to areas around the Mediterranean. Titus reportedly refused to accept a wreath of victory, as there is "no merit in vanquishing people {seemingly} forsaken by their own God." {If actually spoken, then spoken from an uniformed, unspiritual Gentile perspective}. [article link]

THE

LAMENTATIONS

OF JEREMIAH

1911encyclopedia.org: Lamentations - [The Lamentations of Jeremiah - "Lamentations was originally part of the Book of Jeremiah. It was later isolated because it was read publically at one of the Feats of Israel and included in the five Megilloth (or scrolls; see introduction to the Book of Ruth - The Book of Ruth was originally part of the Book of Judges). Lamentations is read each year at Tisha B'av (6th of August), a fast commemorating the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Kgs, 25:8,9) in both 586 B.C. [Solomon's Temple] and A.D. 70 [2nd Temple - Herod's Temple]. The style and content leave no doubt that Jeremiah, the "weeping prophet," is the author." - Source: The Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible (KJV) - Spiros Zodhiates]
LAMENTATIONS (Lamentations of Jeremiah), book of the Old Testament. In Hebrew MSS. and editions this little collection of liturgical poems is entitled "How...!", the first word of ch. (1) i. (and chs. ii., iv.); cf. the books of the Pentateuch, and the Babylonian Epic of Creation a far older example[?]. In the Septuagint it is called Opiivoc, "Funeral-songs" or "Dirges," the usual rendering of Heb. nirp (Am. v. 1; Jer. vii. 29; 2 Sam. i. 17), which is, in fact, the name in the Talmud (Baba Bathra 15a) and other Jewish writings; and it was known as such to the Fathers (Jerome, Cinoth). The Septuagint (B) introduces the book thus: "And it came to pass, after Israel was taken captive and Jerusalem laid waste, Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem, and said .. .," a notice which may have related originally to the first poem only. Some Septuagint MSS., and the Syriac and other versions, have the fuller title Lamentations of Jeremiah. **In the Hebrew Bible Lamentations is placed among the Cetubim or Hagiographa, usually **as the middle book of the five Megilloth or Ferial Rolls (Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther) **according to the order of the days on which they are read in the Synagogue, **Lamentations being read on the 9th of Ab (6th of August), when the destruction of the Temple is commemorated (Mass. Sopherim 18). *But the Septuagint appends the book to Jeremiah (Baruch intervening), just as it adds Ruth to Judges; thus making the number of the books of the Hebrew Canon the same as that of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, viz. twenty-two (so Jos. c. Ap. i. 8), instead of the Synagogal twenty-four (see Baba Bathra 14b). [article link]

Background of Lamentations - The Hebrew title of the book is 'echah (How...!), which is the first word of the book - The Greek and Latin translations of this book have called it 'Lamentations' because of its mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the taking of the citizens of Judah into exile in 586 B.C. - Lamentations is a funeral song written in a poetic fashion to convey the deep emotional loss - The book of Lamentations has given Jeremiah the nick name of "the weeping prophet"
Structure: The structure of the book is rather unique and does not show it's beautiful form when translated into English. Each chapter is an acrostic which means that each verse begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are twenty two verses in each poem-chapter. The third chapter has three sets of the Hebrew alphabets adding to 66 verses. While these were emotional laments the structure indicates that there was deliberate care taken in their composition. This form of literature is also common in other Old Testament writers. There are many Psalms written as laments and the prophets often broke into this format, but this is the only book in the Bible that is entirely written in the form of a lament. It is a form that is also common with extra-biblical writings of the time especially in Sumeria. The Book has a universal liturgical history. Orthodox Jews have the custom of reading it on the ninth day of Ab, in commemoration of the destruction of Solomon's Temple in 586 B.C. and destruction of Herod's Temple in 70 A.D. It is also commonly read at the Wailing Wall in the old part of Jerusalem. Roman Catholic's read the book the last three days of Holy Week. -- Contents: Because of Judah's sin, God has left his dwelling place in the Temple and has allowed the sanctuary to be destroyed. The laments are over Judah's sin and not at the Lord's righteousness. The book is a solemn, mournful cry for the people of God to repent. Lamentations 5:21-22 Chapter 3 gives a ray of hope and salvation in the midst of tears. 'It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.' (Lamentations 3:22-23) God's grace shines through the clouds of gloom. [article link]

THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS - For Christians today, the book serves as a serious reminder of God's attitude toward sin and the need for sincere repentance - Each of the five chapters of Lamentations is a separate poem - The first four are arranged as acrostic poems - [An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichis, from akros, "top", and stichos, "verse") is a poem or other form of writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous acrostic was made in Greek for the acclamation JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S SON, SAVIOUR which in Greek is: Iesous (Jesus) CHristos (Christ), THeou (God) Yios (Son), Soter (Savior), ch and th being each one letter in Greek. The initials spell ICHTHYS - Greek for fish - hence the frequent use of the fish as a symbol for Jesus Christ from the early days of Christianity to the present time. - Wiki.com]
THE BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS: The text of the Bible does not tell us who wrote the Book of Lamentations. But a tradition says that Jeremiah is the author. The old Greek translation, the Septuagint, added this note at the beginning of the book: "And it came to pass, after Jeremiah was taken captive and Jerusalem laid waste, that Jeremiah sat weeping and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem and said ..." Perhaps Jeremiah is the author, but we cannot know for certain. A "lamentation" is an expression of deep sorrow. The Book of Lamentations is made up of five sad poems or songs. The sad event that each of the five poems is concerned with is the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. In tone the poems are like a dirge that might be heard at a funeral. They are bursting with grief and teardrops. The author of the five Lamentations grieves so deeply not just because the beloved city of Jerusalem has been destroyed; he grieves especially because he knows that the destruction came because of God's judgment on the people's unrepented sins. The reader can almost feel the poems dripping with sorrow even as the first poem begins: "How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave." (1:1) Still today the Jews sadly chant the words of Lamentations to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem. If you visit the so-called "wailing wall" near the old temple area in Old Jerusalem, you will hear the sobbing laments from Lamentations. [article link]

Lamentations 1 - The Prophet Jeremiah begins his personal lament over the destruction of the Nation of Israel; the city of Jerusalem, the Temple of Solomon and the captivity of the Jewish people -- 'Lamentations 1:1-2 How doth the city [Jerusalem] sit solitary, that was full of people how is she become as a widow she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.'
Lamentations 1:3-8 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer. Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her Sabbaths. Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

Lamentations 2 - The Prophet Jeremiah presents and maintains the perspective that it was God Himself who allowed and oversaw the destruction of Jerusalem and not some random or arbitrary event or force -- 'Lamentations 2:1 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in His anger, and cast down from Heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not His footstool [resting place for His soul] in the day of His anger!'
Lamentations 2:2-14 The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: He hath thrown down in His wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: He hath polluted the Kingdom and the Princes thereof. He hath cut off in His fierce anger all the horn [strength] of Israel: He hath drawn back His right hand [the hand of deliverance] from before the enemy, and He burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about. He hath bent his bow like an enemy: He stood with His right hand as an adversary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: He poured out his fury like fire. The Lord was as an enemy: He hath swallowed up Israel, He hath swallowed up all her palaces: He hath destroyed His strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and *lamentation. And He hath violently taken away His Tabernacle [Temple], as if it were of a garden: He hath destroyed His places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn Feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of His anger the King and the Priest. The Lord hath cast off His altar, He hath abhorred His sanctuary, He hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they have made a noise in the [Temple] House of the LORD, as in the day of a solemn feast. The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: He hath stretched out a line, He hath not withdrawn His hand from destroying: therefore He made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together. Her gates are sunk into the ground; He hath destroyed and broken her bars: her King and her Princes are among the [Babylonian] Gentiles [in captivity]: **the law is no more [really Israel never at any time in history fulfilled the law only Jesus can uphold and fulfill the law]; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD. The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence: they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth: the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground. Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city. They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine? When they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom. What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee? Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

Lamentations 3 - The Prophet Jeremiah prophesies that God's ways and decisions are just and that mankind is the one in need of change and repentance in order to restore back and renew a right relationship with God -- 'Lamentations 3:19-23 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.'
Lamentations 3:40-57 Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

Lamentations 4 - Israel since is miraculous inception had changed, as all things must change, but it had not changed for the better as God had intended - Instead it had changed for the worse as man had intended -- 'Lamentations 4:1-2 How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!'
Lamentations 4:7-16 Her Nazarites [The Vow of the Nazarite (Numbers 6:1-27)] were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem. For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments. They cried unto them, Depart ye; it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there. The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders.

Lamentations 5 - The Prophet Jeremiah concludes his writings with prayer and petition for God's deliverance for the people and the Nation of Israel -- 'Lamentations 5:1-3 Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.'
The Bible's book of Lamentations concludes: Lamentations 5:15-22 The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim. Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it. Thou, O LORD, remainest forever; thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us forever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. But thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth against us.

Note: The blog Bible Study will take a few days off and then return on Friday with the Book of 1st Chronicles
The Book of 1st Chronicles will begin the final Old Testament Segment followed by the final New Testament Segment concluding with the Book of Revelation. - Also Note: After completion of the current blog Bible Study the Basic Christian Info RSS feed is going to begin a brief study of Christian Church history and of famous people in Church history. Then it's probable that the RSS feed will continue with topical studies and devotions, though preceding at a much more relaxed and slower pace. There is no intention of returning the RSS feedback to current events or to politics or any other conspiracy type of events. The RSS feed is going to remain exclusively devoted to Christian devotions, Christian topics (current events) and Christian studies. [article link]

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

EZEKIEL

An Introduction to the Book of Ezekiel - In Hebrew: the book is titled 'laqzhy' meaning God strengthens - In Greek: the book is titled 'IESEKIHL' the Hebrew is simply transliterated [sounded out letter for letter] - DATE: 593/2 to 562 B.C. Ezekiel's prophecies seem to be dated around the exile of king Jehoiachin (597 B.C.)
Thirteen of Ezekiel's message are dated precisely to the day, month and year of King Jehoiachin's exile to Babylon. The following chart lays out the general chronological arrangement of these prophecies with three exceptions (29:1, 17; 32:1) all of which were oracles against Egypt and thus placed together with the other Egyptian prophecies. ... CANONICAL PLACEMENT: In the Hebrew canon [concluded Bible] Ezekiel is placed following Isaiah and Jeremiah among the Major Prophets. In the Greek canon [concluded Bible], which the English arrangement follows, Ezekiel is placed after Lamentations which was associated with the Prophet Jeremiah. Hill and Walton write, While Ezekiel was always included in the Hebrew canon, later Jewish scholars disputed the book's canonical value. *At issue were seeming discrepancies between the prophet's understanding of [4th] temple ritual and the prescriptions of Mosaic law (e.g., a disagreement in the number and kinds of animals sacrificed at the New Moon [new month] festival {Israel had a [360 days a year] Lunar (moon) Calendar, we have a [365 days a year] Solar, sun based calendar} --cf. Num. 28:11 and Ezek. 46:6). The rabbis eventually restricted the public and private use of Ezekiel, commenting that the ultimate harmonization [1st-2nd Temple, 4th Temple] of the difficulties must await 'the coming of Elijah' (cf. Mal 4:5). [article link]

Wikipedia.org: The Book of Ezekiel - The Book of Ezekiel is a book of the Hebrew Bible named after the prophet Ezekiel, a prophet from the sixth-century BC - This book records Ezekiel's preaching - His name (Hb. Yekhezqe'l) means "God strengthens" or "May God strengthen" - Ezekiel lived out his prophetic career among the community of exiled Judeans [Jews] in Babylon - He belonged to the priestly class and was married (see Ezk. 24:15-24), but it is doubtful that he had any children - The frequent use of vivid, symbolic language [and the very far into the future scope of the visions] causes this book to have much in common with the Book of Revelation in the New Testament - Ezekiel's resurrection of the dead - Ezekiel's greatest miracle consisted in his resurrection of the dead "The Valley of Dry Bones" [both the restoration of Israel (May 14, 1948) and the eventual resorrection of Israel], which is recounted in Ezekiel 37 - There are different traditions as to the fate of these men, both before and after their resurrection, and as to the time at which it happened
The Book of Ezekiel was written for the captives of the tribe of Judah living in exile in Babylon following the Siege of Jerusalem of 597 BC. Up until that exile, their custom had been to worship their God in the Temple in Jerusalem. Exile raised important theological questions. How, the Judeans asked, could they worship their God when they were now in a distant land? Was their God still available to them? Ezekiel speaks to this problem. He first explains that the Judean exile is a punishment for disobedience and he then offers hope to the exiles, suggesting that the exile will be reversed once they return to God. Unlike their ancestors, who were enslaved and socially marginalized while in exile in Egypt, the Jews of Ezekiel's time were able to become part of the society they found themselves in. The Exiles were told by Jeremiah not to worship the foreign gods, but Jeremiah did tell them that they could become part of the Babylonian culture. They did this well, often being called upon by the Babylonians to complete projects using their skills as artisans. Unlike other enemies, the Babylonians allowed the Jewish people to settle in small groups. While keeping their religious and national identities, many Jewish people did start to settle into their new environment. From building homes to opening businesses, the Jews seemed to settle into their exile land for the long haul. This growing comfort in Babylon helps to explain why so many Jewish people decided not to return to their land. Many people would have been born in exile and would know nothing of their old land, so when the opportunity came for them to reclaim the land that was taken from them, many decided not to leave the Babylonian land they knew. This large group of people who decided to stay are known to be the oldest of the Jewish diaspora communities along with the Jews of Persia. - The Visionary Ezekiel Temple plan [4th Temple] drawn by the 19th century French architect and Bible scholar Charles Chipiez (Illustration). ... Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah (Ezekiel 4:1-24:27) - Ezekiel makes a series of denunciations against his fellow Judeans (3:22-24), warning them of the certain destruction of Jerusalem, in opposition to the words of the false prophets (4:1-3). The symbolic acts, by which the extremities to which Jerusalem would be reduced are described in Chapters 4 and 5, *show his [Ezekiel's] intimate acquaintance with the Levitical legislation. See, for example, Exodus 22:30; Deuteronomy 14:21; Leviticus 5:2; 7:18,24; 17:15; 19:7; 22:8. [article link]

Ezekiel 1-2 - The Prophet Ezekiel [second captivity] like the Prophet Daniel [first captivity] has been taken into captivity from Israel to the Nation of Babylon (Iraq) - The Levitical Priest Ezekiel is going to have a Prophetic Ministry dedicated to the Holy Spirit - Ezekiel is going to have more direct contact and direct interaction with God the Holy Spirit than any other person in the Bible -- 'Ezekiel 1:1-3 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year [of the 70 years of Israel's desolation], in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the [second group of] captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the [Levitical] Priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar [modern Khabur River - Syria, Turkey]; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.'
Ezekiel 2:1-10 And He (Holy Spirit) ["likeness of the Glory of the LORD" Ezekiel 1:28] said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the [Holy] Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spake unto me. And He said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious Nation that hath rebelled against Me [Holy Spirit]: they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD [Holy Spirit]. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, for they are a rebellious house, yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt speak My words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. *But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; *Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee [Revelation 10:10]. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book [scroll] was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without [Revelation 5:1]: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. - The Levital Priest Ezekiel now away from Jerusalem and no longer able to perform his priestly Temple duties receives the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In one of the most powerful and anointed visions in the Holy Bible Ezekiel is called by God the Holy Spirit into a ministry as a Prophet for the Nation of Israel and to the world.

Ezekiel 3-4 - Ezekiel is to function as a Preacher to the people - First Ezekiel is to read and internalize the Word of God the Holy Bible then Ezekiel is to Preach to the people what he has previously appropriated internally from the Word of God -- 'Ezekiel 3:1-4 Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat [internalize] this roll [Holy Bible], and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that roll. And He said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels [deep insides] with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness. And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with My words unto them.'
Ezekiel 3:16-21 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. - The Prophet Ezekiel in his anointing from the Holy Spirit is to facilitate in the office of "Watchman" for God to the people. The office of Watchman is fulfilled in conjunction with the Holy Spirit and today after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the giving of the Holy Spirit upon all mankind [Acts 2:38-39] the office of Watchman is more of an alerting, informing office as the Holy Spirit is actively involved in seeking the repentance of each individual person. - John 16:7-11 Nevertheless I [Jesus] tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away [back into Heaven]: for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] will not come unto you; but if I depart [cross and resurrection], I [Jesus] will send Him [Holy Spirit] unto you. *And when He is come, He will [Watchman] reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me [Jesus]; Of righteousness, because [of the absence of the righteousness of Jesus] I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more [until the Second Coming]; Of judgment, because the prince of this world [Satan] is judged.

Ezekiel 5-6 - Earlier the Prophet Ezekiel had personally witnessed [Ezekiel 1:20] the orderly, precise movements of God the Holy Spirit and the Angels accompanying the Holy Spirit - Now Ezekiel is going to prophesy and enact out many prophecies regarding Israel and the future but being influenced by the Holy Spirit everything will be enacted in a precise an orderly manner -- 'Ezekiel 1:20-21 Whithersoever the [Holy] Spirit was to go, they [accompanying Angels] went, thither was [also] their [Angel] spirit to go; and the wheels [movement of the Holy Spirit] were lifted up over against them: for the [Holy] Spirit of the living creature was in the wheels [movement]. When those [movements of the Holy Spirit] went, these [Angels] went; and when those [Holy Spirit movements] stood, these [Angels] stood; and when those [Holy Spirit movements] were lifted up from the earth, the wheels [perceivable presence of the Holy Spirit] were lifted up over against them: for the [Holy] Spirit of the living creature was in the wheels [perceivable movement of the Holy Spirit].'
Ezekiel 6:8-10 Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries [70 A.D. Diaspora]. And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them. - The Prophet Ezekiel is going to in a sense pick up where the other prophets [Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc.] left off and Ezekiel is going to prophesy way out in to the future from his day especially regarding the Last Days, End Times and Millennial Kingdom reign of the Messiah [Jesus Christ].

Ezekiel 7-8 - The Prophet Ezekiel's 2nd Vision of God - The Prophet Ezekiel [Ezekiel 8:1-3] like the Prophet Daniel [Daniel 10:7-11 ] and later the Disciple John [Revelation 1:13-15] has a Vision of Jesus Christ in the Revelation -- 'Ezekiel 8:1-4 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the [exiled] elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of His loins even downward, fire [judgment]; and from His loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber [brass (sin) being judged]. And He put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock [hair] of mine head; *and the [Holy] Spirit lifted me up *between the earth and the heaven [judgment, the cross of Jesus Christ, the two thieves - one repented, one didn't, all mankind is facing the same death and judgment as the two thieves, we are all in the position of the two thieves being executed by this world, we all have a choice to make], and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate [symbolically the inner conscience] that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy [imaginations of man], which provoketh [God] to jealousy.'
Ezekiel 8:4-18 And, behold, the Glory of the God of Israel was there [in Jerusalem], according to the vision that I saw in the plain. Then said He [Jesus] unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy [imaginations of man] in the entry. He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here [in their imagination, mind], that I should [be offended and] go far off [away] from My sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations. And He brought me to the door of the [Temple] court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall. Then said He unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door [into the mind of mankind, even religious (godly) mankind]. And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the House of Israel, portrayed [envisioned] upon the wall [of the mind] round about. And there stood before them seventy men [elders] of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer [adoration, prayers] in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up. Then said He unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the House of Israel do in the dark, *every man in the chambers of his imagery [imagination]? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S House [Temple] which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz [Nimrod the ancient god of Babylon]. Then said He unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. And He brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S House [Temple], and, behold, at the door of the Temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, *with their backs toward the Temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east. Then He said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the House of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke Me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose [divination]. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them. - Like the Levitical Priest and Prophet Jeremiah the Levitical Priest and Prophet Ezekiel is finding out that the 1st Covenant is un-maintainable in the actions and abilities of a fallen (sinful) mankind. In order for mankind to appropriately worship, praise and interact with God, God is going to have to do a work, ultimately a work in the cross and resurrection of God in Jesus Christ providing the very Spirit of God to indwell, not the Temple of stone, but the heart; mind, determination, imagination and worshipful praises [prayers] of mankind.

Ezekiel 9-10 - The Prophet Ezekiel has a vision of the remnant of God being set apart to God and of the Holy Spirit departing from Solomon's Temple and [shortly thereafter] from Jerusalem -- 'Ezekiel 9:3-6 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up [the Holy Spirit is departing the Temple of Solomon] from the cherub [Throne of God Angels], whereupon He was, to the threshold of the [Temple] House. And He called to the man [reaping Angel; also a type of Jesus or possibly Jesus] clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark [designation] upon the foreheads of the men that [repent] sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others [non-repentant] He said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: *but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My [Temple] Sanctuary.'
Ezekiel 10:1-19 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. And He spake unto the man [Angel who had the inkhorn] clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in [into the Holy Spirit] in my sight. Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the [Temple] House, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court [Leviticus 16:13]. Then the Glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and stood over [hesitated at] the threshold [doorway, entrance] of the House [Temple]; and the House was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD'S Glory. ... *Then the Glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the [Temple] House, and stood over the cherubims [Throne Angels]. And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and mounted up *from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD'S house; and *the Glory of the God of Israel was over them above [returning back up to Heaven]. - The Prophet Ezekiel through a vision is able to witness the sad and hesitant departure of the Holy Spirit from out of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit indwelt the Temple in Jerusalem at the dedication of the Temple by King Solomon [2 Chronicles 5:14]. The Holy Spirit was not present in the 1st Temple when the Temple was destroyed by the forces of Babylon. - Note: The Spirit of God in the person of Jesus Christ then departed the 2nd Temple [Matthew 24:1] prior to the 70 A.D. destruction of the 2nd Temple by the forces of Rome.

Ezekiel 11-12 - The Prophet Ezekiel like the Prophet Jeremiah [Jeremiah 31:33] gets a prophecy regarding the New Covent [New Testament] of God between God and mankind -- 'Ezekiel 11:17-20 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered [70 A.D. Diaspora], and I will give you the land of Israel [May 14, 1948]. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will [eventually (Ezekiel 37:14)] give them one heart, *and I will put a New Spirit [born again] within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.'
Ezekiel 11:21 But as for them [children of God included] whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD. Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the Glory of the God of Israel was over them above. *And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city [of Jerusalem], and stood upon the Mountain [Mt. Olivet] which is on the east side of the city. Afterwards the [Holy] Spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea [Babylon], to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up [left] from me. Then I spake [told the vision] unto them of the captivity all the things [sin in the minds and imaginations of mankind, the Holy Spirit departing the Temple in Jerusalem, the giving of the 2nd Covenant between God and mankind] that the LORD had shewed me. - The perceivable presence of the Holy Spirit having hesitantly departed from the Temple of God in Jerusalem now hesitantly departs from the city of Jerusalem, pausing momentarily upon the top of the Mount Olivet to the east of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 13-14 - The Prophet Ezekiel even among the captives in Babylon continues to contend for the pure Word of God - - Ezekiel 13:1-5 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy [see] out of their own hearts, *Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, *that follow their own spirit, and have *seen nothing [they need to listen and hear God]! O Israel, thy [false] prophets are [out of place] like the foxes in the deserts. Ye [false prophets] have not gone up into the gaps [preformed intercession], neither made up the hedge [restored the broken] for the House of Israel to stand [with the LORD] in the battle in the Day of the LORD. - Note: Biblically every day is 'A Day of the LORD'.
Ezekiel 13:8-23 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity [emptiness], and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. And Mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the [eternal] assembly of My people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the House of Israel, neither shall they enter into the [Promise] Land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Because, even because they have seduced My people, saying, Peace [with sin]; and there was no peace [with sin]; *and one built up a wall [a wall for human protection, ultimately a wall of separation (to separate themselves) from God], and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter (mud): Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter [mud only no cement type of hardener - modern cement was invented by Rome in about 50 B.C.], that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones [Revelation 16:21], shall fall; and a stormy wind [Holy Spirit] shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in My fury to consume it. *So will I break down the wall [i.e. tower of Babel] that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof [the deception] shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Thus will I accomplish My wrath upon the wall, *and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall [Babylon] is no more, neither they that daubed it; To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. -- Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows [shoulder pads] to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to [entice] hunt souls! Will ye [entice] hunt the souls of My people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? And will ye pollute Me among My people for [small pay] handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your [deception] lying to My people that hear your lies? Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows [flattery], wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly [unstable], and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly. Your kerchiefs [false righteousness] also will I tear, and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. *Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; **and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver My people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. - During the time of God's active work of rebuking and correcting the people of Israel the many false prophets were just as busy continuing to culturally lead people astray.

Ezekiel 15-16 - The Prophet Ezekiel instructs that the Vine is unique among plants and that its Only Purpose is to bear fruit - Likewise the Children of God are unique among mankind in that its Only Purpose is to please God -- 'Ezekiel 15:1-2 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?'
Ezekiel 16:59-63 59 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the [O.T.] Covenant. *Nevertheless I will remember My Covenant with thee in the days of thy youth [fresh out of Egypt], and I will establish unto thee an Everlasting Covenant [New Testament]. Then thou shalt remember thy [rebellious] ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters [Sodom, Samaria], thine elder [sister Sodom] and thy younger [sister Samaria]: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy [your] covenant. And I will establish My Covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth [boasting] any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee [upon the cross of Jesus] for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD. - The New Testament, the eternal nature, the reconciliation [even reconciling Sodom and Samaria], the true Peace and the finality of it all as accomplished by God on the cross and by the resurrection continues to be in view even among the captives in Babylon.

Ezekiel 17-18 - The Prophet Ezekiel reiterates the fundamental Biblical concept of individual accountability towards God - Each person is individually accountable before God just as each of the two thieves on the two adjacent crosses to Jesus [Matthew 27:38] were each accountable before God to repent of their own sins and to seek for themselves the forgiveness of God [Jesus Christ] in order to then enter into Heaven with Jesus -- 'Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.'
Ezekiel 18:24-32 But when the righteous [redeemed - saved] turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: **in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not My way equal? are not your ways unequal? *When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. *Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, *he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Yet saith the House of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O House of Israel [Governed by God], are not My ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O House of Israel [Governed by God], *every one [individually] according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. **Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; *so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you *a new heart and *a new Spirit [Numbers 14:24; 27:18][after the cross and resurrection of Jesus a new born again Spirit]: for why will ye die, O House of Israel? *For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: *wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. - This Prophecy Teaching of Ezekiel remains in effect today it has not been removed, changed, altered or negated. To turn from God is to turn from God and by doing so removing oneself [Righteous Gentile (Balaam - Joshua 13:22), Hebrew/Jew (Korah - Numbers 16:1), Christian (Demas - 2 Timothy 4:10; Revelation 3:5,16)] from the presence of God and the result is for the person to receive the condemnation of the unjust. - Note: "Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die, O House of Israel?" The way these verses and concepts foretell and combine with the New Testament means that whoever wrote the Old Testament [i.e. the Holy Spirit] had complete knowledge and understanding of the coming of the New Testament and of its implementation to mankind.

Ezekiel 19-20 - God has done a miraculous work and will continue His extraordinary work in and through the Nation of Israel "for My Name's sake" -- 'Ezekiel 20:19-22 I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes [ways], and keep My judgments, and do them; And hallow [holy] My Sabbaths [rest]; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God. Notwithstanding the children rebelled against Me: they walked not in My statutes, neither kept My judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted My Sabbaths [rest]: *then I said, I would pour out My fury upon them, to accomplish My anger against them [Israel] in the wilderness. *Nevertheless I withdrew Mine hand, and wrought [Deliverers, Judges, Priests, Kings, Prophets in Israel] for My Name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen [unholy], in whose sight I brought them forth.'
Ezekiel 20:33-44 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm [on the cross], and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: And I will bring you out from the [Gentile] people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm [on the cross - the cross of Jesus Christ saved Israel], and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD. And I will cause you to pass under the rod [to be numbered in servitude], and I will bring you into the bond of the [New] Covenant: And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. As for you, O House of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto Me: but pollute ye My Holy Name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. For in Mine Holy Mountain, in the Mountain [Temple Mount] of the height of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the House of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. **I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered [70 A.D. Diaspora]; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country [May 14, 1948] for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have wrought [created, worked] with you for My Name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye House of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. - God has begun to bring the Nation of Israel back into the land of Israel. "I [God] will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people" is also a commitment and a promise that is made by God to the Christian Church. - 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them [unsaved], and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Ezekiel 21-22 - Ezekiel the Prophet prophesies of the need for one to come that can "stand in the gap" between God and mankind on behalf of both God and mankind - That one person is Jesus Christ the Son of God the Son of Man -- 'Ezekiel 22:30 30 And I sought for a man among them [humans], that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.' - 'Luke 14:16-23 Then said He [Jesus] unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade [invited] many ... And the lord said unto the servant [Holy Spirit], Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to [answer the invitation] come in, that My House may be filled.'
Ezekiel 22:23-31 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto her [Israel], Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. Her priests have violated My law, and have profaned Mine Holy things: *they have put no difference between the Holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes [rulers] in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. ***And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none [so Jesus Christ was sent to Redeem mankind]. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath: *their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD. - Man's ways are not by nature God's ways and therefore no man can stand in the gap and represent both man and God. It takes Jesus Christ to effectively bridge the distance and to be able to stand in the gap only Jesus is capable uniting a fallen mankind back into the presence of the Holy God.

Ezekiel 23-24 - Ezekiel's beloved wife dies and also as a sign Ezekiel will no longer himself be able to speak audibly unless God has a prophecy for him to speak to the people - Ezekiel as a sign to his fellow Jews is not to weep or mourn from the loss of his wife because his fellow Jews are also going to suffer the loss of many loved ones - Ultimately not mourning the loss is a sign of the resurrection because eventually there will be no mourning for God's children only a great rejoicing in the eternal life resurrection of Jesus Christ -- 'Ezekiel 24:15 Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man [Ezekiel], behold, I take away from thee [his wife] the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.'
Ezekiel 24:15-27 Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men. So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded. And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so? Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Speak unto the House of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another. *Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters, That he that escapeth [from the fall of Jerusalem] in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear [the news] it with thine ears? In that day shall thy mouth be opened [and Ezekiel will be able to speak regularly again] to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. - Death for the children of God is tragic and it is a loss for those who are still living however it is only a temporary loss because in the eternal resurrection of Jesus Christ all of the children of God will live for eternity. - 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 So when this corruptible [physical body] shall have put on incorruption [spiritual body], and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the [resurrection] victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain [but eternal] in the Lord.

Ezekiel 25-26 - Ezekiel like the other Prophets of Israel pronounces judgments from God upon the surrounding Gentile Nations - Ammonites [descendants of Lot and his younger daughter], Moab [descendants of Lot and his older daughter], Edom [descendants of Jacob's brother Esau], Philistines [immigrants to Canaan originally from the island of Crete, Greece], Tyre [an ancient kingdom in Lebanon] -- 'Ezekiel 25:1-4 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them; And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; *Because thou saidst, Aha, against My sanctuary, when it was profaned [by Egypt and Babylon]; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the East [Arabs] for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.'
Ezekiel 26:2-5 Son of man, *because that Tyrus (Tyre) hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many Nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. - Another Gentile Nation that observed the Satanic lie that God is against Israel or that God has abandoned or is done with Israel and His chosen people. God is always doing a work in and through the people of the Nation of Israel and to turn against Israel even or especially in their times of trouble and distress is to turn against God. Each European Nation can correlate its history and achievements based exclusively on their charity and benevolence towards the Jewish people. The European Nations that supported the Jews prospered and grew while they supported the Jews and the same Nations declined rapidly and drastically as their public support for Israel declined.

Politically Correct [Anti-Israel] Anti-Semitism - The Presbyterian Church Boycotts Israel - The Presbyterian Church seems to be using politically correct economic empowerment to cover its non-politically correct anti-Semitism
According to the articles the Presbyterians can feel for the Palestinian suffering because many Palestinians can't get help in the church run hospitals in Israel. What an absurd accusation! Israeli hospitals treat anyone that comes to them for help. Perhaps the Presbyterians should consider the fact that the Palestinians can't go to the Presbyterian hospitals in the Muslim countries surrounding Israel because there are none. The Muslim countries of the Middle East don't allow people to practice any other religion - including Christianity - and they don't allow their good Samaritans in to do their 'good work' either. Maybe the 'divestment of funds tactic' should be used with the Muslim countries that deny their people access to the help the church offers around the world. The Church believes that the Bible, which says very clearly that the Holy Land was given to the Jewish people, is a living document. Over the years when the support came from the church they used the Bible as a reason for supporting Israel's survival - what happened now? Are the Presbyterians ready to say that part of the Bible is G-d [God] given and the rest is up to human interpretation? ... The Presbyterian divestment scheme smacks of anti-Semitism. The church should simply stay out of the fray and out of Middle Eastern politics altogether and do its charity work with the poor Muslims in their own countries - if they will let the Christians in. By using politically correct economic empowerment to cover politically incorrect anti-Semitism directed against Israel which has hosted the church for so many years, the Church is practicing nothing less than "throwing stones into the well that they drink from." ~ from the September, 2005 Edition of the Jewish Magazine. {Note: The Christian Church is practicing nothing less than Satanic doctrine by [lying, misrepresenting and] unjustly treating the Jews unequally among mankind. It actually pleases God for Christians and Gentiles to give mercy to the Jews [Romans 11:31]. Mercy towards the Jews might at times be unobtainable from some however equality and common courtesy cannot ever at any time be forsaken by anyone when regarding the Jews especially courtesy from Christians.} [article link]

Ezekiel 27-28 - The Prophet Ezekiel reveals Tyre's true anti-Israel agenda and that it does come from Satan himself -- 'Ezekiel 28:1-10 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus [followers of Satan the king of Trye (Tyrus)], Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick [Revelation 18:12-13] hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness [illumination - illuminati]. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.'
Ezekiel 28:11-26 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus [Satan], and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: *thou wast upon the Holy Mountain [Government] of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect [complete] in thy ways *from the day that thou wast created [Satan-Lucifer is a fallen created Angel], till iniquity [sin] was found in thee. *By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the Mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub [Throne Angel], from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness [illumination - Lucifer]: I [God] will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings [of the earth], that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. *All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished [unimpressed] at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. -- Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Zidon [sister city of Tyre], and prophesy against it, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her street; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. *And there shall be no more a pricking brier [agitator] unto the House of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, *that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall have gathered the House of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered [starting about May 14, 1948], and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to My servant Jacob. And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, **when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they [Jews and Gentiles] shall know that I am the LORD their God. - See also: Isaiah 14:12-16.

Ezekiel 29-30 - The judgments of God are now directed at Egypt and the world's system -- 'Ezekiel 30:4 And the sword {Word of God} shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations [worldly system] shall be broken down.'
Ezekiel 30:1-8 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time [visitation of God] of the heathen. And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled [metropolitan] people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league [societies], shall fall with them by the sword. Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt [worldly system] shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire [judgment] in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed. - Egypt and the other main Biblical countries of the time represented systems, worldly systems. What is being judged is not just the ancient Nation of Egypt but the system and particularly the spiritual system that guided and directed Egypt and the people away from a knowledge of God and into a system of worldly, ungodly substitutions of the real Kingdom of God.

Ezekiel 31-32 - The warnings from God continue regarding Egypt and the substitution of the Kingdom of God that Egypt and Pharaoh represent, embrace and espouse to the rest of the world -- 'Ezekiel 31:1-4 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? Behold, the Assyrian [Assyria, previously a great Nation] was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. The waters [demonic realm] made him great, the deep [of Satan] set him up on high with her rivers [influences, Mystery Babylon] running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers [of demonic influence] unto all the trees [Nations] of the field [world].'
Ezekiel 31:15-18 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he [Assyria] went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep [water] for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. I made the Nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden [earth, Middle-East], the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink [demonic] water, shall be comforted [lit. sigh, heavy breathing] in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. To whom art thou [Egypt] thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether [lit. lower, underneath] parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD. - In creation and in the Bible God uses physical realms to help reveal for us the spiritual realms. The blue sky realm helps reveal God, freedom, openness, eternity and heaven for us. The deep, dark, mysterious water realm often represents the demonic realm, man cannot naturally breath or live in the water realm. The deep dirt, pits, graves and volcanic fires from the earth also reveal the 'nether' lower regions of the earth and hell. All of these realms exist both physically and spiritually, there is a real heaven, a real demonic and fallen Satanic realm, death is real and there is a real eternal hell that is one option for humans at death.

Ezekiel 33 - God reiterates that Ezekiel is a Watchman for Israel and that what he is watching over is his fellow countrymen for their sake, their safety and for the wellbeing of their eternal souls -- 'Ezekiel 33:7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the House of Israel [Governed by God]; therefore thou shalt hear the Word at My mouth, and warn them from Me.'
Ezekiel 33:21 And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb. Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for inheritance [yet they were removed from the land]. - Ezekiel can now speak again and he tells the people that even though the land was their inheritance through Abraham they did not honor the land nor did they honor God and therefore they lost their land inheritance. Note: The land inheritance from God to Abraham for Israel was a conditional inheritance they did need to obey God in order to remain in the land [Deuteronomy 30:1-6]. The promise [Genesis 12:1-3] from God to Abraham to be their God is not conditional and though they were temporarily removed from the land God will always been their God.

Ezekiel 34-35 - The Prophet Ezekiel is instructed that the Messiah Jesus Christ, God Himself will one day be the 'One Shepherd' of His flock and the only overseer of His Worshipers -- 'Ezekiel 34:1-11 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds [Pastors] of Israel [Governed by God], prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds [Pastors]; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed [promote] themselves! should not the shepherds feed [buildup, strengthen] the flocks [Worshipers]? ... Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require [reclaim] My flock [Worshipers] at their hand [from their services], and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed [lavish] themselves anymore; for I will deliver My flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat [merchandise] for them. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep [people], and seek [rescue] them out.'
Ezekiel 34:11-31 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [Jesus Christ], even I, will both search My sheep [people], and seek [rescue] them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, *and will **deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: *there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. *I [Jesus] will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. **I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. *And as for you, O My flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle [person] and cattle [person], between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture [not to share with others], but ye must tread down [destroy] with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have *drunk of the deep waters [deep spiritual matters, experiences - both holy und unholy], but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; *and they drink that which ye have fouled [bad doctrine] with your feet. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; *Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. ***And I will set up One Shepherd [Jesus Christ] over them, and He shall feed them, even My servant David [Beloved, Jesus Christ]; He [Jesus] shall feed them, and He [Jesus] shall be their shepherd. And I [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit] the LORD [YHWH] will be their God, and My servant David [Beloved Jesus as King, King David as Prince] a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. ***And I will make with them a [New] Covenant of Peace, and will cause the evil [Satanic] beasts to cease out of the land: and they [sheep] shall dwell safely in the wilderness [vulnerable places], and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about My hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower [rain] to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they [Worshipers] shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when *I have broken the bands of their yoke [on the cross], and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them [at the resurrection]. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. *And I will raise up for them a plant [vine, grapevine] of renown [glory], and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even *the House of Israel, are My people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye [Worshipers] My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men [people], and I am [the Good Shepherd - John 10:1-21] your God, saith the Lord GOD. - Jesus the Messiah is the "One Shepherd" for all the people of the world. Note: In Hebrew the name 'David' means 'beloved' and is often used to refer to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 36 - The Prophet Ezekiel reveals that God is always dedicated and eternally faithful to the House of Israel -- 'Ezekiel 36:8-9 But ye, O Mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people of Israel; for they are at hand to come [return to the Promise Land]. For, behold, I am for you [Israel], and I will turn [face] unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown [made productive again]:' - Note: The House of Israel is spiritually and physically the Jewish descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. - Also Note: The name Israel [Governed by God or Submitted to God] is an inheritance name given to Jacob as a blessing from God [Genesis 35:10] after Jacob wrestled all night with God and asked (demanded) a blessing from God. The name or status of Israel is given from God to His worshipers as a blessing. Israel is not a state or condition that a person [Jew or Gentile] is born into [Jacob is the natural birth name, Israel is the received blessing name] it is a rebirth condition to be brought into a relationship willingly submitted to God and therefore Biblically the name of Israel [Submitted to God] does also apply Spiritually to all of those, including Gentiles, who are 'born again' Israel - submitted to God, those who have received the blessing of fellowship with God.
Ezekiel 36:22-36 Therefore say unto the House of Israel [submitted to God], Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O House of Israel, but for Mine Holy Name's sake, which ye have profaned [not accurately represented God's Name] among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify [set apart] My great Name, which was profaned [misrepresented] among the heathen [unsaved], which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified [made Holy, set apart] in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into [Israel] your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water [Word of God, Bible] upon you {before the cross of Jesus, after the cross the blood of Jesus has permanently made clean}, and ye shall be clean [John 15:3]: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I [permanently] cleanse you [on the cross]. *A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you [New Testament]: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit [born again] within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will also save [Salvation] you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then [Romans 2:4] shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O House of Israel. Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. *And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. **Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: *I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. - The 'Salvation' process is a continuing process both in the Nation of Israel [postponed until later] and in the Christian Church. The House of Israel has not yet properly represented, made Holy or honored the Name of God and likewise the Christian Church has not yet represented Jesus or made Holy and honored His Name.

Ezekiel 37 - Ezekiel has one of his most famous Visions - The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones -- 'Ezekiel 37:1-4 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And He [Holy Spirit] said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again He said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD.'
Ezekiel 37:5-14 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath [Spirit] to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath [Spirit] in them. Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind [lit. Spirit], prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds [unhindered], O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may [Resurrection] live. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. *Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole [Resurrection] House of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O My people, I will [Resurrection] open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves [Matthew 27:52-53], and bring you into [Heaven] the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put My spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

Ezekiel 38-39 - Ezekiel reveals an enormous End Time event where several Gentile Nations attack the re-born Nation of Israel -- 'Ezekiel 38:1-12 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal ... Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy [Gentile] mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought [against Israel]: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest [peaceable], that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and **upon the people that are gathered out of the Nations [May 14, 1948], which have gotten cattle and goods [some wealth], that dwell in the midst of the land.' - Note: This major prophesied event appears to not yet have occurred however it is one of many End Time events and like all the great End Time events surrounding the coming of the Antichrist those events should not be looked to for guidance in the End Times but simply and faithfully look to Jesus Christ and His guaranteed return, it's the only certain way to purposefully fulfill our time until the return of Jesus.
Ezekiel 39:21-29 And I will set My glory among the heathen [Gentiles], and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed, and My hand that I have laid upon them. So the House of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that the House of Israel went into captivity [70 A.D.] for their iniquity: because they trespassed against Me, therefore hid I My face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid My face from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole House of Israel, and will be jealous for My Holy Name; After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many Nations; Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them anymore there. Neither will I hide My face any more from them: for I have poured out My Spirit upon the House of Israel, saith the Lord GOD. - The events in and around Israel are events [large and small] that God is using to direct and instruct both the Nation of Israel and the Gentile Nations of the world. God deals the same way with individual Christians as He does with the Nation of Israel. It is up to us Christians to learn from the mistakes of Israel as well as learning from our own mistakes and the mistakes of others just as much as we are to learn from the successes of the Nation of Israel, our successes and the successes of others in our walk and experiences with God.

What are Gog and Magog? - Historically speaking, Magog was a grandson of Noah - The descendants of Magog settled to the far north of Israel, likely in Europe and northern Asia [Russia] - The duplicated use of the names Gog and Magog in Revelation 20:8-9 is to show that these people demonstrate the same rebellion against God and antagonism toward God as those in Ezekiel [Ezekiel 38-39] - According to Ezekiel, Gog will be defeated by God Himself on the mountains of Israel - The slaughter will be so great it will take seven months to bury all of the dead (Ezekiel 39:11-12) - The battle in Ezekiel 38-39 is used by God to bring [the Nation of Israel] Israel back to Him (Ezekiel 39:21-29)
Answer: Historically speaking, Magog was a grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:2). The descendants of Magog settled to the far north of Israel, likely in Europe and northern Asia (Ezekiel 38:2). Magog seems to be used to refer to "northern barbarians" in general, but likely also has a connection to Magog the person. The people of Magog are described as skilled warriors (Ezekiel 38:15; 39:3-9). - Gog and Magog are referred to in Ezekiel 38-39 and in Revelation 20:7-8. While these two instances carry the same names, a close study of Scripture clearly demonstrates they do not refer to the same people and events. In Ezekiel's prophecy, Gog will be the leader of a great army that attacks the land of Israel. Gog is described as "of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal" (Ezekiel 38:2-3). Ezekiel's battle of Gog and Magog occurs in the tribulation period, more specifically in the first 3 1/2 years. The strongest evidence for this view is that the attack will come when Israel is at peace (Ezekiel 38:8, 11). The description from Ezekiel is that of a nation that has security and has laid down its defenses. Israel is definitely not at peace now, and it is inconceivable that the nation would lay down its defenses apart from some major event. When Israel's covenant with the Beast/Antichrist is in effect at the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week (also known as the 7-year tribulation, Daniel 9:27a), Israel will be at peace. Possibly the battle will occur just before the midpoint of the seven-year period. According to Ezekiel, Gog will be defeated by God Himself on the mountains of Israel. The slaughter will be so great it will take seven months to bury all of the dead (Ezekiel 39:11-12). - Gog and Magog are mentioned again in Revelation is found in 20:7-8. The duplicated use of the names Gog and Magog in Revelation 20:8-9 is to show that these people demonstrate the same rebellion against God and antagonism toward God as those in Ezekiel 38-39. ... The book of Revelation uses Ezekiel's prophecy about Magog to portray a final end-times attack on the nation of Israel (Revelation 20:8-9). The result of this battle is that all are destroyed, and Satan will find his final place in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). -- It is important to recognize that the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38-39 is quite different from the one in Revelation 20:7-8. Below are some of the more obvious reasons why these refer to different people and battles. 1. In the battle of Ezekiel 38-39, the armies come primarily from the north and involve only a few nations of the earth (Ezekiel 38:6, 15; 39:2). The battle in Revelation 20:7-9 will involve all nations, so armies will come from all directions, not just from the north. 2. There is no mention of Satan in the context of Ezekiel 38-39. In Revelation 20:7 the context clearly places the battle at the end of the millennium with Satan as the primary character. 3. Ezekiel 39:11-12 states that the dead will be buried for seven months. There would be no need to bury the dead if the battle in Ezekiel 38-39 is the one described in Revelation 20:8-9, for immediately following Revelation 20:8-9 is the Great White Throne judgment (20:11-15) and then the current or present heaven and earth are destroyed, replaced by a new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1). There obviously will be a need to bury the dead if the battle takes place in the early part of the tribulation, for the land of Israel will be occupied for another 1,000 years, the length of the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6). 4. The battle in Ezekiel 38-39 is used by God to bring Israel back to Him (Ezekiel 39:21-29). In Revelation 20, Israel has been faithful to God for 1,000 years (the millennial kingdom). Those in Revelation 20:7-10 who are rebellious are destroyed without any more opportunity for repentance. ~ Recommended Resource: Understanding End Times Prophecy by Paul Benware. [article link]

Ezekiel 40-43 - The Prophet Ezekiel is spiritually transported from Babylon to Jerusalem and is given a very important vision and lesson in what appears to be the Millennial Kingdom Temple the location for God the Messiah to reside at during His 1,000 year Kingdom reign over the entire earth -- 'Ezekiel 40:1-4 In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city [Jerusalem] was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of the LORD was upon me, and brought me thither. In the visions of God brought He [Holy Spirit] me *into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain [Millennial Kingdom restoration landscape], by which was as the frame of a city on the south. And He brought me thither, and, behold, there was a Man [possibly Jesus Christ or an Angel], whose appearance was like the appearance of brass [judgment], with a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed; and He stood in the gate. And the Man said unto me, Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, **and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee; for to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought hither: *declare all that thou seest to the House of Israel [those Governed by God].'
Ezekiel 41:1-7 Afterward He [possibly Jesus] brought me to the Temple [4th Temple], and measured the posts, six cubits broad on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the {new?} Tabernacle [tent]. And the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits. Then went He inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits. So He measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and He said unto me, This is the most holy place. After He measured the wall of the house, six cubits; and the breadth of every side chamber, four cubits, round about the house on every side. And the side chambers were three, one over another, and thirty in order; and they entered into the wall which was of the house for the side chambers round about, that they might have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the house. And there was an enlarging, and a winding about still upward to the side chambers: for the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house: therefore the breadth of the house was still upward, and so increased from the lowest chamber to the highest by the midst. - Ezekiel is given a grand tour of what appears to be a 4th Temple in Jerusalem. The dimensions are exceedingly beyond anything that would be possible today at the current physical Temple Mount location in Jerusalem. - Note: There seems to be an amalgamation and representation of several eras of God's Divine work among mankind. There is a reference to a Tabernacle and there seems to be elements of several Priesthoods with the Righteous Gentile, Levitical-Aaronic, Levitical-Aaronic-Zadok and the eternal Melchizedek Priesthood all either active or represented as remembrance, instruction and interaction to man's one relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel Chapter 40: Messiah's Millennium Temple - The next portion of Ezekiel, Chapters 40 to 48, is an area that is not often covered in Christian literature because it can seem confusing - The events of these chapters refer to a future time, following the tribulation period - The period of Ezekiel 40 to 48 refers to events taking place in the Millennium - The people who survive the tribulation and enter the millennium cross into it without resurrected bodies - In the gospels, Jesus explains about the role of those who are saved [Christians] and then die {or the Rapture} how they will have a role in His [Millennial] Kingdom
The next portion of Ezekiel, Chapters 40 to 48, is an area that is not often covered in Christian literature because it can seem confusing. The reason for this confusion is a lack of understanding of the time-period to which the text refers. The events of these chapters refer to a future time, following the tribulation period. The period of Ezekiel 40 to 48 refers to events taking place in the Millennium. The Millennium will be covered in more detail below; for now, let us understand the Millennium as a 1000-year period of time (Mille-thousand, Annum-Years) which follows the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. First, we need to clear up some areas of confusion people have regarding the division between Ezekiel 36-39 and Ezekiel 40 to 48. The Tribulation: The events of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the invasion of Gog from the land of Magog, takes place before the tribulation period. The tribulation period is a seven-year period also known as Daniel's 70th Week and the Time of Jacob's Trouble. According to Daniel's 70 weeks (Daniel 9:24-27) the beginning of the Tribulation starts when Israel makes an agreement with the world or nations to build the Temple on the site known as the Dome of the Rock. After Israel attains victory, through God's intervention between the nations, Israel builds the Temple in an attempt at obedience to the Lord. ... After the first Temple was destroyed by Babylon, Ezekiel was taken to Jerusalem in a vision to view the Millennium Temple. God is reassuring Ezekiel that the Temple will one day be restored, God is not done with the nation of Israel. Here, Ezekiel is given a glimpse of when the Glory of the Lord, the presence of God, will rule and reign from Jerusalem. ... In these verses Jesus describes the transition from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of God. Notice that Jesus returns in power and glory with ALL the Holy Angels and the nations are brought before the throne of the Son of Man. As a shepherd separates sheep and goats the nations will be divided. This division of people, survivors of the tribulation, is to determine who will enter the Millennium. Those on the right, the sheep, will enter into the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ, while those on the left, the goats, are the lost that will be cast into everlasting fire [note: this event (sheep and goats judgment) probably happens at the end of the Millennial reign just prior to the creation of the eternal new heaven and new earth]. ... Who enters the Millennium?: According to scripture, two groups of people will be alive during the millennium; resurrected and non-resurrected people. Non-Resurrected: The people who survive the tribulation and enter the millennium cross into it without resurrected bodies. Therefore, they will be able to get married and have children; they will also be able to repopulate the earth. This point is clear in both the Old and New Testaments. We know there will be nations in the Millennium; who will populate these nations? People born during the 1000-years will repopulate the earth after God renews it from the destruction of the tribulation. According to Jesus, most people on the earth will die during this period. ... People who are born in the Millennium still must come to salvation through faith. At the end of the Millennium, Satan is freed to test the nations, specifically those born in the Millennium. As in the past, those who are saved will reject Satan, those who are lost will follow Satan and listen to his lies; they will rebel against God who will judge them. These nations will include the descendants of the Gog and Magog alliance. Satan lies will test the nations who will have lived in peace and prosperity during the reign of Christ on the Earth. ... Old Testament Saints: In the Old Testament both Job and Daniel look forward to the Resurrection. Job proclaims he will see God in his flesh, with his own eyes, after his body is destroyed. Daniel is told he will awake from the dust of the earth to his inheritance at the end of days. ... The Church Age Saints: In the gospels, Jesus explains about the role of those who are saved [Christians] and then die; how they will have a role in His Kingdom. He specifically describes the role of the disciples [Jewish Apostles] during this period, how they will rule over [alongside] the 12-tribes of Israel in the resurrection. His promise is by extension to all those [Jewish believers] who follow Him [Note: The Jewish Apostles of Jesus' day and modern Jews who receive Salvation will still have interaction and authority in and among Judaism but Gentile converts to Christianity have no such place in and among Judaism]. [article link]

Ezekiel's Temple - The Millennial Temple [4th Temple] - The sixth major dwelling place of the Lord in His story will be the Temple described in detail to the prophet Ezekiel which will serve God's purpose in discipline the Nations for 1,000 years during the promised Reign of Peace on the earth - {During the coming Millennial (1,000) year reign of Jesus Christ here on the earth centered in Jerusalem in the 4th Temple there will still be unbelieving people being born and living throughout the earth in that future time. The people who do not have the belief and with it the blood covering of Jesus will apparently need the blood covering of the animals much as it was during the times of Cain, Abel, Job and the other Righteous Gentiles who made animal [blood atonement] sacrifice offerings to God. Sinful humans [human blood] will not be allowed to live during the Kingdom reign without the presence of another life giving blood either animal blood each year or the eternal blood of Jesus. - Note: the Temple ordinances of Ezekiel's Temple appear to be more of a return to the sacrifices of the Righteous Gentiles than a continuation of the Levitical Law. In short the Millennial reign seems to be the Melchizedek Priesthood for believers, including Levitical Priests who have been received into the Melchizedek Priesthood and an animal blood atonement Ministry to cover the sins of the non-believers among the world while they have the opportunity to individually come to an eternal faith in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.}
Are animal sacrifices in a future temple blasphemous towards the finished work of Jesus? One truth about the 1,000 year reign of Messiah that is often hard for believers today to understand is that there will be animal sacrifices in this coming Millennial Temple. As we will see, Ezekiel is quite clear about this. If you believe that the book of Ezekiel is inspired prophecy from God, then there is no alternative but to understand that what Ezekiel saw over 2,000 years ago will come to pass in a literal sense. This is NOT blasphemous to the finished work of Jesus' blood on the cross, but rather it is a reminder of His ultimate sacrifice for all of humanity. Since 1998 when I first published this Millennial Temple information on the internet, I have received more questions on this one issue of animal sacrifice than anything else. Therefore, I want to take some time to establish the truth of this matter of sacrifice and atonement. The bottom line fact is that Jesus (Yahoshua) is the ONLY sacrifice that can take away our sins and give us eternal life. Hebrews 10:4 is clear that "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." The 11th verse in this same chapter declares that animal sacrifices "can never take away sins." So, the blood of bulls and goats have NEVER taken away sins for anyone past present or future! There is a wrong concept in many people's minds that animal sacrifices, during the Old Covenant before Jesus came, took away peoples sins - but this is not true. The saints who lived before Messiah came were saved by FAITH (Rom. 4:3) just like us today. The animal sacrifices were a "shadow of good things to come" pointing forward to the blood of Messiah Yahoshua (Jesus). It has always really been about Jesus, and not animal sacrifices. Likewise, in the coming Millennial Temple the animal sacrifices will point backward to the Blood of Jesus, which is our only atonement for sin. God told the Old Covenant believers to sacrifice animals to give them a point of reference in which to base their FAITH since the Messiah had not yet come. Hebrews chapters 7-10 explains how the Old Covenant sacrifices were copies and replicas of what Jesus did for us on the cross. After explaining the meaning of the blood sacrifices in chapters 7-10, Paul explains in Hebrews chapters 11-12, that it is by FAITH we please God and appropriate His promises for us, and not by the works He commands us to do. The works that we do out of obedience are merely expressions of the faith, which is in our hearts. During the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, the animal sacrifices will be object lessons that look BACK in remembrance of what Jesus has done for us, similar to the way that the Old Testament sacrifices looked FORWARD to what He would do. These sacrifices in no way take away our sins. Only faith in the finished work of the shed blood of Jesus can take away sins. Everything done in this temple points us to Jesus, because all things can be summed up in Jesus "in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (Col. 2:9). Now that we have established that animal sacrifices are not blasphemous to the finished work of Jesus; let's take a look at all of the incredible details that were shown to Ezekiel regarding the order of services for this millennial temple which to date has not yet been built. [article link]

The Millennial Temple of Ezekiel - Objections to a Literal Interpretation of Ezekiel Chapters 40-48 - "The area of the temple courts (500 x 500 "reeds," or about one square mile) would be larger than the entire ancient walled city of Jerusalem, and the holy portion for priests and Levites (20,000 x 25,000 reeds, or about 40 x 50 miles) would cover an area six times the size of greater London today and could not possibly be placed within present-day Palestine, that is between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea (Ezek. 47:18) - {Note: In order to accommodate the Temple of Ezekiel's vision the land of Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount all need to undergo drastic revisions. At the least the current Temple Mount needs to be elevated significantly and expanded dramatically. All of these earthen modifications to the land of Israel are considered to be 'restoration' events that probably occur during the upheaval of the Great Tribulation period.}
Objections to a Literal Interpretation of Ezekiel 40-48: 1. "The area of the temple courts (500 x 500 "reeds," or about one square mile) would be larger than the entire ancient walled city of Jerusalem, and the holy portion for priests and Levites (20,000 x 25,000 reeds, or about 40 x 50 miles) would cover an area six times the size of greater London today and could not possibly be placed within present-day Palestine, that is between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea (Ezek. 47:18), to say nothing of the "portion of the prince" on either side of this area (45:7, 47:21). The Millennial Jerusalem would be about 40 miles in circumference and thus ten times the circumference of the ancient city. Furthermore, it would be somewhat north of the present site of the city, and the Temple area would be about ten miles north of that, on the way to Samaria! This is quite unthinkable, for such a city would not be the Jerusalem of Jewish memories and associations, and a Temple in any other locality than Mount Moriah would hardly be the Temple of Jewish hope" (J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book, IV, 32). -- Answer: Israel will have the only sanctuary and priesthood in the world during the millennial age, so the Temple courts and sacred area will need to be greatly enlarged to accommodate the vast number of worshippers and the priests who will serve them (Isa. 2:3, 60:14, 61:6, Zech. 8:20-23). Various Old Testament prophecies speak of great geological changes that will occur in Palestine at the time of Christ's Second Coming, so it is not impossible to imagine a 2,500 square mile area for the Temple and city fitted into a reshaped and enlarged land. See Isaiah 26:15, 33:17, 54:2, and especially Zechariah 14:4-10. The latter passage tells us of new valleys and rivers, and a flattening of portions of land "like the Arabah" which then "shall be lifted up." Presumably the entire Dead Sea region will be lifted more than 1,300 feet, above the present sea level, for it will contain fish "after their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many" (Ezek. 47:10). Revelation 16:20 informs us that at the end of the Great Tribulation gigantic earthquakes will cause islands and mountains to vanish. Thus, both testaments speak of topographical and geographical changes that will accompany the inauguration of the millennial kingdom. Jerusalem itself will be the capital of the world, the beloved city (Rev. 20:9), and its size will surely be proportionate to its importance. If Nineveh, the capital of one ancient empire, was sixty miles in circumference (Jonah 3:3; cf. Baxter's discussion, IV, 170), why would it be impossible for the millennial Jerusalem to be forty? -- With regard to the problem of the Millennial Temple being located about ten miles north of Jerusalem, God specifically indicates to Ezekiel that the Temple area will no longer adjoin the royal palace as in the days of old (43:7-9). The point is clearly stated in 43:12 -- "This is the law of the house: upon the top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house." Vast topographical changes will not make Palestine less the Promised Land for Israel, nor will a centralized, enlarged Temple ten miles removed from the city be a disappointment to Israelites who have been accustomed to thinking of it in terms of Mount Moriah. The important thing is that the glory of Jehovah will fill the Temple (43:5), and the city will be renamed on the basis that "Jehovah is there" (48:35). [article link]

Ezekiel 44-45 - The vision and instructions continue for Ezekiel on our behalf -- 'Ezekiel 44:1-3 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the East; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the Prince [Messiah]; the Prince, He shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; He [Jesus] shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.'
Ezekiel 44:1-16 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same. Then brought He me the way of the North Gate before the House [Temple]: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the House of the LORD: and I fell upon my face. **And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine ears all that I say unto thee concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the House, with every going forth of the sanctuary. And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even to the House of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; O ye House of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations, In that ye have brought into My sanctuary strangers, *uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary, to pollute it, even My House, when ye offer My bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken My Covenant because of all your abominations. And ye have not kept the charge [responsibilities] of Mine Holy things: but ye have set keepers [substitutes, replacements] of My charge in My sanctuary for yourselves. Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel. And the Levites that are gone away far from Me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from Me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge at the Gates of the House, and ministering to the House: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them. Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the House of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity. And they shall not come near unto Me, to do the office of a [Melchizedek] Priest unto Me, nor to come near to any of My Holy [Melchizedek] things, in the most Holy Place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the House, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. But the Priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to Minister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD: They shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to Minister unto Me, and they shall keep My charge. - The Prophet Ezekiel is clearly given a vision and instruction of future events but events that are composed in part on the past actions and accountabilities of the children of God from the time before the Millennial Kingdom and Temple reign of the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 46-48 - The Prophet Ezekiel concludes his Vision of the 4th Temple and concludes his Scroll and his Ministry to the House of Israel -- 'Ezekiel 47:1-9 Afterward He [Jesus] brought me again unto the door of the House; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the House eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar [Revelation 22:1]. Then brought He me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. ... Then said He unto me, These waters issue out toward the East country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish [life], because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh.' - Note: In many ways the New Testament counterpart to the Prophet Ezekiel is the Apostle Peter. Ezekiel in receiving the Vision of the New Millennium Kingdom of the Messiah and Peter in receiving the keys to the Kingdom of God [including the Millennial Kingdom] both men helped to transform man's personal relationship with God into a New Era of intimacy between a sinful, fragile humanity and God in Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel 48:31-35 And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the Name of the city from that day shall be, *The LORD is there. - God in close fellowship with His creation and with His people as it has always been intended to be since the beginning of Genesis and as it will become after the End Time events of Revelation.

THE BOOK OF

DANIEL

Introduction: The Book of Daniel - The Prophet Daniel [from the Tribe of Judah] is the Old Testament counterpart to the New Testament "beloved" Disciple John - The prophet Daniel is the only person in the Old Testament to be directly called "beloved" Daniel is called "greatly beloved" three times - At a young age Daniel was removed from his native Israel and taken captive to the distant Nation of Babylon (Iraq) - Daniel will perform his entire ministry in captivity outside of Israel - The Prophet Daniel will interpret dreams and have visions and dreams that are the most sweeping, global and broad based of any Prophet in the Bible - Daniel will mainly prophesy in three areas 1. Regarding Nations [and their fallen angelic guides] the 5 remaining Gentile world Nation Kingdoms [4 empires and the final emergent Antichrist kingdom] - The coming 1,000 year Messiah Kingdom - 2. The reestablishment of Nation of Israel [the Archangel Michael] as an angelic assistant for the Nation of Israel and the rebuilding of the 2nd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem - 3. The bringing in of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, into the world and among mankind the entry of the Messiah assisted and foretold [in the ministry of the Archangel Gabriel] - *Daniel's "70 Weeks" prophecy is perhaps the most famous prophecy in the Old Testament
Daniel 9:23-24 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. **Seventy weeks [Jewish decades - 7 years each] are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins [cross], and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness [resurrection], and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and (for the Nation of Israel in Jerusalem) to ***anoint [at the 2nd Coming] the most Holy [Jesus Christ - starting the 1,000 Millennial Reign]. - John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples [the Disciple John], whom Jesus loved. -- Both the Prophet Daniel and the Disciple John are referenced as 'beloved' of God. Daniel will have and write all of his prophecies outside of Israel. The Disciple John like Daniel will be sent away captive, the Disciple John being imprisoned on the Island of Patmos when he has his end time Revelation of Jesus Christ [Daniel 10:7-11 - Revelation 1:13-15]. Daniel was miraculously saved from the den of lions, Church tradition has the Disciple John miraculously saved from Roman martyrdom [immersed in boiling oil]. The Prophet Daniel will prophecy the rebuilding of the 2nd Temple (Sanctuary) in Jerusalem [Daniel 9:26]. The Disciple John will prophecy the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple (used by the Antichrist) in Jerusalem [Revelation 11:1-2]. [article link]

The Amber May Show - Daniel part 1 of 6 (Mp3s)
(Part 3) What would you do if you were threaten to be put to death because of your faith? Would you deny your beliefs in order to live? Would you stand firm to your faith? In this episode we look at just that. Three young men are threaten to be put to death because of their faith. Listen to what happens to them. - (Part 4) God tries to reach out to people every day. He says I stand at the door and knock if any one hears my voice and lets me in, I will come in and dine with him and he with me. God was after the King. The King kept ignoring him until an event that happened in the King's life. An event so big that it changed the King from thereafter. - (Part 5) What do you think would happen to you, if you were a King and defiled the things of God? Would there be pledges? Would you continue to be King? Would everything be alright and keep going like normal. Check out this program and see what happens to the King and to Daniel. - (Part 6) This is the final episode of Daniel. But we end it with one of the best stories from Daniel. How would you feel if people at work were so jealous of you that they wanted to kill you, the legal way? Listen to what happens to Daniel and his "co-workers". [article link]

Commentary on the First Chapter of Daniel - That Nebuchadnezzar took Jewish captives in [605 B.C.] before he returned to Babylon for his coronation is confirmed by Berosus, a Babylonian priest who died about 250 BC - In his history of Babylon, quoted by Josephus, Berosus says, Being informed ere long of his father's death, Nebuchadnezzar settled the affairs of Egypt and the other countries - The prisoners -- Jews [including Daniel and his three friends], Phoenicians, Syrians, and those of Egyptian nationality -- were consigned to some of his friends, with orders to conduct them to Babylonia, along with the heavy troops and the rest of the spoils; while he himself, with a small escort, pushed across the desert to Babylon [Iraq] - (Chart)
The critics allege that the opening statement of the Book of Daniel-that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in Jehoiakim's third year-is pure fiction. The date is much too early, they say. The precise span of Jehoiakim's third year is uncertain, but the end of it could not have fallen later than October 605 BC. The critics insist that although Nebuchadnezzar may have exacted tribute from Judah as early as 604, the first actual Babylonian siege of Jerusalem did not occur until 597. - Yet the account in Daniel 1 is consistent with other ancient sources. The most important of these is the Babylonian Chronicle, a contemporary listing of important events during the reigns of the Babylonian kings. The Chronicle reports that in the early summer of 605 BC, the Babylonians and Egyptians fought a major battle at Carchemish [located on the border between Turkey and Syria], a city in northern Syria. The Babylonians, under the leadership of their crown prince, Nebuchadnezzar, crushed the Egyptians and pursued fleeing enemy soldiers all the way to Hamath, far to the southwest. Not one Egyptian survived to return home. The Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 46:2) and other sources indicate that Pharaoh Necho was himself present at the battle. If he was, he was undoubtedly among the casualties. The Chronicle continues with the claim that Nebuchadnezzar then "conquered all of Ha[ma]th". That is, he moved immediately to assert control over all the kingdoms nearby that had previously been friendly with Egypt. It is inconceivable that he did not press his advantage after he had so thoroughly routed Egyptian forces and deprived Egypt of a leader. Josephus reports that at this time, Nebuchadnezzar "occupied all Syria, with the exception of Judaea, as far as Pelusium [on the Egyptian border]". Immediately afterward, his father died, and he hurried back to Babylon to take control of the kingdom. - The Book of Daniel agrees that Nebuchadnezzar did not occupy Judah in 605. It says only that he approached Jerusalem and threatened war. The expression "besieged" (Daniel 1:1) can refer merely to action preliminary to a siege. Jehoiakim was able to appease the aggressor by giving him hostages and treasure. That Nebuchadnezzar took Jewish captives before he returned to Babylon for his coronation is confirmed by Berosus, a Babylonian priest who died about 250 BC. In his history of Babylon, quoted by Josephus, Berosus says, Being informed ere long of his father's death, Nebuchadnezzar settled the affairs of Egypt and the other countries. The prisoners-Jews, Phoenicians, Syrians, and those of Egyptian nationality-were consigned to some of his friends, with orders to conduct them to Babylonia, along with the heavy troops and the rest of the spoils; while he himself, with a small escort, pushed across the desert to Babylon. - Spoils and Captives: The following chart gives an overview of the events connected with the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The Babylonians came against Judah not just in 605, but repeatedly, and took captives at four different times: in 597, 586, and 581 (or 580) as well as in 605. Altogether, about 15,000 men, women, and children made the arduous thousand-mile trek from Judah to Babylon. After their successful assault upon Jerusalem in 605 BC, the Babylonians removed some of the vessels in the [Temple] House of God (verse 2). They took also a group of young men meeting five requirements (verses 3-4). The young men were related to the royal family [Tribe of Judah]. They were "children," meaning that they were in their early teens or younger. They had "no blemish" and were "well favoured." In other words, they were good looking. This requirement was not unusual. In every ancient Middle Eastern court, it was customary to let only good-looking people serve as the king's attendants. The young men were "skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science." Not only were they well educated, but also they were intelligent enough to use and apply what they had learned. They were able "to stand in the king's palace." That is, they were a gracious addition to the court. Having tact, self-confidence, and the other traits of a winning personality, they were highly presentable even to a king. [article link]

Daniel 1 - A young Daniel is taken as a hostage and deported from his native land of Israel to the distant, strange and powerful Nation of Babylon (Iraq) - Daniel would never again return to his native Israel - Like Joseph before him Daniel would also never give up any of his Jewish heritage in exchange for any Gentile preferential treatment -- 'Daniel 1:1-8 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. *Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave [Babylonian] names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego. **But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile [un-kosher] himself with the portion of the [Babylonian] king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.'
Daniel 1:17-21 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the [instructional, orientation, training] days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten [testing, trials, tribulations, endurance] times better than all the [Babylonian] magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus [king of Iran]. - Daniel like Joseph before him was able to remain loyal to God in a distant and strange land and just as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had given Joseph favor in Egypt God gave Daniel in his day favor in the land of Babylon.

Daniel 2 - Daniel through the Holy Spirit is able to interpret the Five Kingdom, End Time Dream of king Nebuchadnezzar -- 'Daniel 2:1-2 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.' - 'Daniel 2:10 The Chaldeans answered before theking, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician,or astrologer, or Chaldean.' - 'Daniel 2:16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
'Daniel 2:27-28 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar *what shall be in the latter days [End Times]. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these ...' - 'Daniel 2:31-37 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold [Babylon, 3rd Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], his breast and his arms of silver [Iran, 4th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], his belly and his thighs of brass [Greece, 5th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], His legs of iron [Rome, 6th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], his feet part of iron and part of clay [Revised Roman Empire - Antichrist Arises, 7th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10]. Thou sawest till that *a [Divine] stone [Jesus Christ] was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet [7th kingdom is in power] that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: *and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain [Government], and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou [Nebuchadnezzar], O king, art a [powerful] king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. ...' - 'Daniel 2:40-46 And the fourth kingdom [Rome] shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces [physically destroys] and subdueth [puts in slavery] all things: and as iron that breaketh all these [human willpower], shall it break in pieces and bruise [continual suffering]. And whereas thou sawest [*Revised Roman Empire] the feet and toes, part of potters' clay [human element], and part of iron [demonic eliment] (1 Timothy 4:2), the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the [demonic] iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron [now] mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron [demonic beings] mixed with miry clay [human beings], they shall [demonic - fallen angels] mingle [666 Mark of the Beast (Antichrist)] themselves with the seed [human spirit, soul] of men: but they shall not cleave [be combined] one to another, even as iron [demonic] is not [compatible] mixed with clay [humans]. *And in the days of these kings shall *the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom [of Jesus Christ], which shall never be destroyed: and the Kingdom shall not be left to [outsiders] other people, but it [Kingdom of Jesus Christ] shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, *and it shall stand [eternally] forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king [Nebuchadnezzar] what shall come to pass hereafter: *and the dream is certain, *and the interpretation [given by Daniel] thereof sure.' - Note: Daniel interprets king Nebuchadnezzar's disturbing dream for him and king Nebuchadnezzar is content with the interpretation given by Daniel. The Revised Roman Empire "feet of iron mixed with clay" events depicted are seemingly in the processes of occurring today, the times of the other kingdoms depicted having already passed. With the events of the final kingdom the Revised Roman [European] Empire still predominantly in the future we unlike the Prophet Daniel are just making predictions from the Bible of what seems to be accurate End Time events unfolding in our day before our very eyes.

Daniel 3 - Nebuchadnezzar still mesmerized by his dream makes his own statue all of gold, all of his kingdom - The image (statue) of gold is 60 cubits high by 6 cubits wide depicting that this is a forerunner to the actual "image of the beast" Antichrist image [Revelation 13:14-18] that is yet to come and is also to be worshiped and those who also refuse to worship the Antichrist image will also be put to death -- 'Daniel 3:1-2 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore [60] cubits, and the breadth thereof six [6] cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together [government] the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.'
'Daniel 3:4-28 Then an herald [society, culture] cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick [music], ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth *shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace [beheaded in Revelation 20:4]. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick [music], *all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live forever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick [music], shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick [music], ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, *answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, *we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, **be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven [complete heat] times more than it was wont to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments [clothing], and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- nego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, *Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said,*Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; **and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God [Jesus Christ]. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, *ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither [the ropes had burned away]. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, *nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent His Angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.' - Notice how all levels and branches of government, the popular culture [society] and the music of the day all combine into the one entity encouraging and literally enforcing the global human worship of the false image. Then for those who do not follow the system imposed by the government, culture and the music it is decreed to be a death sentence carried out instantly.

What is the Mark of the Beast 666 - Image of the Beast - There are at least three aspects to the Mark of the Beast as explained in the book of Revelation
There are at least three aspects to the Mark of the Beast as explained in the book of Revelation. It is an actual mark or marking and it is also an Image (Icon) a representation of the Antichrist (Satan) himself and it is represented in his personal name of, emptiness, which is referenced by the number 666. [article link]

Rock and Roll Sorcerers of the New Age [Music] Revolution - The one that started it all with Pastor Joe Schimmel - the original 1992 video expose - A four-hour live seminar given at Hermosa Beach California - Because of the live format - this DVD remains a favorite (DVD)
This video seminar is the most comprehensive music documentary exposing the Satanic influence behind yesterday and today's secular music. It contains irrefutable evidence that demonic beings are leading the world to destruction in fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Don't miss out on the opportunity to own your own copy of this eye opening exposé which is sure to convince even the hardest of skeptics! [article link]

LostSeed - Compilations: Reverend Roberts - Who is that Fourth Man - Fourthman.mp3 (Mp3)
Speaker: Reverend Roberts. Older man speaking with techno music. [article link]

CNN: Danger and the 'Third Man' - Near death, aided by ghostly companion - Aviator Charles Lindbergh said the 'Third Man' {in his case a Satanic-demonic} presence helped him survive his famed transatlantic flight - John Geiger has sifted through the survival stories of people like Sevigny for six years - Adventurers, sailors, prisoners of war and pilots, they all tell strikingly similar stories of being saved [sometimes only physically but often also Spiritually (Christianity)] from death by a mysterious presence, he says - In the book "The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible" Geiger attempts to solve the mystery of that presence - "The debate around the book is not 'are people actually encountering an unseen being' but rather, 'what is it?'" {'what is it? It [i.e. unseen spiritual cognizant "aware beings"] probably belonging to one of three categories: either deceiving spirits who are momentarily being helpful only to engender a lifetime of deception, or holy spirit (angelic beings) who are legitimately seeking to be helpful on behalf of God, or the very real possibility of God Himself interacting with His creation.}
Who is the Third Man? John Geiger has sifted through the survival stories of people like Sevigny for six years. Adventurers, sailors, prisoners of war and pilots, they all tell strikingly similar stories of being saved from death by a mysterious presence, he says. In the book "The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible," Geiger attempts to solve the mystery of that presence. - Most of the people who've encountered the Third Man aren't mystics, says Geiger, a senior fellow at the University of Toronto and governor of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. They include a NASA astronaut, aviator Charles Lindbergh, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton he coined the "Third Man" term {1st man physical strength, 2nd man inner soul strength, 3rd man external 'ghost' being} and atheists. Third Man encounters aren't restricted to exotic locales, either, Geiger says: He experienced a Third Man-like encounter in the study of his home while writing his book. "When I give talks about the book, there are always a few people who will come up afterward to say they have similar stories," Geiger said. "The debate around the book is not 'are people actually encountering an unseen being' but rather, 'what is it?'" ... After the avalanche, Sevigny says, he was passed out for about an hour in the snow before he came to. The crumpled body of a climbing companion was nearby. The fall had killed him. "Blood was everywhere," he said. "We had fallen 2,000 feet." When he first heard the voice, Sevigny says, it reminded him of a woman {Mystery Babylon}. It was warm and nurturing, and it gave practical advice: "You have to get your jacket on. You have to get water." It even told him to arrange the blood dripping from his body in the shape of arrows, pointing to the way he was walking in case rescuers came up on his trial. "I didn't question it," Sevigny said. "I didn't think about it. I did exactly what the voice said." The presence led him through a valley to Sevigny's campsite. It constantly encouraged him when he felt like giving up. When he arrived at the campsite, Sevigny saw three people skiing nearby and called for help. At that moment, the presence left him, he says. ... Sevigny spent months in the hospital. Today, he's an environmental consultant in Canada and a father. For about two years afterward, he couldn't talk about what happened. "It made me cry," he said. "It was so powerful. I just couldn't tell many people." As he talked about his experiences, his 1-year-old son, Tuzo, started crying in the background after falling. "He's like his father," Sevigny said with a chuckle. "He climbs, and then he falls." Sevigny says the experience didn't make him religious. He sees himself as a scientist and has little use for organized religion ("Organized religion and organized crime share a number of parallels"). "I don't give it great thought," he said. "I'm not a spiritual person. I don't say it was God or a guardian angel {why couldn't it be a fallen angel or a demon?}. I have a Ph.D. in chemistry." What he will say is that mysterious presence was the only reason he got off that mountain alive. "If it wasn't for the Third Man, I would be dead," he said. "There's no way that I would have the strength to get up and walk across that valley and do the things I did to survive." {Note: Is CNN knowingly promoting, Mystery Babylon and 'heralding' the false worship of the coming Mark of the Beast?} [article link]

Daniel 4 - After building an image of gold and demanding universal worship for it Nebuchadnezzar is given a second dream from God - This dream reveals that if Nebuchadnezzar boasts in his pride again that he will be humbled by God -- 'Daniel 4:5-6 4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.'
Daniel 4:28-37 All this [from the dream] came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. *The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? *While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times [seven seasons, fall, winter, summer, spring, etc. (or more accurately summer - winter - summer - winter) - 3 ½ years] shall pass over thee, *until thou know that the Most High [God] ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven [insane] from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting [eternal] dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the Army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou? *At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of Heaven [Jesus Christ], all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase. - Note: Daniel chapter 4 makes reference to "the watchers" the holy ones from heaven. The "watchers" are considered to be a class of angels that intently watch all of the actions of all of mankind and then report on the actions [both good and bad] directly to God. God is of course completely Knowledgeable about everything that occurs within all of existence but God also has a plan and a participation for the angels of heaven and a big part of their participation is to "watch" over the affairs, actions and even the comments of all of mankind.

Wikipedia.org: Watcher (Angel) - In the Book of Daniel an Aramaic term used to denote angels is "watchers" - The term "watcher" probably derives from the verb "to be awake" or "to be vigilant" so that the implication of calling the angels "watchers" is that they are constantly on watch as sentinels for Yahweh [God] {Note: This portion of the Book of Daniel is regarding the Gentile king Nebuchadnezzar and specifically his dreams and actions and it also records some of his written and spoken decrees enacted from his viewpoint. Daniel's text in this area is then written in Aramaic [ancient Canaanite] a corresponding Gentile language that king Nebuchadnezzar and his administers could read and understand and that would verify the Gentile viewpoints and Gentile origins of the few passages in the Bible.}
Other References to the Watchers: The Book of Jubilees adds further details about the "watchers". In the Book of Daniel an Aramaic term used to denote angels is "watchers". The term "watcher" probably derives from the verb "to be awake" or "to be vigilant," so that the implication of calling the angels "watchers" is that they are constantly on watch as sentinels for Yahweh. Angels were fairly popular in Jewish folklore, which often describes them as looking like large human beings that never sleep and remain forever silent. While there are good and bad "watchers", most stories revolve around the evil ones that fell from grace when they took "the daughters of man" as their mates. In the Old Testament (Daniel 4:13-17) there is reference made to the Irin, or "watchers", which appear to be an order of angels. In early Hebrew lore the Irin were a high order of angels that sat on the supreme Judgment Council of the Heavenly Court. Richard Cavendish, in his book The Powers of Evil, suggests that the Giants mentioned in Genesis 6:4 were the Giants or Titans of Greek Mythology. He also lists the "watchers" as the fallen angels which magicians call forth in ceremonial magic. Cavendish mentions that the "watchers" were so named because they were stars, the "eyes of night." 16th Century French theologian Sinistrari referred to the Watchers as beings existing between Humans and Angels. He called them demons and associated them with the Elemental natures of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Clement of Alexandria, influenced by Hellenistic cosmology, attributed the movement of the Stars and the control of the four elements to angelic beings. Sinistrari attributed bodies of fire, air, earth, and water to these Beings, and concluded that the "watchers" were made of fire and air. Cardinal Newman, writing in the mid-1800s, proposed that certain angels existed who were neither totally good nor evil, and had only "partially fallen" from the Heavens. [article link]

Daniel 5 - By the fall of Babylon 70 years later Nebuchadnezzar's son Nabonidus had made his son Belshazzar a co-ruler with himself [Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus, who after ruling only three years, went to the oasis of Tayma and devoted himself to the worship of the moon god, Sin. He made Belshazzar co-regent in 553 B.C., leaving him in charge of Babylon's defense. - wiki.com] -- 'Daniel 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.' [Josephus makes Darius the son of Astyages, and uncle of Cyrus - wiki.com]
Daniel 5:1-31 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. ... Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ... And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written [in Aramaic], MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians [Iran]. Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler [3rd after Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar] in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. [Although usually left untranslated in English translations of Daniel, these words are known Aramaic names of measures of currency: MENE, a mina, TEKEL, a spelling of shekel, PERES, half a mina. - wiki.com] - God is able to set up and takedown each kingdom of mankind at any moment according to His choosing. Note: The Three (Trinity) Handwritings of God: The finger of God writing His 10 Commandments into stone tablets. 'Exodus 31:18 And He [God] gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God' - The finger of God writing the judgment decree of unrepentant men in the hardened plaster of a wall. 'Daniel 5:4-5 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister [plaster] of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.' - The finger of God writing the sins of repentant men in the dust of the earth. 'John 8:6 This they said, tempting Him [Jesus], that they might have to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground, as though He heard them not.'

ThreshingFloor-Radio.com: The Threshing Floor Radio Show November 6, 2009 - Mystery #3: "the Prophet's Reward" The TRUE Purpose of Prophecy by Randy Maugans (Mp3)
"He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward." Matthew 10:41. -- Another part of the "mystery" - and a realignment of the prophetic. Strong doctrine here as we break through from all the religious mindsets and get REAL about the purpose and operation of the prophetic gifting. The Lord is calling HIS people to rise as a voice of hope and reconciliation to the world now caught in the grips of the DESTROYER-APPOLYON - the author of confusion and corruption, who want to keep you ignorant of your "prophet's reward." [article link]

TheBereanChronicles.com: 11/05/2009 - Kelly McGinley Standing for the Truth of God's Word - Exposing the Blasphemies on Dr. Stan Monteith's show [Radio Liberty] with Craig Winn {Craig Winn - New Age devotee, Anti-Christian religious synthesiser.} (Mp3)
Standing for the Truth of God's Word - Exposing the Blasphemies on Monteith's show w/Craig Winn. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3:3. Kelly answers Cumbey's [Constance Cumbey] defense of Monteith. Daily Scripture Reading: Rev 20. [article link]

FutureQuake.com: 10-14 Aug 09 Evangelical Christianity "On The Couch" - 'A Spiritual and Mental Health Assessment' of American Christianity (Mp3)
Guest: Mark Breton, Author, Freelance Writer, "The Nashville Scene", Founder of The Relational Discipleship & Worldview Studies Institute. [article link]

Daniel 6 - Even in the new Kingdom of Persia (Iran) Daniel continues to be in placed in one of the highest positions of trust, power and authority -- 'Daniel 6:1-3 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.'
Daniel 6:16-28 Then the king [unable to change Persian law] commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee. And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent His Angel [Jesus Christ], and hath shut the lions mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and stedfast forever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and *He worketh signs and wonders in Heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. - Daniel as a type of Jesus Christ, reigning continually over multiple kingdoms, he is placed in a sealed tomb and [resurrects] - comes out alive from a death that was certain.

Daniel 7 - The Prophet Daniel has a Vision parallel to Nebuchadnezzar's 5 Empire Dream (Daniel 2:1) - However where Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue from his perspective made consisting mostly of valuable and strong metals, Daniel sees God's perspective and the same 5 empires are represented to Daniel as a series of wild beasts - Daniel also records his vision of the 5 Empire [four beasts and Antichrist] events in Aramaic - Chapter 7 completes the Aramaic language portion of Daniel[Daniel 2:4-7:28] then the remainder of the Book of Daniel continues and concludes in the original Hebrew language -- 'Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar [Grandson of Nebuchadnezzar] king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.' - 'Daniel 7:12-14 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] came with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him [Son] near before Him [Father]. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, *and a Kingdom, that all people, Nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is {resurrection} an [eternal] everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His [resurrection] Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.'
Daniel 7:15-28 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them [Angels] that stood by [the Throne of God - Ancient of Days], and asked him [Angel] the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four [four left after the two already passed kingdoms of Nimrod and Egypt], are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom, and possess [inherit] the Kingdom forever, even forever and ever. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast [Rome], **which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue [lit. left down behind - those not yet in Heaven] with his feet; And of the ten horns [ten super-state global regions] that were in his head, and of the other [Antichrist] which came up, and before whom three [regions] fell; even of that [Antichrist] horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. *I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them [Revelation 13:7]; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom. Thus he [Angel] said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom [Rome] upon earth, which shall be *diverse {more spiritual than physical} from all kingdoms, **and shall devour [control] the whole earth {this is the only human kingdom ever referenced in the Bible to have an entire earth, global encompassing Government - all of the other kingdoms were strictly Middle-East in dominion}, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns [10 regions] out of this kingdom [Revised Roman Empire - the ten horns = the 10 toes of iron and clay from the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's earlier dream] are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he [Antichrist] shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great [blasphemous] words against the Most High, *and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times [new era to replace B.C.-A.D.] *and laws: and they [Saints, Martyred Saints of Revelation] shall be given into his [Antichrist] hand until a time [1] and times [2] and the dividing of time [½] {for a total of 3½ years}. But the judgment shall sit, and they [Ancient of Days, Son Jesus] shall take away his [Antichrist] dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the Kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an [eternal] everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations [End Time thoughts] much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.- Daniel sees a vision of the four remaining World Kingdoms. His main concern and fascination is with the unique fourth kingdom of Rome. The fourth kingdom is unique, possibly in its use of deception, treachery and in its willing allegiance to known demonic entities where the kingdoms before were merely deceived the fourth kingdom [and particularly the revised Antichrist kingdom] seeks out demonic influences in an attempt to further an evil empire's intent on complete enslavement of the human body, mind, spirit and soul. Even though the Prophet Daniel saw both the final Victory and the terror of the End Times the Prophet was still completely shaken and visibly changed by the momentous End Time circumstances he witnessed.

Daniel 8 - Two years after the previous vision Daniel has another vision of similar content this time with a Ram [Persia - 4th Kingdom] and a Goat [Greece - 5th Kingdom] -- 'Daniel 8:1-2 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan [modern, Shush in Iran] in the Palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.'
Daniel 8:20-27 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia [Iran]. And the rough goat is the king [Alexander the Great] of Grecia [Greece]: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms [Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Pergamon, Macedon] shall stand up out of the nation, but not [descendants] in his [Alexander the Great] power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance [Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Greek Nero, type of Antichrist, a Greek king over Jerusalem 175 BC until his death in 164 BC], and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy [Jewish] people. And through his policy also he shall cause [occult, witch] craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace [deceit] shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of Princes [God]; but he shall be broken without hand [Antiochus died suddenly of disease in 164 BC - wiki.com]. And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. -- [Alexander the Great - Born 20 or 21 July 356 BC, Birthplace Pella, Macedon [Macedonia, Greece] - Died 10 or 11 June 323 BC (aged 32), Place of death Babylon -- Alexander had no obvious or legitimate heir, his son Alexander IV by Roxane being born after Alexander's death. This left the huge question mark as to who would rule the newly conquered, and barely pacified Empire. ... the Hellenistic [Greek] world settled into four stable power blocks: the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east [Israel], the kingdom of Pergamon in Asia minor, and Macedon [Greece]. In the process both Alexander IV [Alexander's son] and Philip III [a half-brother, Alexander's father (Philip II)] were murdered. - wiki.com] - Note: There seems to be a progression indicated in that the extremely evil Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes whose name means (Manifest God) and was the last Seleucid adult ruler [his nine year old son ruled briefly for almost two years before being put to death along with the death of his adult guardian - wiki.com]. Antiochus who knowingly sought out evil is more the exception then the rule in the first five kingdoms where the other rulers genuinely tried to prosper themselves, their families, friends and their innocent people to the best of their abilities. Then in the 6th kingdom of Rome with King Herod, the Cesar's and eventually culminating in Caesar Nero [the fifth and last Roman Caesar - wiki.com ] evil rule becoming more common place than the exception. Finally transitioning into the Revised Roman Empire [10 region super-states] where it is almost exclusively evil cumulating in the ultimate evil of the Antichrist. The 5th kingdom Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes is the ultimate manifest of that kingdom's evil then Cesar Nero becomes the ultimate manifest of the evil of Rome and the 6th kingdom. Eventually the Antichrist becomes the accumulation [in part through Satanic ceremonies and rituals] of the evil of the Revised Roman Empire.

Daniel's Vision of the Ram and the Goat [Daniel Chapter 8] - The Palace at Shushan - Once a magnificent city, the city of Shushan is today a mass of ruins [in modern Iraq] - The city proper lay to the east of the Tigris River about 150 miles and north of the head of the Persian Gulf - In the same citadel or fortress palace, Daniel, Esther, Mordecai and Nehemiah all made their names in the annals of history - The opulence of the palace of Ahasuerus (Xerses, Darius and Cyrus) was worthy of any potentate in the orient - As described in the BibleSearchers manuscript called The Feast of Esther (Photos)
The eighth chapter of Daniel is one of the pivotal chapters of all prophecies. It appears to be the link with the ancient empires that affected the Nations of Israel and Judah prior to and during the days of Daniel and the future imperial forces that will affect their descendants at the time of the end. Lest we forget, even before we start, the angel Gabriel said to Daniel the prophet, Daniel 8:17 - "Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision." ... The eighth chapter of Daniel begins at the end of one era and moves the reader into a new and different historical era when the people of God, the Jews, were about to experience what it is like to be redeemed and restored by to favor with their God, the God of Israel. Here Belteshazzar (Daniel), possibly now the semi-retired prime minister of the now deceased king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in the winter royal Babylonian palace outside the capital city of Babylon while Belshaz'zar, the last ruler of Babylon was living in the capital city of Babylon. Trying to understand this era of history at the time of the end for the Babylonian Empire has been elusive for centuries until the shovel of the archeologist began to uncover the ancient treasures of the Middle East. What we now know is that within six years of the death of Nebuchadnezzar, one of the governors and a seasoned warriors, Nabonidus (559-536 BCE), assumed the kingship of Babylon in a coup d'etat. By taking control of the government, he eliminated the two prior successors to Nebuchadnezzar. Archeologists now feel that Nabonidus' mother, the Queen Mother was part of the harem of Nebuchadnezzar's court and as such, King Nabonidus was recognized as a step-son of king Nebuchadnezzar. - The Cylinder of Nabonidus: What is interesting is that Nabonidus did not really like being king. His real interests in life were as a historian, archeologist and archival restorationist. He loved history and the restoration of the shrines of the god's he worshipped. He did not believe in the gods of his step-father, Nebuchadnezzar. Rather he disassociated himself with the national god of Babylon, Marduk, to the shock and anger of the powerful Babylonian priesthood. Nabonidus then announced his allegiance to the Sumerian moon-god Sin and the sun-god Shamash. He spent almost the rest of his life in the reconstruction of the ancient temple at Harran (Harrânu in Akkadian and Carrhae in Latin) and the temple at Sippar. On the clay tablet called the Cylinder of Nabonidus that was discovered in the Temple of Shamash at Sippar, Nabonidus records his restoration and reconstruction of the temple to the moon-god Sin in Harran and to the sun-god Shamash and goddess Anunitum at Sippar. This archeological restoration is highlighted by the fact that Daniel, the ex-official prime minister of Babylon was no doubt receiving diplomatic messages about the restoration project being done by King Nabonidus. **Almost fifteen hundred years prior, this very temple was built and dedicated to the moon-god Sin at Harran by Daniel's ancestor, Abraham's father, Terah, [!!!Warning: extra-biblical references!!!] who was the oracular priest in the Sumerian religious hierarchy in the dynasty of Nimrod. The Book of Jasher, quoted from in Joshua 10:3 which said, "Is not this written in the Book of Jasher", wrote about Terah; Jasher 9:7 - "And the king (Nimrod) and all his servants, and Terah with all his household were then the first that served gods of wood and stone. And Terah had twelve gods of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of the year, and he served each one monthly, and every month Terah would bring his meat offering and drink offering to his gods; thus did Terah all the days. And all that generation were wicked in the sight of the Lord, and they thus made every man his god, but they forsook the Lord who had created them. And there was not a man found in those days in the whole earth, who knew the Lord (for they served each man his own God) except Noah and his household, and all those who were under his counsel knew the Lord in those days. And Abram the son of Terah was waxing great in those days in the house of Noah, and no man knew it, and the Lord was with him." In the ancient Jewish archives and now with modern archeology we now understand that the temple at Harran that was built Tell Harran was a replica or mirror image to the central Sumerian religious complex at Nannar/Sin in Ur. According to the ancient texts, Terah was a former priest of Ur (Uratu) and as such was a worshipper of the Sumerian moon god Sin. ... Today in the archives of the British Museum, there is the basalt Stela called the Stela of Nabonidus. Though its origin is not known, this Stela shows a figure appearing to represent King Nabonidus in the traditional royal dress of the Babylonians, holding the royal standard used in religious ceremonies. The divine symbols of the moon-god, Sin, the planet Venus or Ishtar and the winged disc of the sun-god Shamash, are to the right of the standard. The basalt Stela of Nabonidus - British Museum: Here he celebrates the return of the showering rain and the anticipation of a time of plenty after a drought. Gone were the evocations to the god of Marduk, the revered god of the Babylonians. It was Marduk, whom the Babylonians thought gave them the right for universal imperial rule. Yearly during the annual New Years spring festival of Akitu, the king of Babylon presided. Now the god Marduk was no longer honored by King Nabonidus and the festival of Akitu was abandoned, because it demanded the presence of the king. Was this an omen to the citizens of Babylon? Here in these tablets, the once assumed mythical picture of King Belshazzar in Babylon has now been revealed in archeology. Babylonia was administered by Nabonidus' son as co-regent, Bel-shar-user, whom we know today as King Belshazzar. With the ruler of Babylonia, Nabonidus, living in Harran and later in the Arabian oasis city of Teima away from the political wrath and religious machinations of the Babylonian priesthood, the crown prince, the son of Nabonidus, the step grand-son of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar was truly the co-regent ruler and king of Babylon. - The Tablet with part of the Nabonidus Chronicle (556-530 BCE) - British Museum: The mystery of the "mythical" Biblical king of Babylon, Belshazzar, was not known until the discovery of the series of tablets called the Nabonidus Chronicles, today in the British Museum. Here in this collection of tablets were the records of the key events in each year of the life of the Babylonian king Nabonidus while he lived for ten years at his royal headquarters in the rich Arabic city of Teima. Here in the tablets of the Nabonidus Chronicle (556-530 BCE), the once assumed mythical picture of King Belshazzar was non-other than the son of Nabonidus, Bel-shar-user. [article link]

Daniel 9 - The Prophet Daniel having read the prophecies of fellow Prophet Jeremiah realizes the 70 years of captivity are about to come to an end and begins to pray for their restoration -- 'Daniel 9:1-6 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his [Medes-Persia 4th kingdom] reign I Daniel understood by books [O.T. Bible Scrolls] the number of the years, *whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet [in Jerusalem], that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem [Jeremiah 25:11]. **And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession {Daniel confesses for the entire Nation of Israel}, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments; **We [Nation of Israel] have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy Name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. ...' - 'Daniel 9:18-19 O my God, incline Thine ear, and hear; open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city [Jerusalem] which is called by Thy Name: **for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. [TriUnity] O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for Thine own sake, O my [one] God: for Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.'
Daniel 9:20-27 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin *and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the Holy Mountain [Kingdom] of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man [in appearance] Gabriel [the Archangel], whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; *for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy Holy City [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision [Law] and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy (Jesus). Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah (Jesus) the Prince shall be seven weeks [seven Jewish decades 49 years - these weeks were the Jewish decade of seven years the Levitical decade seventh year of release], and threescore and two weeks [62 Jewish decades 434 years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks [the 434 years] shall Messiah be cut off [crucifixion], but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And He [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [the 70th and final week regarding Jerusalem]: and in the midst of the week at [3½ years] he [Antichrist] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [in the rebuilt Temple] to cease, and for the overspreading [saturation] of abominations [evil] he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation [end of the Book of Revelation], and that determined shall be poured [vial (measured) judgments of Revelation 16:1] upon the desolate. - The 70 Weeks [Jewish Decades] Vision is one of the most famous prophecies in the whole Bible. While Daniel is in the very act of praying for his people and for the city of Jerusalem he had a vision and the Angel Gabriel gave Daniel the interpretation of the 70 Weeks vision. Where the other visions of Daniel were primarily about the Gentile governments the 70 Weeks Vision is now exclusively about the people and Nation of Israel and it involves their destiny and Ministry to physically manifest - bring in the Messiah into the physical world for God on behalf of the entire world. The vision concentrates on the city of Jerusalem and on the rebuilding of the 2nd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where the Messiah, Jesus Christ entered into, cleansed and temporarily taught from though the physical Kingdom of the Messiah on earth will be delayed until after the Christian Church age [the primary calling of the Gentiles into the assembly of God] is completed. Note: The Prophet Daniel prophesied the rebuilding of the 2nd Temple, the Disciple John in the Book of Revelation [Revelation 11:1] prophecies the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple [usurped by the Antichrist] in Jerusalem and the Prophet Ezekiel will seem to prophesy about a coming 4th Temple and it is thought that it is the 4th Temple in Jerusalem that the Messiah, Jesus Christ will finally righteously rule the earth from during the 1,000 year Blessed Kingdom reign of the Messiah visibly ruling on the earth.

Daniel 10 - The Prophet Daniel [Belteshazzar is his given Babylonian name] continues to have intense visions, and interactions with Angels particularly the Angel Gabriel -- 'Daniel 10:7-11 And I Daniel alone saw the vision [Jesus of Revelation - Revelation 1:13-15]: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of His words: and when I heard the voice of His words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. And, behold, an hand [of an Angel] touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he [Angel] said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he [Angel] had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.'
Daniel 10:12-21 Then said he [Angel, probably Gabriel] unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words [of prayer] were heard [in Heaven], and I am come for thy words. But the prince [fallen Angel] of the kingdom of Persia [Iran] withstood me one and twenty days [21 continuous days of Angelic spiritual warfare]: but, lo, [the Archangel] Michael, one of the chief princes [holy Angels of Heaven], came to help me {the Archangel Gabriel}; and I remained there with the [opposing fallen Angels] kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And, behold, {another Angel appearing as a man} one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, *And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia [Iran - 4th kingdom]: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince [fallen Angel] of Grecia [Greece - 5th kingdom] shall come. **But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth [Holy Bible]: and there is none that holdeth [lit. strengthens himself] with me in these [Nation of Israel, coming Messiah] things, but Michael your prince. - It appears that the Gentile Nations have some fallen Angels actually fighting against the plans and the holy Angels of God. The Archangel [highest ranking Angel] Michael is thought to be the Angel, guardian Angel of the Nation of Israel, fighting in behalf of Israel against the other fallen angel influences. Where Michael is thought to be the highest ranking warrior Angel, the Archangel Gabriel is thought to be the highest ranking messenger Angel. It was the Angel Gabriel that went to the Virgin Mary [Luke 1:19] with the message that she was to deliver the Messiah into the world.

Daniel 11 - After the fall of the Babylonian kingdom the Prophet Daniel continued to work with the new kingdom of Persia -- 'Daniel 11:1-2 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I [Daniel] shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia [Greece].'
Daniel 11:32-39 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries [a false deceptive peace]: *but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits [The Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates the (165 B.C.) re-dedication of the Temple following Judah Maccabee's victory over the Seleucids]. *And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword [martyrdom], and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 3Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. *And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. And the king [Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a forerunner of Antichrist] shall do according to his will; and he [Antichrist] shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. - The Prophet Daniel is conclusive that the End Times will be a time of peril, deception, intrigue, beguile and above all an exceedingly unjust and ungodly era for all of humanity.

Daniel 12 - The Prophet Daniel is given a number of days regarding the ending of sacrifices in the 3rd Temple and the seating of the Antichrist in the Temple Holy of Holies [1290 days] - and an addition 45 days [the 1335th day], possibly signifying the 2nd Coming return of Jesus Christ -- 'Daniel 12:8-13 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be *the end of these things? And He said, Go thy way, Daniel: *for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end [70th Week]. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; *but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away [possibly just before the Antichrist is revealed, one thought is that the 3rd Temple will barely get up and sacrificing and then the daily animal sacrifices will be quickly ended], and the abomination that maketh desolate set up [Antichrist appearing in the Holy of Holies - Temple], there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days [1290 days, 3.583 years]. Blessed is he that waiteth [45 days], and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days [1335th day - possibly the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ]. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.' - 'Matthew 24:15-22 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, *spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place [Holy of Holies inside the 3rd Temple], whoso readeth, let him understand: Then let them which be in Judaea [Israel] flee into the mountains {for 45 days?}: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: *For then shall be great [Satanic] tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. **And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those [great tribulation, wrath of Satan] days shall be shortened.' - Note: during the Great Tribulation the wrath of God is not poured out upon the Jewish remnant but on the unbelieving followers of Antichrist.
The Prophetic Bible scroll of the Prophet Daniel concludes with Daniel uncertain of the coming End Time events but certain that the God of Heaven and earth will in actuality be enthroned on the earth and that Daniel like Job, he will stand "in thy lot" in that day and have a part in the eternal Kingdom resurrection. Daniel 12:8-13 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

HOSEA

Hosea 1-3 - Hosea is a prophet primarily to the Northern Israel Kingdom - Hosea will prophesy until the captivity of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria - The ministry of Hosea will be very similar to the later ministry of Jeremiah when 100 years later the Southern Kingdom of Judah is taken into captivity by Babylon and Jeremiah is the prophet in the Southern Kingdom during their time of captivity - During much of the same time that Hosea is prophesying in the Northern Kingdom of Israel the Prophet Isaiah is prophesying in the Southern Kingdom of Judah -- 'Hosea 3:4-5 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a King, and without a prince [future King], and without a [Levitical] sacrifice, and without an image (Temple, Lit. pillar or statue), and without an (Priest's) ephod, and without teraphim [household idols]: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David ('Beloved' - Jesus) their King; and shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.'
The Gentiles will eventually acknowledge that the Jews are the Sons of God: Hosea 1:9-11 Then said God, Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not [visibly] My people, and I will not [visibly] be your God. Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the [Gentile] place where it was said unto them [Jews], Ye are not My people, *there it shall be said unto them, *Ye are the sons of the living God. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together [May 14, 1948], and appoint [a president not a king] themselves one head, and they shall come up [from the Diaspora] out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel. {The valley of Jezreel is located near and connected to the "valley of Megiddo" where the end time battle "Har Megiddo" (Armageddon) is to take place.} - "Then [after a time of seemingly rejection by God, from the Gentile point of view] shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together." The Nation of Israel has been reborn, officially by the U.N. on May 14, 1948 and since that time the Jewish people have been in the process of being regathered by God back into their homeland of Israel. Many of the O.T. verses about the Diaspora, the dispersion of the Jews among the Gentiles and of the reprimand of the Jews by God has been fulfilled and now with the Nation of Israel once again in the Land of Israel and appointing their own leaders it is now a new era for the Jews just like the regathering of Israel back into the land after the Babylonian captivity to await the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ the Jews have once again been regathered back into the Promise Land to await the Second Coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Hosea lived during the last twenty five years of [Northern] Israel's existence as a nation {The prophet Isaiah was a contemporary of Hosea. Isaiah was prophesying in the Southern Kingdom of Judah while Hosea was present and oversaw the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians. Hosea had a life and ministry in much the same way that the later Prophet Jeremiah (who was told not to take a wife) would have in his seeing the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple and the captivity of the Southern Kingdom Judah into Babylon.}
Hosea lived during the last twenty five years of Israel's existence as a nation. During this time six Kings reigned through a period of near anarchy and bloodshed. Hosea 4:2 During this period Israel was being oppressed by the Assyrians under the leadership of Tiglath-Pileser III. Hosea prophecies against the covenant unfaithfulness of Israel and the sure and certain judgment of God upon Israel through his instruments the Assyrians. During these last years of Israel's existence the spiritual condition had deteriorated to the point where even the knowledge of Yahweh had been forgotten. (Hosea 2:5-13) Canaanite religion had been mixed with the worship of Yahweh until Yahweh could not be recognized. The fertility gods of the Canaanites were worshipped with ritual drunkenness and temple prostitution. Hosea 4:10-13 Baal worship had replaced Yahweh. Idolatry, adultery and drunkenness had replaced holiness. ... Interpretation: There is a difficulty which arises in the first three chapter of the book where Hosea is told to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him. Israel's sin is compared to Hosea's marriage. For some the marriage of Hosea to Gomer is considered an allegory because God would never ask someone to marry anyone known to be unfaithful. Others take the account as literal history. There is no reason to doubt this view, as the story has all the markings of truth and it is not uncommon for the prophets to live out their prophecies in their own lives. This action by the prophet would be a vivid reminder of the unfaithfulness of Israel. Some of this dramatic effect would be lost if it were simply an allegory. To the question of God's commandment against committing adultery, they still remain binding. The actions of Hosea and Gomer do not make God the author of sin. What must not be lost in the debate is the fact that Israel was unfaithful as Gomer was unfaithful, but God is full of compassion and will receive sinners. If Hosea's story is not real then neither is the story of salvation. God brought His people to himself when they also were unclean and unfaithful to make them both clean and faithful. [article link]

Hosea 4-6 - The Prophet Hosea takes an unfaithful woman (Gomer) to be his wife symbolizing that Israel is an unfaithful wife to God - Hosea representing God is at no time to reject Gomer - Hosea though separated from Gomer he still pays her bills and sends her gifts and in the end buys her back from her slavery and restores her to her rightful position as his wife -- 'Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed *for lack of knowledge [of the Laws of Moses]: because thou hast rejected knowledge [Law - the image of God], I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest [Levitical or Melchizedek] to Me: seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.'
'Hosea 5:15-6:2 I [Jesus] will go and return [back to Heaven] to My place, till they [Nation of Israel] acknowledge their offence, *and seek My face: in their [tribulation] affliction they will seek Me early [earnestly]. Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After *two days will He revive us [May 14, 1948]: *in the third day He will raise us up, *and we shall live [eternally] in His sight.' - 'Luke 13:35 Behold, your House [House of Israel, Levitical Priesthood] is left unto you desolate [disorganized]: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me (Jesus), *until the time come when ye [Nation of Israel] shall say, Blessed is He (Jesus) that cometh in the Name of the Lord.' - Preparing to meet the Messiah in both the first coming of Jesus Christ and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the Ministry of the Nation of Israel. The meeting and the greeting of the Messiah Jesus Christ is not a Ministry of the Christian Church. The Christian Church was not yet formed at the first coming of Jesus Christ and the Christian Church will already be in Heaven at the Second Coming [to the Mt. of Olives - Acts 1:9-12] of Jesus Christ. {It seems that the Christian Church is not to look for Jesus at the Mt. Olivet return as the two Angels basically told the people [Christians] when Jesus ascended into Heaven from Mt. Olivet that they shouldn't be there looking for Jesus to return so the Christians left Mt. Olivet and went back to Jerusalem.}

Hosea 7-9 - For desiring to be like the Gentiles instead of like the Children of God they are intended to be the Jews of Northern Israel are overcome and sent back into the land of the Gentiles -- 'Hosea 8:8 [Northern] Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.'
The day of God's taking account of the actions of the people of Northern Israel has arrived: 'Hosea 9:7-9 The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence [compensation for a wrong action that has caused an injury] are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. *The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. *They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore He will remember their iniquity, He will visit their sins.' - This is the final condition in the judgment of a people of God when the very people [prophets, priests and the spiritual man] have all turned against God in order to embrace the ways and actions of the pagan Gentile world. Exceedingly true even today in our own times and in our Christian Church that the very Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists and Prophets that once were for God have now forsaken God and have turned against God in order to seek the notoriety, wealth and ways of the world. - Note: Only the alert 'Watchman' remained faithful to God. It seems to be a good Biblical indicator that for us even today we are to be 'Watchman' aware, Biblically alert, engaged and in prayer regarding the current and future events of the day in part by knowing and understanding the past to help provide a context for the present. Really the blessings of the current Christian Church are the Watchmen and Watchwomen Ministries that are alert for God and are informing His people with prayer, devotions and information while the Corporation Christianity Pastors are the ones who are quickly selling the Church into an unholy, early, worldly demise.

Hosea 10-11 - Hosea having taken a wife shows the people of God that a relationship with God is more than a friendship and more than a father and son relationship - It is an intimate one to one *individual relationship more like a relationship between a husband and a wife -- 'Hosea 10:12 Sow *to yourselves [individuals] in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow [pale, unresponsive] ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till He come and rain [the] Righteousness [of Jesus Christ] upon you.'
Because Northern Israel admired human strength a stronger country [Assyria] is going to take them into captivity: 'Hosea 10:13 Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because *thou didst trust in thy way, *in the multitude of thy mighty men.' - Northern Israel was overcome by the desire to be strong, accomplished and secular like the pagan Gentile countries around them. Unable to grasp the higher calling of Judaism over that of their pagan neighbors Northern Israel adopted the way of the pagans and having become like the pagans were overcome and sent into captivity by God. Later Judah the Southern Kingdom of Israel will also forsake their higher calling in God and will embrace not the strength of the world like Northern Israel did but will embrace the enchantments of the world and being overcome by the sorcery of the world the Southern Kingdom will be conquered and brought into captivity by the mystical Nation of Babylon (Iraq). -- '2 Peter 2:19 While they [worldly people] promise them [Christians/Jews] liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of [worldly philosophies] whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.' - Note: Shorty after Assyria's strong military rises to power as a Nation they will be defeated by Babylon and Assyria (Mosul) will become and remain a part of Northern Iraq even today. The Jews of Northern Israel (Samaria) that were taken into captivity to Assyria in 721 B.C. at the fall of Samaria would shortly become citizens of Babylon (Iraq) as Babylon would soon defeat Assyria and incorporate Assyria (Mosul) into Northern Iraq. When Babylon later defeated Judah and at the fall of Jerusalem in 539 B.C. the captives of Judah joined the captives of Northern Israel already in Babylon by way of Assyria. Then later when Persia (Iran) conquered Iraq and let the people return to their native lands all of Tribes of Israel (Northern and Judah) were free to return to Jerusalem and a remnant of all Israel did return to Jerusalem. - Also Note: The mystical [Hollywood, Disneyland] kingdom of Babylon proved to a stronger kingdom than the [biker, skinhead] kingdom of Assyria but neither are not match for the everlasting Righteous Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ.

Hosea 12-14 - Hosea the Prophet concludes his ministry to the people of Israel reminding the people that God is still there for them -- 'Hosea 14:4 I (God) will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.'
The final words of the Prophet Hosea: 'Hosea 14:9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall [go astray] therein.' - The words of God are wisdom and they are life! What is written out here in the pages of the Prophets is that God can punish people when it is necessary to do so however punishing people is not a desire and is not really even in the personality of God to do so. Everyone who knows God intimately also knows a secret about God and that is that He is really a softy who does not want to punish people. In fact God took our punishment upon Himself so it can't be any clearer or any more evident that God does not desire to punish people but rather He even took our punishment for us. What God can do and does do is that He is a rewarder and He rewards appropriate behavior more often and more abundantly than He punishes bad behavior. If you really want to get to know God then get to know that His ways and His words are truth and they are life and that He is as generous and as rewarding as His Word says He is.

JOEL

Wikipedia.org: The Book of Joel is part of the Hebrew Bible - Joel is part of a group of twelve prophetic books known as the Minor Prophets or simply as The Twelve; the *distinction 'minor' indicates the short length of the text in relation to the larger prophetic texts [Isaiah, Jeremiah, The Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel] known as the "Major Prophets" - As there are no explicit references in the book [of Joel] to datable persons or events, scholars have assigned a wide range of dates to the book - The main positions are: during the early-period Prophets around the reign of King Joash - the middle-period prophets with the Prophets Jeremiah and Habakkuk - the late-period of prophets with the Prophets Zechariah and Haggai] - c.520-500 B.C., [Joel a] contemporary with the return of the exiles and the careers of Zechariah and Haggai [or most probably (450 B.C.) a generation after Zechariah and Haggai (520-500 B.C.) and a generation before the last Prophet Malachi (400 B.C.)
Content: After a superscription ascribing the prophecy to Joel son of Pethuel, the book may be broken down into the following sections: Lament over a great locust plague and a severe drought (1:1-2:17) The effects of these events on agriculture, farmers, and on the supply of agricultural offerings for the (Jerusalem) sanctuary, interspersed with a call to national lament.(1:1-20) A more apocalyptic passage comparing the locusts to an army, and revealing that they are God's army. (2:1-11) A call to national repentance in the face of God's judgment. (2:12-17) Promise of future blessings (2:18-32) Banishment of the locusts and restoration of agricultural productivity as a divine response to national penitence. (2:18-27) Future prophetic gifts to all God's people, and the safety of God's people in the face of cosmic cataclysm. (2:28-32) Coming judgment on God's (Israel's) enemies and the vindication of Israel. (3:1-21) Prominent in Joel is the theme of the day of the Lord/Yahweh (1:15, 2;1, 2:11, 2;31, 3:14), which is applied to Joel's contemporary situation as well as to future blessing and judgment. -- Historical context: The Prophet Joel as imagined by Michelangelo (Fresco, Sistine Chapel Ceiling, 1508-1512) As there are no explicit references in the book to datable persons or events, scholars have assigned a wide range of dates to the book. The main positions are: Ninth century BC, particularly in the reign of Joash - a position especially popular among nineteenth-century scholars (making Joel one of the earliest writing prophets) c.630-587 BC, in the last decades of the kingdom of Judah (contemporary with Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk) c.520-500 BC, contemporary with the return of the exiles and the careers of Zechariah and Haggai. The decades around 400 BC, during the Persian period (making him one of the latest writing prophets) Evidence produced for these positions are allusions in the book to the wider world, similarities with other prophets, and linguistic details. Other commentators, such as John Calvin, attach no great importance to the precise dating. [article link]

Book of Joel - The Book of Joel, a prophetic book of the Old Testament of the Bible, derives its name from the prophet Joel. Nothing other than his name is known about the prophet. The date of composition was probably between 400 and 350 BC, although some scholars place it much earlier 9th-7th century BC - Promises the gift of the [Holy] Spirit of the Lord for the entire [world] population and declares final judgment on all nations - The passage on the outpouring of God's Spirit (Joel 2:28-32) is cited in Saint Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:17-21
General Information: The Book of Joel, a prophetic book of the Old Testament of the Bible, derives its name from the prophet Joel. Nothing other than his name is known about the prophet. The date of composition was probably between 400 and 350 BC, although some scholars place it much earlier (9th - 7th century BC). The book falls into two sections. The first (1:1 - 2:17) gives an account of a plague of locusts and a drought that ravaged Judah as a symbol of divine judgment. The second (2:18 - 3:21) promises the gift of the spirit of the Lord for the entire population and declares final judgment on all nations, with protection and fertility for Judah and Jerusalem. The passage on the outpouring of God's Spirit (2:28 - 32) is cited in Saint Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:17-21. -- Advanced Information: Joel was probably a resident in Judah, as his commission was to that people. He makes frequent mention of Judah and Jerusalem (1:14; 2:1, 15, 32; 3:1, 12, 17, 20, 21). He probably flourished in the reign of Uzziah (about B.C. 800), and was contemporary with Amos and Isaiah. The contents of this book are, 1. A prophecy of a great public calamity then impending over the land, consisting of a want of water and an extraordinary plague of locusts (1:1-2:11). 2. The prophet then calls on his countrymen to repent and to turn to God, assuring them of his readiness to forgive (2:12-17), and foretelling the restoration of the land to its accustomed fruitfulness (18-26). 3. Then follows a Messianic prophecy, quoted by Peter (Acts 2:39). 4. Finally, the prophet foretells portents and judgments as destined to fall on the enemies of God (ch. 3, but in the Hebrew text 4). [article link]

Joel 1 - The Prophet Joel begins to prophesy though the exact timing is unknown although no King is mentioned meaning that it was probably after the return from Babylon though it could have been much earlier during the reign of King Joash when he was but a child - Joel preaches with examples from very far in the past and prophesies out very far into the future including the 70 A.D. destruction of the 2nd Temple and speaks about their future return to Israel Statehood on May 14, 1948 -- 'Joel 1:1-5 The Word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, ye old men [elders, leaders of Israel], and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath [another plague] the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath [yet another plague] the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath [even more plague] the caterpillar eaten. **Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine [worldly influences], because of the New Wine [New Testament]; for it is cut off from your mouth.'
Joel seems to be prophesying of the Roman occupation in Israel and of the destruction of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. -- Joel 1:6-16 For a Nation [Rome: 63 B.C.~640 A.D. -- Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. then an Islamic invasion captured Jerusalem in 638 A.D. and the rest of Israel by 642 A.D. - Wiki.com] is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD'S ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the House [2nd Temple] of our God?

Joel 2 - Joel prophesies the verse that the Apostle Peter declared (Acts 2:16) is being fulfilled beginning on Pentecost -- 'Joel 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward [after Messiah's redemption (cross) and salvation (resurrection)], that I will pour out My [Holy] Spirit **upon *all *flesh [globally all mankind]; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit.' - Note: This is a global outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh - since Pentecost all mankind has the direct witness of the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:15, 1 John 5:6) leading, encouraging and teaching people to accept Jesus Christ .
Joel 2:28-32 And it shall come to pass afterward [after Messiah's redemption (cross) and salvation (resurrection)], that I will pour out My [Holy] Spirit **upon *all *flesh [globally all mankind]; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. And I will shew wonders [Book of Revelation] in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. **And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the Name of the LORD **shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion [crucifixion and resurrection site] and in Jerusalem [2nd Coming site] shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. - Note: The giving of the Holy Spirit "upon" all mankind starting at Pentecost (in every language - to all Nations) will remain throughout the End Times, Tribulation and Great Tribulation events in the Book of Revelation. The giving of the Spirit (baptism) "indwelling" of the Spirit by Jesus beginning on Resurrection Sunday [John 20:22]the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will cease with the Rapture of the Christian Church.

Joel 3 - Like Isaiah (Isaiah 11:11) Joel also Prophesies of the 1948 re-gathering and Statehood of the modern End Time Nation of Israel -- 'Joel 3:1-2 For, behold, in those days [diaspora after 70 A.D.], and in that time [May 14, 1948 Israel, Statehood], when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all Nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for My people [Jews] and for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the Nations, and parted [divided] my land.' [with the politics of Middle-East peace accords and conferences - Paris Peace Conference, 1919 - Oslo Accord, 1993 - etc.]
The Bibles book of Joel concludes with the Prophet Joel's famous "Valley of Decision" Prophesy on of the most famous prophesies in the Old Testament and one of the Most startling Prophesies: Joel 3:9-21 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. ***Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the Children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, My Holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down New Wine [New Testament], and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the House of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah [Praise] shall dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. **For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

AMOS

Amos 1-3 - Amos is one of the early prophets of Israel his ministry was attempting to deal with the divided Israel and Judah as one Nation reminding them that they are both a part of the same plans of God -- 'Amos 1:1 The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa [a town eight kilometres south of Bethlehem - wiki.com], which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah (Azariah) king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.'
Israel though divided as a Nation is still one family in the eyes of God: Amos 3:1-8 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, *saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you [as a Father punishes a son] for all your iniquities. *Can two walk together {man walking with God}, except they be agreed? Will a lion roar [rejoice] in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry [rejoice] out of his den, if he have taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin [snare, trap] is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth [when it is empty], and have taken nothing at all? Shall a trumpet [alarm, alert system] be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done [allowed] it? **Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto his servants the prophets [and later His Christians]. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy? Publish in the [foreign] palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria [Northern Israel], and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof. For they know not to do right, saith the LORD, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; An adversary there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled. Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the [remnant] children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch. Hear ye, and testify in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord GOD, the God of hosts, That in the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him I will also visit the altars of Bethel: and the horns of the altar shall be cut off, and fall to the ground. And I will smite the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory shall perish, and the great houses shall have an end, saith the LORD.

BlueletterBible.org: Chuck Missler Commentaries the Book of Amos
Mr. Missler is the chairman of Koinonia House (K-House), a non-profit organization which is dedicated to the development and distribution of materials for encouraging and facilitating serious study of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. K-House was founded by Chuck and Nancy Missler, and moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 1992. K-House now reaches tens of thousands through its monthly newsletter, radio shows, cassette tapes, and conferences. More than eight million study tapes have been distributed in the U.S. and in over 35 countries around the world. [article link]

Amos, Prophet of Solidarity - 'Surely the Lord Yahweh does nothing without revealing his counsel to his servants the prophets' - The notion of the heavenly council has a firm place in the book of Amos. It would be wrong to regard the idea as purely figurative or expressing stereotyped imagery (PDF)
THE HEAVENLY COUNCIL: The concept of the heavenly council of Yahweh is now a familiar one in Old Testament study. Apart from such fundamental passages as Job 1-2 and 1 Kings 22, it has been seen to embrace many others in its ramifications. In the council Yahweh announced His sovereign will and planned its execution among 'all the host of heaven' and 'the sons of God'. The prophets too were allowed to stand 'in the council of Yahweh to... hear his word' before proclaiming it to the people, according to Jeremiah 23. 18, 22. So far the book of Amos has tended to be left to one side in the search for traces of the idea. Amos has been viewed as a lonely figure who went from private communion with his God to attack a world of corrupt cult, courts and commerce. But evidence is not lacking that Amos saw himself as part of a larger entity. On the human plane, he was doubtless encouraged by his heritage in the goodly fellowship of earlier prophets. In the very rejection of his message he was not alone: others before him had had their message of judgment spurned (2. 11-12; 7. 12ff).1 But on a higher plane, indications may be found that Amos was aware of involvement with a supernatural group that shared his concern and co-operated in his mission. 'Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod... and say', he had heard Yahweh command (3. 9). But to whom were those plural imperatives addressed? They are surely a telltale sign of the heavenly council. Elsewhere in the prophetic literature similar cryptic plural commands have been recognized as belonging to this setting. The supernatural heralds of Yahweh are here sped on their way. Amos was privileged to listen in to the briefing of God's heavenly messengers. It is probable that the plural imperatives in. 13, 'Hear and give evidence', also belong to the same milieu: the role of witness was often played by members of the divine council. ... The notion of the heavenly council has a firm place in the book of Amos. It would be wrong to regard the idea as purely figurative or expressing stereotyped imagery. Rather, what has been said of later prophets may be applied to Amos. 'It provides a permanent basis of fellowship, so marked in the dialogues of Jeremiah, whilst also giving occasion for the "high lights" of special moments, as in the call of Isaiah. It introduces the idea of collaboration and of a personal relation more intimate than any external command suggests.'20 Amos did not stand alone. Man as he was, he took a privileged place beside the supernatural ministers and messengers of the King of kings, and doubtless derived sustenance and strength from the knowledge of this fellowship. ... THE COMMUNITY: Amos assumed the solidarity of the nation [Northern Israel - Southern Judah] to which he was called to prophesy. One way in which this unity finds expression is the treatment of those who heard him as representatives of a larger whole. The prophet identified his audience with a greater entity: his hearers represent their forebears. They are addressed in terms of their ancestors: 'I brought you up out of Egypt and led you in the wilderness...' (2. 10); 'Did you bring me sacrifices... in the wilderness?' (5.25). They are designated as 'the whole family... brought up out of Egypt' (3.1). [article link]

The earthquake in the days of Uzziah - Even 2 years before the earthquake Amos speaks of an earthquake and it is associated with an eclipse
We are told about the earthquake by Amos. We have to put two things together. Firstly Amos introduces his prophecy as being 2 years before the earthquake. This means the whole book of Amos was written in less than a year, or the book was finished 2 years before the earthquake. ... We can note also that this eclipse is corroborated by Assyrian history. It is a famous fact that Assyrian history is dated by an eclipse, which is now thought to have occurred on 24 June 791BC which co-incides with Beecher's dating for the year after the death of Jeroboam: the year when Uzziah becomes ruler over all Israel. Ussher's dates place the eclipse 4 years later than Beecher (but still very close to Uzziah's take-over of rulership of Israel and his resounding defeat of the Philistines). ... Why doesn't Chronicles mention the great earthquake of Uzziah's day? The Book of Kings record only mentions that Azariah was made a king and then later made a leper [for instructing the Temple Priests that he was to burn incense unto the LORD (2 Chronicles 26:16-21)]. This is the history of Azariah. Kings however alerts us to the fact that Azariah was called Uzziah. The parallel Chronicles record speaks of the great things Uzziah did and how he became Azariah again. But why don't they mention the earthquake? It's because they do. And he (Uzziah) sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought Yahweh, God made him to prosper. And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. (2 Chronicles 26:5-8) ... But it is possible the one in Uzziah's day was bigger than that in Jonathan's day, according to Zechariah the prophet the Israelites had to flee away from it. Based on what is said, we may gather that the quake may have struck as a strong tremor and the superstitious Philistine army fled. Then the Israelites pursue them, as in the day of Jonathan, back to the city and the quake strikes and flattens the Philistine cities causing the Israelites to flee away and decimating those who had run to hide in the city and those who lived there. Then to top it all off there is an eclipse about mid-afternoon, so they can't even dig the survivors out of the ruins except with a lamp (which they can't see to light). News of such an event would get out to all the nations, especially if Egypt also shook a bit and received the wash from a tsunami. Uzziah and the Israelites, in a superstitious world, would be seen to have the power over all gods with them. In Chronicles it says God helped Uzziah, Zechariah says Then shall Yahweh go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:3). [article link]

Amos 4-6 - The glory days of Israel in King David and King Solomon were not the best and only days of Israel - God has a current and future plan for the Nation of Israel and it includes all Jews of all times and in all locations -- 'Amos 4:12 Therefore thus [deal with Israel] will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this [reveal God's ability] unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.' - 'Amos 5:24 But let judgment [flow] run down as waters, and righteousness [abundantly] as a mighty stream.'
The judgment of God is going to be sever even for the followers of God: 'Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the [Judgment] Day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the Day of the LORD is [judgment] darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house [his shelter], and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the Day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your [Levitical] feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer Me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from Me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols [instruments]. But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.'

Amos 7-9 - The current and future plans of God for the Nation of Israel are expanded all the way to eternity in the Messiah Jesus Christ -- 'Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that [crucifixion] day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:' - 'Matthew 27:45-46 Now from the sixth hour [noon] there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour [3:00 PM]. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My [Father] God, why hast thou forsaken Me?' {On the cross with our sin upon Jesus He was temporarily separated (for three hours) from the presence of the Holy Father God. Jesus was experiencing our just punishment not His own and now we will never experience separation from God because Jesus has taken our penalty of sin upon Himself and He was temporarily forsaken for us therefore we are not forsaken or ever separated from God not even momentarily.}
Israel as a Nation and as a people are assured of their eternal future in Jesus Christ: 'Amos 9:11-15 In that day will I raise up [through Jesus Christ] the tabernacle (House) of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, *the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper [the harvest to huge to bring in in one season], and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again [May 14, 1948] the captivity of My people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.'

OBADIAH

THE MINOR PROPHETS - The Book of Obadiah - The name Obadiah means "Servant of Yahweh" literally "One who serves or worships Jehovah" - This prophecy has the distinction of being the shortest book in the O.T.
PERSONAL BACKGROUND: The name Obadiah means "Servant of Yahweh" (literally -- "One who serves or worships Jehovah"). This prophecy has the distinction of being the shortest book in the OT. There are twelve different individuals in the OT with this name (a very common name), but no indication that any of these other individuals are to be identified with this particular prophet. Nothing is known about his life, background or personality except what little can be inferred from this prophecy. It is assumed that he was a native of Judah. Others feel he may also have been among the circle of prophets attached to the Jerusalem Temple. The Jewish Talmud states Obadiah was not Jewish, but rather an Edomite proselyte God used to rebuke his own people. DATE: In addition to being the shortest book in the OT, Obadiah also "bears the distinction of being the most difficult of all the prophecies to date" (Gleason Archer). His work is ascribed to periods ranging from 845 to 400 BC. There are two major theories: 585 BC --- This is the view held by most liberal scholars. It places this prophecy about a year after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. 845 BC --- This is the view held by "a good majority of the evangelical scholars of the 19th and 20th centuries" (Archer). It places the prophecy during the days of King Jehoram (848 - 841 BC) when Jerusalem was attacked by the Philistines and Arabians (with probable cooperation from the Edomites --- II Kings 8:20; II Chron. 21:8-10, 16-17). This view seems to be the most probable. (For an excellent defense of this position see -- A Survey of OT Introduction, by Gleason L. Archer, Jr., p. 299-303, and A Commentary on the Minor Prophets, by Homer Hailey, p. 28-29.) [article link]

Obadiah 1 - The Prophet Obadiah prophesying about the same time or slightly before the prophet Zephaniah will have a very similar contrasting message style to that of the Prophet Zephaniah [actually Zephaniah coming later his style would be similar to Obadiah] -- 'Obadiah 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.' - 'Obadiah 1:17 But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the House of Jacob shall possess their possessions.'
Obadiah 1:21 And saviours [lit. liberty, freedom] shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau; and the [Blessed] Kingdom shall be the LORD'S. - The Prophet Obadiah closes his short Ministry to Israel with a prophecy and a blessing regarding the coming Millennial reign of the Messiah Jesus Christ.

JONAH

Jonah 1 - Jonah a Jewish Prophet is called by God to go prophecy to the Gentiles in Nineveh the capital of Assyria [modern Mosul, Northern Iraq] -- 'Jonah 1:1-2 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.'
Jonah rejects the call of God instructing him to go to the Gentiles: Jonah 1:3-6 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish [Europe] from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa [modern Tel Aviv-Jaffa]; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

Jonah 2 - Jonah is cast from the ship into the sea and swallowed by a giant fish "prepared" by God -- 'Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.'
Jonah repents from the belly of the fish: 'Jonah 2:1-10 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.' - It seems that in being thrown overboard and being in the belly of the fish that at one point Jonah briefly died and was resurrected in order to then go on preach his message of salvation to the Gentiles. - 'Matthew 12:39-41 But He (Jesus) answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, *but [one] the sign of the prophet Jonas [Jonah]: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of Man (Jesus) be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise [resurrection] in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.'

Jonah 3 - Jonah is given a second chance to accomplish his ministry for God -- 'Jonah 3:1-2 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.'
Jonah prophesies to the citizens of Nineveh: Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. *So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil [calamity], that he had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.

Jonah 4 - Jonah becomes upset that God spared Nineveh from His judgment -- 'Jonah 4:1-4 But it [the repentance of the Ninevehites] displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: *for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. *Then said the LORD, Doest thou well [do you have the right] to be angry?'
God works in Jonah's heart: Jonah 4:5-11 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: *And should not I (God) spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand [don't know the Laws of Moses]; and also much cattle? - God is showing the world both the Jewish and Gentile world that God's plan encompasses all mankind and all of creation including all of the animals.

wikipedia.org: Nineveh - Nineveh [Capital of Assyria], an "exceeding great city", as it is called in the Book of Jonah, lay on the eastern bank of the Tigris in ancient Assyria, across the river from the modern-day major city of Mosul, Iraq
History: Texts from the Hellenistic period and later offered an eponymous Ninus as the founder of Nineveh. The historic Nineveh is mentioned about 1800 BC as a centre of worship of Ishtar, whose cult was responsible for the city's early importance. The goddess' statue was sent to Pharaoh Amenhotep III of Egypt in the 14th century BC, by orders of the king of Mitanni. The city of Nineveh was one of Mitanni's vassals until the mid-14th century BC, when the Assyrian kings of Assur seized it. ... It was Sennacherib who made Nineveh a truly magnificent city (c. 700 BC). He laid out new streets and squares and built within it the famous "palace without a rival", the plan of which has been mostly recovered and has overall dimensions of about 503 by 242 metres (1,650 ft × 794 ft). It comprised at least 80 rooms, many of which were lined with sculpture. A large number of cuneiform tablets were found in the palace. ... The stone carvings in the walls include many battle scenes, impalings and scenes showing Sennacherib's men parading the spoils of war before him. He also bragged about his conquests: he wrote of Babylon "Its inhabitants, young and old, I did not spare, and with their corpses I filled the streets of the city." He later wrote about a battle in Lachish "And Hezekiah of Judah who had not submitted to my yoke...him I shut up in Jeruselum his royal city like a caged bird. Earthworks I threw up against him, and anyone coming out of his city gate I made pay for his crime. His cities which I had plundered I had cut off from his land." ... Nineveh's greatness was short-lived. Around 633 BC the Assyrian empire began to show signs of weakness, and Nineveh was attacked by the Medes, who about 625 BC, joined by the Babylonians and Susianians, again attacked it. Nineveh fell in 612 BC, and was razed to the ground. The people in the city who could not escape to the last Assyrian strongholds in the west, were either massacred or deported. Many unburied skeletons were found by the archaeologists at the site. The Assyrian empire then came to an end, the Medes and Babylonians dividing its provinces between them. ... Modern Nineveh: On 15 October 2005, the province of Nineveh (Ninawa) cast the deciding votes in the referendum for Iraq's Constitution. One of three mostly Sunni Arab provinces whose veto could defeat the constitution, Nineveh was closely watched through the extended electoral count. Home to a majority Sunni Arab population and ethnically diverse minority which includes Kurds (Yezidi and Sunni) and Assyrian Christians, as well as the oil processing center Mosul (which is often considered to be the modern Nineveh city, and is called so by Aramaic speakers), the province of Nineveh promises to play a large role in Iraqi politics into the future. [article link]

THE MINOR PROPHETS Jonah by Al Maxey - The name Jonah (Hebrew: Yonah) means "dove" [dove = Holy Spirit] - From II Kings 14:25 we know that Jonah lived during the time of Jeroboam II (793-753 BC) - He was sent to Nineveh --- the capital city of Assyria --- to deliver a warning from God that unless they repented they would be destroyed - God's love and concern is for all people, and anyone who is willing to repent and turn to God can find salvation - In Jonah one sees "the forerunner of the universal gospel message" - Jonah is the only "minor prophet" ever to be mentioned by Jesus Christ - He [Jonah] is also the only O.T. figure that Jesus Himself likens unto Himself (Matthew 12:39-41; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32)
THE MAJOR MESSAGES OF JONAH - The overall message of the book is basically twofold: God's love and concern is for all people, and anyone who is willing to repent and turn to God can find salvation (Acts 26:19-20; II Peter 3:9). God is a universal God. There is but ONE God, and He alone is to be the God of all people. Jonah preached to a monotheistic people, but the god they worshipped was Nebo. He warned them they must repent and turn to Jehovah, and worship and serve Him only. Some of the other great lessons of the book of Jonah are: "God's judgments, even when declared in prophecy, can be averted by genuine repentance." This is a "crucial theological truth relating human repentance to escaping from anticipated judgment" (New Layman's Bible Commentary). "Jeremiah 18:7-8 --- "At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it." National sin demands national repentance! Just as this principle applied to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, so also does it apply to the nations of today! This book is a stern rebuke of a narrow exclusiveness that characterized the Israelites. Jonah, whose attitude was typical of his people, had no desire to see the Assyrians saved --- they were the enemy! He fled rather than preach such a distasteful message to this distasteful people. And even after finally preaching it, he sat outside the city waiting to see if God would change His mind and still destroy them. When he realized God was indeed going to show mercy to these people, he prayed to die rather than have to witness such a thing! (Jonah 4:1-3). When we today hold to such an attitude --- "We are the only ones God favors" ....... "We would rather die than see those people saved!" ....... "We're not about to preach the gospel to that bunch" --- then we have repeated the sin of Jonah. Further, we have failed to perceive the universal love of God. Jonah symbolizes a narrow, sectarian spirit! One cannot run away from God (Psalm 139:7-12). "Jonah learned, and through his valuable experience millions have learned, that when God enjoins a disagreeable duty, it is far easier to go and do it than to run away from it" (J.W. McGarvey). "When one sets out to baffle God, there is bound to be a storm" (George L. Robinson). "The infinite concern of God for life is shown in contrast to the concern of man for the material" (Homer Hailey). "The withering of the prophet's gourd, with the regrets it excited, strikes home in all ages, as it must have done in Jonah's day, the contrast between the infinite love of God and the selfish coldness of man. The growth of a night can be pitied when it touches ourselves; but unspeakably higher claims too often awaken no tenderness where we are not personally concerned" (Cunningham Geikie). In Jonah one sees "the forerunner of the universal gospel message" and messenger (Hailey). Also, we see the principle that "the most unpromising mission fields are often the most responsive" (The Ryrie Study Bible). "From the human standpoint Assyria was the last place an Israelite would choose for a missionary venture, so Jonah took a trip in the opposite direction" (Samuel J. Schultz). "There is no remonstrance and no mention of Jonah's former call and flight (Jonah 3:1-2). The Lord passes this over in gracious silence" (Homer Hailey). The Lord is willing to forgive and forget! [article link]

Modern - Tel Aviv-Jaffa [Joppa] - Jonah's mission to Nineveh and their repentance brought about 50 more years of peace to Israel before Assyria invaded (Video)
Thought to be named for Noah's son Japhet, it was already ancient when mentioned in 15th century documents as an Egyptian and Canaainte port. Joshua allocated it to the tribe of Dan, and during David's and Solomon's rule it was Jerusalem's outlet to the great world. From here Jonah set sail to Tarshish and was swallowed by a whale. Here Peter lodged with Simon the tanner. ... Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. {Dorcas: or, Doe, or, Roe} And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid [her] in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring [him] that he would not delay to come to them. {delay: or, be grieved} Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning [him] to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her [his] hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. And it came to pass, that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon a tanner.... It bears the modern name of Jaffa, and exibituds all the decrepitude and squalor of cities ruled over by the Turks. "Scarcely any other town has been so often overthrown, sacked, pillaged, burned, and rebuilt." It was taken by the French under Napoleon in 1799, who gave orders for the massacre here of 4,000 prisoners. It is connected with Jerusalem by the only carriage road that exists in the country, and also by a railway completed in 1892. It is noticed on monuments B.C. 1600-1300, and was attacked by Sannacharib B.C. 702 [Jonah had just been to Nineveh in about 758 B.C. - then 56 years after the visit of Jonah to Assyria they attacked Joppa Israel]. [article link]

Jonah - A Veggie Tales Movie (2002) Trailer (YouTube)
When the singing Veggies encounter some car trouble, they're stranded at old, rundown seafood joint where nothing is quite as it seems. As Bob the Tomato and the kids settle in to wait for a tow truck to help get their van back on the road, the "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" share a little story about a guy named Jonah. Jonah was kind of like a mailman except his messages came straight from God. Jonah loves his job, until the day comes when he has to deliver a message to the people of Nineveh. Instead of carrying out his mission, Jonah turns and sets sail in the opposite direction onboard a pirate ship. Soon Jonah embarks on an adventure that leads him into the belly of a whale, and to the heart of Nineveh for a hilarious showdown. [article link]

MICAH

Introduction to the Book of Micah: "Micah the Morasthite" - Morasthite is thought to be a village near Nazareth - Jonah a fellow 'early prophet' is also a "Galilean" from the Nazareth area village of Gath-hepher - Micah is a contemporary in Jerusalem with the prophets Isaiah and Nahum - As a part of the same moving of the Holy Spirit the three prophets [Isaiah, Micah, Nahum] each preach many of the same messages and even some of the same Scripture verses - Micah prophesies against religious corruption "the priests thereof teach for hire" - Religious corruption that extends political and judicial corruption - Political corruption that ultimately leads to fear to the point of every man being afraid of one another "a man's enemies are the men of his own house" - Micah then reveals that the false religious system that compromised its witness of God and instead faithfully served Satan's world will eventually be destroyed by the very global Satanic government system that the false church helped to put into power
The ministry message of the prophet Micah encompasses the entire globe. 'Micah 3:1 Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from His Holy Temple.' - The religious leaders have become corrupt teaching a corrupt [compromised] message for status, perks and mainly for money. 'Micah 3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof *teach for hire, and *the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD [blessing] among us? [we are doing so well] none evil can come upon us.' - With the religious leaders of the land corrupt and working mainly towards their own comfortable agendas the governing (princes) and institutions can now become even more corrupt. 'Micah 7:3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh [for a false verdict], and the judge asketh for a reward [bribe]; and the great [popular] man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up [close the case].' - With corruption permeating the religious institutions, the government and the courts the people now live in fear even in fear that one in their own house will accuse them. 'Micah 7:5-6 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.' - The corrupt religious Babylon "lady that rides the beast" will be destroyed. 'Micah 7:10 Then she [false church] that is Mine enemy shall see it [destruction], and shame shall cover her which said unto Me, Where is the LORD thy God? Mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she [false church] be trodden down as the mire of the streets.' - Revelation 17:3-16 So he [Angel] carried me [Disciple John] away in the spirit into the wilderness [bleakness, emptiness]: and I saw a woman [false church] sit upon a scarlet coloured beast [global government], full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads [complete control] and ten horns [10 regions]. ... And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast [at the convenience of the beast], these [10 region super nations, entire world] shall hate the whore [false church], and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall [devour] eat her flesh, and [torment] burn her with fire. - The eventual fate of the false church that is currently arising predominantly as the prophet Micah said it would out of the merchandising of the word and the teachings of God and by the refusal of the religious leadership to be the ordained Salt and Light of Righteousness to the community as a whole. Note: Earlier Absalom the eldest son of King David was a usurper to his father's throne while his religious counselor and assistant Ahithophel was the betrayer of King David. Later Barabbas was attempting to usurp the rightful Kingdom and Throne of Jesus Christ as Judas became the religious betrayer at the First Coming of Jesus Christ. Now in the building of the Antichrist system at the Second Coming return of Jesus Christ to His Kingdom Throne the Antichrist [Satan] will have attempted to usurp the throne and Satan will have seated himself [Matthew 24:15] in Jerusalem as king of the world while an as of yet unknown false prophet will emerge out of the false betrayer 'Christian' church system. All of the usurpers Absalom [2 Samuel 18:9-15], Barabbas [crucified if the image on the shroud of Turin is Barabbas] and Antichrist (who Satan possesses) [Revelation 19:20] will have been destroyed while all of the betrayers Ahithophel [2 Samuel 17:23], Judas [Matthew 27:5] and the false church prophet [having already committed spiritual suicide Revelation 20:14 is cast alive (physical death, second death) into the lake of fire Revelation 19:20] each commit suicide [1 John 5:16]. The false church is the woman riding the beast believing that because they are making some money and presuming that they have some political influence they wrongly conclude that they are ridding the political/world government when in fact the beast is actually ridding them and can and will in a moment turn and trample the false church even though the false church is participating with the global government to the extent of helping to kill [Revelation 17:6] the true worshipers of God the false church is still despised to the point of being destroyed by the greedy, corrupt unjust system it helped create and further into a world power. For the church, false or not, to attempt to join and to ride the beast of the world government system is to knowingly and willingly commit spiritual suicide. -- Also Note: What at one time might have been [well actually never was] an honorable and acceptable system of Pastors and Churches receiving pay [additional payment] for their tapes, cds, mp3s, dvds and books is long past and has now become a restrictive system of corruption, compromise and greed. Worse yet ministries now have two scales [double minded, James 4:8] and give for free to some while charging others a fee and this is Not the Christian system. The Apostle Paul told the Churches to make copies of his letters [at their expense] and to make sure other Churches received them freely [Colossians 4:16], merchandising is not a part of the early Church. The early Church partnered with its people [and the people partnered (financially) with the ministries] to get the Word of God and Christian information out into the whole world not just conveniently selling it to some of the world. -- A Final Note: Jesus Christ paid on the cross the only price that can ever be paid for His bride. For people to sell or restrict the eternal life giving teachings of God as if they own them is a disgrace to their ministry and a betrayal to the cross of Jesus Christ.

MICAH: Themes in the Book of Micah - DANGERS OF EVIL - 1. Breaking Through Sin's Power SOURCES OF HOPE (Micah Ch. 1-4) - 2. [The entire world is] Called by God [into obedience] - 3. Absence of Righteousness: Growth of Evil - 4. Injustice (Psalms 10:1; Psalms 2:1-2) - 5. God's plans and purposes [for Israel and the world]
Historical Background of the Book of Micah: Along with a great influx of wealth into the Israelite society during Micah's time, came an increasing number of social evils. A quasi-peace pervaded over the smaller regional nations, which in some respects is much like post-war America. Accompanying the loss of morals came a warped view of God and a corrupt religious community. At this point the Northern and Southern Kingdoms (Israel and Judah) were happy with class oppression, decadent religious observances (6:7), and smug contentment before their God. In light of their rejection of Him, God was raising up a nation (Assyria) that would in the near future (722-721 BC) swallow up their wickedness. ... God's faithfulness to preserve God's people: The obvious is not so obvious. Many have taken God's anger against His people as a sign that He has "dropped" His people and His plan. If we went back just several hundred years, we would have met David and his family. But now the society has degenerated in a society *marked by the characteristics of nations around them rather than God. The nations are ready to gobble up the north and south kingdoms (4:11), but they [secular Judaism and the Gentile Nations] do not understand His remaking a Kingdom by a remnant (4:6-7; 5:7) [the Jewish remnant is faithful and does understand the significance of staying intact in order to carryout and fulfill the promises and covenants of God]. [article link]

Micah 1-3 - Micah the prophet begins his ministry to the people alongside the prophets Isaiah and Nahum as God continues to providing wisdom, conformation and the safety of His collaborated message through the multitude of His counselors and prophets - 'Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.' -- 'Micah 1:1-3 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite [Jeremiah 26:18] in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria [Northern Israel] and Jerusalem [Southern Israel]. Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from His Holy Temple [Heaven]. For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high [proud] places of the earth.'
Micah 3:9-12 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood [abortion], and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward [bribe], *and the priests thereof teach for hire, *and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD [blessing] among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion **for your [spiritual] sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house [Jerusalem Temple and the homes of the people] as [piled up as] the high places of the forest. - In His resurrection letter to the Church at Laodicea Jesus instructs the Church members that Tribulation and the resulting spiritual growth is as spiritually important to God as gold is to mankind. 'Revelation 3:14-19 And unto the angel [messenger] of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith [Jesus] the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue [reject] thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: **I [Jesus] counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire [of affliction], that thou mayest be rich; and white [righteousness] raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with [humanity] eyesalve, that thou mayest see [the needs of humanity]. **As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent [change your mind and focus from the world to that of God in Heaven].' Note: God works through a multitude of people. The Bible was written by over forty different people yet they are all saying the same message. It isn't spiritually safe to get doctrine or teaching from only one person [i.e. as will happen with the future false prophet for the Antichrist] or from only one (Church) Pastor and the worst possible scenario of all is for someone to submit themselves to a legalistic and binding type of teaching coming only from one person or one group. Most mature Christians would discourage the temptation to get spiritual life directing info from one teacher or from only one Church denomination. Also Note (Part 1): The BasicChristian.org website servant ministry believes strongly in the counsel and prayers from a multiple of people and therefore always tries to maintain a variety of links and resources in order for people to attempt to hear and confirm the voice God through a multitude of teachers and prophets.

Micah 4-5 - Micah like all of the other Biblical prophets extends the vision and the scope of his prophecies out both globally and into the future Millennial Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ on earth -- 'Micah 4:1 But *in the last days [Millennial reign of Jesus Christ] it shall come to pass, that the Mountain [Government] of the House of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.'
Micah 4:15 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the Mountain [Government] of the House of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains [human nation governments], and it shall be exalted above the hills [individual human choice and decisions]; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the Mountain of the LORD, and to the House of the God of Jacob; *and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law [image of God] shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of Hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk [be accountable] everyone in the name of his god [choose your god wisely], and we will walk in the Name of the LORD our God [eternally] forever and ever. - All people are individually accountable to God for the spiritual decisions that we each make in our own life. If we choose to worship a false god [money, pride, lust, etc.] we will walk with that false god strait into the destruction [Revelation 19:20] awaiting the false gods. However if we choose to walk with the real God Jesus Christ we will walk [John 14:1-4] with God in Heaven. -- Also Note (Part 2): The BasicChristian.org website servant ministry is a servant ministry providing Christian material and resources for the convenience of other people and as a simple service website ministry [and for other reasons] the Basic Christian ministry does not request financial partnership from other people. However it is important to know that the Basic Christian ministry is unique for a reason in not requesting financial assistance and is not intended as an example for other ministries to follow and in fact all ministries are encouraged to seek partnerships and donations it's the excessive Church merchandising that has become a hindrance [to Christians and non-Christians alike] in modern Christianity. - When the Basic Christian website ministry began [2001] a main concern was that knowing that as difficult topics would be discussed that the ministry would not become too costly of a ministry to the people who visit the website. Meaning that the Basic Christian ministry has expressed many spiritual concepts and has also been involved in many current events and political events and all of which come at an emotional and spiritual expense to the people visiting the website. Therefore feeling led by God not to also add the additional burden to people of requesting donations the Basic Christian ministry has gladly served without donations though it is recommended that all ministries do partner with others in prayers and finances and actually the prayers of people who have prayed for the Basic Christian ministry have been invaluable being worth much more than money to the ministry and the website might not even exist or certainly the clarity and extensive nature of the research and messages would not exist without the prayer support of others. In conclusion the current general modern Church merchandising model is a broken, corrupt, unbiblical model and desperately needs to change [and I have sent out emails to merchandising ministries with no responses - more on that later] but there is a valid need both for ministries to receive finances from people and for people to give to and to partner with ministries. - Lastly, while we are studying about the problems of Church merchandising I just don't want to give the wrong impression that because the Basic Christian ministry does not request donations that other ministries are not to as well when in fact all ministries should seek the partnerships of prayers and finances for their ministries and they should spend that money as they determine is best for their ministry. Again because of the unique nature of the Basic Christian ministry I don't foresee any future plans of suddenly requesting donations for the Basic Christian ministry it just seems to be too costly and a Trifecta [religion, politics and money] that we do not want to complete. Instead the Basic Christian ministry would much rather be a simple servant ministry that is diligently and faithfully trying to encourage others to complete their destiny and to fulfill their purpose in life as people walk with and experience God for themselves in their own life.

Micah 6-7 - Micah concludes his valuable ministry to all people and reveals that for all mankind the desired plans of God are that people would walk in fellowship with God - 'Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?'
Micah 6:6-8 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the High God? shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? *He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? - A relationship with God is not intended by God to be complicated. A relationship with God is complicated not by God but by men and usually the very same men that seek to complicate a relationship with God [i.e. that Pentecost with flames of fire on the heads of people as they speak in tongues is what it takes to start to become a Christian - and because that isn't complicated enough (and unbiblical as Pentecost is empowerment of the Church not the start of the Church) the Pastors will gladly sell their even more complicated plan of salvation to the people for a profit] are the same people who merchandise and profit from their complicated plans aimed from the beginning at adding confusion to the body and bride of Christ just so they can keep an audience to themselves and profit from that audience through the very confusion that is being perpetuated and increasingly introducing.

NAHUM

The Book of Nahum - Nahum stands in contrast [completion] to the book of Jonah [Nahum is Jonah II], [Jonah] which depicts at an earlier time, Yahweh's [God's] concern for even His [Israel's] bitterest enemy, Assyria - But now [a generation after Jonah] Assyria's sin has "reached its full measure" (Genesis 15:16) - The book of Nahum is a carefully crafted and executed piece of poetry in which a whole variety of prophetic forms - hymns, salvation, doom, taunt, dirge - are carefully interwoven so as to effect what is basically a "woe oracle" over Ninevah (Assyria), along with a salvation oracle over [Southern Israel] Judah (Doc)
OVERVIEW: Nahum is an unrelenting denunciation of, and pronouncement of, God's judgment against Assyria for her own unrelenting cruelty as master of the nations. As such, Nahum stands in contrast to the book of Jonah, which depicts at an earlier time, Yahweh's concern for even His bitterest enemy, Assyria. But now Assyria's sin has "reached its full measure" (Genesis 15:16), and Yahweh's famous patience is at an end. The key to Nahum's message is 1:7,8 which simultaneously expresses comfort for Judah and destruction for Ninevah. The overall progression of the prophecy is straight forward. It begins with a Divine Warrior victory hymn (1:2-8), the last lines of which (vs. 7,8) serve also to introduce the first major oracle (1:9 - 2:2). This is followed by a vision of Ninevah's ruin (2:3-10), plus a taunt (vs. 11-13). Next comes a series of oracles and taunts that declare the absolute certainty of Ninevah's demise (3:1-17), concluding with a satirical dirge over the fallen empire (vs. 18,19). -- UNDERSTANDING NAHUM: The book of Nahum is a carefully crafted and executed piece of poetry in which a whole variety of prophetic forms - hymns, salvation, doom, taunt, dirge - are carefully interwoven so as to effect what is basically a "woe oracle" over Ninevah (Assyria), along with a salvation oracle over Judah. Part of Nahum's mastery is his immediate introduction of Yahweh (1:2-6) followed by the interweaving of oracles against Ninevah and to Judah, without mentioning Judah until 1:15 and Ninevah until 2:8 (the NIV supplies the names earlier to help the reader through the alternating pattern in the first oracle). All of this is expressed in poetic style with a whole variety of parallelisms and evocative imagery. [article link]

Nahum 1-3 - The prophecies and book of Nahum is considered to be a counterpart to the earlier book of Jonah - Where Jonah went to Assyria to provide that generation with the opportunity to repent the prophet Nahum now prophesies of the coming destruction of Assyria in the next generation or two - The prophet Nahum reveals the God is the overseer of the nations all of the nations the Jewish nation of Israel as well as the powerful Gentile nations like Assyria -- 'Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: *the LORD hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.' {Note: continually the Bible declares that the creation [Mother Nature] reveals and testifies to the glory of God.}
Nahum 3:18-19 Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them. There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually? - The prophet Nahum prophesies primarily towards the ancient national power of Assyria. Assyria was an ancient power center ruling for approximately 700 years it was centrally located on the Tigris River in northern modern Iraq and was originally a part of the original set of ancient cities founded by the ancient ruler Nimrod. - Earlier the prophet Jonah was sent to Nineveh the capital of Assyria delivering a message of delayed judgment if the nation repented before God and the nation of Assyria did repented for a generation or two and now Nahum is prophesying the eventual destruction of Assyria the mighty nation that itself oversaw the destruction of every nation that was within its grasp to topple and destroy.

HABAKKUK

Wikipedia.org: The Book of Habakkuk - The Book of Habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible - It is attributed to the prophet Habakkuk and was probably composed in the late 7th century BCE (606 B.C.) - A copy of chapters 1 and 2 (of 3) is included in the Habakkuk Commentary, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls - Habakkuk may have been a Levite and singer in the [Jerusalem] Temple - Note: A common Timeline for the Prophet Habakkuk is that his Ministry to Israel concluded about 606 B.C. -- 606 B.C. Prophet Habakkuk finishes his Ministry - [one year later] 605 B.C. The Battle of Carchemish [Babylon defeats Egypt] - 586 B.C. The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple
Background: The prophet Habakkuk is generally believed to have written his book in the mid to late 7th century BCE, not long before the Babylonians' siege and capture of Jerusalem. Author: Habakkuk identifies himself as a prophet in the opening verse. Due to the liturgical nature of the book of Habakkuk, there have been some scholars who think that the author may have been a temple prophet. Temple prophets are described in 1 Chronicles 25:1 as using lyres, harps and cymbals. Some feel that this is echoed in Habakkuk 3:19b, and that Habakkuk may have been a Levite and singer in the Temple. There is no biographical information on the prophet Habakkuk; in fact less is known about him than any other writer of the Bible. The only canonical information we have comes from the book that is named for him. His name comes either from the Hebrew word (khavak) meaning "embrace" or else from an Akkadian word hambakuku for a kind of plant. Although his name does not appear in any other part of the Jewish Bible, Rabbinic tradition holds Habakkuk to be the Shunammite woman's son, who was restored to life by Elisha in 2 Kings 4:16. The prophet Habakkuk is also mentioned in the tale of Bel and the Dragon, part of the deuterocanonical additions to Daniel in a late section of that book. In the superscription of the Old Greek version, Habakkuk is called the son of Joshua of the tribe of Levi. In this book Habakkuk is lifted by an angel to Babylon to provide Daniel with some food while he is in the lion's den. - Historical context: The Chaldean Empire around 600 BCE. It is unknown when Habakkuk lived and preached, but the reference to the rise and advance of the Chaldeans in 1:6-11 places him in the middle to last quarter of the 7th century BC. One possible period might be during the reign of Jehoiakim, from 609-598 BC. The reasoning for this date is that during his reign that the Babylonians were growing in power. The Babylonians marched against Jerusalem in 598. Jehoiakim died while the Babylonians were marching towards Jerusalem and Jehoiakim's 8 year old son, Jehoiachin assumed the throne. Upon the Babylonians' arrival, Jehoiachin and advisors surrendered Jerusalem after a short time. With the transition of rulers and the age/inexperience of Jehoiachin, they were not able to stand against Chaldean forces. There is a sense of an intimate knowledge of the Babylonian brutality in 1:12-17. [article link]

Habakkuk 1 - The Prophet Habakkuk prophesied during the middle period prophets - Because of musical references in Habakkuk's writing it is thought that Habakkuk was a Levite Temple Choir singer - Habakkuk's main message and main concern is the common theme that God does not seem to be intervening against the commonplace injustices and evil of the day - Then when God does intervene God does so in a completely unexpected way i.e. sending His children in to exile, destroying His city of Jerusalem and His Temple building -- 'Habakkuk 1:1-2 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! - Note: We as humans seldom understand the way God is intervening in our lives and in humanity because God is working to form fruit [Galatians 5:22-26] and maturity in our lives. Seldom does the fruits of the Holy Spirit and the maturity God is seeking from humans come from humans in a conferrable, relaxed condition. The fruits of God do come from the rest, faith and trust in God during times of peril.'
Habakkuk 1:3 Why dost thou shew me [to discern] iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: *for I (God) will work a work in your days [captivity of the Jews, destruction of Jerusalem, destruction of the Temple], which ye will not believe, though it [already] be told you [in prophecy]. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. - Habakkuk a righteous man, probably a member of the Temple choir is looking around and seeing many of the failings of mankind and like many godly men Habakkuk is asking God why He isn't dealing with the ungodly. Habakkuk then comes to realize that God as a faithful Father first and foremost deals with the shortcomings of His own children. - 1 Peter 4:17-19 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the House of God: and if it first begin at us [Christians], what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved [only by the cross of Jesus], where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear [only at the judgment]? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful [Father] Creator.

Habakkuk 2 - The prophet Habakkuk is dissatisfied with the actions of his fellow man he continues to seek answers accepting only the answers that come from God -- 'Habakkuk 2:2-4 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run [excel] that readeth it. ... Behold, his [worshiper] soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: *but the just shall live by his faith.' - The Apostle Paul then goes on to use his paraphrase "the just shall live by faith" as a cornerstone and a guidestone to his Apostolic Ministry and quotes it as a main theme in each of his three major New Testament epistle writings; Romans, Galatians, and the Book of Hebrews.
Habakkuk 2:1-6 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run [excel] that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: *but the just shall live by his faith. Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he [Babylon] is a proud man, neither keepeth at home [his desires], who enlargeth his desire [upon others] as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people: Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay [human frailty]! - God is answering Habakkuk in a direct way about the shortcomings of mankind and specifically the desires of the Nation and King of Babylon, yet in actuality it is ultimately a judgment against Satan as the people who are seeking after their own pride are actually serving Satan and his original fall resulting from his pride.

Habakkuk 3 - The Prophet Habakkuk hears from God and realizes that the wrath [correction and maturity] that God has for His children is just as necessary as the ever-present mercy God has for His children -- 'Habakkuk 3:1-2 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.'
The Prophet Habakkuk closes out his Ministry to Israel by composing a song of declaration by stating his faith and trust in the judgments and ways of God. - Habakkuk 3:17-19 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high [Heavenly] places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

ZEPHANIAH

Book of Zephaniah: Historical Overview - Zephaniah calls God's people to repentance and hope - Will you? Will I respond?
Historical Introduction: Zephaniah the prophet prophesied during the reign of King Josiah who ascended his throne in 639 BC. at the age of eight years-old (2 Chronicles 34-35). The book of Zephaniah was written before 629 BC when Josiah found and eagerly read the holy scriptures discovered in the temple. He later celebrated a great Passover feast and cleansed both the temple and the priests. At this time, Assyria had already captured the northern kingdom of Israel. Over hundred years had past. God was now ready to destroy Judah the southern kingdom. But because of Josiah's reform, the fall of Judea was postponed until shortly after Josiah's time. Zephaniah's message no doubt played a key part in this revival. [article link]

Zephaniah 1-2 - The Prophet Zephaniah [from the Tribe of Judah] a 4th generation descendant of King Hezekiah is a fellow middle period prophet with the Prophets Jeremiah and Habakkuk [actually slightly earlier than Habakkuk] - Zephaniah is going to have a short but compelling Ministry to Israel - Zephaniah much like the vision Jeremiah had of the two baskets of figs, the basket of very good figs and the basket of very bad figs with no in-between figs [Jeremiah 24:1-3] - Zephaniah is going to contrast the coming events in the darkness of wrath for the evildoer and in a brightness of Salvation for the "remnant of God's people" -- 'Zephaniah 1:1-2 The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah. *I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.'
Zephaniah 1:7-18 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills. Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off. *And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles [i.e. The Passover feast and the practice of searching with a lit candle the floor and counters for bits of leven to be removed from the household before the Passover Feast begins], and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof. The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. - The Prophet Zephaniah dramatically illustrates the coming wrath of God a wrath that is to equal the 'bad fig' unjust behavior of mankind.

Zephaniah 3 - The Prophet Zephaniah after revealing the devastating wrath of God upon the ungodly now reveals the much higher magnitude of the Salvation of God -- 'Zephaniah 3:14-17 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. ... The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.'
Zephaniah 3:14-20 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel [God], even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: *for I will make you a Name and a praise among all people of the earth, *when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD. - As mighty as the wrath and the judgments of God are, even during the future ultimate wrath of Revelation, God is continually doing a work of Salvation that far surpasses and exceeds His work of wrath.

HAGGAI

Walking Thru The Bible - HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH and MALACHI - These last three Prophets [and probably the Prophet Joel] in the Old Testament are from the period following the Babylonian captivity which we often call the "Restoration Period" or post-exilic period - The common message of these Prophets was: return to the right ways of the Lord - Haggai and Zechariah were particularly concerned with the rebuilding of the Temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians nearly 70 years before [the Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C. during the third captivity of Jerusalem by Babylon then it was completed and dedicated in 516 B.C. seventy years after its initial destruction - (Daniel and the first captives left Jerusalem in 606 B.C. (1st captivity of Babylon) twenty years before the Temple was destroyed then after 70 years in Babylon at 536 B.C. the Jews began to return to Jerusalem and 20 years later in 516 B.C. dedicated the 2nd Temple)] - The people had been tending to their personal affairs and neglecting the temple and other spiritual responsibilities
HAGGAI: Haggai has been described as a man with a single ambition. He preached to a poor, discouraged, and frightened people. He attributed their lack of success in all areas of their national life to the single fact of their neglect of the temple. In a bold and authoritative manner, he pleaded for the people to rebuild the temple. Haggai and Zechariah are credited with getting the temple completed c. 516 BC (Ezra 6:14-15). The dates of Haggai's ministry which is covered in the book is only about four months in the year 520 BC (1:1; 2:1; 2:10; 2:20). The temple foundation had been laid almost immediately after the exiles returned from Babylon. But then about sixteen years intervened before the work resumed. It took the powerful exhortation of Haggai and Zechariah to motivate Zerubbabel and Jeshua to arise and begin to rebuilt the house of God. -- ZECHARIAH: Zechariah was born and reared in Babylon and was among the group that returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel (Neh. 12:1,4,16). He was evidently younger than Haggai and his recorded ministry continued a year or so beyond the record of Haggai. Under Haggai and Zechariah's preaching the people were stirred to again take up the rebuilding of the temple. While Haggai rebuked and admonished, Zechariah encouraged and looked to brighter days. Their work was fully complementary and compatible. The book of Zechariah contains many visions and a great deal of apocalyptic symbolism. It is the longest and the most difficult of all the Minor Prophets. Message of Zechariah: This book is also divided into four sections. 1. There is a call for repentance (1:1-6). 2. There is a series of [nine] night visions about the future of the people of God and His Kingdom. 3. There is a question about fasting raised (7:1-3), and the point is that fasting is useless without obedience (7:4-7). The Lord's expectations of the people are stated (7:8-8:23). 4. The people of God are reassured about the future. The heathen nations will fall (9:1-7), and the Messiah will appear (9:8-11:17). Salvation will be established in spiritual Israel, the church (12:1-14:21). -- MALACHI: Malachi was the last writing prophet to serve God under the Law of Moses. The material within the book parallels the situation described in Nehemiah 13. Nehemiah had served as governor during the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and a few years following. He had returned to Persia to serve the king and in chapter 13 he has returned to serve as governor a second time. The sins dealt with in Malachi are those found in Nehemiah 13 and thus Malachi may be dated about 433 BC. Background: The priests were lax and wicked, offerings were being neglected, divorce was common, and justice was being perverted. Malachi's intense love for God and the people of God moved him to speak with great urgency in the streets and market places. Malachi uses a "question-answer" method of preaching. Malachi challenged the apathy and disloyalty of the people. Poverty and hard times had come. The people were questioning the love of God because of their difficulties and the prophet placed the blame where it really belonged. It was the sin of the people--not the lack of divine love--which was at the root of the problems (cf. Isa. 59:1-2). Outline of Malachi: The book opens with an affirmation of the love of God for his people (1:1-5) and shows how that love has been spurned (1:6-2:9). A specific rebuke of the people of Malachi's day for their widespread profanation of marriage is given (2:10-16). Finally, the prophet looks forward to the coming of the Messiah. [article link]

The Book of Haggai - The book has the same title in Hebrew as it has in English and Greek translation - The name Haggai seems to be an adjective derived from the Hebrew word for "feast"; therefore his name means "festive" - He proclaimed the Word of God over a five month period in 520 B.C. - In his book and in Ezra he is referred to as "Prophet" he is also called the "Angel of the LORD" that is, the messenger of Yahweh (Haggai 1:13) - It is possible to date Haggai's prophesies very exactly: The first day of the sixth month of the second year of Darius I (Haggai 1:1), which would be August 29, 520 B.C.
There are two references to Haggai in the Bible outside of his own book: Ezra 5:1 and 6:14. Haggai's name is often linked with Zechariah (there may even be an allusion to him in Zechariah 8:9), since Zechariah was prophesying about the same time in Judah and Jerusalem. He proclaimed the word of God over a five month period in 520 BC. How he came to be in Jerusalem, whether he was an exile or if he had already been there, is unknown. In his book and in Ezra he is referred to as "prophet. He is also called the "Angel of the LORD" -- that is, the messenger of Yahweh, in Haggai 1:13. It is possible to date Haggai's prophesies very exactly: 1. The first day of the sixth month of the second year of Darius I (1:1), which would be August 29, 520 BC. 2. The twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year of Darius I, when they resumed work on the second temple (1:15a), which would be September 21, 520 BC. 3. The twenty-first day of the seventh month of the second year of Darius I, which would be October 21, 520 BC. 4. The twenty-fourth day of the ninth month of the second year of Darius I (2:19-20), which would be December 18, 520 BC. -- By 520 BC some of the Jews had been back in Jerusalem for several years. Cyrus had conquered Babylon in 538 BC. He then issued a decree that all of Babylon's captives could return to their homes. Ezra 1-6 describes the first group of Jews to make that trip home. They came at great sacrifice, but also with high hopes; however, when they reached Jerusalem around 536 BC, there was nothing but ruins, poverty, and opposition from the Samaritans and the local population. Consequently, nothing was done about rebuilding the temple between 536 and 520 BC, when Haggai came on the scene. For more information, look at Ezra 5:13-16, where the people had been ordered to rebuild the temple, had even started, but then failed to finish. Read Ezra 1-6 for background. -- III. An Outline of Haggai: I. Yahweh's call to rebuild the temple 1:1-15. II. Yahweh's promise to restore the glory 2:1-9. III. Yahweh's blessings on a defiled people 2:10-19. IV. Yahweh makes Zerubbabel his signet ring 2:20-23. [article link]

Haggai: Building the Temple of God - The Book of Haggai consists of two small chapters near the end of the Old Testament of the Bible - *Despite being small [minor] in size, **it contains material that is of significant relevance to all ages - One of the primary messages from this book is that God must be put first in the life of a believer - As well as that, it is shown that God is quite specific in His requirements and does not allow re-interpretation of them - Instead the encouraging warning is given to "consider your ways"
At the time of the first return from exile, the people immediately started the work of rebuilding the temple. Unfortunately, by the time the foundation was laid, the neighboring nations were frustrating the construction efforts, and then during the reign of Artaxerxes they were able to convince the Persian king to call a complete stop to the efforts. The opposition of their neighbors at the time halted the progress, and since then no more work had been done. Apart from the physical impediment to construction, this would also have had an effect on attitudes of the constructors. It would have been very difficult for them, being enthusiastic with the best of intentions, but being frustrated by the heathen about them. Presumably, after this setback, the people saw that the seventy years of desolations was not fulfilled and they were content to wait. The real problem was that they waited longer than necessary before attempting to rebuild again. They had originally become disillusioned because they had been unable to do the work of God in rebuilding the temple. This disillusionment prevented them from beginning construction when the time was right. There appears to be a common theme through scripture that enthusiasm needs to be sustained. On many occasions people have had to wait before their commitment is tested. It is often necessary to have a lasting enthusiasm that is strong enough to overcome delays and difficulties. One example of this is Abraham. He was offered the promises reasonably early in his life, but it wasn't until much later that he was given the son through which the promises would be carried out. Another example is in King David. After the initial anointing and then the defeat of Goliath, it was a long, hard struggle before he finally gained control of the throne of Israel. During the time he was being pursued by Saul, it would have been very tempting for him to give up the ways of God. Consider also the life of Joshua. In his youth he was given the dreams showing his future importance, but it was a long time after that before he saw success. In the meantime he had to endure slavery, imprisonment and the threat of death. In the garden of Gethsemane, Peter was ready to cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, but shortly later he denied even any association with Jesus. The excitement of the original situation had provoked him to fight for Jesus regardless of the cost, but over the subsequent hours his temperament changed. By the morning he was no longer a fighter, but instead chose denial. Regardless of whether Peter was right in his actions or not, It shows that there is a tendency for enthusiasm to degrade with time. ... Consider Your Ways: The Hebrew phrase that is translated "consider" in Haggai is quite rare in the scripture. It is "suwm (soom) lebab (lay-bawb')", which means "to set/make" your "heart / determination / thinking" but with emphasis is if a command under fear. Apart from Haggai, the closest usage of this phrase is in Deuteronomy where Moses, at the end of his life, urges the people of Israel to consider the words of the law. ... The length of time between the two writings indicates that the quotation of the same phrase is more than just a linguistic coincidence. It is as though Haggai is referring back to this passage to remind the people where they came from and the hope they could have. Those words in Deuteronomy were meant for the Israelites when they first came into the land [from captivity in Egypt]. ... The warning under Joshua the son of Nun was just as applicable under Joshua the son of Josedech. (the high priest during the return). Similarly, the life of Joshua the son of God was a message to "consider your ways." Note: Joshua the Son of God is the man we know as Jesus. Jesus is the English translation of the Greek translation of his original Hebrew name. The Hebrew name is usually directly translated as Joshua, as in the Son of Nun. Just as people have ignored the warnings from the Joshua of old, so it is possible to ignore the message of Jesus. ... While the peoples' hearts had not been perfect, within three weeks of the original prophecy they had obeyed the voice of God and considered their ways. In response to this, God added to their strength to assure them of success. [article link]

Haggai 1 - Haggai a Prophet in Israel after the return from Babylon begins to Prophecy regarding the completion of the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem - - Haggai 1:1-5 In the second year of Darius the King, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month (August 29, 520 B.C.), came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Governor of Judah [appointed by Persia], and to *Joshua (lit. Jesus) the son of Josedech, the High Priest, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts, saying, *This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built. Then came the Word of the LORD by Haggai the Prophet, saying, *Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled [roofed - completed] houses, and this House [Temple] lie [a false representation of God] waste? ***Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
Haggai 1:6-15 Ye have sown [planted] much, and bring [harvest] in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. **Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the House [Temple]; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of Mine House [Temple] that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands. *Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the High Priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him, *and the people did fear before the LORD. Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people, saying, **I am with you, saith the LORD. And the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, Governor of Judah, and the **Spirit of Joshua (Jesus) the son of Josedech, the High Priest, *and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month (September 21, 520 B.C.), in the second year of Darius the king. - Note: "Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the House [Temple]; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD." Is another of the many references to New Testament Christianity by the Prophet Haggai and the other Prophets both the major Prophets and the minor Prophets but especially the minor Prophets. The Mountain is a New Testament allusion to government (self-will)and wood is a reference to people. God is saying to the New Testament Christian to go evangelize those that are 'self-willed' to bring them to Church and to build His New testament Temple with wood (people) and in that in His Temple an eternal Temple built without human hands (Daniel 2:4) God will be glorified.

Haggai 2 - Haggai instructs the people to be strong and to have confidence in the faithfulness of God and that through God's strength the People of God will achieve and fulfill the plans of God -- 'Haggai 1:2-5 In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month (October 21, 520 B.C.), came the Word of the LORD by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the High Priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this House [Temple] in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? *Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the High Priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: **for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: ***According to the Word [promises] that I Covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.'
The Bible's book of Haggai concludes: Haggai 2:6-23 For thus saith the LORD of Hosts; **Yet once, it is a little while [Book of Revelation], and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all Nations, and the desire of all Nations [to serve God and support Israel or not to serve God and go against Israel] shall come [manifest]: and I will fill this [eternal] House [Temple] with Glory, saith the LORD of Hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of Hosts. **The glory of this latter [eternal] House shall be greater than of the former [Solomon's], saith the LORD of Hosts: and *in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of Hosts. In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month (December 18, 520 B,C.), in the second year of Darius, came the Word of the LORD by Haggai the Prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; Ask now the Priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, *No. Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be *unclean. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this Nation before me, saith the LORD; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer [without the life blood covering] there is unclean. And now, I pray you, **consider from this day and upward, from ***before [work started] a stone was laid upon a stone in the Temple of the LORD: Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat [olive press] for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD. **Consider now from this day (December 18, 520 B.C.) and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD'S Temple was laid [536 B.C. 16 years earlier by the decree of King Cyrus], consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day (December 18, 520 B.C.) will I bless you. And again the word of the LORD came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms [earthly and heavenly], and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. In that {resurrection} day, saith the LORD of Hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel (lit. one conceived and born in Babylon), my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make thee as a signet (ring) [Son, authority, approval]: for I have chosen thee [out of Babylon], saith the LORD of Hosts.

ZECHARIAH

The Book of Zechariah - The historical background of Zechariah's prophecy is the same as that of Haggai, both seers [Prophets - 'seer' is a reference to ancient Israel when God led them out of Egypt and into the Promise Land the people could "see" God in their midst i.e. the pillar of fire by day; after the people rejected God's presence and wanted a King (Saul) the ministry switched from 'seer' to 'prophet' (1 Samuel 9:9)] ministering during the same period and having similar missions - Zechariah's ministry was to encourage the Jewish remnant by the promise of present success and future glory - His theme then was: In view of the future glories of the times of the Messiah, the Nation should serve God faithfully through their present distress - Zechariah's prophecies were concerned more with the coming of the Messiah to build a spiritual temple than with the building of Zerubbabel's Temple, which was only a type of the future spiritual temple - The book begins with an admonition and then continues with a series of nine visions symbolic of hope
THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH: Zechariah's prophecies were concerned more with the coming of the Messiah to build a spiritual temple than with the building of Zerubbabel's Temple, which was only a type of the future spiritual temple. The Apostle Peter has given us a splendid view of the inspiration and the ministry of the Old Testament prophets: Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into (I Peter 1:10-12). -- THEME: The historical background of Zechariah's prophecy is the same as that of Haggai, both seers ministering during the same period and having similar missions. Zechariah's ministry was to encourage the Jewish remnant by the promise of present success and future glory. His theme then was: In view of the future glories of the times of the Messiah, the nation should serve God faithfully through their present distress. -- AUTHOR: Zechariah was probably born in Babylon. He was Haggai's colleague and began prophesying a short time after him. -- CONTENTS: 1. Symbolic: Visions of Hope (Chapters 1-6). The book begins with an admonition and then continues with a series of nine visions symbolic of hope. The visions are: 1. The horses. 2. The four horns and carpenters. 3. The measuring line. 4. *Joshua (lit. Jesus), the High Priest. 5. The golden candlestick and the olive trees. 6. The flying roll. 7. *The ephah [the 'End Time' return of the (demonic) spiritual realm back to Babylon]. 8. The four chariots. 9. The symbolic crowning of Joshua (Jesus), the High Priest. **This was a symbolic merger of the two [previously unmergable] offices of King and (High) Priest in the coming of the Messiah [Jesus Christ, including the third office of Prophet - Jesus Christ being the King, the High Priest (Melchizedek) and the Prophet of God] ... [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Book of Zechariah - The Book of Zechariah is a book of the Hebrew Bible attributed to the prophet Zechariah
Historical Context: Zechariah's ministry took place during the reign of Darius the Great (Zechariah 1:1), and was contemporary with Haggai in a post-exilic world after the fall of Jerusalem in 586/7 BC. Ezekiel and Jeremiah wrote prior to the fall of Jerusalem, while continuing to prophesy in the earlier exile period. Scholars believe Ezekiel, with his blending of ceremony and vision, heavily influenced the visionary works of Zechariah 1-8. Zechariah is specific about dating his writing (520-518 BC). During the Exile many Jews were taken to Babylon, where the prophets told them to make their homes (Jeremiah 29), suggesting they would spend a long period of time there. Eventually freedom did come to many Israelites, when Cyrus the Great overtook the Babylonians in 539 BC. In 538 BC, the famous Edict of Cyrus was released, and the first return took place under Shebazzar. After the death of Cyrus in 530 BC, Darius consolidated power and took office in 522 BC. His system divided the different colonies of the empire into easily manageable districts overseen by governors. Zerubbabel comes into the story, appointed by Darius as governor over the district of Yehud (Judah). Under the reign of Darius, Zechariah also emerged, centering around the rebuilding of the temple. Unlike the Babylonians, the Persian Empire went to great lengths to keep "cordial relations" between vassal and lord. The rebuilding of the temple was encouraged by the leaders of the empire in hopes that it would strengthen the authorities in local contexts. This policy was good politics on the part of the Persians, and the Jews viewed it as a blessing from God. -- The Prophet: Zechariah (Hebrew prophet) His name means "God has remembered." Not much is known about Zechariah's life other than what may be inferred from the book. It has been speculated that his ancestor Iddo was the head of a priestly family who returned with Zerubbabel (Nehemiah 12:4), and that Zechariah may himself have been a priest as well as a prophet. This is supported by Zechariah's interest in the Temple and the priesthood, and from Iddo's preaching in the Books of Chronicles. -- Composition: The return from exile [and End Time Events] is the theological premise of prophet's visions in chapters 1-6. Chapters 7-8 address the quality of life God wants his renewed people to enjoy, containing many encouraging promises to them. Chapters 9-14 comprise two "oracles" of the future. [article link]

List of some of the Messianic prophecies fufilled by Jesus - The Old Testament testifies about the Messiah - NKJV, Psalm 40:7 Then I said, "Behold I come. In the scroll of the book it is written of Me" - KJV, Psalm 40:7 "Then said I [Messiah], Lo, I come: in the volume [whole] of the Book [Holy Bible] it is written of Me" - {Note: This website is trying to put together O.T. Prophecy using the faulty NKJV bible version and it really doesn't work but they have some interesting concepts though it's difficult and even impossible at times to interpret their concepts because of their use of adverse NKJV quotes.}
Wounded By His Friends: Anyone can inflict severe physical wounds. But only your friends and family can inflict the most severe emotional wounds. When [King] David sinned [through pride] by ordering a census God gave him three choices for his punishment. They were seven years of famine, three months fleeing from his enemies or three days pestilence. He chose his friend, God. ... I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man. 2 Samuel 24:14 God had the same choice. He could give His blood for mankind through His own efforts. He did not need the contribution of an evil deed to pay the price for sin. He could sweat blood and He could lay down His own life. It was the blood that was taken into the altar as an atonement, not the dead animal. But the forces of evil were going to take the opportunity to murder Him. And He must submit. He probably had the choice of falling into the hands of Satan, the Gentiles, His enemies or His friends. He chose to be wounded by His friends. [NKJV (a faulty translation), Zechariah 13:6 "And one will say to Him, what are these *wounds between Your arms? Then He will say "those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends" -- KJV, Zechariah 13:6 "And one shall say unto Him, What are these *wounds [pierced nail holes] in thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends." This is why the behavior of the tribes were listed as blessings even though it cost Him His life. Only the children of His friend Abraham could be entrusted with this task. So the test of Abraham takes on another symbolic meaning. Abraham was allowed to experience the agony of God who had to give up His only Son to death. He was also the one to hold the knife to kill his son. The seed of Abraham also had to experience the agony of Abraham. They were the ones who would kill the favorite Son of their friend, God! What agony! It was also symbolic of what the atonement did. He would die for His friends because of His friends. Our sins killed Him, therefore we must hold the knife, not Satan or those who reject His atoning death. He would die at the hands of the priests and sinners among His own chosen people. Therefore, although Israel sinned, God chose them over anyone else to kill Him. It was also His will that the Jews would be separated from the Christians so that He could maintain an accurate knowledge of His covenant for the people at the end of time. Therefore, it is only fair that God should bring them back from this cloud of infamy. So, Paul says that they will be grafted back in. Isaiah says that their dignity would be restored and they will be a light to the Gentiles. [article link]

Zechariah 1-2 - The Prophet Zechariah begins his Ministry the month before the last month of the Prophetic and encouragement Ministry of the Prophet Haggai -- 'Zechariah 1:1-6 In the eighth month (October, 520 B.C.), in the second year of Darius, came the Word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the Prophet, saying, The LORD [God] hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; **Turn ye unto Me [don't follow people, don't serve people - follow and serve God], saith the LORD of Hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of Hosts. *Be ye not as your fathers [who look for man's approval], unto whom the former Prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; Turn ye now from your evil [humanistic] ways, and from your evil [self-centered] doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto Me, saith the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? and the Prophets, do they live forever? ***But My Words [Holy Bible] and My Statutes [Promises and Commandments], which I Commanded My servants the Prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of Hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath He [God has] dealt with us.'
Zechariah 1:7-13 Deliver thyself [come out of 'Mystery Babylon' (Revelation 17:5)], O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith [Jesus] the LORD of hosts; After the glory [cross and resurrection] hath He [Father] sent Me [Jesus] unto the Nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you [Israel] toucheth the apple [shine] of His eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the LORD of Hosts hath sent Me. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: ***for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. ***And many [Gentile] Nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day [the Christian Church era], and shall be My people [Christians]: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of Hosts hath sent Me unto thee [Israel]. And **the LORD shall *inherit Judah [the area of Jerusalem] His {Firstborn} portion in the Holy Land [Israel], and shall choose Jerusalem again. **Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for He is raised up [resurrection] out of His Holy [physical body] habitation. - Note: Zechariah and the other Minor Prophets have a Ministry of directly prophesying of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Nation of Israel had been rebuilt and established and then the next event on the Divine prophetic calendar and agenda was to manifest the Messiah [Jesus Christ] in Israel, to redeem [cross] and save (heal) [resurrection] mankind for all eternity and to then bring about and establish the predominantly Gentile Christian Church on earth all of which was either successfully fulfilled at the time of Jesus Christ or is now ongoing in His Christian Church even to this present day.

Zechariah's Eight Visions for [the Glory and Honor of] Israel - {The 9th vision (Word from the Lord) was "The symbolic crowning of Joshua, the High Priest. This was a symbolic merger of the two [three] offices of King and High Priest [and Prophet the 'Branch' (Nazarene -Netzer the green living, alive, anointed branch capable of growth, bearing fruit and of self-reproduction)] in the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ} - Zechariah 6:11-15 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the High Priest; And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH [living, Christ]; and He shall grow up out of His place [Heaven], and **He shall build the [eternal] Temple of the LORD: Even He shall build the Temple of the LORD; and He shall bear [have] the Glory, and shall sit and rule upon His Throne [King]; and He shall be a *Priest upon His Throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both [office of King and office of Priest]. And [for a prophecy remembrance] the crowns [just made by Zechariah] shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, *for a memorial [remembrance] in the Temple of the LORD [intended to be there until the Messiah comes - Jesus was instead crowned with thorns by Herod's troops (Matthew 27:29)]. And they [Gentiles] that are far off shall come and build in the [eternal] Temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of Hosts hath sent Me unto you. *And this [crowning the Messiah in Jerusalem] shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God. - {Note: This will still come to pass, not at the 1st coming of Jesus but at the 2nd coming of Jesus.}
What Does This Mean to Us? - The rest of the book of Zechariah contains more promises of forgiveness for Israel, blessings of restoration of the land and people from exile, and judgment on the nations who come against God's eternal plans and promises. Of the people of Israel, God called them to "administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other" (Zech. 7:9-10). Of the land of Israel, God cries out: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem I will save My people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be My people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God" (Zech. 8:2,3,8). Of the people of the nations, God says, "In those days, ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the edge of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you'" (Zech. 8:23). Of the choice the nations must make: "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding people reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves On that day, I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem" (Zech. 12:2-3,9). Of the Jewish people, He says: "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son On that day, a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity" (Zech. 12:10; 13:1). Of the Messiah, "On that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. Then, the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zech. 14:4,16)."In that day." This book is a most prophetic book, which says much about Israel in a future day when the Jewish people will return from exile and restore the land to its former glory. Messiah will come and establish Himself in Jerusalem where He will rule and reign in justice over the whole world from Jerusalem. This is that day, and we can be excited that we can be a part of prophecy, not only witnessing God's plan unfolding, but participating in prophecy through the projects and programs of Bridges for Peace and other Christian Zionist organizations. As we say at Bridges for Peace, "Don't just read about Bible prophecy when you can be a part of it." Get involved. Pray. Give. And, participate. Psalm 102:13 says it all: "The time to favor Zion [Israel] is now!" [article link]

Zechariah 3 - Zechariah Prophecies of the coming Messiah [Jesus Christ] the coming BRANCH of Righteousness providing the opportunity of eternal life to all mankind -- 'Zechariah 3:1 And He [Angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ] shewed me Joshua the High Priest standing before the Angel of the LORD [in judgment], and Satan standing at his right hand to resist [accuse] him [of sins].'
Satan and his accusations [though some are true] against God's people are rebuked and silenced [by the cross and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ] in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ: Zechariah 3:2-10 *And the LORD said unto Satan, **The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this [the remnant of Israel] a [dry] brand plucked [saved] out of the fire? *Now {in the vision} Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the Angel [Jesus Christ]. And He [Jesus Christ] answered and spake unto those that stood before Him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him [Joshua the High Priest]. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee [on His cross], and [in the resurrection] I will clothe thee with change of raiment [a new body]. And I [Zechariah - very excitedly] said, Let them set a fair mitre [hat of authority] upon his head. So they set a fair mitre [High Priest's head cover] upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the Angel of the LORD stood by. And the Angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of Hosts; **If thou wilt walk in My ways, and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also judge My House [Temple], and shalt also keep My courts [open spaces of the Temple], and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the [Levitical] High Priest, thou, and thy fellows (brethren) that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at [high in the community]: for, behold, I will bring forth My Servant the BRANCH [Anointed living Messiah]. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes (complete vision, spiritual and physical - Revelation 5:6): behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, ***and *I [Jesus Christ] will remove the iniquity [sins] of that land ***in one day [on the cross of Jesus Christ]. In that [Christ - restoration] day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree (1 Kings 4:25) [in true restoration that was only prophesied by Solomon's Kingdom].

Zechariah 4-7 - Zechariah Prophecies of the completeness of God's eternal work in mankind in the building His eternal Temple from the small beginnings of laying a foundation in each person to the glorious end result of the completed eternal Temple of the Lord -- 'Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small [projects - laying the foundation stones of the Temple] things? for they [workers, helping to build the Temple] shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet [building and measuring tools] in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven [Holy Spirit]; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.'
Zechariah 7:4-10 Then came the Word of the LORD of Hosts unto me, saying, Speak unto all the people of the land [the Promise Land], and to the Priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years [in Babylon], did ye at all fast unto Me [God], even to Me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? Should ye not hear the Words which the LORD hath cried by the former Prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain? And the Word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying, **Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts, saying, ***Execute [do] *true *judgment, and *shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. - Note: These are the foundations the 'small things' of the eternal Temple of the Lord and being seemingly small things in the eyes of man they become rejected by men even rejected by the men of God but without these 'small' foundations a person cannot become a part of the completed eternal Temple of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 8-9 - Zechariah continues to emphasize the necessity of godly character and godly conduct in God's people -- 'Zechariah 8:16-17 These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.'
Zechariah 9:9-17 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: ***behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having Salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass (Matthew 21:5). And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and He shall speak peace unto the heathen [Gentiles]: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even to the ends of the earth. ***As for thee [Jews] also, by the blood of thy [New] covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of [Hades, hell] the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double [blessings] unto thee; When I have bent [armed] Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece [the then future Kingdom of Greece the 5th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10], and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. And the LORD shall be seen over them, and His arrow {Maccabees revolt} shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign [signal flag] upon His land [Israel]. For how great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty! corn [grains of wheat] shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids. - Note: The promise of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ and of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem fulfilled by Jesus Christ (Matthew 21:5).

Zechariah 10-11 - Zechariah continues to prophesy regarding the selfishness and unfaithfulness of mankind even among the shepherds, the guardians of the people of God -- 'Zechariah 10:1-3 Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. For the idols have spoken vanity [emptiness] and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no [true] Shepherd. Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds [Pastors], and I punished the goats [selfish]: for the LORD of Hosts hath visited His flock the House of Judah [Praise - the Christian Church], and hath made them as His goodly [dependably] horse (Revelation 19:19) in the battle.'
The unfaithful, self-serving shepherds of the flock of God are opening the way and helping to create a bigger opportunity for the coming Antichrist to come into the flock and devastate the flock of God: Zechariah 11:3-17 There is a voice of the howling [complaining against] of the shepherds [Pastors]; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled. Thus saith the LORD My God; Feed the flock of the slaughter; Whose possessors (the hidden powerful society, manipulating the Pastors) slay them, and hold themselves not guilty: *and they [Pastors] that sell them [their flock] say, Blessed be the LORD; for I am rich: and their own shepherds pity them not. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD: but, lo, I will deliver [into judgment] the men every one into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king: and they shall smite the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them. **And I will feed the [neglected and persecuted] flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves [walking sticks]; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. Three [false] shepherds also I cut off in one month [Antichrist (Satan) false Messiah King, False Prophet, Mystery Babylon false Holy Spirit]; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred Me. Then said I, I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die; and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off; and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my [Old] Covenant which I had made with all the people. And it was broken in that day [when the New Covenant (Testament) was enacted]: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon Me knew that it was the *Word of the LORD. And I said unto them, *If ye [Temple Pastors - false shepherds] think good, give Me [Jesus] My price [honor]; and if not, forbear [reject Jesus]. So they [rejecting Jesus] weighed for My price thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the House [Temple] of the LORD. Then I cut asunder mine other staff, even Bands, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel. **And the LORD said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd [Antichrist]. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd [Antichrist] in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he [Antichrist] shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws [wolves in sheep's clothing] in pieces. **Woe to the idol [lazy] shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm [right arm, righteousness] shall be clean dried up, and his right eye [spiritual righteousness] shall be utterly darkened.

Zechariah 12-13 - Zechariah prophecies that God is the creator of the universe and is Who gives life to each individual person -- 'Zechariah 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and *formeth [gives life] the spirit of man within him.'
The Jewish remnant of Israel seeks forgiveness from Jesus and asks for Jesus Christ to return to them: Zechariah 13:1-9 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the House of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem [the eternal life blood of Jesus Christ] for sin and for uncleanness. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the Name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive: But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman [farmer]; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. ***And one shall say unto Him [Jesus Christ], What are these wounds [nail holes] in thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the House of my friends. Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd [Jesus Christ], and against the Man [Jesus the Son of Man] that is My fellow [companion], saith the LORD of Hosts: smite the Shepherd [on the cross], and the sheep shall be scattered (Mark 14:27): and I will turn [lit. leave off] mine hand [from] upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land [throughout the entire earth], saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and [physically] die; but the third shall be [physically] left therein [on earth]. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: **they [the remnant of Israel] shall call on My Name, and I will hear them [and return in the 2nd coming]: *I will say, It is My people [the Jews]: and they shall say, The LORD is My God. - Note: This is the remnant of Israel the Jews who by their prayers, request and bring back the Messiah, Jesus Christ causing His return to the earth to be among His brethren the Jews. - Also Note: At the moment there are few if any Jewish prayers for the return of Jesus Christ however after their betrayal by the Antichrist the Jewish remnant that will have fled for safety is going to pray to Jesus Christ asking for His forgiveness and requesting that He return and Jesus Christ will hear their prayers and answer their prayers and He will return!

Bible Versions Controversy (Zechariah 13:6) Explained - Highly Recommended (Mp3)
Can you trust the new versions? before you say yes, you need to hear this message. learn where they came from [Antichrist agenda], who is behind them [practically everyone, NWO], and HEAR ACTUAL AUDIO FROM CHUCK SWENDOL, DR. D.A. WAITE AND OTHERS.. Learn what you need to know before you use that new [NKJV, NIV, Message, etc.] bible version. [article link]

Zechariah 14 - Zechariah continues to prophesy of End Time events and of the important 2nd Coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ -- 'Zechariah 14:5 And ye [House of Israel] shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD [Jesus Christ] my God shall come [2nd Coming], and all the [Christian] Saints with Thee [Jesus Christ].' - Note: This verse is probably in conjunction with the N.T. verses of Matthew 24:15-22.
The Bible's book of Zechariah concludes: Zechariah 14:16-21 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left [Saints] of all the Nations which came against [into] Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to Worship the King [Jesus Christ], the LORD of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles [tented, clothed in God's righteousness]. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to Worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, even upon them shall be no rain [blessing]. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all Nations that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. In that [Holy] day [era, 1,000 year Kingdom reign] shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S House shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of Hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite [everyone will be family] in the House [Temple] of the LORD of Hosts.

MALACHI

Book of Malachi - As the final Book of the Old Testament closes, the pronouncement of God's just and the promise of His restoration through the coming Messiah is ringing in the ears of the Israelites - Four hundred years of [Scriptural] silence ensues [the 400 years are very active years, i.e. the Kingdoms of Persia, Greece and Rome], ending with a similar message from God's next prophet, John the Baptist, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2) - Malachi 3:1-6 is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist - He was the Messenger of the Lord sent to prepare the way (Matthew 11:10) for the Messiah, Jesus Christ
Purpose of Writing: The Book of Malachi is an oracle: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi (1:1). This was God's warning through Malachi to tell the people to turn back to God. As the final book of the Old Testament closes, the pronouncement of God's just and the promise of His restoration through the coming Messiah is ringing in the ears of the Israelites. Four hundred years of silence ensues, ending with a similar message from God's next prophet, John the Baptist, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2). Key Verses: Malachi 1:6, "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the Lord Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name." Malachi 3:6-7, "I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty." Brief Summary: Malachi wrote the words of the Lord to God's chosen people who had gone astray, especially the priests who had turned from the Lord. Priests were not treating the sacrifices they were to make to God seriously. Animals with blemishes were being sacrificed even though the law demanded animals without defect (Deuteronomy 15:21). The men of Judah were dealing with the wives of their youth treacherously and wondering why God would not accept their sacrifices. Also, people were not tithing as they should have been (Leviticus 27:30, 32). But in spite of the people's sin and turning away from God, Malachi reiterates God's love for His people (Malachi 1:1-5) and His promises of a coming Messenger (Malachi 2:17-3:5). Foreshadowings: Malachi 3:1-6 is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist. He was the Messenger of the Lord sent to prepare the way (Matthew 11:10) for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. John preached repentance and baptized in the name of the Lord, thus preparing the way for Jesus' first advent. But the Messenger who comes "suddenly to the Temple" is Christ Himself in His second advent when He comes in power and might (Matthew 24). At that time, He will "purify the sons of Levi" (v. 3), meaning that those who exemplified the Mosaic Law would themselves need purification from sin through the blood of the Savior. Only then will they be able to offer "an offering in righteousness" because it will be the righteousness of Christ imputed to them through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21). [article link]

Book of Malachi Prophecy Foretells Jesus - At the end of the first chapter God makes a statement that, "His name would be great among the gentiles and great among the heathen as well" (Malachi 1:11) - There is no other name so great that is known, which has come forth from Jerusalem [Nazareth], and inspires awe among the peoples of the world - This is exactly what God was speaking of in Malachi - Take note that He is also speaking of Himself in this chapter - This is just a small prophecy in regards to length, but it is important none the less - The Bible is littered with such seemingly small prophecies - They do not really jump out at you and catch your attention until you really start to look - These small prophecies are important because they add to the whole picture to validate the claims of Jesus, and the basis of our faith in Him
There are many prophecies in the Old Testament which foretell the coming of Jesus as Messiah. However, at the time that the prophecy was written, it would not be fully understood until it came to pass. That is why men today, who believe, can read the ancient prophecies, and after knowing of Jesus, they understand them. The same can be said of the parables which Jesus himself told to the people that, "They might hear, yet not comprehend." This was another fulfillment of prophecy. However, it is in the book of Malachi, where we see the prophecy, though it is only one verse in length; it is a clear reference to Jesus. The book of Malachi is a very tough book to read, but only because it is such a condemnation of Israel's religious leaders and practices of which God is not happy at all with. At the end of the first chapter God makes a statement that, "His name would be great among the gentiles and great among the heathen as well." ... This is just a small prophecy in regards to length, but it is important none the less. The Bible is littered with such seemingly small prophecies. They do not really jump out at you and catch your attention until you really start to look. These small prophecies are important because they add to the whole picture to validate the claims of Jesus, and the basis of our faith in him. I am aware that there are those that simply will not believe and they will make their own interpretation. They will do this because in their hearts they do not want to believe that it is true. Nevertheless, truth is truth and no matter how you interpret it, it will remain, and they only serve to deceive themselves. [article link]

Malachi 1-2 - The Prophet Malachi begins to Prophesy about 400 B.C. - Malachi will also prophesy regarding the then coming Messiah [Jesus Christ] and will also prophesy of the forerunner the coming John the Baptist's ministry previous to the ministry of Jesus Christ - The prophesies of Malachi will 'seal' the Old Testament Scriptures concluding the Old Testament Bible but not concluding prophesy in Israel as many will continue to prophesy and write texts primarily as local encouragement and not the office of inherency and global encouragement of the Holy Scriptures that comprise the Jewish and Christian Bible -- 'Malachi 1:1-5 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. I have loved you [Israel], saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's [physical, blood] brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved [godly] Jacob, And I hated [worldly] Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom [Esau's descendants] saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They [Esau's descendants] shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation forever. And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border [all] of Israel.'
The Prophet Malachi prophesies of the continuing problem of an uncooperative Priesthood. A Priesthood that is doing much more to further the corruption of mankind than it is doing in proclaiming the Blessedness, Holiness and Truth of God: Malachi 2:1-9 And now, O ye Priests, this Commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto My Name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this Commandment unto you, that My Covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The Law of Truth [image of God] was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: *he walked with me in peace and equity, **and did turn many away from iniquity. *For the Priest's lips should keep [holy] knowledge, and they [people] should seek the law at his mouth: for he [Priest] is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of Hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial [biased, incomplete] in the law [representation of God]. ... Malachi 2:17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

Malachi 3-4 - The Prophet Malachi declares to us The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Righteousness -- 'Malachi 3:1-3 Behold, I (God) will send My messenger [John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10)], and he shall prepare the way before Me (God): and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His Temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, He [Messiah-Christ] shall come, saith the LORD of Hosts. *But who may abide The Day of His Coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He [Christ] is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope: And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD ***an offering in righteousness.'
The Bible's book of Malachi concludes: Malachi 4:1-6 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear My Name **shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing (Salvation) in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of Hosts. Remember ye the Law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb [Mt. Sinai] for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah [lit. 'my God is Jehovah'] the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. - Note: The first Book of the Old Testament the Book of Genesis concludes in a coffin in Egypt (Genesis 50:26), the last Book of the Old Testament concludes with the possibility of a curse (Malachi 4:6). The first Book of the New Testament the Gospel of Matthew concludes with God's promise that He is always with His people (Matthew 28:20) and the Bible's last book the Book of Revelation concludes with God and mankind united into all eternity in the Grace of God the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 22:21). Cleary the Old Testament of God for mankind has been completed and replaced for mankind by the New Testament of God in Jesus Christ.

New Testament

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

SAINT MATTHEW

Matthew 1 - Matthew the first of the eyewitness Gospel accounts of the physical life of Jesus Christ [the Gospels are placed in the Bible in the order that they were written, (the epistle 'Book of James' was probably the first New Testament document written) the epistles (letters) are placed according to their size - largest to smallest - then The Book of Revelation completes and closes the Bible Scriptures] - Matthew is going to prove beyond a reason of doubt that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah (Christ) by documenting Jesus' birth and descendancy from King David via the Jewish Temple genealogy scrolls and also by referencing the prophecies and scripture descriptions from the Hebrew Bible foretelling His coming - Matthew having established that Jesus is the Christ then narrates the Divine Ministry of Jesus Christ - The Ministry of Jesus in transitioning the Jewish Nation from faith and trust in exclusively following the law to faith and trust in a relationship with the living God the Messiah (Christ) - 'Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of [King] David ...' - 'Matthew 1:18-22 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise ... now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord [God] by the prophet ...'
Eligible to be King: The genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew is given because any future King in Israel would have to show their relationship and eligibility to the previous throne of King David. In modern times an eligible relationship to King David could not be established as the Jewish Temple genealogy scrolls were destroyed in the 70 AD destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. The possibility does not exist of having a modern, post 70 AD, Messiah because it would not be possible for a person to confirm the required King David genealogy [for a King and also the promised Messiah] and it would be impossible in modern times for a person to fulfill the Old Testament laws, prophecies and Biblical accounts that substantiated Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah, the Christ. -- 'Matthew 1:1-16 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; ... And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.' -- 'Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.'

Ray Stedman - Adventuring Through the Bible - The Message of Matthew: BEHOLD YOUR KING! - People often wonder why we have four Gospels - There is a very good reason for this - It is interesting to note that each of these Gospels is a development of an exclamatory statement that is found in the Old Testament - Four different times -- and only four times -- in the Old Testament there was an exclamatory statement made concerning the Messiah, introduced always by the word ***behold - In one of the prophets (Zechariah 9:9) we read, "Behold thy King, O Israel!" In another place (Zechariah 6:12) we read, "Behold the man!" In a third place (Isaiah 42:1) we read, "Behold my servant!" In still a fourth place (Isaiah 35:3, Amos 4:12) we read, "Behold thy God!" These four statements are amplified and developed in the four Gospels -- Matthew, the Gospel of the King; Mark, the Gospel of the Servant; Luke, the Gospel of the Son of man; and John, the Gospel of God, the presentation of the Son of God (Mp3s)
Beginning in the New Testament we move from the realm of shadow, type, and prophecy, into the full sunshine of the presentation of the Son of God. The Old Testament speaks of him on every page, but speaks in shadows, in types, in symbols, and in prophecies -- all looking forward to the coming of Someone. You cannot read the Old Testament without being aware of that constant promise running through every page -- Someone is coming! Someone is coming! Now, when we open the Gospels, that Someone steps forth in the fullness of his glory. As John says, "We have beheld his glory...as of the only Son from the Father," (John 1:14 (RSV). I love the Gospels. They are to me one of the most perennially fascinating sections of the Bible. There you see Christ as He is. Remember that what He was is what He is; and what He is is what you have, if you are a Christian. All the fullness of His character and being and life is available to us, and we only learn what those resources are as we see Him as He was and is. That is why the Gospel records are so important to us. People often wonder why we have four Gospels. There is a very good reason for this. It is interesting to note that each of these Gospels is a development of an exclamatory statement that is found in the Old Testament. Four different times -- and only four times -- in the Old Testament there was an exclamatory statement made concerning the Messiah, introduced always by the word behold. In one of the prophets we read, "Behold thy king, O Israel!" In another place we read, "Behold the man!" In a third place we read, "Behold my servant!" In still a fourth place we read, "Behold thy God!" These four statements are amplified and developed in the four Gospels -- Matthew, the Gospel of the King; Mark, the Gospel of the Servant; Luke, the Gospel of the Son of man; and John, the Gospel of God, the presentation of the Son of God. These four Gospels give us four aspects of our Lord's character and person. They are not, strictly speaking, biographies. They are really sketches about the Person of Christ -- eyewitness accounts by those who knew him personally, or those immediately associated with them. Therefore, they have the ring of authenticity, and they carry to our hearts that first and marvelous impression that our Lord made upon his own disciples, and then upon the multitudes that followed him. No more amazing character has ever walked among men. As you read the Gospel accounts, I hope something of this fascination breaks upon your own heart as you see him stepping forth from these pages, revealed to you by the Spirit, when you see Him as He is. The first book of the New Testament is Matthew, and this is the place where most people start reading the Bible. I think more people begin reading in the New Testament than the Old, therefore, that would make Matthew the most widely read book in all the world. In fact, Renan, the French skeptic, said of this book, "This is the most important book of all Christendom." He also said, "The most important book that has ever been written is the Gospel of Matthew." But it has its critics, too. There are those who claim that this book contains nothing but the early legends of the church which grew up around Jesus, that these accounts are not historical, and that this book was not actually written until the fourth century A.D. Therefore, they say, we are uncertain as to how much is really true. Other critics make the claim that this is only one of many gospels that were circulated. Now, it is true that there are other gospels besides the four in the New Testament. There is the Gospel of Barnabas, for instance, and the Gospel of Peter, and yet other gospels. They can be found in a book called "The New Testament Apocrypha" if you would like to read them. The critics say that it is mere chance that these four Gospels survived. There is a legend that began with a German theologian named Pappas in about the 16th century who said that the Gospels were selected at the Council of Nice in 325 A.D. by gathering together all the many gospels that were circulating at that time, throwing them all under a table, and then reaching in and pulling out four which happened to be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The foolishness of such a claim is evident to anyone who reads the Gospels with thoughtfulness. They are stamped with the fingerprints of God. The very pattern of these books reflects the divine imprint, and you cannot read them or compare them with the Old Testament without seeing that they come from an inspired source. Furthermore, you have merely to compare them with the Apocryphal gospels to see how foolish such a claim is. [article link]

Which Language Did Jesus Speak - Aramaic or Hebrew? - There is no ground for assuming that Jesus did not speak Hebrew; and when we are told (Acts 21:40) that [Apostle] Paul spoke Hebrew [to the crowd in Jerusalem], we should take this piece of information at face value" - we also have that of the Church Fathers - Eight early writers assert that Matthew wrote his Gospel in Hebrew - The most important of these testimonies is that of Papias (birth about 60 AD - 135 AD, source wiki.com), a second century Church father "Matthew recorded in the Hebrew language the words [of Jesus], and everyone [Egyptian, Greek, Roman, etc.] interpreted them as he is able"
A Final Witness: In addition to the witnesses of the New Testament itself, archaeology, and linguistic scholarship, we also have that of the Church Fathers. Of them, Jean Carmignac says, "Eight early writers assert that Matthew wrote his Gospel in Hebrew: altogether there are over thirty formal assertions that this was so in the works of Papias, Hegesippus, Irenaeus, Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius and Jerome". The most important of these testimonies is that of Papias, a second century Church father: "Matthew recorded in the Hebrew language the words [of Jesus], and everyone interpreted them as he is able". Dr. Brad Young sums up the importance of considering the Jewish background of Jesus' life and teachings: "...without consideration of the Jewish parallels, the Gospels will forever be filtered through Western culture, and Jesus will be completely missed or greatly misunderstood...The world...including church leaders and outstanding scholars, often has missed Jesus. The original Jewish environment of his life promises to reveal a new vision of Jesus and his message" (Jesus the Jewish Theologian, p. xxxvi). [article link]

RayStedman.org: ADVENTURING THROUGH THE BIBLE by Ray C. Stedman - #40 The 400 Years between the Old and New Testaments (Mp3)
Sunday evening services at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, were the setting for a series of 67 messages on the entire Bible preached by Ray C. Stedman. One book of the Bible was covered per message, with an additional message inserted to cover the history of the "400 Silent Years" between the close of the Old Testament canon (Malachi) and the First Gospel (Matthew). This series commenced June 28, 1964 and was completed on August 4, 1968. These sermons constitute Discovery Papers #201-267 inclusive. The book version, "Adventuring Through the Bible," was released in late 1997 and is currently in print. [article link]

Apocrypha - Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible Apocrypha (Text)
The Project Gutenberg Etext of Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible also known as the Apocrypha [Book titles added as there were none in the files we received. One typo of Ezra to Esdr was changed as were some of the marginations. The books were each received as an Etext file, and have been put here into one single file for utilty and they are placed in an order suggested by one of our advisors--we would be happy to post indices of other suggested orderings and other commentaries.] [article link]

Generations of Jesus Christ - In the first chapter of the New Testament in Matthew 1:17 - These are fourteen of the generations from Abraham to King David - Matthew omits three generations (Kings) after Joram -- namely Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah (1 Chron. 3:11-12) and fourteen from King David's time to the exile - and fourteen from the exile to Christ {Matthew omitted the descendants of Jezebel [removed by God] from the genealogy. King David is counted twice and there are other known jumps in the Matthew genealogy of Joseph [the Stepfather of Jesus] as well.}
The genealogy (Heb. yachas, Gr. genealogia) is listed as such : Genealogy of Jesus Christ is divided into three sets of fourteen generations each, probably to aid memorization. - Judah was only the fourth son of Jacob. Matthew omits three generations (Kings) after Joram -- namely Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah (1 Chron. 3:11-12). Even in Ezra 7:1-5, six generations of priesthood are omitted, compared to 1 Chron. 6:3-15, thus such an omission in Hebrew genealogies is not peculiar to Matthew's religious considerations. He names Zerah (Za'ra) as well as Perez (Pha'res) and mentions the brothers of Judah and of Jeconiah, which is unusual. [Tamar], Ra'chab and Ruth are gentiles. Abiud through Matthan are not found in the Old Testament, but taken from a public registry. Matthew gave the names of those who were heirs to the Davidic throne, compared to Luke's [Mary] genealogy from Jesus to Adam that records that of the physical descent with his humanity. Both make plain his virgin birth, and therefore his deity. [article link]

Josh McDowell - The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict - Part One (YouTube)
Josh McDowell is regarded by most Christians and theologians as one of the most effective apologetics speakers around. When McDowell published his first powerful defense of the Bible in his book, "The Evidence That Demands A Verdict," it became a national bestseller within a matter of months. McDowell's writings contained a body of undeniable evidence on the validity of Holy Scripture. More recently McDowell has added even more solid information to his thesis, and, to the dismay of agnostics and atheists, made the validity of the Bible even MORE undeniable. This is the special television version of that powerful information presented by McDowell himself. [article link]

Josh McDowell - Evidence For Your Faith (Mp3's)
Former skeptic Josh McDowell examines the evidence about Jesus. Is this first century Hebrew carpenter truly the God he claimed to be? Or was he just a good man and maybe a little crazy? More than a Carpenter offers arguments for faith from a skeptic turned believer and now includes new content that addresses questions raised by today's popular atheist writers. [article link]

Matthew 2 - The birth of Jesus - The arrival of the Messiah (Christ) - Balaam's prophesied Christmas Star appears - Wise Men from the East journey to Jerusalem - King Herod the area's Roman appointed gentile King then also inquires about the newborn King - Herod a builder of stone and a destroyer of men sought the death of the newborn King - Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee Israel to live in Egypt until the death of Herod when they can safely return to Israel -- 'Matthew 2:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea [Judah] in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him [the Messiah]'
Three Wise Gifts: Wise Men of the East journeyed a long distance to find the newborn King of the Jews and to 'Worship Him' upon being led to the young Jesus [about one year old by the time the Wise Men arrived] the Wise Men presented Jesus with three Worship gifts to honor His unique standing among mankind. 1. Gold - the gift and possession for a King and the covering on the Ark of the Covenant [Exodus 25:11] for the Tabernacle and the Temple. 2. Frankincense - the gift of the Priesthood used by priests in an aroma sacrifice offering to God and as an incense [Exodus 31:34] in offering a sweet smoke aroma to God within the Holy place of both the Tabernacle and later the Temple. 3. Myrrh - the gift of an anointing oil for anointing a Prophet [particularly the 'man of sorrows,' 'acquainted with grief' Prophet [Isaiah 53:3] - 'the oil of joy for mourning' Isaiah 61:3] and as oil to anoint the Holy objects of the Tabernacle and later also for the Temple 'oil of holy ointment ' [Exodus 30:25]. - 'Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.'

King Herod the Great - The Roman appointed king of Israel in the days of the birth of Jesus
Herod (73-4 BCE) was the pro-Roman king of the small Jewish state in the last decades before the common era. He started his career as a general, but the Roman statesman Mark Antony recognized him as the Jewish national leader. ... On moments like that, it was clear to anyone that Herod was not a Jewish but a Roman king. He had become the ruler of the Jews with Roman help and he boasted to be philokaisar ('the emperor's friend'), entertaining Agrippa, Augustus' right-hand man. On top of the gate of the new Temple, a golden eagle was erected, a symbol of Roman power in the heart of the holy city resented by all pious believers. Worse, Augustus ordered and paid the priests of the Temple to sacrifice twice a day on behalf of himself, the Roman senate and people. The Jewish populace started to believe rumors that their pagan ruler had violated Jewish tombs, stealing golden objects from the tomb of David and Solomon. ... Herod's reign ended in terror. The monastery at Qumran, the home of the Essenes, suffered a violent and deliberate destruction by fire in 8 BCE, for which Herod may have been responsible. When the king fell ill, two popular teachers, Judas and Matthias, incited their pupils to remove the golden eagle from the entrance of the Temple: after all, according to the Ten Commandments, it was a sin to make idols. The teachers and the pupils were burned alive. Some Jewish scholars had discovered that seventy-six generations had passed since the Creation, and there was a well-known prophecy that the Messiah was to deliver Israel from its foreign rulers in the seventy-seventh generation. The story about the slaughter of infants of Bethlehem in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew is not known from other sources, but it would have been totally in character for the later Herod to commit such a terrible act. [article link]

Matthew 3-4 - Jesus begins His earthly ministry by being baptized [washed - public testimony] by John the Baptist - Jesus was Baptized not unto repentance but as a Testimony [Exodus 29:4] to the people that His ministry had begun - Jesus is then led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days of fasting and to be tempted by Satan - 'Matthew 3:16-17 And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him (John the Baptist), and he saw [Testimony] the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased'
Matthew 4:1-3 Then was Jesus led up of the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter (Devil) came to Him, he said, If [Since, lit. Greek] thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.' - Satan unsuccessfully tempted Jesus three times and all three times Jesus replied to Satan with a quote from the Bible. 1. Turning stones to bread: Satan encourages Jesus to immediately satisfy His hunger by turning rocks to bread. Jesus had been led by the Holy Spirit to go into the desert to fast [and pray] - this was simply who is Jesus going to follow God for eternity or Satan for a moment. [Deut 8:3] Jesus did not even hesitate and would not even consider the suggestion of the Devil. 2. Satan wanted Jesus to test God's loyalty to Jesus by having Jesus jump from the top of the Temple building forcing God to react to the situation in saving Jesus from bodily harm. Jesus said "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord they God" [Deut 6:16]. Again Jesus did not even consider Satan's proposal. Finally Satan told Jesus that if Jesus would "fall down" and worship Satan that Satan would give Jesus all the Kingdoms of the world. Note: 'Revelation 17:10 And there are seven kings [kingdoms of the world]: five are fallen [Nimrod, Egypt, Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Greece], and one is [Rome], and the other [Antichrist] is not yet come; and when he [Antichrist] cometh, he must continue a short space [3 ½ years].' Jesus again [Deut 6:13] declined to submit to Satan and Satan immediately departed from the presence of Jesus. - 'Matthew 4:11 Then the Devil (Satan) leaveth Him (Jesus), and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.'

Matthew 5 - Jesus begins His 'Sermon on the Mount' teachings [it's been about one year since the baptism of Jesus the Gospel of John covers the first year's events with Jesus more fully than the other three Gospels] - The 'Sermon on the Mount' teachings are to orientate mankind away from human induced customs, rituals and fables into a meaningful relationship with God in Jesus Christ -- 'Matthew 5:2-12 And He (Jesus) opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you'
'Matthew 5:17-19 Think not that I (Jesus) am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle [strokes of the pen] shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.' - The law has been compared to a blueprint that you have to follow in order to build a life pleasing to God. However the law is more of a painting and an illustration (drawing) than a blueprint. The Laws of God and the Prophecies of God are the Image [painting] of the true God that has always existed [John 1:14 And the Word [Law and the Prophets] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth] not a blueprint or a ritual that Jesus needed to conform Himself into. The Law [Leviticus 19:34] says to 'Love your neighbor' "and thou shalt love him (neighbor/stranger) as thyself" because God is Love. Jesus didn't come to learn how to love one another Jesus came to teach us how to love one another. Also Note: Jesus then instructs that the law is external that it is words and ideas written down on paper and that what mankind needs is both the living example in Jesus Himself and mankind also needs a step further than the example of Jesus Christ mankind needs to be enabled internally, in the human spirit, to be like Jesus has always been and for mankind to become the Law unto themselves [obeying and following the law on their own] to actually become in the image, the ability, of God in Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit newly residing inside of the regenerated individual human enabling a human to now become pleasing to God and capable of having an intimate individual relationship with the Holy God.

Matthew 6 - Jesus continues His 'Sermon on the Mount' teaching - The Lord's Prayer [more accurately called The Disciple's Prayer as it is a prayer format the Lord Jesus taught the disciples to follow - The actual Lord's Prayer is in John 17:1-26]
'Matthew 6:9-15 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed [Holy] be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread [needs]. And forgive us our debts [sins], as we forgive our debtors [those who sin against us]. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.' - The Disciples Prayer is a model prayer it is not a rote, repetitive prayer though you can pray it word for word at times [often in congregations] it is not intend for individuals to constantly repetitively pray this prayer. 1. Acknowledge that God is in Heaven that He is our Father and that He is Very Holy. 2. That God's will is to be accomplished on earth as well just as much as in Heaven. 3. That God will meet our needs and also that we are to present our needs to God and ask God to meet our needs. 4. That we are sinners in need of forgiveness and that we also need to forgive others of their wrongs against us. Our request to God, for God to keep us from our own internal temptations and also for God to deliver us from external evil that does exist in this world. 5. Affirming that God has the power, authority and glory thought the entire universe.

Matthew 7 - Jesus concludes His 'Sermon on the Mount' teaching -- 'Matthew 7:24-29 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a Rock: ... And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine: For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.'
Enter into Heaven via the Straight and Narrow Way of Jesus Christ: The way to Heaven is straight and it is narrow but it is also open and unrestricted as everyone can enter and everyone has access all the way to Heaven. The way to Heaven is open in the cross of Jesus Christ and accessible via the living resurrection of Jesus Christ. No other way apart from Jesus Christ exists for our entrance into Heaven because no other way is needed for our entrance into Heaven. - 'Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye [you] in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life [eternal Spiritual life], and few there be that find it.'

Matthew 8 - Jesus comes down the mountain from His 'Sermon on the Mount' teaching [in going up to the mountain top to teach Jesus is signifying that the people are now hearing the same voice that Moses heard - Jesus is the voice that Moses heard when he climbed the mountain top at Mt. Sinai to hear the voice of God] - Jesus performs a miracle [healing a man with leprosy] the first of Jesus' miracles recorded in the Gospel of Matthew
'Matthew 8:1-4 When He (Jesus) was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And, behold, there came a leper and *worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, *thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the Priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.' - Jesus told the man that he had just healed to "tell no man" the ultimate ministry of Jesus Christ was His cross and His resurrection. Jesus didn't want people talking about Him publically apart from the context of His cross and His resurrection. In telling the man to go to the Temple and to make the offering required [Leviticus 14:1-32] for being healed of leprosy Jesus was directing the man to be a witness to the Temple Priests that the Messiah had arrived. Ultimately Jesus was directing all of the people; the man healed, the Temple Priests and the crowds that were following Him to keep His ministry, His actions and most importantly His miracles in the proper Biblical context.

Matthew 9 - Jesus has taken the disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee - Establishing the city of Capernaum in the Galilee region as a base for most of His 3½ years of earthly ministry - Religious opposition to Jesus begins as Jesus forgives the sins of a man obviously crippled from a sinful [venereal disease] condition - 'Matthew 9:2-7 And, behold, they [followers] brought to Him (Jesus) a man sick of the palsy [an advanced crippling sexual disease], lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; *thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth [Mark 2:8 who can forgive sins but God only?]. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of Man (Jesus) hath power on earth to forgive sins, then saith He to the sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.'
For I (Jesus) am not come to call the [Jewish] righteous, but [Jewish] sinners to repentance: 'Matthew 9:12-13 But when Jesus heard that [people complained because He ate with sinners], He said unto them [Pharisees], They that be whole (able, strong) need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn [Hosea 6:6] what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not [Levitical] sacrifice: for I am not come to call the [Jewish] righteous, but [Jewish] sinners to repentance.' - Jesus is establishing His ministry while on the earth to mankind, first to the Jewish people then [after His cross and resurrection] to the rest of the world, all the Gentile nations. The righteous Jews [and righteous Gentiles i.e. the Roman Centurion (Matthew 8:5)] are those who desire God, who have a heart for God and for the things of God. Without reading too much into the scriptures it is interesting that Jesus did not go into the faithful family homes but He went to the lost of Israel; to the compromised people, the unscrupulous tax collectors, the unlawful pig farmers, the demon possessed and to the professional religious and political leaders of the day to call them to repentance.

Sea of Galilee - Also known as Bahr Tubariya, Ginnosar, Lake of Galilee, Lake of Gennesaret, Lake of Gennesar, Sea of Chinnereth, Sea of Chinneroth, Sea of Kinnereth, Sea of Tiberias, Lake of Tiberias, Waters of Gennesaret, Yam Kinneret (Photos)
The Sea of Galilee is fed by the Jordan River, rainfall and springs on the northern side. More properly designated a lake, the Kinneret (the OT and modern name) is 13 miles long and 7 miles wide. At its deepest point the lake is only 150 feet deep. The rabbis said of it, "Although God has created seven seas, yet He has chosen this one as His special delight." [article link]

City of Capernaum - Jesus made Capernaum His home during most [especially the first part] of the [3½] years of His ministry - Jesus walked throughout much of the land of Israel visiting many cities at first the Jewish cities then later the mixed and Gentile cities in Israel [He entered Jerusalem the last week, Holy Week]: "Leaving Nazareth He went and lived in Capernaum" Matt 4:13 (Photos)
Jesus made Capernaum his home during the years of his ministry: "Leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum" (Matt 4:13). Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen living in the village. Matthew the tax collector also dwelt here. Capernaum is one of the three cities cursed by Jesus for its lack of faith. [article link]

Matthew 10 - Jesus sends out 12 of His Disciples as chosen Apostles -- 'Matthew 10:5-8 These twelve [Apostles] Jesus sent forth ... and as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'
'Matthew 10:5-8 These twelve [Apostles] Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not [until later]: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.' - Where the perceivable presence of God is available it is called Heaven even on earth [hell is where the perceivable presence of God is not available]. Jesus is God who has come to mankind and therefore 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand' in Jesus Christ the Kingdom of Heaven is now available to mankind. - While Jesus was personally discipling His Disciples and sending them out as His Apostles they were given authority to heal the sick, cast out demons and raise the dead as a way of authenticating their message that the Messiah had arrived. Now the witness to the Messiah (Jesus) is primarily the written Bible and not signs and wonders. However many of the verses of the New Testament Bible were written by the Apostles who were sent out by Jesus including Matthew and his Gospel of Matthew so we still have the Testimony 'Preaching' of the Apostles but the miracles of the Apostles are deemphasized in the modern Church while the Bible and particularly Bible prophecy is now emphasized [2 Peter 1:19] in authenticating to mankind the message that Jesus the Messiah has arrived to save mankind.

Matthew 11 - John the Baptist is placed in prison for denouncing the immortally of Herod who had taken his brother's wife (Herodias) [Herod's brother Philip was an administrator in Rome and after a visit to Rome Herod returned to Jerusalem with Herodias) - While in prison John the Baptist wonders why Jesus does not immediately begin His Kingdom [earthly] reign - John the Baptist and Jesus are contrasted - John the Baptist had an earthly, here and now prophetic ministry that was very political - Jesus had a Spiritual, eternal teaching ministry that was apolitical -- 'Matthew 11:2-3 Now when John had heard in the prison the [Spiritual] works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto Him, Art thou He (Messiah) that should come, or do we look for another?'
'Matthew 11:11-14 Verily I (Jesus) say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater [in prophetic knowledge of the Messiah] than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the [born again] Kingdom of Heaven is greater [in experiential knowledge of the Messiah] than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the [physically] violent take it by force [not knowing the Kingdom is Spiritual]. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John [John the Baptist is the last of the Old Testament Prophets]. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias (Elijah, 'my God is Jehovah'), which was for to come.' - John the Baptist although appearing with Jesus in the time and days of Jesus, John is an Old Testament person because John the Baptist lived and died before the cross and resurrection of Jesus, before the formation of the Christian Church by Jesus giving of His Spirit to each Disciple [John 20:22] on the day of the resurrection. John the Baptist died before receiving the 'born again' Holy Spirit that makes a person a New Testament Christian therefore John the Baptist remained an Old Testament figure. - John the Baptist was the greatest among all the prophets in that John had all of the knowledge from the Scriptures of the previous prophets plus John had his own prophesy revelations about the coming of Jesus and John saw the witness of the Father and the Holy Spirit at the baptism of Jesus. John the Baptist had the accumulated knowledge of the Old Testament and John like all the other Old Testament prophets had the Holy Spirit upon him but John the Baptist did not have the experience of the Holy Spirit inside of him in the 'born again' Christian way therefore the least person in the [born again] Kingdom of God is greater in experiential knowledge of God than the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. - John the Baptist was the forerunner and announcer of the coming Messiah Jesus and in that role John fulfilled the spirit of Elijah 'my God is Jehovah /Yahweh'. The [Malachi 4:5] prophecy where Elijah himself will return 'before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD' is probably physically fulfilled by the return of Elijah [and Moses] in the Revelation time period [Revelation 11:3].

Matthew 12 - Jesus continues instructing and teaching the Disciples - Jesus is beginning to be considered by the people to be the Messiah - 'Son of David' is a term for the Messiah as according to prophecy [2 Samuel 7:12-13, Isaiah 7:13] the Messiah has to be a descendant of King David -- 'Matthew 12:23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David?'
Jesus came to be the light of salvation to both the Jews and to the Gentiles. Jesus is the light to the entire world. The whole world is included in the plans of God carried out through His Son Jesus Christ. - 'Matthew 12:17-21 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, Behold My Servant (Jesus), whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break [Jesus came to heal not to damage], and smoking flax shall He not quench [Jesus came to give light not extinguish light], till He send forth judgment unto [Revelation] victory. And in His Name (Jesus) shall the Gentiles trust [for eternal salvation].' - He (Jesus) 'shall show judgment to the Gentiles' and in His Name 'Shall the Gentiles trust' Jesus came into the Jewish culture in His visit to mankind yet He is also the light to the Gentile world as well. 'Revelation 2:23 and all the churches shall know that I Am He (Jesus) which searcheth the reins [our determination] and hearts [our soul]: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.'

Matthew 13 - Jesus now begins teaching in Parables - A series of seven Kingdom parable teachings are given - Parables are a way to describe the unknown usually Heaven and the eternal spiritual realm by using known examples like fishing and farming ... "The kingdom of heaven is like ..." -- 'Matthew 13:2-11 And great multitudes were gathered together unto Him, so that He went into a ship [boat], and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, ... and the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest thou unto them [us] in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you [right now] to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not [yet] given. {Note: even the Disciples did not fully understand the parables until after the resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit [Luke 24:45 ] the Spirit of wisdom and understanding.}
The Seven Parables of Jesus from Matthew Chapter 13 are from the teaching ministry of Jesus during His physical time on earth. The Seven Parables of Jesus also parallel the comments made by the Resurrected Jesus in His opening statements to each of the Seven Churches in His 'Book of Revelation.' The Epistles of the Apostle Paul also parallel both the Seven Parables of Jesus and the Seven Letters of the Resurrected Jesus. The Seven Parables of Jesus are from the teaching ministry of Jesus during His physical time on earth, the letters of the Apostle Paul are from a representative of Jesus on earth after the ascension of Jesus back up into Heaven and finally the Seven Letters of Revelation are teachings and instruction from the resurrected Jesus Christ. Three groups of teachings spanning three timeframes with the one unique message of Jesus Christ and His eternal Kingdom. - The Apostle Paul wrote a group of [New Testament] letters addressed to various Churches in existence throughout Asia. The letters are comprised of six Church letters and two letters written to individuals as a group (Romans, Hebrews) for a total of 7 Church group messages by the Apostle Paul. --- *Revelation Letter (Revelation 2:1-3:22) --> *Instruction & Correction Epistle [New Testament] --> *Parable Teaching (Matthew 13:1-50) --- 1. The Church at Ephesus --> 1st & 2nd Corinthians --> The Parable of the Sower. 2. The Church at Smyrna --> Galatians --> The Parable of Wheat and (Weeds) Tares. 3. The Church at Pergamos --> Ephesians --> The Parable of A Mustard Seed. 4. The Church at Thyatira --> Philippians --> The Parable of Leaven. 5. The Church at Sardis --> Colossians --> The Parable of A Buried Treasure. 6. The Church at Philadelphia --> Romans & Hebrews --> The Parable of The Pearl of Great Price. 7. The Church at Laodicea --> 1st & 2nd Thessalonians --> The Parable of A Large Net.

Matthew 14 - The transition from Old Testament to New Testament continues - John the Baptist is beheaded at the request of Herodias the new wife of Herod who had instructed her daughter to make the request of Herod after having her daughter dance for Herod in a seductive way during his birthday party - The fame of Jesus reaches the Palace of Herod Antipas [son of King Herod the Great, Matthew chapters 1-2]
'Matthew 14:10-12 And he (Herod) sent, and beheaded John [the Baptist] in the prison. ... and his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.' - The transition from the Old Testament age to the New Testament age continues. Had the Prophet John the Baptist remained it would have been confusing to the people as people continued to follow John the Baptist while the ministry of Jesus Christ was just now coming into its true focus that Jesus was to die for the sins of every person. Soon even the Temple itself and the Levitical Priesthood would like John the Baptist have successfully completed their purpose and having fulfilled their need will be removed from the scene in order to clear up any confusion that a functioning Levitical Temple and sacrificing Priesthood would create. - John the Baptist prepared the hearts of the Nation of Israel to receive their Messiah and they did as the Disciples and Apostles of Jesus Christ began and laid the foundation of the Christian Church that continues on to this day. The Levitical Priesthood as well brought forth all that it was intended to do as it provided the atoning blood sacrifices to enable God to dwell in their midst in a time before the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The vestiges of the Levitical Priesthood continues to provide an astounding array of examples, types, illustrations and shadows of the Atonement process for our understanding and for our edification. Both John the Baptist and the Levitical Priesthood are gone but their legacy will continue on for eternity.

The death of John the Baptist - By the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37 AD - 100 AD) describes in his Jewish antiquities [97 AD] the authenticity of Josephus' words on John has never been doubted
The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-c.100) describes in his Jewish antiquities the destruction of the army of the Jewish leader Herod Antipas. Many people thought that this was a divine punishment, because Antipas had ordered the execution of a just man, John the Baptist. The incident is hard to date; the story assumes that Antipas' brother Philip had already died (which he did in 34 AD), but this seems too late, because John was already arrested before Jesus of Nazareth was executed (which probably happened in 30 AD [to 34 AD]). Unlike the Testimonium Flavianum, the authenticity of Josephus' words on John has never been doubted. The strongest argument for their authenticity is that they are not connected to Christian interpretations. If a Christian author would have inserted a story on John, he would have retold the stories found in the gospels of Mark and Luke. ... 'Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God as a just punishment of what Herod had done against John, who was called the Baptist. For Herod had killed this good man, who had commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, righteousness towards one another and piety towards God. ...' [article link]

Matthew 15 - Jesus continues to teach, instruct and direct the Disciples - Conflict with the established religious leaders continues to grow - Jesus miraculously feeds the multitudes [5,000 Jewish followers, and later 4,000 primarily Gentile followers]
Jesus' Miraculous Feeding of the Multitudes: The first miracle [Matthew 14:13-21] fed over five thousand Jews and was in an open place near Bethsaida (house of mercy). The second miracle [Matthew 15:29-39] fed over four thousand mostly Gentiles and was located on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee in the area of the 10 Greek remnant cities [Greek Decapolis Cities in Israel] left over from the Greek Dynasty that ruled over Israel prior to the Roman Dynasty ruling over Israel in the time Jesus. In the previous feeding of the five thousand Jews [five represents grace] the Disciples gathered in 12 baskets [the complete Nation of Israel, one basket for each of the 12 Tribes of Israel] while in the later Gentile feeding of four thousand [four represents the whole world, the four corners - quadrants of the globe; E,W,N,S] the Disciples gathered in seven baskets [seven represents complete] and of note the type of Gentile baskets that were used were two to three times the size of the previous Jewish baskets used so although only seven baskets were gathered in more material was gathered in the Gentile feeding than the Jewish feeding though in both feedings all the people were completely filled and all of the remnants were completely gathered in. - 'Matthew 15:29-39 And Jesus departed from [northern most Mediterranean Sea coast of Israel, Tyre and Sidon] thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great [Gentile] multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and He healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they [Gentiles] glorified the God of Israel. Then Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with Me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And His disciples say unto Him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven [Gentile] baskets full. And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. And He sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala [home of Mary Magdalene 'Mary of Magdala' located on the Sea of Galilee, by Mount Arbel].'

Cities of Ancient Israel - Decapolis - Decapolis was a Greek name for a league of approximately ten (deka) Hellenistic or Hellenized cities with their territories - in Roman times with some Jews living there (Map)
Region. Decapolis was Greek name for a league of approximately ten (deka) Hellenistic or Hellenized cities with their territories, in Roman times (with some Jews living there). All of them, except Scythopolis, were on the Transjordan side of the River. The New Testament (Matt 4:25; Mark 5:20) is the earliest mention of Decapolis revealing it as largely a gentile territory bordering Galilee and Perea: [Matt. 4:25; Mark 5:20; 7:31]. It is very difficult to say which cities were part of the league at one time or another. Pliny (Nat. Hist. 5, 74) mentions Damascus, Philadelphia (Rabbath-Ammon), Raphana, Scythopolis (Beth Shan), Gadara, Hippos (Susita), Dium, Pella (Pehel), Gerasa and Canatha (Kanath), yet he admits that his list is different from that of other writers. Ptolemy (Geography v, 14, 18) lists different cities, omitting Raphana and adding Abila, Lycianae, and Capitolias. Stephan of Byzantium (Gerasa) mentions 14 cities rather than the original 10. [article link]

MAGDALA, HOME OF MARY MAGDALENE (Photo)
On the Sea of Galilee, near the base of towering Mount Arbel, lie the ruins of the ancient city of Magdala. Today the remains of the city can be found by traveling north about six kilometers on the coastal road from Tiberias. Magdala was placed on the map forever because of its most famous first-century resident. We know her from the dozen references in the New Testament as Mary Magdalene. We also know from the Gospels that Jesus (Yeshua) delivered this woman from a demonized life (Mark 16:9). Thereafter, she became a disciple par excellence. Mary accomplished something that the twelve selected disciples did not accomplish. She followed Jesus all the way to the cross (John 19:25), and three days later she was the first witness to the resurrection of the Lord (John 20:14-18). Mary's city, Magdala, is mentioned only once in scripture, in Matthew 15:39. Here it is stated that Jesus came to the region of Magdala. However, even in this instance, the NIV translates Magdala as Magadan. The area of Magdala is also associated in the New Testament with the name Dalmanutha, as seen in Mark 8:10. All other references to the city are indirect ones. Like so many other ancient cities, Magdala was rediscovered in the past century. In 1971-74, the city was excavated by Corbo and Loffreda. In their excavations they discovered a mini-synagogue, a water reservoir and some mosaics. One of the mosaics, now on display at Capernaum, depicts an ancient boat with both sails and oars, not unlike the famous boat actually discovered in the general area in 1986. [article link]

Matthew 16 - Jesus warns His Disciples about being influenced by the worldly teachings [leaven] of the Pharisees and the Sadducees - In Caesarea Philippi [lost city of Pan, possibly the most wicked place on earth] Jesus continues seeking the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel and Jesus asks the Disciples who they thought He is - Peter replies 'You are the Christ (Messiah) {not the false Satan god Pan}, the Son of the living God' - Having begun to establish His Divine nature Jesus then tells the Disciples of His need to go to Jerusalem and be sacrificed - 'Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day'
Who do people say that Jesus is? Matthew 16:13-19 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the 'Son of man' am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias (Elijah); and others, Jeremias (Jeremiah), or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon (Peter) Barjona [Peter 'son of Dove' (i.e. the same Holy Spirit Dove that John the Baptist saw), Holy Spirit grace]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this [confession that Jesus is the Messiah] Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys [knowledge that Jesus is the Christ] of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven [spiritual warfare prayer]: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven [intercessory prayer]. - People were saying that Jesus might be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of several prophets even the Christ. Included in this wide display of options of who Jesus might be is that Jesus encompassed the emotions and attributes of a wide variety of people. Jesus being God has all of the emotions and attributes that each human has only a part of. For instance John the Baptist and Jeremiah had completely different personality traits. John the Baptist was very public, outgoing and confidant while Jeremiah was introverted. For the people observing and spending time with Jesus to reach such broad based conclusions about Jesus really means that the people also saw themselves and their own personalities in the person of Jesus. Jesus is completely able and capable of fellowshipping with each individual regardless of personality types or individual traits.

2008.12.07 The Antichrist [Part 9 of 12] - The Tribe of Dan, Mount Hermon 'Mountain of forbidden place' a three peaked mountain also called Baal-Hermon Judges 3:3, Mt. Sion Deuteronomy 4:48 but not to be confused with Mt. Zion located in Jerusalem - 'Hermes' in Greek - ['Caesarea Philippi' renamed many times 200 B.C. Caesarea Pan (Pan, Satan worship), Caesarea Banias {Arabic} - lost city of Pan (Satan worship) human sacrifice on the high place of Mt. Hermon - where the fallen angels of Genesis 6 came down to], Fallen Angels - The Giants Nephilim - Scott A Johnson (Mp3s)
Brief Sermon Overview: Several obscure prophecies in the Bible point to the possibility that the Antichrist may (in part) descend from the Tribe of Dan. The Merovingians claim to come from the tribe of Judah through Jesus Christ. However, the weight of evidence indicates that they descended from the tribe of Dan. Although Scripture states that Samson was "of the family of the Danites" [Judges 13:2], Yair Davidy of Brit-Am Israel claims that Sampson's lineage includes the Messianic tribe of Judah: "Samson...came from the Tribe of Dan but his mother was from Judah. Samson, in some respects, was considered a forerunner of the Messiah who will come from Judah but his mother will be of the Tribe of Dan." [Brit-Am Israel newsletter, 2/9/99] The Tribe of Dan also is missing from Rev. 7 regarding the 12 tribes (144,000) sealed during the Tribulation and the half tribe of Manasses takes their place: "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribes of Juda... Reuben... Gad... Aser... Nepthalim... Manasses... Simeon... Levi... Issachar... Zabulon... Joseph... Benjamin were sealed..." Revelation 7:4-8 According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Hermon means "Forbidden Place." Mount Hermon may of been the port of entry for the wicked angels, who corrupted the human race in the days of Noah. Moses wrote: "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose .... There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them... Gen. 6:1-3. [article link]

Matthew 17 - Jesus travels outside of Israel 'into an high mountain apart' [it is the only known time of Jesus going outside of the land of Israel] - Jesus is Transfigured into His Heavenly (Spiritual) body in the sight of three of the 12 Apostles [Peter, James, John (Gospel of John)] - After the Transfiguration a demon attacks a child and the Disciples are unable to cast it out of the Child - Jesus 'rebuked the devil' and it departed - Jesus told the Disciples that their unbelief [taking their focus away from Jesus] allowed the devil to remain in the child -- 'Matthew 17:19-21 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him (devil) out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief [distraction from Jesus]: ... and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting'
'Matthew 17:1-8 And after six days [six, incomplete not yet a permanent transfiguration] Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart [outside of Israel], And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses [Law] and Elias (Elijah) [Prophets] talking with Him. ... While he (Peter) yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I Am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise [Resurrection], and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.' Jesus was without sin and therefore could be bodily Transfigured something sinful humans cannot do we need to first die and separate from our physical body of sin (Romans 8:3) and then we Christians receive our new transfigured (1 Corinthians 15:35-55) bodies. - Mt. Nebo [where Moses died] located outside of Israel separated from the Holy Land was also very likely the location of the Mt. of Transfiguration (Matt 17:1, Mark 9:1; Luke 9:28) because the Transfiguration of Jesus took place before the cross of Jesus and therefore the sins that kept Moses out of the Promise Land the first time would also keep Moses out of Israel this second time. If Moses is one of the Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:1-12) in Jerusalem during the Revelation Period it will be because it is after the cross of Jesus and the sins of Moses are now gone having been nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14) with all the other sins of humanity and now Moses can enter the Promise Land of Israel. Note: Peter, James and John are often set apart from the other disciples as they are representational of the three 'Last Days' - 'End Time' groups. Peter represents the Jews [Galatians 2:7 the gospel of the circumcision (Jews) was unto Peter], James was beheaded and represents the Martyred Saints of Revelation [Acts 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword], and John represents the Born Again Raptured Christian Church [Revelation 4:1 I (John) looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven].

Mt. Nebo where Moses Died is Located in Jordan [Jordan is an excellent part of the Biblical lands though it is not a part of the Holy Land - The Holy Land is exclusively Israel and specifically Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24)] - The Time and Place of the Transfiguration of Jesus
ABSTRACT: This speculative article proposes that the Transfiguration of Jesus occurred on Mt. Nebo, [Easter] Sunday April 20, six days after Passover April 14, AD 32 [the next year AD 33 was the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus] about three weeks following the feeding of the 5000. The 5000 were fed when Passover was "near". Standard chronologies place the Transfiguration around the feast of Tabernacles six-months later, on or near Mt. Hermon. Peter's confession was on Passover and prefigures the identification of the Messiah for Crucifixion and the Transfiguration prefigures the Resurrection. ... Overview: The approximate time of the Transfiguration can be discerned from the following information-In John 6:4 we are told, 'the Jewish Passover feast was near'. This Passover was one year before Jesus' final Passover. The author understands "Passover was near" to mean that the month of Nisan/Abib was starting. Jesus that day fed 5000 men. That night Jesus spent in prayer then before dawn he walked across the Sea of Galilee in a storm. The next day in Capernaum Jesus declared that we must eat his body and drink his blood. Most who heard this message rejected it. After this rejection, Jesus appears to turn his ministry to the gentiles for a time. He then rather that preparing to go down to Jerusalem for the Passover, journeyed northwest (20-50 miles) to the region of Tyre and Sidon and healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman of great faith. Jesus then journeyed back to the Sea of Galilee and onto the Decapolis region. There he spent three days with, and fed 4000 men (probably gentiles) and then sent them away. Jesus then crossed the Sea of Galilee to Magadan or Dalmanutha where he encounters Pharisees and Sadducees looking for a sign. They again journeyed to the other side where Jesus healed a blind man in Bethsaida (near the northern end of the Sea of Galilee).

Matthew 18 - Jesus places a special interest in the safety, well-being and care of all children -- 'Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones [children] which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea'
Matthew 18:7-10 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! ... Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones [children]; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.' - It isn't the will of God to let evil happen in the world. Those who commit evil are not doing it for God and they are certainly not doing it on behalf of God. Evil is allowed to happen even to children but only momentarily because along with the evil a corresponding judgment is also occurring as well. - Guardian Angels: Angels are watching over us. Note: Holy Angels are always in the presence of God in Heaven but Heaven is not a faraway place [Heaven is a near place it is just a different realm that we cannot see] so actually Angels are both in the presence of God in Heaven and they are simultaneously watching over each of us. It is considered that Angels in the spirit realm travel faster than the speed of sound and at least as fast as the speed of light and possibly travel as fast as the speed of thought. A final note in the Bible the (Septuagint) Scriptures use some of the words Angels, stars in heaven, Saints and grains of sand 'upon the sea shore' interchangeably alluding that there are as many holy Angels as there are stars in heaven and as many people as there are grains of sand 'upon the sea shore' and that they all equal each other [probably to the exact number] we now know that there are billions of stars and billions of grains of sand and billions of people exist and billions more have existed on the planet [more people lived from the time of Adam to Noah than at any other time and also the time from Adam to Noah was a long time lasting some two thousand years]. With the number of holy Angels equaling the number of people it does seem to be designed that each child [biblically every human is a child until we become sons (adults) only once we enter into Heaven and the perceivable presence of God] meaning that each person does have their own Guardian Angel or at least an angel and even several angels to assist God in watching out for us, helping to protect us, encouraging us to take holy action while departing from evil and also actually fighting for us in keeping evil spirits and demonic entities away from us physically for most of our time helping to enabling us so that we can interact with God and with one another in a holy, often unrestricted manner.

Matthew 19 - Jesus continues to teach, instruct and lead the Disciples regarding both His cross to come and His eternal Kingdom - Emphasized and brought into view for the Disciples to learn about, to understand, to appreciate and most importantly for the Disciples to live eternally within -- ' Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them (Disciples), and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible'
'Matthew 19:28-30 And Jesus said unto them (Disciples), Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration [resurrection] when the Son of Man (Jesus) shall sit in the throne of His Glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But [follow Jesus as a servant because] many that are first [among men] shall be last; and the last [among society] shall be first.' - In saying to 'sit upon twelve thrones' Jesus is telling the Disciples that one system, the New Testament system is replacing the old system the Old Testament (Levitical) system and that the new system is superior to the old system. Also Note: 'in the regeneration' meaning that both system so have eternal ramifications and an eternal being as adherents to both systems combing in the resurrection to come because both systems are actually covered by the one oath, blood and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 20 - Jesus now moves His ministry from primarily teaching, healing, miracles and leadership into His ultimate stated purpose and destiny that of His crucifixion and resurrection in Jerusalem -- 'Matthew 20:17-19 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, And shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him: and the third day He shall rise again'
'Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister [to others], and to give His *life (lit. Soul) a ransom for many.' - 'Isaiah 53:10-11 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him (Jesus); He (Father) hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His *Soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed [Kingdom inheritors], He shall prolong His days [eternity], and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his Hand. He (Father) shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied [the cross is a complete sacrifice, humans can add nothing to the cross or take anything away from the cross of Jesus]: by His knowledge shall My Righteous Servant (Jesus) justify [make right with God] many; for He shall bear their iniquities.' - Jesus the 'son of Man' came to give His Soul as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus physically died on the cross but His Soul was also a sacrifice on the cross for us as well. The cross of Jesus Christ was a physical, emotional and Spiritual sacrifice for each of us. We are each healed spiritually, emotionally and eternally physically [new body] by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross was so immense that it will take a finite mankind an eternity to even begin to grasp and understand the enormity of the love and of the sacrifice of the cross of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 21 - Jesus and His Disciples are now near Jerusalem - Jesus sends two of His Disciples to a Donkey with its young offspring - The Disciples bring the Lord [ultimate owner] His Donkey [the guy probably didn't redeem His donkey according to the law (Exodus 13:13) and as a first born colt it did belong to God] - Jesus then enters into Jerusalem riding upon an untamed colt [untamed to man but tame to God] -- 'Psalm 118:23-29 This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day [Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem] which the LORD hath made; we (Kingdom Disciples) will rejoice and be glad in it. Save [Salvation] now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity [healing]. Blessed be He (Jesus) that cometh in the Name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the House [Temple worship] of the LORD. *God is the LORD, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice [Jesus] with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art My God, and I will praise thee [while Jesus is enduring His suffering He will praise His Father in Heaven]: thou art My God {My Father}, I will exalt [honor] thee. O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever.' {Note: The 70 Weeks of Daniel are counting the days of Gentile Kingdoms starting at "the commandment [by king Artaxerxes to Nehemiah to rebuild the Jerusalem wall about 445 B.C. (source: http://www.bereanwatchmen.com/j.r.lawendowski/daniels-70-weeks.html) - following the earlier King Cyrus 538 B.C. command for the Jews to return back to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity - both commands were given during the Gentile Persian empire of the 4th Global Gentile Kingdom] to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah" -- The 69th Week concluded on Saturday [not Sunday but (Palm Saturday)] the day of the [Jewish] Triumphal Entry [fulfillment of the Feast of Sabbath] of Jesus into Jerusalem [ending Global Gentile Kingdom reign (the beginning of the end of 1 Nation Gentile Global Reign until the 7th Kingdom, the Global Kingdom of Antichrist)]. Also Note: The 70th and final week of Daniels' 70 Weeks is in the Book of Revelation during the Gentile Antichrist Global Reign while the time period between the Triumphal Entry of Jesus (completed in Resurrection Sunday) is the Christian Church Age (Acts 15:14-18) until the empowerment of the 1 Antichrist Global Kingdom.}
A Day foretold by the Prophets and the Scriptures: The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was foretold throughout the Hebrew Old Testament. The Psalms particularly Psalm 118, the Prophets Daniel and Ezekiel and in fact all of Heaven and all of creation desired to see the Day that the LORD had made the day that God came and established His Holy, just and righteous Kingdom among all mankind. - 'Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass [donkey], and upon a colt the foal [baby donkey] of an ass.' - 'Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass [donkey], and upon a colt the foal [baby donkey] of an ass.' - **'Daniel 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy Holy City [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision [Law] and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy (Jesus). Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah (Jesus) the Prince shall be seven weeks [seven Jewish decades 49 years - these weeks were the Jewish decade of seven years the Levitical decade seventh year of release], and threescore and two weeks [62 Jewish decades 434 years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks [the 434 years] shall Messiah be cut off [crucifixion], but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And He [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [the 70th and final week regarding Jerusalem]: and in the midst of the week at [3½ years] he [Antichrist] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [in the rebuilt 3rd Temple] to cease, and for the overspreading [saturation] of abominations [evil] he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation [end of the Book of Revelation], and that determined shall be poured [bowl judgments of Revelation 16:1] upon the desolate.' [article link]

Matthew 22 - Jesus is now in Jerusalem - His very presence creates a dilemma for both the religious leaders and the political leaders - A dilemma that will ultimately result in the rejection, betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus Christ the Son of Man and also the Son of God - 'Matthew 22:46 And no man was able to answer [discredit] Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more [discrediting] questions.'
Matthew 22:41-45 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of (Messiah) Christ? whose son is He [is the Messiah the Son of God]? They say unto Him, The Son of David [a human]. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit [anointed prophesying] call Him Lord [superior], saying, The LORD (God) said unto my Lord (the promised offspring Messiah of King David), Sit thou on My right hand [in Heaven], till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call Him (Jesus) Lord, how is he his son [Jesus has always existed]? - In the patriarchal (father) system of the Bible and of humanity the father would never call a child 'Lord' or owner. The father is the lord (authority) and owner of the estate then the father passes on his estate to his sons in their inheritance. For King David to call a future descendant, not even yet born, his 'Lord' his authority, King David was acknowledging that he had inherited his throne, authority and kingdom from a future descendant the Messiah. King David made no claim of having established his throne to pass long to God but that God had established his throne for him to pass along to the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Matthew 23 - Jesus had entered Jerusalem as the King of the Universe in His Triumphal entry when Jesus briefly looked around in the Temple and departed - The next day Jesus returned to the Temple and removed the merchandisers [people who were wrongly using the Temple] from the Temple, His Father's House - The Temple is strictly for ministry and worship between God and His people and not for any other purposes - Jesus then returned this following day to teach in the Temple to the people without distractions from the merchants
This current Generation and the destruction of both Jerusalem and the Temple: 'Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I (Jesus) unto you [Pharisees], The Kingdom of God [evidence of God in their midst] shall be taken from you, and given to a Nation [Gentiles] bringing forth the fruits thereof.' Note: In the Gospel of Matthew the Kingdom of Heaven is the eternal Kingdom while the Kingdom of God is evidence of God being in their midst here on earth i.e. Matthew 12:28. - 'Matthew 22:14 For many [all] are called, but few [answer the call and] are chosen.' Note: All are called by God to enter into a relationship with God [John 12:32] those who respond to the call like Abraham did become the 'chosen' of God. Being chosen [as Isaac was chosen over Ishmael] is a package deal and includes being elect [Jacob was elect, assigned a specific task to accomplish in becoming the father of 12 Tribes], justified [Jacob became Israel when he was justified by God and his name was changed from Jacob to Israel], predestined [Joseph was predestined to be changed into the image of Jesus as Joseph wore the multicolored coat Genesis 37:3] and glorified (changed into the [spiritual body] image of Jesus) [Joseph a Biblical type of Jesus was glorified (accomplished in his task he was elected to do) and ruled over both the Jewish nation and the Gentile world; all the Tribes of Israel bowed down to Joseph and Joseph was appointed authority in Egypt]. - 'Matthew 23:36 Verily I (Jesus) say unto you, All these things [destruction of Jerusalem and destruction the Temple] shall come upon this generation. Matthew 23:38-39 Behold, your house [Temple] is left unto you desolate [because the Spirit of the Living God (Jesus) is permanently departing the Temple - The Spirit of the Living God also departed the first Temple in Jerusalem [Ezekiel 10:18] before the destruction of the first Temple]. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me (Jesus) henceforth, till [second coming when] ye shall say, Blessed is He (Jesus) that cometh in the Name of the Lord.'

Matthew 24 - Jesus having just permanently departed from the Temple and after telling of the coming destruction of the Temple to His Disciples - Jesus then went and sat by Himself at His favorite location a hillside of olive orchards called the Mount of Olives (Mt. Olivet) - The Disciples having just seen Jesus depart from the Temple [His Father's House] for the last time and having just heard Jesus tell them of the coming destruction of the Temple came to Jesus and asked Him when and where He intended to rule His Kingdom from since the Temple was going to be destroyed - Jesus told His Disciples to be careful that no one deceived them about His Kingdom - That initially His Kingdom is not of this world but that after a long time and a long series of events many of them supernatural that His Kingdom would then be ushered into this world
The coming Generation and the fulfillment of all the events of the Book of Revelation: 'Matthew 24:34 Verily I (Jesus) say unto you, This [End Time] generation shall not pass, till all these things [mainly the book of Revelation] be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.' - Jesus has already said that the Temple was to be destroyed "There shall not be left here one (Temple) stone upon another" and that later the Antichrist (abomination of desolation) was to sit in the Temple "holy place" [rebuilt Temple] 'Matthew 24:15 When ye {presumably the End Time readers} therefore shall *see the abomination of desolation (Antichrist), spoken of by Daniel the prophet [Daniel 9:27], stand in the holy place [inside the 3rd veil in the rebuilt Temple], whoso *readeth, let him understand' Note: The event of the Antichrist is possibly going to be a televised type of event 'When ye therefore shall *see the abomination.' Events inside the Temple were not to be seen by the outside world and are enclosed y walls and curtains however Jesus seems to be alluding that this Temple event will be seen by everyone either in some televised format or possibly even in some demonic projection capabilities or possibly some massive demonic telepathic hallucinogenic type of event. Jesus began His discussion with His Disciples in warning them to not be deceived and Jesus reiterated several times that deception and demonic activity would increase around the time of the Antichrist. - The majority of the last generation End Time events of the book of Revelation are to be centered around the Jews and in the city of Jerusalem including a rebuilt Temple. 'Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem) ...' It seems that Jesus is summarizing all of the Jerusalem End Time Antichrist events into a Parable about a Fig Tree [Matthew 24:32-35]. The original Fig Tree was in Genesis 3:7 and was used by Adam and Eve in an attempt to cover their own sin. The Fig Tree in the Parable of Jesus is most probably the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem because the type of Temple worship that is trying to be recreate has become obsolete by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ so in a sense the 3rd Temple is a recreation of the Fig Tree because like the Fig Tree of Genesis the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem is going to be stitched together by human hands and it will absolutely not cover or remove any sin. However the Antichrist will invade the 3rd Temple and enter into the holy place and attempt to proclaim himself to be God from within the Temple as everyone alive and on the earth at that time will probably witness and *see somehow either by televised technology or a type of demonically spiritual activity.

Matthew 24 - Jesus continues His Mount Olivet discussion "Mount Olivet discourse" End Time teachings with His Disciples -- 'Matthew 24:3-6 And as He (Jesus) sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming [Kingdom reign], and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet'
The Elect of God: All the people throughout time who like Abraham have answered the call of God become the elect of God. 'Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those [End Time - war and famine - seven seal judgments - the book of Revelation] days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven [seven trumpet judgments - the book of Revelation], and the [Satanic] powers of the heavens shall be shaken [seven bowl judgments - the book of Revelation]: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming [Second Coming] in the clouds of heaven with Power and Great Glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His *elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.' --- There are actually two groups of *elect people and this stems from the 'Firstborn' inheritance that Jesus Christ is to receive. - 'Deuteronomy 21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated {divorced wife} for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; *the right of the firstborn is his.' - 'Colossians 1:18 And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the *firstborn [Resurrection] from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.' The Biblical inheritance of the firstborn is a double portion and as an inheritance Jesus is to receive both the Jews and the Nations (Gentiles) two inheritances and therefore two groups of called and two groups of those who answer the call of God and become the chosen, elect, justified, predestined and glorified by God. Note: Jesus is to inherit the Jews and the Gentiles this does include all of those who have ever existed it includes the Righteous Gentiles of Lot's day before Abraham, all the time up until the Christian [mostly Gentile] Church and the future Gentile Martyred Saints of Revelation. Also Note: The inheritance of Jesus does include the earth, all creation and all possessions, the earth will pass away and there will be a new earth so primarily The Kingdom of Jesus is uniquely about people and about God's love for people. Jesus came to save the people and His plan for eternity is centered and oriented only around the people of His creation. --- Israel is one portion of inheritance for the firstborn Jesus Christ: 'Isaiah 19:25.. and Israel my Inheritance.' - 'Zechariah 2:12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah (Jewish nation) His portion in the holy land and shall choose [to reign from] Jerusalem again.' - 'Psalms 78:70-71 He chose David (king David) also His servant and took him from the sheepfolds [David was a shepherd]: From following the ewes (female sheep) great with young he brought him to feed Jacob His people [Jews] and Israel His (God's) inheritance. {Jacob and Israel are both mentioned both referring to the Jewish nation, this is a poetic way of emphasizing the Jewish nation.} --- Israel is the Elect of God: 'Isaiah 45:4 For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel Mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me.' --- The Gentiles are the second [double portion] of inheritance for the firstborn Jesus Christ: 'Psalms 82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.' - 'Psalms 2:7,8 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto Me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee [both physical birth of Jesus in the manger and Resurrection day of Jesus] Ask of Me (Father) and I shall give thee the heathen (Gentiles) for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.' - 'Isaiah 54:3 For thou shall break forth on the right hand and on the left [the Jewish nation is not going to get wiped out but is going have a great population]; And thy seed (Jesus) shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate to be inhabited.' --- The [Gentile in nature] Christian Church is also the elect of God: 'Titus 1:1-2 [Apostle] Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began ...'

Matthew 24 (Part 2) - Jesus concludes His "Mount Olivet discourse" by telling His Disciples some more parables about the End Times and about His eternal Kingdom - Jesus began His Mount Olivet discourse talking about deception and the End Times and Jesus ends His final Mount Olivet words by talking about eternal judgment and eternal life -- 'Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal'
The Second Coming of the Lord: Matthew 24:44-51 Therefore be ye [Disciples] also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh [Second Coming]. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom His Lord hath made ruler over His household [Church], to give them meat [Bible study] in due season [every day]? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That He shall make him ruler over all His [Heavenly] goods. But and if that evil servant [backslider] shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth His [2nd] coming; And shall begin to smite [abuse] his fellowservants [Disciples], and to eat and drink with the drunken; The Lord of that servant shall come [Second Coming] in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion [eternal damnation] with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. - The teaching of Jesus Christ is about Heaven and the open opportunity for people to spend eternity in heaven and His teaching is also about hell and the very real possibility of people spending eternity in hell. God created mankind for a purpose and God came to a separated mankind with His purpose to reunite mankind back together with Himself in Heaven where it has always been intended for mankind to be in fellowship and in communion with the Holy God.

Matthew 25-26 - Jesus has concluded His Mount Olivet teachings and discourse with His Disciples - Jesus now completely sets His mind on the events of the coming Feasts of the Passover Week - Events that will include initiating and instituting the New Testament with His Communion Bread and Wine offering to the Disciples - His self-sacrifice on the cross and three days later His Glorious Eternal Life Resurrection
'Matthew 26:17 Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread [The Passover is an unleavened bread feast and the unleavened part starts on the 14the day of Nisan (the selection of the lamb is on the 10th) then the feast continues with the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened bread starting on the 15th of Nisan for a total of eight straight days of unleaded bread] the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover? And He said, Go into the city (Jerusalem) to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at thy house with My disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the Passover. Now when the even was come, He (Jesus) sat down with the twelve (Apostles). And as they did eat [the Passover], He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you [Judas] shall betray Me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? And He answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the same shall betray Me. The Son of Man goeth [to the cross] as it is written of Him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto Him, Thou hast said. And as they were eating, Jesus took Bread, and Blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the Disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My Body. And He took the Cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many [all] for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit [grape] of the vine, until that day when I drink it New with you in [Heaven] My Father's Kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.' - The Communion of Jesus Christ: The sacrifice offering of Jesus Christ was His physical body, His mind (soul) and His Spirit [Jesus was separated from the Father while on the cross]. The Communion Bread and the Communion Cup that Jesus is offering His disciples to partake in references both the physical sacrifice offering of Jesus on and the cross and it also represents the Resurrected Eternal Spiritual Body and Spiritual Life Blood of the Resurrected Jesus. When we take and break the Unleavened Bread of Communion we are referencing the physical body of Jesus Christ and when we take the Wine of the Communion of Jesus Christ and mingle it with the water we are referencing the physical blood of Jesus Christ. When we eat the bread of the body of Jesus Christ we are internalizing the Resurrection and the eternal Spiritual body of Jesus and likewise when we drink of the Wine of Jesus we are drinking and internalizing the Resurrection and the eternal Spiritual life blood of Jesus. In a sense we are breaking the physical and taking on the Spiritual. -- '1 Corinthians 11:23-28 For I [Apostle Paul] have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night [Passover] in which He was betrayed [by Judas] took [physical] bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the Cup, when He had supped, saying, This Cup is the [Resurrection] New Testament in My Blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do shew the Lord's [physical] death till He come [2nd coming]. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the [physical and Spiritual resurrection] Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself [Melchizedek Priesthood], and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.' -- 'Deuteronomy 32:9-14 For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance ... and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.'

Matthew 27 - After the Communion (Passover) Celebration Jesus and now eleven of His Apostles go to the Mount of Olives while Judas had departed earlier to betray Jesus - Jesus suffers betrayal, arrests, rejection, mockery and finally crucifixion and physical death
The Atonement Sacrifice of Jesus Christ: 'Matthew 27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They [Romans] gave Him (Jesus) vinegar to drink mingled with gall [extreme bitterness]: and when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink [Jesus had said during Communion that the next wine He would drink would be sweet wine in Heaven with His disciples, Jesus had no intention of drinking the bitter cup from Rome and mankind (the myrrh also in the wine revealed it to be Roman wine as adding myrrh to wine was a common Roman practice)] and they crucified Him ...' - 'Romans 5:11 And not only so [we have eternal life], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement.' - The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was the start a part of the fulfillment of the Atonement sacrifice for the Day of Atonement Feast [Leviticus 16:1-34] a Feast that is actually a Fall Feast and will have its complete fulfillment in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. - In corresponding with the Atonement Sacrifice Barabbas is the Scapegoat who was set free while Jesus was the permanent sacrifice offering. In Hebrew Barabbas (Bar = son and Abba = Father) literally means son of the father and is actually a duplicate claim to the true status of Jesus Christ as Jesus is the Son of the Father. Barabbas in name is actually also claiming to be the son of the father therefore claiming to be the replacement of Jesus and Barabbas is actually a type of the Antichrist [anti in Greek is 'instead of' and means replacing] and it is possible even plausible that Barabbas may actually be the Antichrist. - When the scapegoat was released as Barabbas was released the scapegoat was to take with it all the sins of the Nation of Israel and if at any time the scapegoat returned all of the sins of the Nation of Israel returned with it. Jesus Christ is Atonement offering for all the sins of the world and therefore Barabbas as the scapegoat was departing with all the sins of the world. When the scapegoat Barabbas as the Antichrist returns to mankind claiming to be the son of the father instead of Jesus the Antichrist will bring with him all of the sins of the world all of the sins ever committed. Note: The custom of the Roman Governor to release one condemned Jewish prisoner during the Passover was a custom of the Roman Governor playing God saying to the Jews that they think their God will provide Passover life but instead the Governor was showing the people that he believed Rome to be God as Rome could grant life and pass over death so it was actually a mocking gesture from Rome towards the Jews and their customs as the people of God.

CLONED ANTICHRIST BEAST REVEALED 8/12 - Cloned from blood removed [1978] from the Shroud of Turin [possibly cloned/gene-spliced with Prince Charles sperm and] used to impregnate Princess Diana (married 1981 to Prince Charles 13 years her senior) for the 1982 timed birth [30 in 2012] of Prince William {Princess Diana's son William turning 30 in 2012. The age of 30 is the biblical legal priestly age (before 30 a Levite could only be an assistant priest), both John the Baptist (Levitical and Jesus [Melchizedek Priest]) began their ministries at the legal age of 30 [John's mother and Mary were of the House of David/Judah but John's father was a Levitical Priest (Luke 1:8) a descendant of Aaron from the house of Levi]. Also the London 2012 Olympics the XXX Olympiad (unholy trinity Olympiad) is deliberately timed and placed to be in London in 2012 the birth of the New Age, for a desired Satanic awakening in 2013 [Fox News uses the number 13 in everything now]. It will also probably come out that Prince Charles is unable to naturally have children as Henry, the younger brother of Prince William is already considered by most not to be the son of Prince Charles but the son of James Hewitt.}[Note: Its possible and probable that Satan quickly realized who his scapegoat was in Barabbas and that Barabbas soon after his Passover release was recaptured by Roman soldiers and quickly crucified as Jesus had just recently been crucified and that Satan would devise a way to keep some of the blood [life] of Barabbas for future End Time use and that the image created on the Shroud of Turin and the blood on the Shroud of Turin are that of Barabbas. The unique image and bloodstained shroud cloth could be of Barabbas and having been kept and passed on by the followers of Barabbas until ultimately it came into the possession of the Crusaders and Knights Templar in about 1300 A.D. The shroud of Turin possibly being a cloth and image of Barnabas it's certainly not the image and blood of Jesus.] (YouTube)
Dr. Joye shocks George Noory on Coast-to-Coast - February 9, 2009. [article link]

foxnews.com: Italian Scientists Reproduces Shroud of Turin - A professor of organic chemistry at the University of Pavia - Garlaschelli made available to Reuters the paper he will deliver and the accompanying comparative photographs - But scientists have thus far been at a loss to explain how the [original Shroud of Turin] image was left on the cloth
ROME - An Italian scientist says he has reproduced the Shroud of Turin, a feat that he says proves definitively that the linen some Christians revere as Jesus Christ's burial cloth is a medieval fake. The shroud, measuring 14 feet, 4 inches by 3 feet, 7 inches bears the image, eerily reversed like a photographic negative, of a crucified man some believers say is Christ. "We have shown that is possible to reproduce something which has the same characteristics as the Shroud," Luigi Garlaschelli, who is due to illustrate the results at a conference on the para-normal this weekend in northern Italy, said on Monday. A professor of organic chemistry at the University of Pavia, Garlaschelli made available to Reuters the paper he will deliver and the accompanying comparative photographs. The Shroud of Turin shows the back and front of a bearded man with long hair, his arms crossed on his chest, while the entire cloth is marked by what appears to be rivulets of blood from wounds in the wrists, feet and side. Carbon dating tests by laboratories in Oxford, Zurich and Tucson, Arizona in 1988 caused a sensation by dating it from between 1260 and 1390. Skeptics said it was a hoax, possibly made to attract the profitable medieval pilgrimage business. - But scientists have thus far been at a loss to explain how the image was left on the cloth. Garlaschelli reproduced the full-sized shroud using materials and techniques that were available in the middle ages. They placed a linen sheet flat over a volunteer and then rubbed it with a pigment containing traces of acid. A mask was used for the face. PIGMENT, BLOODSTAINS AND SCORCHES: The pigment was then artificially aged by heating the cloth in an oven and washing it, a process which removed it from the surface but left a fuzzy, half-tone image similar to that on the Shroud. He believes the pigment on the original Shroud faded naturally over the centuries. They then added blood stains, burn holes, scorches and water stains to achieve the final effect. The Catholic Church does not claim the Shroud is authentic nor that it is a matter of faith, but says it should be a powerful reminder of Christ's passion. One of Christianity's most disputed relics, it is locked away at Turin Cathedral in Italy and rarely exhibited. It was last on display in 2000 and is due to be shown again next year. Garlaschelli expects people to contest his findings. [article link]

The Shroud Of Turin - The image on the Shroud is uniquely three-dimensional - The life-size image on the cloth is NOT the result of pigment, stain, *acid, dye, or any applied material - The image itself is confined to the top-most fibrils of the cloth's fibers - Whatever made the image did not penetrate the fibers of the cloth as all known artistic materials would - The exact way the man was crucified closely matches biblical accounts of Jesus's crucifixion. Among other things, there are 120 lesions, the shape of dumbbells, distributed over the back and running around the front of the body--probably caused by a Roman whip called a flagrum whose thongs were tipped with bits of lead or bone. There is a deep wound on the right side of the body between the ribs which bled profusely (which is what Biblical records indicate happened when a spear was thrust into Christ's side). There are thorn-like marks on the victim's head (possibly from a crown of thorns). And the victim's legs were not broken (which is significant both because Roman-style crucifixions ended with their victim's legs being broken and because the New Testament account of Christ's death indicates that this was a Roman custom which Jesus was spared from) - The beard and hair style of the crucified man were not common anywhere in the Roman Empire except Palestine. The image has Semitic features, including sidelocks and a unplaited ponytail
The Shroud Of Turin by David Sunfellow: The Shroud of Turin is one of the most venerated, most remarkable, most mysterious, most thoroughly studied artifacts in the world today. Believed by many to be the actual burial cloth of Christ, the Shroud made its first recorded appearance in 14th century France. Housed in the Italian city of Turin since 1578, renewed interest was generated in 1898 when the first photographs were made of the relic and it was discovered that the image on the Shroud was a photographic negative! How was such an image made? And how does one explain the incredibly life-like details which are remarkably consistent with Biblical accounts of Christ's crucifixion? Historians, pathologists, linguists, biblical scholars, textile experts, chemists, physicists, photographic specialists, artists, botanists, microbiologists and other scientists from around the world have been trying to answer these important questions for decades. Over the centuries, dozens of shrouds--some with images and some without--have surfaced claiming to be the burial cloth of Jesus. In the case of the Shroud of Turin, it has been publicly declared a forgery by both Roman Catholic Church officials and prominent scientists. In 1389 the local bishop of Troyes denounced the Shroud claiming an artist had confessed to forging it. More recently, in 1988, after three different laboratories Carbon-14 dated the Shroud and found it to be some 1200 years younger than it should have been, the Roman Catholic Church announced to the world the results of the test. As word spread that the Shroud of Turin was, after all, a medieval forgery, a firestorm was created in the Shroud community. While scores of Shroud scientists hotly challenged the entire Carbon-14 testing procedure, as well as the test results, lay people around the world had to wrestle with what appeared to be solid scientific proof that the Shroud was a fake. -- So where are things at now? Is the Shroud of Turin authentic, or not? Could a medieval artist, or for that matter, any artist, have forged it? And if the Shroud is an authentic burial cloth from the first century, is the man whose crucified image appears on the Shroud actually that of Jesus Christ? Combining ongoing discoveries about ancient Palestine with cutting-edge scientific analysis, a growing number of scientists (Christian, Jewish, agnostic and otherwise) are coming to the conclusion that the Shroud is indeed the actual burial cloth of Jesus Christ. If this is true, then not only does the Shroud bear witness to the fact that a man named Jesus actually lived and died in ancient Palestine, but it may also present physical proof that some kind of miraculous event took place after his death which caused his image to be imprinted on the Shroud! What's more, we may also be able to learn something about Jesus himself: What his physical characteristics were like, what kind of Jewish traditions he adhered to and rejected, how he, and his body, faced a horribly violent death. -- So what, exactly, do we know about the Shroud of Turin? Here are some of the astonishing findings that modern day science has uncovered so far: The body that appears on the Shroud is naked. Under Roman law, criminals were whipped and executed in the nude. (These are facts that most medieval artists would not have known, or if they had known, would not have dared to publicly reproduce.) The man that appears on the Shroud was crucified with nails driven through his wrists. Although artists throughout the centuries (and even stigmatists) have traditionally thought that Christ was nailed to the cross through his palms, it is now known that crucifixion victims were nailed to crosses through their wrists. This is supported both by archeological digs that discovered crucifixion victims with spike marks on their wrists (not palms) and also by studies that were conducted on corpses which proved that nails in palms will not support the weight of a body. The life-size image on the cloth is NOT the result of pigment, stain, acid, dye, or any applied material. The image itself is confined to the top-most fibrils of the cloth's fibers. Whatever made the image did not penetrate the fibers of the cloth as all known artistic materials would. The image on the Shroud is uniquely three-dimensional. Although most scientists believe that the image was made by the body emitting a burst of energy of some kind (which caused the body's image to be lightly burned onto the Shroud), they have no idea how this could have been done. Efforts to lightly burn images into shroud-like fabrics have all failed to reproduce the extraordinarily delicate, detailed, three-dimensional effect found on the Shroud. The way the image was burned onto the Shroud is also flawlessly accurate in terms of how a body emitting energy would imprint itself on a cloth that was covering it. The image of the Shroud is absolutely accurate in both anatomical and physiological details. The anatomical and physiological details of the Shroud accurately record what would happen to a man who experienced a Roman-style crucifixion (see Robert Bucklin's pathological report at the end of this summary). -- The Shroud is stained by human blood that has run out of the image's wounds. The way the blood flowed, puddled and stained the Shroud are perfectly correct. Unlike the Shroud's image which only appears on the topmost fibrils of fabric, the blood on the Shroud soaked deeply into the fabric. The exact way the man was crucified closely matches biblical accounts of Jesus's crucifixion. Among other things, there are 120 lesions, the shape of dumbbells, distributed over the back and running around the front of the body--probably caused by a Roman whip called a flagrum whose thongs were tipped with bits of lead or bone. There is a deep wound on the right side of the body between the ribs which bled profusely (which is what Biblical records indicate happened when a spear was thrust into Christ's side). There are thorn-like marks on the victim's head (possibly from a crown of thorns). And the victim's legs were not broken (which is significant both because Roman-style crucifixions ended with their victim's legs being broken and because the New Testament account of Christ's death indicates that this was a Roman custom which Jesus was spared from). -- The beard and hair style of the crucified man were not common anywhere in the Roman Empire except Palestine. The image has Semitic features, including sidelocks and a unplaited ponytail. The Shroud itself was woven with techniques common to the first century. The Shroud's distinctive weave is so rare that researchers seeking to find a control sample could not find one anywhere in the world. A dirt sample taken from near the Shroud image's feet was identified as a relatively rare form of calcium carbonate. Samples of dirt taken from Jerusalem revealed an unusually close match. This strongly suggests the man pictured on the Shroud was crucified in Palestine. 58 varieties of pollen were discovered on the Shroud. 11 of the pollen samples were from plants that do not exist in Europe, but which do exist in the Near East. The pollen samples also indicated that the fabric of the Shroud had to have been made in Palestine before circulating in Europe. Pollen samples also helped trace the Shroud's route from Palestine through Anatolia and Constantinople into Europe. Furthermore, two of the pollen samples that were discovered on the Shroud coincided with highly distinctive plants found in the region surrounding Jerusalem. The pollen study concluded that the Shroud itself was probably made near Jerusalem and that it had been in the vicinity of the Holy City for some time before being transported out of the area. Images of 28 different types of flowers, small bushes, and thorns have been detected in bunches around the Shroud image. All 28 grow in Israel, either in Jerusalem or in the nearby desert or Dead Sea area. Most of them are not found in Europe. 25 of the 28 flowers matched the pollen samples found on the Shroud. 27 of the 28 plants bloom during March and April, which corresponds to the time of the crucifixion. An image of a coin appears over the right eye of the Shroud image. This coin, a very rare Pontius Pilate lepton struck in 29 to 32 A.D., was not found until 1977. Tests which were conducted in 1993 on a piece of first century fabric similar to the Shroud's now indicate that a fire the Shroud passed through in 1532 corrupted the October 1988 Carbon-14 dates that concluded the Shroud was not authentic. According to these recent tests, which were conducted by scientists at the University of Arizona and Russian scientists in Moscow, the 1988 Carbon-14 dates were some 1200 years in error. This dates the Shroud back to the first or second century. Some historians believe the Shroud of Turin may be The Mandylion, or Edessa Portrait, a holy relic mentioned in some accounts as early as the first century. If this is so, then the Shroud can be traced, through various legends and stories, all the way back to first century Jerusalem. [article link]

ANTICHRIST - PRINCE WILLIAM 2012 - Is Prince Williams the Face on the Shroud of Turin? Is the Image on the Shroud the Antichrist - The Image of the Beast? (YouTube)
This video is intended to be just a "teaser" to the very real possibility that Prince William is the Beast of Revelation. Comments: Of course, his name is Will-I-Am; a play on the words of what God Himself said, "I Am." [article link]

How do you know that there is real blood (and not paint or a stain) on the Shroud of Turin? - 1980 They (Gilbert and Gilbert) concluded that the blood flecks are real blood - Several claims have been made that the blood has been found to be type AB - The blood appears to be so old that the DNA is badly fragmented
Alan Adler was an expert on porphyrins, the types of colored compounds seen in blood, chlorophyll, and many other natural products. He and Dr. John Heller, MD, studied the blood flecks on the STURP sampling tapes [Heller and Adler, Applied Optics 19, (16) 1980]. They converted the heme into its parent porphyrin, and they interpreted the spectra taken of blood spots by Gilbert and Gilbert. They concluded that the blood flecks are real blood. In addition to that, the x-ray-fluorescence spectra taken by STURP showed excess iron in blood areas, as expected for blood. Microchemical tests for proteins were positive in blood areas but not in any other parts of the Shroud. -- Several claims have been made that the blood has been found to be type AB, and claims have been made about DNA testing. We sent blood flecks to the laboratory devoted to the study of ancient blood at the State University of New York. None of these claims could be confirmed. The blood appears to be so old that the DNA is badly fragmented. Dr. Andrew Merriwether at SUNY has said that "... anyone can walk in off the street and amplify DNA from anything. The hard part is not to amplify what you don't want and only amplify what you want (endogenous DNA vs. contamination)." It is doubtful that good DNA analyses can be obtained from the Shroud. It is almost certain that the blood spots are blood, but no definitive statements can be made about its nature or provenience, i.e., whether it is male and from the Near East. [article link]

July 08, 2009: British Scientists Claim to Create Human Sperm - British scientists claim they have created human sperm from stem cells. But other experts have questioned their data
LONDON - British scientists claim they have created human sperm from stem cells. But other experts have questioned their data. Researchers at Newcastle University and the NorthEast England Stem Cell Institute say they used a new technique to derive what they described as sperm cells from embryonic stem cells. ... But many other British experts say they are unconvinced by the research. They also say the sperm cells created in the laboratory were clearly abnormal. [article link]

IUC World Exclusive: Prince Charles Not Harry's Real Father - the fact that Diana's ex lover James Hewitt is the Harry's real father - Diana stopped having sex with Charles years before Harry was born - Just the way they killed Diana they'll kill James
A longtime employee of Harry's mother Princess Diana told IUC that the Royal Family was involved in a massive cover-up to hide the fact that Diana's ex-lover James Hewitt is the Harry's real father. According to the source Prince Philip threatened Hewitt's life if he didn't go along with the cover-up. "They made him lie about the timeline," the source told IUC. "Prince Philip told Hewitt he would destroy him if it ever leaked out. It's impossible that Charles is Harry's real father. Hewitt was on the scene as Diana's lover two years before Harry was born. Diana stopped having sex with Charles years before Harry was born. Harry looks exactly like Hewitt." -- The massive cover-up involved Hewitt lying to the world about when his dalliance actually began with Diana. Originally he told the world he met Diana in 1986. Harry was born in 1984. Under hypnosis for a TV interview Hewitt admitted he met Diana in 1981 or 1982, had sexual relations with her then - some two years before Harry was born. A relative of Hewitt told IUC that privately Hewitt has always believed he's Harry's dad but has denied it in public because he fears for his life. He also wants to protect his son from being dethroned. ... The relative added that this is another example of why the Royal Family should be abolished. "They're the biggest crooks and liars in the world," he said. "All the evidence clearly demonstrates that James is Harry's real father. Just the way they killed Diana they'll kill James. You'll see, one day his body will be found mysteriously in a hotel room and the Royals will try to convince the world that James committed suicide." [article link]

cuttingedge.org: 2012 - Is This The Year When (British) Antichrist Might Arise? - "All right, I have seen enough calculations and discerning facts to convince me: Antichrist will arise from the House of Windsor (British Royalty) - If the timing is soon, Prince Charles will be that man; if the timing is delayed, Prince William will be Antichrist. However, Prince William must turns 30, which is the Jewish minimum age for a man to be a Rabbi. Williams turns 30 on 2012. Since the Illuminati always has a "Plan A" and a "Plan B", this scenario could be very probable
Suddenly, both Christian and New Age leaders are teaching that the year 2012 might be the year in which Antichrist arises. Cutting Edge weighs in on this discussion, with our knowledge of the occult, to conclude that 2012 might, indeed, be the year when the Masonic Messiah comes to the world scene! ... What Is So Special About 2012? This is the year in which the ancient, pagan Mayan Calendar changes to a New Age, an age in which a Messiah is supposed to arise. Listen to the official write-up from a New Age website. ""It is my great honor and privilege as Master Quetzalcoatl to return to Earth in this overt fashion to spearhead so to speak and bring to your attention the I AM University End of the Mayan Calendar and Countdown Project! As you might know, I Am Quetzalcoatl, Grand Master of the Mayan days ... You all know that the Mayan calendar as has been channeled and introduced to the Earth in the Ancient Days from Higher Cosmic Sources, ends in the year 2012 - on December 21st at 21:21:59 pm to be precise. This exact date and time marks the Official Ending of the Kali Yuga or Dark Age and the Official Birth of the Age of the Christ / Buddha / Krishna / Mohammed / Moses, and God! It is December 21st 2012 at 22:00 pm which marks the Official Return or Second Coming of the Christ, Imam Mahdi, Buddha Maitreya, Kalki Avatar, Great Tao, and Messiah!" ... The House of Windsor: The time in which a knowledgeable Christian will make a discerning decision regarding the identity of the man who will be Antichrist will be before he is arisen; and, this knowledge beforehand will require Biblical discernment, knowledge of Scripture, and a series of calculations! With this point made to me by a pastor, I bought Antichrist And A Cup of Tea and began to read, albeit still with a high degree of skepticism. About three-fourths of the way through this book, I set it down and said to myself, "All right, I have seen enough calculations and discerning facts to convince me: Antichrist will arise from the House of Windsor. If the timing is soon, Prince Charles will be that man; if the timing is delayed, Prince William will be Antichrist. However, Prince William must turns 30, which is the Jewish minimum age for a man to be a Rabbi. Williams turns 30 on 2012. Since the Illuminati always has a "Plan A" and a "Plan B", this scenario could be very probable. [article link]

Renaissance Radio #6: the New World Order's fake alien invasion set for the 2012 London Olympics (Mp3-Secular)
Renaissance Radio #6: Renaissance Radio is back to talk about Project Blue Beam, Rik Clay's murder, and the New World Order's fake alien invasion set for the 2012 London Olympics. [article link]

Rik Clay - London-Zion-2012 - London the New Jerusalem - The New World Order's fake alien invasion likely being prepared for the 2012 London Olympics [iPaper Book - Right Click and Print] (Book-iPaper-Secular)
Thanks to infowarrior Andrew for compiling the entirety of Rik Clay's research on the New World Order's fake alien invasion likely being prepared for the 2012 London Olympics. Why is it both the Beijing and London Olympic logos can be arranged to form the word "Zion"? What is the plan for Project Bluebeam's top secret holographic technology? Why was Rik Clay killed (quite probably) shortly after releasing all this information on his blog? [article link]

Matthew 28 - The betrayal, rejection, crucifixion and death have all happened to Jesus as man has had his say about the Son of God - Jesus in turn has forgiven mankind for all of our transgressions - Jesus then conquered death as He resurrected from the grave the third day and began His Christian Church - The Old Testament has come to a conclusion and the New Testament has now begun being instituted in the person, life, power and resurrection authority of Jesus Christ -- 'Matthew 28:2-5 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here [dead]: for He is [alive] risen, as He said'
Jesus reveals His eternal life Resurrection to His Disciples instructing them to go throughout the entire world teaching others and baptizing others all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus confirms that all power and authority in both heaven and earth are His and that therefore the Disciples are to go out into all Nations proclaiming the good news of the eternal life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ! - 'Matthew 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went away [from the upper room in Jerusalem] into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they (Disciples) saw Him, they Worshipped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all Nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

SAINT MARK

Gospel of Mark [the 2nd Gospel of Jesus Christ] - Mark's Gospel opens by proclaiming, "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God" This opening statement immediately reveals who Jesus is, and tells readers the point of the entire book {Note: The Gospel of Mark is considered by Papias (AD 60-130) and Clement of Alexandrea (AD 150-215) to be the eyewitness events and relocations of the Apostle Peter as told to Mark [John Mark] who faithfully recorded Peter's version of events in his Gospel of Mark.}
Mark's Gospel opens by proclaiming, "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God." This opening statement immediately reveals who Jesus is, and tells readers the point of the entire book. The first part of the Gospel deals with John the Baptist and his preparation for Jesus. John starts baptizing people and attracting disciples. Jesus goes to John to be baptized as well. When he baptizes Jesus, a voice from heaven is heard: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased." In hearing this, God the Father, first person of the Trinity reveals who Jesus is in this first episode. The episode then ends with the arrest of John the Baptist. John's arrest serves as a warning that there will be a struggle between good and evil. ... From this point forward, the Gospel of Mark contains what is commonly called "the messianic mystery." This is the idea that the messiah will have to suffer, die, and then be raised. This was confusing to many of Jesus' followers, because their concept of the messiah was someone who, like King David, would come as a military hero to conquer their enemies. Jesus came to conquer, but He conquers sin and death. During this episode, Jesus asks the apostles "Who do people say that I am?" They respond, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets" [MK 8:27-30]. Jesus then asks, "But who do you say that I am?" At first, none of them respond, but then Peter answers: "You are the Messiah." [MK 8:31-33] Peter answers correctly, but does not fully understand what he is saying. Later in the Bible, Jesus tells him that it was God the Father who told him to say this, and he received this knowledge through a divine revelation. Thus Peter is the second person in Mark's Gospel to reveal who Jesus is. [article link]

Overview of the Gospel of Mark
An overview of the gospel of Mark includes biographical information about the author. We know, for example, that Mark came from a wealthy family who very likely hosted meetings of early Jerusalem believers, including the Master's Passover Supper (Mark 14:12-16, Acts 1:13, 12:12). It's possible that the young Mark followed Jesus and the disciples from his house to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he escaped capture only by fleeing naked when temple soldiers snatched at the linen sheet he wrapped around himself (Mark 14:51). We also know that Barnabas, who first led, then accompanied Paul on the first missionary journey, was a nephew of Mark's mother and therefore Mark's cousin (Colossians 4:10). Both Paul and Barnabas esteemed Mark worthy enough to accompany them when they left Jerusalem for Antioch after the famine-visit (Acts 11:27-30, 12:25); and when they began their first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). [article link]

The Gospel of Mark - Background Notes - Mark [by modern critics of Christianity] is generally considered the first gospel account of Jesus that was written - Matthew & Luke likely drew on the writing of Mark as those subsequent gospels were composed - The vast majority of commentators believe the gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, the student of Peter and traveling companion of Paul and Barnabas {Note: The Gospels are placed in the Bible in the order that they were written first Matthew (the Gospel was to go to the Jewish people first), then Mark writing for the Apostle Peter used Matthew's Gospel as an example, then Luke used both Matthew and Mark (completing the three similar, synoptic Gospels), lastly John narrated his unique Gospel of Jesus Christ for the Church. Also Note: had the Gospels not been placed in the order that they were written (Matthew, mark, Luke and John) the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts would not be split up but the early Church decided that it was much more important to have the Gospels in the order that God gave them to the Church than to have The Gospel of Luke and Acts together in chronological order.}
John Mark: Converted to Christianity by Peter who calls him "his son" (1 Pet 5:14). Peter gave John Mark much attention in helping him grow in his faith - likely as a result of the prominence of his family in the faith community and his earnest desire to grow. Mark was at his mother's home when Peter arrived after his miraculous release from prison (Acts 12:12) - the only man identified by name from the "many people gathered there to pray". Papias (AD 60-130) and Clement of Alexandrea (AD 150-215) report that Mark was the close attendant and "interpreter" of Peter and wrote his gospel from the recollections and teachings of Peter. (Nelson, ISBE) Other tradition says Mark had been a priest (Barnabas, and the family, was a Levite) and after becoming a Christian he amputated a finger to disqualify himself for that service and gained the nickname kolobo-daktulos, "stumpy fingered". -- The Gospel according to Mark: The second book of the New Testament and the earliest of the four gospels, according to most New Testament scholars. The Gospel of Mark portrays the person of Jesus more by what He does than by what He says. It is characterized by a vivid, direct style that leaves the impression of familiarity with the original events. Although Mark is the shortest of the four gospels, it pays close attention to matters of human interest. Mark is fond of linking the episodes of Jesus' ministry together with catchwords (for example, "immediately," "then"), rather than editorial comment; and frequently he interrupts a longer story by inserting a smaller one within it (Mark 5:21-43; 6:6-30; 11:12-25; 14:1-11). [article link]

Mark 1 - The Gospel of Mark starts with Peter's Great Revelation "Jesus the Son of God" the Revelation of Peter is recorded in each of the four Gospels [Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20, John 6:69] - 'Mark 1:1 The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God'
Mark 1:14-18 Now after that John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, And saying, *The [Old Testament] time is fulfilled, and *the Kingdom of God is at hand: *repent ye, and believe the Gospel [Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God]. Now as He [Jesus] walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon [Peter] and *Andrew [originally a disciple of John the Baptist - John 1:40] his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him [Jesus]. And when He had gone a little farther thence, He saw James [martyred by Herod, Acts 12:2] the son of Zebedee, and John [the beloved Disciple, originally a disciple of John the Baptist - John 1:37] his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway He [Jesus] called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him. - Note: The Gospel of Mark is the eyewitness account and personal experiences of the Apostle Peter and therefore the Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus as an adult just as Jesus begins His ministry when Peter first encountered Jesus.

Mark 2 - In these few events Peter continues to give close intimate first person details of his time spent with Jesus - Peter talks' about Jesus being in his house, his being with Jesus when He called Matthew into Discipleship and of Jesus being in Matthew's house along with Peter and many other disciples -- 'Mark 2:1 And again He [Jesus] entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that He was in *the house [Peter's house].'
Mark 2:14 And as He [Jesus] passed by, He saw Levi [Matthew] the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom [tax station], and said unto him, Follow Me. And he arose and followed Him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house [Matthew's house], many publicans [tax collectors] and sinners sat also together with Jesus *and His disciples [including Peter]: for there were many, and they followed Him. And when the Scribes and Pharisees saw Him [Jesus] eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that He eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, He saith unto them, They that are whole [lit. healthy] have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous [redeemed Jews], but sinners to repentance. - Note: Jesus focused His ministry prior to His cross and His resurrection on the gathering of the lost sheep of the House of Israel. After His cross and resurrection Jesus is calling everyone into a personal relationship with Himself.

Mark 3 - Peter and the Disciples on several occasions accompany Jesus into some of the Synagogues in Israel -- 'Mark 3:1-2 And He [Jesus] entered again into the Synagogue [in Capernaum]; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they [Pharisees] watched Him, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse Him.'
Mark 3:6-8 6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians [Jewish supporters of King Herod] against Him, how they might destroy Him. But Jesus withdrew Himself with His disciples to the sea [Galilee]: and a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judaea, And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things He [Jesus] did, came unto Him. - Peter is recalling both the concerted opposition that Jesus faced and the broad based and very vast following that Jesus acquired during His brief public ministry.

Capernaum - The house of St. Peter - The basalt Synagogue [at Capernaum] which is referred to in the four Gospels (Photos)
Overview: Aside from various references to Capernaum in the Gospels, the earliest literary attestation of Capernaum is from Josephus, who refers to the village in connection with a fertile spring. The Jewish historian reports he spent a night there with a fever during the second year of the Jewish War. For centuries, Capernaum has traditionally been identified as a site located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, about three miles west of the upper Jordan River. In 1838, Edward Robinson correctly identified there the remains of a synagogue that was partly excavated by Charles Wilson between 1865 and 1866. More extensive excavations took place in the early twentieth century, first by Heinrich Kohl and Carl Watzinger (1905) and then by Wendelin von Menden (1906-1915). In 1921, the synagogue was partially restored by Gaudenzio Orfali. In more recent times, Virgilio Corbo and Stanislao Loffreda conducted nineteen seasons at Capernaum between 1968 and 1986, excavating not only the synagogue, but also a nearby church that had long been associated with the house of St. Peter. Most recent excavations have revealed two synagogues, a white limestone synagogue dating from the fourth to fifth centuries CE [A.D.], and a black basalt synagogue dating from the first half of the first century CE [A.D.]. Only foundation walls, gray marble column fragments and a cobblestone floor remain from the earlier structure, which measured 24.5 by 18.7 meters on the exterior and possessed walls over a meter thick. ... This structure was built on top of an earlier synagogue [the Gospels synagogue] that was founded in the first century CE [A.D.] and constructed out of basalt. Only the foundation walls and cobblestone floor remain [exhibit B and C in the B&W photo] from this earlier [synagogue] building [the synagogue at Capernaum mentioned in the four Gospels]. Column drums made out of gray marble have also been discovered in a lower stratum of fill material. It is thus the basalt synagogue which is referred to in the four Gospels. [article link]

Mark 4 - Peter was present at most of the teachings of Jesus Crist and experienced firsthand the many crowds that gathered to hear Jesus teach -- 'Mark 4:1-2 And He [Jesus] began again to teach by the [Galilee] sea side: and there was gathered unto Him a great multitude, so that He entered into a ship [fishing boat], and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the [shore] land. And He [Jesus] taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in His doctrine ...'
Mark 4:9-12 And He [Jesus] said unto them [crowd of people], He that hath [Spiritual] ears to hear, let him hear. And when He [Jesus] was alone, they that were about Him with the Twelve [Apostles] asked of Him [about] the parable [regarding hearing]. And He said unto them, Unto you [through the Holy Spirit] it is given to know **the Mystery of the Kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, *and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; *lest at any time they should be {prematurely} converted, and their sins should be forgiven them {and then they fall away making it more difficult or even unable to be restored}. - Apparently what Jesus is talking about here is that Parables are given in order to help alleviate shallow, misguided and false conversions to Christianity. - Note: An easy, cheap (modern) Gospel is often a throwaway Gospel that people hear and then having easily accepted a simplistic message [lacking in conviction of sin and of the need for the cross and resurrection of Jesus] and usually having accepting it for wrong and selfish reasons can then later easily reject the Christian message not having had a definite eternal, divine [heavenly] basis for their relationship with God. - Also Note: The Gospel is also not manufactured of hardship, rules and regulations either but the Gospel is a living, accurate, truthful, Spiritual relationship with the living, loving, Holy creator of the universe, Father God [Jesus and the Holy Spirit] the eternal God of all existence.

LivingWaters.com: True and False Conversion - Hell's Best Kept Secret (Online Audio)
True and False Conversion: While the other teachings in this series have special emphasis in particular areas, this teaching is foundational, and goes hand in hand with Tape A. It is very important that you understand it, as it will have great bearing on how you spend your time, and how you share the principles of God's Word. If you have ever wondered why so much of the Church looks and acts just like the world, you will love this teaching. ... Hell's Best Kept Secret: Why do 80-90% of those making a [modern] decision for Christ fall away from the faith? What is the principle that Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield, etc., used to reach the lost? Why has the Church neglected it? Don't let anything stop you from listening to this incredible teaching. [article link]

Mark 5 - The Disciple and Apostle Peter is going to witness (Mark 5:2), experience (Luke 22:31) and discern (Acts 8:20) the spiritual realm on a level that few others have ever participated in - Jesus heals a man severely possessed by a multitude of demons -- 'Mark 5:18-20 And when He [Jesus] was come into the ship [fishing boat], he that had been possessed with the devil prayed [asked] Him [Jesus] that he might [travel] be with Him. Howbeit [however] Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, **Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis [the 10 Greek cities in Israel] how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. - Note: Jesus healed the man and did not take him away like some cult but instead restored the healed man to his family and his community and there within his own community did he begin to share with others the glorious compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ.'
Mark 5:1-17 And they [Jesus and His Disciples] came over unto the other side of the Sea [of Galilee], into the country of the Gadarenes [Southern Galilee area]. And when He was come out of the ship [fishing boat], immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs [in the graveyard]; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces [by his demonic rage and strength]: neither could any man tame [comfort] him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting [harming] himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus [and safety] afar off, **he ran and worshipped Him [Jesus], And cried with a loud [demonic possessed] voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I [the demonic spirit speaking through the homeless man] adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For He [Jesus] said unto him [unclean spirit], Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And He [Jesus] asked him [unclean spirit], What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion [a large well-armed group]: for we are many. And he [unclean spirit] besought Him much that He would not send them [legion] away out of the country [the country (area) of the Gadarenes - apparently a demonic stronghold]. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. **And forthwith Jesus gave them leave [permission]. And the unclean spirits went out [of the man], and entered into the swine [pigs]: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, they were about two thousand [pigs]; and were choked [drowned] in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see [the pig carcasses] what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that *was possessed with the devil, *and had the legion, {now healed and} sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid [it was too much for them]. And they [those feeding the pigs] that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray [ask] Him [Jesus] to depart out of their [region] coasts. - The main work of Jesus is in the spiritual realm and He is presiding over both the clean (holy) spirit realm and also ultimately presiding over the disobedient unclean (unholy) demonic realm. The discovery of the spirit realm and the realization of the authority and work of Jesus in and over the spirit realm (1 Corinthians 15:24) is usually initially very overwhelming to most [if not all] people but the spirit realm [both the holy and unholy] is actually so pervasive that generally it cannot be ignored but must be dealt with by humans and hopefully dealt with in the correct context that Jesus Christ is the sole authority of the entire spiritual and physical spectrum encompassing both the physical and the spiritual realms.

3 Striking Prayers In The Bible - There are three striking prayers found in the Bible which deserve our individual and undivided attention
There are three striking prayers found in the Bible which deserve our individual and undivided attention. Believe it or not - the first one was prayed by [legion] a group of three thousand demons. The second was prayed by a multitude of people [locals of Gadarenes]. And the third was prayed by a [homeless] man who was just set free from demonic power. ... In summary, the demons in the first example were wanting to get away from Jesus. The multitudes in the second example wanted Jesus to get away from them. And now, in this third example, we find the delivered man earnestly desiring to follow Jesus wherever He went. [article link]

Mark 6 - The people in the area 'country' of the Gadarenes had overcome their initial shock and had come to grips with their shocking spiritual realm encounter regarding Jesus and had begun to spread the word of the Good News of having a [spiritual, mind (soul) and possibly body] healing encounter with Jesus Christ -- 'Mark 6:53 And [later] when they had passed over [the Sea of Galilee], they came into the land of Gennesaret [Northern Galilee], and drew to the shore.'
Mark 6:53 And when they had passed over [the Sea of Galilee], they came into the land of Gennesaret [Northern shore of Galilee], and drew to the shore. And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they [people already] knew Him [from the previous healing of the demon possessed man in Gadarene - Southern Galilee], And [the people] ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard He [Jesus] was. And whithersoever He entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought Him that they might touch if it were but the border of His garment: and as many as touched [made contact with] Him were made whole [lit. safe from illness - Sozo, G4982]. - The healing that is being discussed in this part of the Bible is "sozo" and means to be made safe by being removed from danger. For instance in a physical sense Jesus would be the barrier between a person and a disease such as malaria and with Jesus the person is 'sozo' safe from malaria. Later 'soszo' is carried out into 'Salvation' with Jesus being the barrier between us and sin and in the same way one would be healed physically from a disease like leprosy or malaria the blood of Jesus has healed and saved us from the eternal dangers of the disease of sin. - Also: Note healings can be physical, spiritual and emotional and will encompass a duration of time especially physical healings in that all the people that Jesus raised from the dead did eventually physically die again, the point being that 'sozo' is a continuing and ongoing work of salvation, healing and safety in the life of each individual in a 'contact' relationship with Jesus Christ. Salvation 'sozo' healing by God is not just a onetime, anonymous drive bye event but it is a continual [and spiritually eternal] part of the moment by moment relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

Mark 7 - Jesus and His Disciples are now back in Capernaum at Peter's house -- 'Mark 7:9-13 And He [Jesus] said unto them [Jewish religious leaders], Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. ... Making the word of God of none [safety - Sozo] effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered [prescribed]: and many such like [ritualistic] things do ye.'
Mark 7:14-23 And when He [Jesus] had called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, Hearken [listen] unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing [in food] from without a man, that entering into him can defile him [separate him from God]: but the things [thoughts, imaginations and actions] which come out of him [soul and spirit], those are they that defile the man [separate him from God]. If any man have [spiritual] ears to hear, let him hear. And when He was entered into the house [back in Capernaum at Peter's house] from the people, His Disciples asked Him concerning the parable. And He saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever [food] thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; **Because it entereth not into his heart [soul and spirit], but into the belly [stomach], and goeth out into the draught [dung], purging all meats? And He [Jesus] said, ***That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man [separate him from God]. For from within, ***out of the heart [mind, soul, spirit] of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye (looking to cause evil), blasphemy, *pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man [separating him from God]. - Spiritual, emotional and at times even physical healing and wellbeing are interconnected and related to one another. In order to be healed spiritually [Sozo] we have to cooperate emotionally and physically with God. - Note: Salvation, healing, Christian conduct and Christian maturity (Living Temple - Royal Priesthood) drawing close to God is going to be a major theme in the two Epistles of Peter.

Mark 8 - Peter makes the eternal declaration that Jesus is the Christ the redeemer-savior of all mankind -- 'Mark 8:29 And He [Jesus] saith unto them [His Disciples], But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, Thou art the Christ [Messiah].'
Mark 8:27-38 And Jesus went out, and His disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way He asked His disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. And He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto Him, Thou art the Christ. And He [Jesus] charged them that they should tell no man of him [until after the fulness of His cross and resurrection]. **And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, *and after three days rise again. And He spake that saying openly. And Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He [Jesus] rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross [enter in], and follow Me. **For whosoever will save his [own] life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. **For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? **Or what shall a man give in exchange for his [eternal] soul? ***Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh [2nd Coming] in the Glory of His Father with the Holy Angels. - Note: We are like Peter and the other Disciples are given the opportunity to confess the eternal Truth that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and once we have entered into that eternal Truth and made that confession we are then to remain in it unwavering.

Mark 9 - The Disciples Peter, John and his brother James are going to witness firsthand the resurrection, eternal life from death [Moses and Elijah] and the transfiguration powers [transforming the temporary physical realm into the eternal spiritual realm] of God in Jesus Christ -- 'Mark 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the [eternal] Kingdom of God come with [transfiguration] power.'
Mark 9:2 And after six [a temporary - incomplete Transfiguration] days Jesus taketh with Him Peter, and James [John's brother], and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart [outside of Israel] by themselves: and He [Jesus] was Transfigured [changed into His Spirit body] before them. And His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller [detergent] on earth can white them. And there appeared unto them Elias (Elijah) with Moses [because of his sin Moses was not allowed to enter the Promise Land (before the cross of Jesus) so Jesus and the three Disciples went outside Israel (the promise land) for Jesus to meet with Moses and Elijah]: and they were talking with Jesus. And **Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, ***it is good for us to be here [according to Peter's epistles this was the crowning achievement moment of his life to be at the Mount of Transfiguration and to witness the events]: and let us make three tabernacles [grottos]; one for thee [Jesus], and one for Moses, and one for Elias. For he wist [knew] not what to say; for they were sore afraid. And there was a cloud [of witness] that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear [listen to] Him. And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more [Moses and Elijah had returned back down to Paradise - Abraham bosom], save Jesus only with themselves. And as they came down from the Mountain, He [Jesus] charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of Man were risen [resurrection] from the dead. - Jesus instructed the Disciples not to tell the Gospel until they had the fullness of the Gospel in His cross and Resurrection. A Gospel that does not address both redemption from sin (the cross) and a reunited eternal life with God in Haven (the resurrection)is an incomplete Gospel message.

Mark 10 - Jesus and His Disciples begin to make their way to Jerusalem for the events that would become known as Holy Week -- 'Mark 10:32 And they [Jesus and His Disciples] were in the way going up to Jerusalem [the events of Holy Week were about to begin]; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they [Disciples] were afraid. And He took again the Twelve [Apostles], and began to tell them what things should happen unto Him ...'
Mark 10:33-34 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man [Jesus] shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles: And they [also will reject Jesus and] shall mock Him, and shall scourge Him, and shall spit upon Him, and shall kill him: and the third day He [Jesus] shall rise [resurrection] again. - Note: For a time all of the disciples and Apostles of Jesus will flee from Jesus and all will reject Jesus including all the Jews and all the Gentiles alike. Forsaken, rejected and alone; all by Himself Jesus will go on trial, to the cross and to the grave but then to conquer in His Glorious eternal life Resurrection a life that Jesus since before the creation of time He has offered freely to all mankind.

Mark 11 - The Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem where Jesus presents Himself as the King the promised Messiah (Christ) to all mankind both to the Jews and then to the Gentiles -- 'Mark 11:11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem [on Saturday the Sabbath Feast day], and into the Temple: and when He had looked round about upon all things, and now the *eventide [lit. close of a feast day - Opsios, G3798 (a feminine noun instead of the regular masculine noun)] was come, He [Jesus] went out [back] unto Bethany with the Twelve [Apostles].' - Note: This unique day also corresponds with the Triumphal Entry of the Ark of the Covent's arrival into Jerusalem "2 Samuel 6:15 So [King] David and all the House of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD [into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day] with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet." - The prayer of King David upon bringing the Ark and the presence of God into Jerusalem - 1 Chronicles 16:7-36 [v.24 24 Declare His Glory among the heathen [Gentiles]; His marvellous works among all Nations. - v.30 Fear before Him, all the earth: the world [realm of God] also shall be stable, that it be not moved. - V.31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the Nations, The LORD reigneth (as King).]
Mark 11:1-10 And when they [Jesus and His Disciples] came nigh [near] to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He [Jesus] sendeth forth two of His disciples, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village [Bethany] over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt [a young donkey] tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that *the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go [apparently the colt was a firstborn animal and the owner did not redeem (Numbers 18:15) it from God therefore the young donkey did belong to God and not the person and everyone realizing the colt was unredeemed gave the colt to the two disciples to give to Jesus the true Lord (owner) of the colt]. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on Him; and He sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down [palm] branches off the trees, and strawed [covered the street with branches] them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, ***saying, Hosanna; Blessed is He [Jesus] that cometh in the Name of the Lord [owner of the universe]: Blessed be ***the Kingdom of our father [King] David, that cometh in the Name of the Lord: Hosanna [rejoice, praise] in [God] the Highest. - "Psalms 74:12 For God is my King of old, working Salvation in the midst of the earth."

"Jesus Walk" the 10 Day Annual Easter Timeline Devotion - An Ancient Holy Week Timeline, Bible Study, Devotional & Personal Journal for Easter Week
As disciples of Jesus, let's go back with Jesus and the original disciples to revisit and re-live the last week that Jesus spent on earth. This week is also referred to as "Holy Week." The 10 days will be Friday through the next Sunday. To examine the last week we will have to piece together many items and statements from throughout the Bible. As we go back to the original Holy Week, we will travel like students and detectives, searching the scriptures for events and clues that took place nearly 2,000 years ago. We will in actuality be students and detectives of Jesus, searching out Who He is and what His ministry came to accomplish here on earth. [article link]

Mark 12 - Summary: The events of Holy Week as the Apostle Peter participated in them - The day after the [Saturday] Triumphal entry on the {Saturday Sabbath Feast Day} -- [Sunday: "Mark 11:12 And on the morrow (the day after Saturday)" Jesus cursed the fig tree (on Sunday) on His way into Jerusalem to cleanse the Temple by removing the money changers and reinstituting the Temple as a place of prayer and worship to God and then teaches the people "His doctrine" (Mark 11:18).] -- [Monday: "Mark 11:20 And in the morning (next day), as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots." "Mark 11:27 And they come again (still on Monday) to Jerusalem" Jesus again enters the now cleansed Temple and continues to teach to the people. Jesus' authority is questioned on this second day of teaching by the religious leaders and Jesus then begins to teach in Parables in the Temple and later that day Jesus [God] departs the Temple for the last time. Jesus then gives His mount Olivet Discourse (End Time) teaching.] -- [Tuesday: Judas meets with the religious and political leaders in order to betray Jesus.] -- [Wednesday: Passover {The Lord's Passover Feast Day}, Communion, the New Testament begins to be instituted in the body-blood, cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.'] -- [Thursday: {The start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread} (the new Jewish day began at sundown) Arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, trials (six trials; three Jewish and three Gentile) and rejection of Jesus by both the Jews and the Gentiles. The cross, death and burial of Jesus.] -- [Friday: A normal day (non-Feast Day). The tomb is sealed by the Romans at the request of the Jewish leadership, the female disciples of Jesus purchase and prepare more oil and spices to further anoint the body of Jesus but are unable to further anoint the body because the tomb is now closed and sealed.] -- [Saturday: Again the weekly Sabbath Feast Day. The third day and third night of death is fulfilled.] -- [Sunday: At the Sunrise of the new day on the {Feast of Firstfruits} Jesus resurrects from the dead displaying to His followers His eternal resurrection life, His authority of life over death as He begins to reveal His eternal Kingdom Glory to mankind.]
[Monday] Mark 12:1 And He [Jesus] began [the second and final day of Holy Week Temple Teachings] to speak unto them [in the Temple] by parables. ... Mark 12:18-27 Then come unto Him the Sadducees [Jewish religious and political leaders], which say there is no resurrection; and they asked Him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven {complete} brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. **And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err (error), ***because ye know not the scriptures, ***neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels [no sexual activity] which are in heaven. **And as touching the dead, that they rise [eternal life resurrection]: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the [burning] bush God spake unto him, ***saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? ***He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still completely alive and living in the eternal realm]: ye therefore do greatly err. - Note: Before His own death and resurrection Jesus clears up any doubts about human sexual conduct in heaven [there isn't any] and about the fact that the human spirit and soul is eternal and does participate in God's eternal life resurrection plan for mankind.

Mark 13 - [Monday] The 2nd and final day of Temple Teaching ends abruptly and later that day the [End Time] Mount Olivet Discourse is given by Jesus with only the Apostles Peter, James, John and Andrew in attendance -- "Mark 13:1-4 And [Monday] as He [Jesus] went out of the Temple, ... And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives over against [overlooking] the Temple, *Peter and James [John's brother] and John [John omitted (as unnecessary) the Mount Olivet (end time) teaching from his Gospel to the Christian Church] and Andrew [Peter's brother] asked Him [Jesus] privately, Tell us, when shall these [Kingdom of Christ] things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?' - Note: Peter, James and John were the only three Apostles present at the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus.
Mark 13:28-37 Now learn a Parable of the Fig Tree [3rd Temple in Jerusalem]; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things [preparation to rebuild the 3rd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem] come to pass, know that it [the Kingdom of God] is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that *this generation [the End Time 1967 Jewish return to Jerusalem generation] shall not pass, till all these [End Time - Book of Revelation] things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour [the establishing of the Kingdom of God - Jesus' Throne on earth] knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in Heaven, neither the Son [Jesus - the Kingdom is being given to Jesus as a gift from the Father, therefore Jesus did not yet know the fullness and timing of His gift], but the Father [knows]. *Take ye heed, *watch [for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ] and *pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man [Jesus] is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. **Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even [evening], or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing [dawn], or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping [unconscious]. And what I say unto you **I say unto all, Watch [observe and look for the Kingdom of God]. - Note: The fig tree is a parable about man's own religious coverings [i.e. the 3rd Temple - the eventual temple of the Antichrist] as the original fig tree (Genesis 3:7) was a manmade attempt to cover mankind's sins with a false religion.

Mark 14 - [Tuesday] The Holy Week events begin to focus on the Passover Feast and Jesus' institution of the New Testament -- 'Mark 14:1-2 [on Tuesday] After two days [counting Tuesday and starting Wednesday (i.e. John 20:26 And after eight days (7 Roman days) counting the current day Resurrection Sunday until the next Sunday)] was the feast of the [Lord's] Passover, and [the next day the start] of Unleavened Bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him [Jesus] by craft [deceit], and put Him to death. But they said [conspired], *Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people. - Note: The plans of Satan as enacted by the religious leaders of the day was not to fulfill the Feast Days given by God to Moses however that is exactly what did happen.'
Mark 14:12-17 And [Wednesday] the first day of [the eight days of] Unleavened Bread [1 day of Lord's Passover + 7 days of Unleavened Bread], when they killed the Passover [Lamb][the Lord's Passover], His disciples said unto Him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the [Lord's] Passover? And He sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him {by Church tradition this person is thought to be Mark the writer of the Gospel}. And wheresoever he [Mark] shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master [Jesus] saith, Where is the guestchamber [guestroom], where I shall eat the Passover with My Disciples? And he will shew you a large **upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us. And His disciples went forth, and came into the city [Jerusalem], and found as He had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover. And in the evening He [Jesus] cometh with the Twelve [Apostles]. - Note: Generally it is thought that Jesus and the Apostles ate the Passover at Mark's parents' house and then that Mark followed Jesus and the Apostles to the Garden of Gethsemane where he recorded (Mark 14:51) his being discovered by others and having to flee from the area.

Mark 15 - [Thursday] The arrest, trials, crucifixion and burial of Jesus -- 'Mark 15:1-2 And straightway in the morning [Thursday] the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole [Sanhedrin] council, and bound Jesus, and carried Him away, and delivered Him to [Pontius] Pilate. And Pilate asked Him [Jesus], Art thou the King of the Jews? And He [Jesus] answering said unto him, Thou sayest it [correct, Yes].'
Mark 15:37-47 And Jesus [on the cross] cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost [died]. And the veil of the Temple was rent [torn] in twain [half] from the top to the bottom. And when the [Roman] Centurion, which stood over against Him, saw that He so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, **Truly this man was the Son of God. There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; Who also, when He was in Galilee, followed Him, and ministered unto Him; and many other women which came up with Him unto Jerusalem. And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day [of Unleavened Bread just] before the Sabbath {the Feast Sabbath (rest) not the saturday Sabbath}, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the Kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if He were already dead: and calling unto him the Centurion, he asked him whether He had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the Centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulcher [tomb] which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld [observed] where He was laid.

THE CRUCIFIXION SITE AND TOMB OF CHRIST - Close-up photo at left is of an iron shaft driven into [the outside of] the rock Tomb (Photos)
This is the burial place of Christ and you will notice the foot area at right that was enlarged [chiseled out] to accommodate Christ's feet, as he must have been taller than Joseph of Arimathea who had the tomb constructed for himself and was apparently 5' 8" tall. The cutting of the stone was hastily completed in order to accomplish the task of burial before the Sabbath hours, Friday at sunset. Mark 16:5 says Mary saw a young man or angel sitting on right side of tomb the first day of the week. He may have been in the right hand portion of this photo. ... "Make it as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard." Matt. 27:65,66 Close-up photo at left is of an iron shaft driven into the rock. Photo at right above would have the iron rod at far left in the photo. This would have prevented the stone from being rolled backward. The distance from the iron shaft to the stopping point at right is 13 ft. 2inches, per our measurements. "And they made His grave with the wicked-- but with the rich at His death" Isaiah 53:9. This text describes the other tombs to the left of this one where wealthy and wicked men were buried. [article link]

The Real Calvary and the Real Holy Sepulcher [Tomb] - How did the Roman soldiers prevent the Stone from rolling back? Apparently by a spike at the edge of the Stone to the wall - We can see a broken iron spike embedded in the wall 71 inches above the ground, several feet to the left of the door (Photo)
The Great Seal Stone was rolled in and placed in the trough outside the entrance wall. It was big enough to cover the fairly large door. How did the Roman soldiers prevent the Stone from rolling back? Apparently by a spike at the edge of the Stone to the wall. We can see a broken iron spike embedded in the wall 71 inches above the ground, several feet to the left of the door; there is a stop carved into the face of the rock on the right side of the door. Obviously the spike was broken when the angel rolled the Stone on Resurrection morning. The separation of the spike from the stop is over 13 feet, which may be considered the diameter of the Stone. Recently elemental analysis has been carried out on fragments of the spike, and the metals found were iron and lead. The Roman practice was pouring molten lead into the hole before inserting the iron nail. Dating the metals is not possible with radiometric dating techniques. For more information visit www.wyattmuseum.com and www.anchorstone.com These details give much support to our belief that the Garden Tomb is the real Tomb of Jesus. [article link]

Mark 16 - The Sunday Sunrise, Eternal Life Resurrection of Jesus Christ!! -- 'Mark 16:1-2 And when the [Saturday] Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought [on Friday] sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week [Sunday], they came unto the sepulchre [tomb] at [sunrise] the rising of the sun.'
Mark 16:15-20 And He [the resurrected Jesus] said unto them [Apostles and Disciples], Go ye into all the world, and Preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized [identifies with Jesus] shall be Saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, [40 days later - The Ascension] He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and Preached everywhere, ***the Lord [continually] working with them, and confirming the [Gospel] Word with signs following. Amen. - The Gospel of Peter recorded by Mark is concluded.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

SAINT LUKE

Background Book of Luke - The book of Luke gives us the most complete look at the life of Jesus - Luke uses eyewitnesses as sources for his writings - He stresses Jesus' humanity and compassion as well as the power of the Holy Spirit and of prayer - Theme: Jesus Christ as the perfect man - Key verses: "When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, 'Certainly this was a righteous man'" Luke 23:47 - "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" Luke 19:10
Book of Luke - Author: Luke - Time: 4 B.C. to 30 A.D. - The book of Luke gives us the most complete look at the life of Jesus. Luke uses eyewitnesses as sources for his writings. He stresses Jesus' humanity and compassion as well as the power of the Holy Spirit and of prayer. - Theme: Jesus Christ as the perfect man -- Key verses: "When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, 'Certainly this was a righteous man.'" Luke 23:47 -- "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10 -- Unique features: Luke wrote particularly for Greeks who delighted in wisdom, beauty and system. He therefore tells the story of Jesus, unfolding his development in a systematic manner, setting the facts in careful order. Luke was an artist with the pen, drawing the portrait of Jesus as the perfect man. He was also a careful historian; both his gospel and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles are highly regarded among historians for their accuracy and attention to detail. [article link]

Profiles of Faith: Luke the Apostle Paul's Beloved Friend and Companion - Who was the man who would not only encourage Paul during this trying time but write two books of the New Testament? The Scriptures tell us little, but we can infer quite a bit by examining Luke's work and the times in which he lived - Luke appears to have been one of the early Gentile converts to Christianity - Luke apparently wrote his Gospel around A.D. 60-61, some 30 years after Jesus' death. We can arrive at this time by examining the evidence for when he wrote the book of Acts
It wasn't easy being Paul's friend and traveling companion. The apostle lived a hard and sometimes dangerous life. His enemies said he was a rabble-rouser, a troublemaker who slandered the Jews and dishonored the temple and, by extension, disdained the authority of the almighty Roman Empire. In reality Paul's enemies were the slanderers: "... We have found this man a plague," they said, "a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5, emphasis added throughout). Such charges could get one thrown in prison, and in Paul's case they did. Few dared to accompany or visit Paul under this sort of dangerous and humiliating circumstance. But Luke dared. Few were as fearless as Paul's friend and trusted companion Luke. Luke stayed beside Paul, day in and out, for at least two years. Every day he walked past the Roman guards, who must have grown in their respect for him. His constancy commanded respect; he was as faithful as clockwork. Luke was faithful because he had a job to do: writing a history of the early years of the Church founded by the man he had become convinced was the very Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. Only one thing was more important to Luke than being Paul's friend: his dedication as a servant of his Master, Jesus Christ. Paul found himself under house arrest in Rome, although he had committed no crime against either Jew or gentile. But Paul knew-through God's earlier revelation to him-that he would serve as God's witness before Caesar in Rome (Acts 27:24). So here he was. The times were trying for Paul. He needed encouragement, which God provided through a friendly, sensitive physician, a man named Luke. Under house arrest and confined to a rented house for at least two years, Paul was free to teach and preach the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God to the curious and to those whom God was calling (Acts 28:16, 30-31). His efforts bore fruit; Paul's teaching converted even members of Caesar's household (Philippians 4:22). -- Luke's background: Who was the man who would not only encourage Paul during this trying time but write two books of the New Testament? The Scriptures tell us little, but we can infer quite a bit by examining Luke's work and the times in which he lived. The early Church was predominantly Jewish. Jesus, the original apostles and later apostles such as Paul were all Jews. But the book of Acts records that, over time, gentiles (non-Jews) came to accept the message of the apostles and became members of the Church Jesus founded. Luke appears to have been one of the early gentile converts to Christianity. What are the scriptural indications he was a gentile? In Colossians 4:10-14 Paul names three of his companions and coworkers who were "my only fellow workers ... who are of the circumcision"-that is, Jewish-and then three other companions, including Luke. The obvious implication is that the latter three were gentiles. Luke was a learned man, a linguist. He spoke and wrote classical Greek, but he could also converse and write in Hebrew, Aramaic and Hellenistic Greek. His mastery of Greek indicates he probably was a Greek. His dedication shows us he had a heart of gold. Luke was educated, creative and talented. Among the Mediterranean people of the day, the Greeks were well educated and trained, especially in philosophy, oratory, writing and mathematics. Even the powerful Roman leaders were predisposed to the culture and education of the Greeks, who under Alexander the Great had built a mighty empire that preceded the Romans as the dominant power in the Mediterranean region and Middle East. ... Luke, the beloved physician: The Scriptures note that Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14). A physician of Luke's day was not the same as modern physicians, since the science of medicine was not far advanced. Even so, the Greeks were head and shoulders above other gentiles when it came to science and medicine and the understanding of the workings of the human body. A physician of Luke's day could work with body and mind, though not in the sense of a modern surgeon. But Luke was interested in people's well-being; this is evident in his writings. An old saying fits with Luke's outlook: "A minister sees men at their best, a lawyer sees men at their worst, and a physician sees men as they are." Paul's deep respect and Christian love for Luke surface when he refers to him as "the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). Luke showed interest in the welfare of women and children, as shown in his Gospel. In Judea, as in other places throughout the known world, women in Luke's day held a place low in society. For example, some historical accounts of the time report that Jewish men gave thanks to God each morning that they had not been born a gentile, slave or woman. Luke's perspective differs from the common portrayal of women of the time. Luke tells his birth narrative of Christ from Mary's point of view. Luke writes of Elizabeth, of Anna, of the widow at Nain, of the woman who anointed Jesus' feet in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Luke portrays Martha and Mary and Mary Magdalene. -- An invitation for gentiles: Luke appears to have written mainly , though not entirely, for gentiles. Again, Theophilus was probably a gentile. In comparison with the other three Gospels, Luke's is written to be more easily understood by a gentile. For example, notice that Luke used Roman dates in his works when he identified the Roman emperor and governor. In his writings Luke used the Greek equivalents of Hebrew words, which would make him more easily understood by Greeks. For example, he didn't use the Jewish term rabbi; instead he used a Greek word that means "master." Also, when he traces Jesus' descent, he goes back to Adam, the progenitor of the human race, rather than going back only as far as Abraham as Matthew had done. These small differences hint that Luke probably wrote his Gospel account so gentiles could more easily identify with Jesus and His teachings. Many scholars say Luke's Gospel is the easiest to read of the four and the easiest to understand of all the New Testament narratives and letters. -- Luke the careful historian: Luke apparently wrote his Gospel around A.D. 60-61, some 30 years after Jesus' death. We can arrive at this time by examining the evidence for when he wrote the book of Acts. Luke begins Acts by referring to "the former account" he had written (Acts 1:1), the Gospel of Luke. The final chapter of Acts concludes with events that preceded Nero's persecution of Christians (in 65) and Paul's death. Otherwise Luke surely would have mentioned both. The book ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial for the charges brought against him. No account of a trial or verdict is mentioned anywhere. Most Bible scholars thus agree that Acts was written around 63 and reflects events in the Church up until that time. Thus, if Luke wrote Acts then, he must have written his Gospel a few years earlier, ca. 60-61. (As a postscript to the book of Acts, the Romans apparently released Paul from his house arrest shortly thereafter, but Nero later imprisoned him again and had him executed around 66.) Apparently Luke was not an eyewitness of Jesus' mighty works and teachings but was one who copiously incorporated others' eyewitness accounts (Luke 1:1-2). When we examine Luke's Gospel we see how careful he was. In the first few verses He claims his work is the product of careful research. He notes that he bases his account on information "handed down to us by those who from the first were eye-witnesses" (verse 2). As a seasoned traveler, Luke had opportunities to interview the best sources (that is, Jesus' 12 apostles and Paul), and he listened carefully to their stories and testimonials, taking voluminous notes. Half of Luke's Gospel consists of material not found in the other three accounts of the life and work of Christ. This demonstrates that Luke searched out and interviewed other witnesses to the events he recorded. Luke was a meticulous historian. Notice his careful work as he dates the emergence of John the Baptist by cross-checking six contemporary datings: "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar [1], Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea [2], Herod being tetrarch of Galilee [3], his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis [4], and Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene [5], while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests [6], the word of God came to John ..." (Luke 3:1-2). This shows Luke's penchant for accuracy that so characterized his writings. Five of the six chronological checkpoints deal with gentile data. The sixth deals with a point of interest to Jews. When it came to writing the book of Acts, Luke similarly had opportunity to interview many eyewitnesses. Luke wrote of the acts of the 12 apostles from Acts 1-12, then of Paul and others from Acts 13-28. He demonstrated the transition from the life and teachings of Jesus to the life and teachings of the Church. The book of Acts confirmed that what Jesus taught and practiced was indeed taught and practiced by the apostles and the early Church. [article link]

Background of the Gospel of Luke
The Gospel of Luke has two distinctives from the other gospels. The first being the longest of the four gospels. The second is Luke is the only gospel with a sequel-the book of Acts. The two books and their message are virtually inseparable, despite their canonical division. Luke's gospel lays the foundation for many of the issues answered in Acts. The primary one being the equality of Jews and Gentiles in God's plan for salvation. Authorship and Date: Although neither the Gospel of Luke nor the Acts of the Apostles names an author, it is widely accepted that Luke is the author. Church tradition firmly affixes Luke as the author by A.D. 200 and remained so with no hint of contrary opinion. - The date of the Gospel's writing is slightly disputed, but not by a wide margin of time. The earliest possible date would be within the years of the last recorded events in Acts, around A.D. 62. The latest possible date is around 170. The most accepted dates fall sometime after the fall of Jerusalem, between 75-85. It is widely believed that Luke's gospel was penned after Mark's, which is dated in the 60s. Luke's gospel writing parallels Mark's, making it likely that Luke had access to a copy of the Gospel of Mark. [article link]

Luke 1 - Luke a Gentile Physician-Doctor [probably of Greek heritage and background], historian, companion to the Apostle Paul, eyewitness and early Christian Church recorder/reporter begins his Ministry to the Christian Church with his Gospel of Luke -- 'Luke 1:1-4 Forasmuch as *many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration [gospel] of those things [Ministry of Jesus Christ] which are most surely believed among us, Even as they [Disciples - Apostles] delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the Word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect [complete] understanding of all things from the very first [virgin birth to the cross, resurrection and ascension], to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus [brotherly love for God], That thou mightest know *the certainty of those [Christian] things, wherein thou hast been instructed.'
Zacharias receives news of the pregnancy of his wife with John the Baptist: Luke 1:18-20 18 And Zacharias [father of John the Baptist] said unto the Angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the Angel answering said unto him, *I am Gabriel [Daniel 8:16], that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. ... Mary receives news of her pregnancy with Jesus: Luke 1:26-28 And in the sixth month [of Elisabeth's pregnancy] the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David [descendants of King David]; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the Angel came in unto her, and said, Hail [Greetings], thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ... Luke 1:39-45 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe [john the Baptist] leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: *for there shall be a performance of those [Redemption-Salvation] things which were told her from the Lord. ... The Reply of Mary - Mary's Magnificat: Luke 1:46-55 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is His Name. And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away. He hath holpen [helped] His servant [the Nation of] Israel, in remembrance of His mercy; As He spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever. ... John the Baptist is born [six months before the birth of Jesus] Zacharias' prophecy: Luke 1:67-80 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for *He [Jesus] hath visited and redeemed his people [with the pregnancy of Mary redemption, the presence of God is already accomplished], And hath raised up an horn [strength] of Salvation for us in the House of his servant [King] David; As He spake by the mouth of His Holy Prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and *to remember His Holy Covenant [New Covenant]; The oath which He sware to our father Abraham, That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life. And thou, child [John the Baptist], shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest [Jesus]: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways; To give knowledge of Salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Dayspring [sunrise resurrection] from on High hath visited us, To give [resurrection] light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing [Levite washing at 30 years old] unto Israel. - Note: Luke was a companion with the Apostle Paul visiting with Paul in Jerusalem and throughout many of the newly established Christian Churches including the important early Church at Ephesus a Church founded by the Disciple John who was accompanied by Mary the mother of Jesus. It is considered that Luke received all of his early Church background and information from firsthand and eyewitness accounts including the information about Mary being provided to Luke by Mary herself.

Luke 2 - Luke records the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, the entrance of the Savior [Messiah] of mankind into the world - Note: Luke is getting his information firsthand from Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary reveals [and wanted it known] that Joseph and Mary were Not yet married when the tax decree was announced that she was still the 'espoused wife' and Joseph had to make a final decision regarding the census about whether or not to take Mary [with Jesus] in marriage as his wife - Matthew [Matthew 1:20] records that an Angel of the Lord visited Joseph 'while he thought on such things' and then Joseph and Mary were married just prior to their trip to Bethlehem to pay their taxes and to be counted in the census and for Mary to give birth to Jesus in Bethlehem [lit. house of bread] to fulfill the prophecy (Micah 5:2) -- 'Luke 2:1-7 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that *all the world should be taxed [Rome is the 6th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10]. And this taxing was first made {started - possibly a few years before} when Cyrenius [Quirinius] was governor [6 B.C. - 4 B.C.] of Syria. And all {eventually} went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the House and lineage of David: To be taxed with Mary his espoused [engaged] wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him [Jesus] in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.' Note: Quirinius (Cyrenius) was a Roman official in charge of the military in Syria from 6 B.C. to 4 B.C. It's uncertain if the census originated in Syria and then took a couple of years to take effect in Rome and then to Jerusalem of if the original order initiated in Rome. The Dates of about 4 B.C. until 1 A.D. for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and then about the year 33 A.D. for the cross and resurrection of Jesus in Jerusalem are very close in time to when the actual events happened.
The entire Holy Angelic realm reacts to the human birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ: Luke 2:13-17 And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host [Angels] praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the Angels were gone away from them into Heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste [urgency], and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe [Jesus] lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known [told all] abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. ... The just and devout worshiper Simeon reacts to the presence of Jesus: Luke 2:25-32 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and *the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ [Messiah]. And he came by the Spirit into the Temple [2nd Temple in Jerusalem]: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him [circumcision and dedication] after the custom of the law, Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen *thy Salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of *all people; *A light to lighten the Gentiles, and *the glory of thy people Israel. ... And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child [Jesus] is set for the fall [cross] and rising again [resurrection] of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, **that the thoughts of many Hearts (souls of mankind) may be revealed. ... Anna the Prophetess responds to the presence of Jesus: Luke 2:36-38 36 And there was one Anna, a Prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the Tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the Temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him [Jesus] to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. ... At twelve years old Temple teachers respond to Jesus: Luke 2:46-47 And it came to pass, that after three days they [Joseph and Mary] found Him [Jesus] in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors [Rabbis], both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His [Biblical] understanding and [Spiritual] answers.

The Berean Chronicles with Kelly McGinley - The Lord Jesus Christ's Birthday 2009 (Mp3)
The Grand Conspiracy Behind Changing the Lord Jesus Christ's Birthday - There is a conspiracy by the "religious" elite who act like the birth of the Lord Jesus was a secret. Basically, to support their false doctrine that He will return secretly. However, numerous scriptures show this teaching is false. Kelly goes through the recorded events in the scriptures surrounding the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [article link]

Were Joseph and Mary actually married (not just engaged) at the time of Jesus' birth?
We do not know exactly when it was that Mary broke the news to Joseph that she was expecting. It would have been very difficult to explain, after she rushed right off for three months; and then when she came back after all that time, she was expecting. Humanly-speaking, it would have been very easy to assume that she was unfaithful to Joseph while she was up in the hill country. We must also remember that their clothing was much more modest back in those days, and it would have been much more difficult to tell when a woman with child began to actually show the growth of the baby in the womb. We must also understand that husbands and wives who experience unfaithful mates go through mood swings. One moment, they are in tears and confirm their love toward their erring, but repentant mates. But the next hour or day, they may fight back great feelings of anger or resentment. It is a great battle to get an immoral mate to repent, and sometimes an even greater battle to get a hurt mate to forgive. What we end up with in this situation with Joseph and Mary, is that when she arrived back home, there was about six months before the birth. As was previously stated, we do not know when Mary actually told him that she was expecting. Being this was her first baby, and the modesty of the dress, it could have been a number of months before she actually began to show. Once she did tell Joseph, he obviously went through periods of affirmation of his love for her, and periods of doubt about her faithfulness. From the Scriptures, we know that it was an extreme struggle for him, right up until days before the birth. The struggle would have become much more intense as the birth drew nigh. [article link]

Wikipedia.org: Year zero - Dionysius Exiguus (470 A.D. - 544 A.D.) introduced the Anno Domini [lit. from Roman Latin, The Year Of Our Lord] [A.D.] era, which he used to identify the several Easters in his Easter table, but did not use it to date any historical event - When he devised his table, Julian calendar years were identified by naming the consuls who held office that year - he stated that the "present year" was "the consulship of Probus Junior [Flavius Probus]", which he also stated was 525 years "since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ" - How he arrived at that number is unknown - He invented a new system of numbering years to replace the Diocletian years that had been used in an old Easter table because he did not wish to continue the memory of a tyrant who persecuted Christians
Bede (672 A.D. - 735 A.D.) was the first historian to use a BC year, and hence the first one to choose 1 as the origin of the BC era, thus 1 BC, in his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical history of the English people, 731). Bede did not sequentially number days of the month, weeks of the year, or months of the year, but he did number many of the days of the week using a counting origin of one in Ecclesiastical Latin. Previous Christian histories used anno mundi ("in the year of the world") beginning on the first day of Creation, or anno Adami ("in the year of Adam") beginning at the creation of Adam five days later (the sixth day of Creation week), used by Africanus, or anno Abrahami ("in the year of Abraham") beginning 3,412 years after Creation according to the Septuagint, used by Eusebius, all of which assigned "one" to the year beginning at Creation, or the creation of Adam, or the birth of Abraham, respectively. Bede continued this earlier tradition relative to the AD era. -- In chapter II of book I of Ecclesiastical history, Bede stated that Julius Caesar invaded Britain "in the year 693 after the building of Rome, but the sixtieth year before the incarnation of our Lord", while stating in chapter III, "in the year of Rome 798, Claudius" also invaded Britain and "within a very few days ... concluded the war in ... the forty sixth [year] from the incarnation of our Lord". Although both dates are wrong, they are sufficient to conclude that Bede did not include a year zero between BC and AD: 798 - 693 + 1 (because the years are inclusive) = 106, but 60 + 46 = 106, which leaves no room for a year zero. The modern English term "before Christ" (BC) is only a rough equivalent, not a direct translation, of Bede's Latin phrase ante incarnationis dominicae tempus ("before the time of the lord's incarnation"), which was itself never abbreviated. Bede's singular use of 'BC' continued to be used sporadically throughout the Middle Ages (albeit with a correct year). It is often stated that Bede did not use a year zero because he did not know about the number zero. Although the Arabic numeral for zero (0) did not enter Europe until the eleventh century, and Roman numerals had no symbol for zero, Bede and Dionysius Exiguus did use a Latin word, nulla meaning "nothing", alongside Roman numerals or Latin number words wherever a modern zero would have been used. -- The first extensive use (hundreds of times) of 'BC' occurred in Fasciculus Temporum by Werner Rolevinck in 1474, alongside years of the world (anno mundi). The anno Domini nomenclature was not widely used in Western Europe until the 9th century, and the 1 January to 31 December historical year was not uniform throughout Western Europe until 1752. The terms anno Domini, Dionysian era, Christian era, vulgar era, and common era were used interchangeably between the Renaissance and the 19th century, at least in Latin. But vulgar era was suppressed in English at the beginning of the 20th century after vulgar acquired the meaning of "offensively coarse", replacing its original meaning of "common" or "ordinary". Consequently, historians regard all these eras as equal. -- Since Bede, historians have not counted with a year zero. This means that between, for example, January 1, 500 BC and January 1, AD 500, there are 999 years: 500 for BC years, and 499 for AD years preceding 500. In common usage anno Domini 1 is preceded by the year 1 BC, without an intervening year zero. Thus the year 2006 actually signifies "the 2006th year". Neither the choice of calendar system (whether Julian or Gregorian) nor the era (Anno Domini or Common Era) determines whether a year zero will be used. If writers do not use the convention of their group (historians or astronomers), they must explicitly state whether they include a year 0 in their count of years, otherwise their historical dates will be misunderstood. No historian includes a year 0 when numbering years in the current standard era. Historians even refuse to use a year 0 when using negative years before our positive era, hence their -1 immediately precedes 1. [article link]

Luke 3 - Jesus is baptized both as an example for us and as a witness to His Divine, Holy stature -- 'Luke 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and [then] praying, the Heaven was opened, And *the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him [Jesus], and a voice came from Heaven, which said, Thou art My beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.' - Note: This is another of the many Triune (Trinity) statements throughout the Bible where the Father, Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all in one location, all in one agreement and all testifying of their Triune nature as revealed in Jesus Christ to mankind.
John the Baptist proclaims his service to the coming [yet unconfirmed] Messiah: Luke 3:16-18 John [the Baptist] answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He [Jesus] shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost [John 20:22 - Resurrection Sunday] and with fire [Acts 2:3 - Pentecost]: Whose fan [threshing tool] is in His hand, and he will thoroughly purge [empty] His floor, and will gather the wheat [good seed] into His garner [storage]; but the chaff [waste] He will burn with [eternal] fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. - Note: Before the testimony of the Father in Heaven and the witness of the Holy Spirit setting upon Jesus, John the Baptist was unable to confirm to the crowds exactly who the Messiah was and even after the testimony from the baptism of Jesus, John the Baptist and many of John's followers were at times still uncertain about Jesus being the Messiah because Jesus did not fit the preconceived notions that the people had of the Messiah. The people generally thought the Messiah was going to physically set the people free from Roman rule and that He would usher in a new era of physical blessings, however the ministry of Jesus was almost completely Spiritual ushering in a reconciliation between God and mankind in the redemption and salvation work of Jesus Christ.

Luke 4 - After His baptism, His anointing by the Holy Spirit and resisting the trials of the Devil then Jesus begins His earthly Ministry of reconciling lost mankind back into the perceivable presence of God -- 'Luke 4:14-22 And Jesus returned in the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. And He taught in their Synagogues, being glorified [accomplished] of all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He [Jesus] went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath Day [Saturday], and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the [Bible] book of the Prophet Esaias (Isaiah). And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, *The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me [Messiah] to preach the Gospel [Good News] to the poor; He [Father] hath sent Me [from Heaven] to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised [afflicted], To preach the acceptable [reconciliation time] year of the Lord. And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the Minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the Synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say unto them [devout worshipers of God], This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. ...'
Satan reacts to the presence of Jesus Christ: Luke 4:1-8 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan [river] {in modern day Jordan}, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted [harassed] of the Devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the Devil said unto Him, If [lit. since] thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the Devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, *All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. ... Note: Satan is claiming that he has the power and the glory of all the [Gentile] kingdoms of the world. Satan is not claiming to have possession of the actual physical earth itself because Satan the Devil does not have possession of the physical earth God still retains possession of the earth. If Satan truly had power and glory over the earth then Satan could manifest from out of the dark and administer his kingdom however Satan has to conceal his identity and administer his kingdom via the proxy of deceived people and Nations. Only dominion (management) of the earth was given to Adam and Eve not possession. Adam and Eve did not possess the earth and therefore did not lose possession at the fall into sin. Eventually, after the Millennial Kingdom reign of Jesus on earth the New Earth will become the inheritance of the Saints of God but until that time God remains in complete possession of the earth. Satan temporarily has some influence in the political, social and even in the physical realm of mankind but not in an ownership type of way. Satan is still a trespasser and a usurper upon the earth. It is one of Satan's greatest lies to mankind that Satan has some form of authority in Heaven, on earth, or even in hell but Satan has none at least no eternal power apart from the powers of persuasion and deception.

Threshing Floor Radio Show: Mission 2010 "The acceptable year of the Lord" by Randy Maugans (Mp3)
"New Year's Day"...in the system of Babylon. Do we honor it? Is it part of the "acceptable" time of YAHWEH? This "year" begins with a fresh mission, a renewal of energy, time, and commitment to the ONE thing that matters: PREACHING THE GOSPEL. Even so, more revelation, more power, more unfolding of the mysteries of Christ are in store-and with it more divisions, strife, and warfare. Gird up your loins, put on the armor...this show describes how to do so. -- "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke 4:19 [article link]

Luke 5 - Luke records the call on Peter's and Mathew's lives to follow Jesus -- 'Luke 5:27 And after these things He [Jesus] went forth, and saw a publican [tax collector], named Levi (Matthew), sitting at the receipt of custom: and He [Jesus] said unto him, Follow Me. And he (Matthew) left all, rose up, and followed [Jesus] Him.'
Religious leaders, crowds of ordinary people and the very neediest of people all react to the presence of Jesus: Luke 5:17-26 And it came to pass on a certain day, as He [Jesus] was teaching, that there were Pharisees and Doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal [lit. physical and spiritual healing] them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy [advanced sexual disease]: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before Him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the [roof] tiling with his couch [stretcher] into the midst before Jesus. And when He saw their faith, *He said unto him, Man, thy [sexual] sins [and all sins] are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? ***Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? **But that ye may know that the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] **hath power **upon earth to forgive sins, He said unto the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch [stretcher], and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things [lit. beyond expectation] to day.

Luke 6 - After a night of being set apart and in prayer Jesus then selects 12 Apostles from among His many Disciples -- 'Luke 6:12-16 And it came to pass in those days, that He [Jesus] went out into a Mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called unto Him His Disciples: and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named Apostles [lit. sent out ones]; Simon, whom he also named Peter {the lead Disciple}, and Andrew his [Peter's] brother, James {martyred by Herod - Acts 12:2} and John {Gospel of John; 1st, 2nd, 3rd John; Book of Revelation}, Philip and Bartholomew {last known mention - Acts 1:13}, Matthew {Gospel of Matthew} and Thomas {John 20:25}, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.' [Note: two of the four listed brothers of Jesus in the Bible James and Jude would join the Church after the resurrection of Jesus and both James [early Church leader in Jerusalem] and Jude, both brothers of Jesus would each write a book of the Bible that has their name attached.]
Jesus instructs His followers [Disciples] of the conduct that is required of them: Luke 6:27-38 But I [Jesus] say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Note: "Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" is where mankind gets what is commonly called "The Golden Rule."

Luke 7 - The Ministry of John the Baptist is further separated from the Ministry of Jesus the Messiah -- 'Luke 7:28 For I [Jesus] say unto you [Disciples], Among those that are born of women there is not a greater Prophet [in knowledge of the Messiah] than John the Baptist: but he that is least {born again} in the Kingdom of God is greater [in personal, experiential knowledge of the Messiah] than he [John the Baptist].' Note: John the Baptist is a key person in transitioning the Old Testament Covenant of God into the New Testament Covenant of God. Had John the Baptist lived until after the Last Supper, the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus and into the institution of the New Testament Christian Church era it's certain that John would have had a major role in the Christian Church however John the Baptist was martyred as the last Old Testament Prophet and in a major sense John the Baptist was also martyred as the first New Testament Disciple as well, having rejoiced at the presence of Jesus while still in his mother's womb [Luke1:41].
A Roman Centurion reacts to the presence of Jesus Christ: Luke 7:1-10 Now when He [Jesus] had ended all His sayings in the audience of the people, He entered into Capernaum. And a certain [Roman] Centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto Him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that He would come and heal his servant. And when they [Jewish elders] came to Jesus, they besought Him instantly, saying, That he [Roman Centurion] was worthy for whom He should do this: For he loveth our Nation [of Israel], and he hath built us a synagogue. *Then Jesus went with them. And when He was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying unto Him, *Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: *but say in a word [speak with His authority of God], and my servant shall be healed [alive]. For I also am a man set under *authority, having under me soldiers, and I say [command] unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, [command] Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard these things, He marvelled at him, and turned him about [and continued on to his house], and said unto the people that followed Him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith [in the authority of Jesus as God], no, not in Israel. - The Roman Centurion being a military man and a man of stature understood executive abilities, power, commands and authority and he understood that Jesus possessed ALL the Divine power and authority of God from Heaven including commanding and granting life to his sick and suffering servant.

Luke 8 - Luke continues to document the open invitation of the Kingdom of God freely available to all mankind through the acceptance of Jesus Christ -- 'Luke 8:1-3 And it came to pass afterward, that He [Jesus] went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings [open invitation] of the Kingdom of God: and the Twelve [Apostles] were with Him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils [demons], And Joanna the wife of Chuza [King] Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which Ministered unto Him of their substance [abilities and finances].'
Luke 8:16-18 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel [cup], or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid [hidden], that shall not be known and come abroad [into the open before God and the Angels of Heaven]. *Take heed therefore how ye hear [the spirits]: for whosoever hath [the light of the Holy Spirit], to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not [the light of the Holy Spirit], from him shall be taken even that *which he seemeth [by man's standards] to have. - Note: Jesus continues to speak and to warn His Disciples that there are counterfeit voices and deceiving spirits that are desperately seeking to lure people away from the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ. Also Note: How timely is this passage, even for our own day when it seems that daily what were once godly men with godly ministries are now ravenous wolves seeking to deceive, merchandise and devour the flock of God. Always be careful, read the Bible and be in constant prayer. Use godly discernment in going anyplace [even to Church] and in all interacting with people, even fellow Christians, friends, family members, whoever, etc., use caution and pray for God's presence and guidance in and around all of our daily activities and routines. Always try to hear the friendly comforting, strengthening voice of the Holy Spirit and always try to reject any countering, contentious, ungodly, despairing voices that disagree with and hinder the word and work of God.

Luke 9 - Jesus instructs His Disciples in how they are to have access to Himself in His power and His authority in order to further His Kingdom of God - The Disciples do not directly heal people or directly cast out demons but do so by asking in prayer and intersession and through the laying on of hands for Jesus to do it for them if it is according to the will and purposes of Jesus at that time for His everlasting Kingdom -- 'Luke 9:1-6 Then He [Jesus] called His Twelve Disciples together, *and gave them power and authority over all devils [Satanic, demonic, influences], and to cure diseases. And He sent them *to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal [make well] the sick. And He said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust [rejection] from your feet [soul] for a Testimony against them. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the Gospel [Good News], and healing everywhere.' - Note: Luke 9:2 is known as the 'Rescinded Order' it will be replaced by Jesus in Luke 22:35-36 with a new command that the Disciples are to take with them money and provide for their Ministries as they are best able to do.
Jesus being without sin is Transfigured and Glorified while still in His physical body: Luke 9:28-36 And it came to pass about an eight days [new beginning] after these sayings, He [Jesus] took Peter [Apostle to the Jews, Galatians 2:7] and John [Apostle to the Church, Revelation 4:1] and James [Apostle to the Martyred Saints, Acts 12:2], and went up into a Mountain [outside of Israel] {probably Mt. Nebo} to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered [new beginning], and His raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were *Moses and *Elias (Elijah): Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem [on the cross]. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw His glory, and the two men that stood with Him. And it came to pass, as they [Peter, John, James] departed from Him [Jesus], Peter said unto Jesus, Master, *it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles [grottos]; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias (Elijah): not knowing what He said [about His coming death in Jerusalem]. While he [Peter] thus spake, there came a cloud {witness of Heaven}, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud {witness}. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone [without Moses and Elijah]. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen. - Note: The Apostle Peter dictated the events to Mark's book the Gospel of Mark and the Apostle Peter also wrote two Church epistles (letters) 1st and 2nd Peter. In the writings of Peter he seldom mentions any personal events that he was a part of with Jesus but mainly speaks and writes on the Ministry of Jesus as a whole however Peter's experience at the Mt. of Transfiguration {Mt. Nebo} seems to be a crowning moment for Peter in his experiences as a Disciple with Jesus. Peter during the actual events of the Transfiguration was so impressed that he determined to build monuments to each of the three participants and much later in life Peter continued to reflect on the events of that day and it is one of the few personal events that Peter openly shared with the Church in his Church letters [2 Peter 1:16-19].

Mt. Nebo where Moses Died is Located in Jordan [Jordan is an excellent part of the Biblical lands though it is not a part of the Holy Land - The Holy Land is exclusively Israel and specifically Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24)] - The Time and Place of the Transfiguration of Jesus
ABSTRACT: This speculative article proposes that the Transfiguration of Jesus occurred on Mt. Nebo, [Easter] Sunday April 20, six days after Passover April 14, AD 32 [the next year AD 33 was the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus] about three weeks following the feeding of the 5000. The 5000 were fed when Passover was "near". Standard chronologies place the Transfiguration around the feast of Tabernacles six-months later, on or near Mt. Hermon. Peter's confession was on Passover and prefigures the identification of the Messiah for Crucifixion and the Transfiguration prefigures the Resurrection. ... Overview: The approximate time of the Transfiguration can be discerned from the following information-In John 6:4 we are told, 'the Jewish Passover feast was near'. This Passover was one year before Jesus' final Passover. The author understands "Passover was near" to mean that the month of Nisan/Abib was starting. Jesus that day fed 5000 men. That night Jesus spent in prayer then before dawn he walked across the Sea of Galilee in a storm. The next day in Capernaum Jesus declared that we must eat his body and drink his blood. Most who heard this message rejected it. After this rejection, Jesus appears to turn his ministry to the gentiles for a time. He then rather that preparing to go down to Jerusalem for the Passover, journeyed northwest (20-50 miles) to the region of Tyre and Sidon and healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman of great faith. Jesus then journeyed back to the Sea of Galilee and onto the Decapolis region. There he spent three days with, and fed 4000 men (probably gentiles) and then sent them away. Jesus then crossed the Sea of Galilee to Magadan or Dalmanutha where he encounters Pharisees and Sadducees looking for a sign. They again journeyed to the other side where Jesus healed a blind man in Bethsaida (near the northern end of the Sea of Galilee).

Luke 10 - Luke continues to record the need for laborers to participate in the Harvest of the Kingdom of God -- 'Luke 10:1-2 After these things the Lord [Jesus] appointed other [people] seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face [appearance] into every city and place, whither He Himself would come. Therefore said He unto them, *The Harvest truly is great [magnificent], but the labourers are few: **pray ye therefore [unto God] the Lord of the Harvest [Jesus], that He would send forth labourers into His harvest.'
Luke 10:17-24 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord [Jesus], even the devils [fallen angels, demons] are subject unto us **through Thy Name [the power and authority of Jesus]. And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall [with pride] from Heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means [eternally] hurt you. Notwithstanding in this *rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather *rejoice, because your names are written [eternally] in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in Spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven *and earth, that thou hast hid these [Kingdom of God] things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes [simple people]: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered to Me of My Father [God]: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and He to whom the Son will reveal Him. And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said privately, *Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many [O.T.] Prophets and [O.T.] Kings have desired to see those [Kingdom of God] things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things [teachings of Jesus] which ye hear, and have not heard them. Note Jesus reminds his Seventy Disciples that Satan [Lucifer] fell from Heaven because of His pride and that the Disciples should avoid a similar pride and a similar fall that could occur to each Disciple no matter how great the work or the accomplishments seem. The Kingdom of God comes from and is directed at the power and authority of Jesus Christ. When a Christian Ministers or does anything for the Kingdom of God, and we are all told to do all that we can in our own lives for the eternal Kingdom of God, it is accomplished through the leading, empowerment and most importantly the presence of God. When Christians work (labor) in the Kingdom of God it is with God at all times, in and with His presence, that we do all things. When a cult member labors for their cult it is without God in the hopes that one day God will take notice of their labors however God has already taken notice and rejected their labors because it is for the wrong kingdom it is not a part of the relationship [child of God], power and authority Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Luke 11 - The Disciples of Jesus begin to see the need for personal, powerful, authoritative , relationship prayer like the prayers of Jesus with the Holy Spirit and the Father in Heaven -- 'Luke 11:1-4 And it came to pass, that, as He [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, when He ceased [finished], one of His Disciples said unto Him, Lord, *teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, **Our **Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed [Holy] be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come [manifest]. Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread [needs]. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted [trespassed] to us. *And lead us not into temptation [away from what might make us stumble or fall]; but **deliver us from evil [only the power and authority of Jesus can deliver us from evil].' Note: Only the power and authority of Jesus can deliver us from evil and ultimately only the power and authority of Jesus can provide for us in our lives so pray this framework of a prayer often [not in repetition but in relationship] knowing that we need to be continually in fellowship with God our "Heavenly Father", our "Holy Father" and our all loving, all knowing and all powerful Father.
Luke 11:14-23 And He [Jesus] was casting out a devil [demon], and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered {because it was thought people would need recite a spell in order to be freed from an evil spirit but this guy couldn't speak to recite a spell}. But some of them said, He [Jesus] casteth out devils through Beelzebub [Satan] the chief of the devils [demons]. And others, tempting Him, sought of Him a [another] sign from Heaven. But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, *Every kingdom divided against itself [civil war] is brought to desolation; and a house [family] divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand [Note: Satan often pretends to be divided against himself i.e. national politics (Republicans, Democrats) and Church politics (wolves and wolves)? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out [with spells and incantations]? therefore shall they be your judges. *But if I with the finger of God (without effort) [Exodus 8:19] cast out devils, no doubt *the Kingdom of God is come upon you. *When a strong man [physically] armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he [an evil spirit] shall come upon him, and overcome him, he [evil spirit] taketh from him [physical man] all his [physical] armour [strength] wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils [with other evil spirits]. He [the person] that is not with Me is against Me: *and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth.- Jesus is saying that the spiritual realm needs a clear distinction. There needs to be a clear declaration by the person in order to be separated from the physical realm and all the vulnerabilities of it concerning the evil spiritual realm. The most prominent and visible way to separate yourself from the vulnerable evil spirit realm is to confess Jesus with your mouth audibly (Romans 10:9) then the evil spirit realm is to back off because we are not scattered we are with Jesus Also Note: The water Baptism is also a confession and washing before God, mankind and even as a witness to the evil spirit realm. It is of extreme, paramount importance that a new Christian [and even continuing Christians sometimes renew (rededicate) their Baptism vows] gets water baptized as a public profession of faith in Jesus. It's important to be water baptized but it's also important to do it as a part of a personal relationship with Jesus and not as a ritual or because someone else wants it done. When the new Christian or a continuing Christian feels they should be Baptized in the Name of the Father the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit then and only then should they do it. - A Final Note: The water Baptism is also a washing of setting apart from the spiritual realms and also washing for the Priestly duties of a Christian. Being water baptized means that the person is also taking on the authority and presence of a holy Priest (Melchizedek) before God a Christian is able to administer bread and wine, anoint with oil, baptize others, intercedes for others, lay hands on others and do all of the (Melchizedek) priestly functions before God. I don't think an un-baptized person has a ministry of offering bread and wine and of doing many of the Priestly functions as a Christian simply because they are not washed from the evil spiritual realm and not being separated from the evil spirit realm it could bring in more problems than blessing into Church functions.

Luke 12 - Jesus continues to instruct His Disciples in having the proper priorities - that the eternal perspective with fear, reverence and awe for God and not for man especially humans in compromised leadership positions, but respect and honor for God is the only proper and safe eternal perspective for humans to have -- 'Luke 12:1-5 In the meantime, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, He [Jesus] began to say unto His Disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven [worldliness] of the Pharisees [religious leaders], which is hypocrisy [two faced]. For there is nothing covered [hidden], that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever [conversations] ye have spoken in darkness [secret] shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets [closed rooms] shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you My friends, *Be not afraid of them [authorities] that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him [God], which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; *yea, I say unto you, Fear Him [God].'
Luke 12:35-40 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him *immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching [looking for his return]: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch [late night], or come in the third watch [early morning], and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched [be alert], and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of Man [Jesus] cometh at an hour when ye think not [least expect it]. - The "Watch Ministry" watching and anticipating for the immediate return of Jesus Christ is probably the most crucial of any Christian Ministry. The early Christian Church was continually involved in Watching [Praying with eyes open] in anticipation for the return of Jesus. All of the great Christian Pastors and Leaders throughout Church History tell of the Morning and Evening Watch and of prayfully reading the Bible and looking to the horizon or to the sky in anticipation of that first glimpse of their coming King and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. - '2 Corinthians 6:27 In weariness and painfulness, *in watchings [looking for the return of Jesus] often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness [destitute]. ...' Note: The days of praying with our eyes closed and our heads bowed especially in public or even in a Church are long over. Christians need to be sitting up, alert and watching everything especially everything a pastor, elder, leader, evangelist, or guest is doing. Even if you are publically told or asked to bow your head for a moment of prayer or silence during an alter call or invitation, don't do it! Keep yourself in a respectful alert watching posture, looking and watching for Jesus and looking and watching with eyes wide open at the circumstances and events going on in and around the Church gathering.

Luke 13 - Jesus reiterates that we humans live in a perilous and uncertain world both physically and spiritually and that the only safety both physically [eternally] and spiritually for us is to be repentant and within the presence of Jesus Christ -- 'Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some that told Him [Jesus] of the [martyred] Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that [because they die a horrible public death] these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such [public] things? I tell you, Nay [No]: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise [physically - spiritually] perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the [natural disaster] tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay [No]: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise [spiritually] perish.'
Luke 13:22-30 And He [Jesus] went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem [towards Holy Week]. Then said one unto Him, Lord, are there few that be saved [Salvation]? And He said unto them, *Strive [be diligent] to enter in at the strait [non-crooked] gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. *When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door [closed the opportunity - ended the open invitation] (Revelation 4:1), and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say unto you, I know you not [you have the wrong spirit, not born again of the Holy Spirit] whence [lit. what origin] ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But He shall say, *I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity [incompleteness] (Revelation 3:2). There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the [Jewish] Prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they [everyone who comes to Jesus] shall come from the East, and from the West, and from the North, and from the South, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. - Jesus reiterates that we are to diligently work and strive to enter into His presence, to receive the Baptism of His Spirit (John 20:22) so we can be of the same Spirit of God and be assured to enter into the Kingdom of God.

Luke 14 - Jesus instructs His followers to count the cost of following Him because to be able to count the cost is be able to successfully complete the project. The cost of following Jesus is death, our death to this world, but the completed project is eternal life in Jesus Christ. Our eternity in Heaven with Jesus! -- 'Luke 14:25-35 25 And there went great multitudes with Him [Jesus]: and He turned, and said unto them, If any man come to Me, and hate [lit. love less] not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, *and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross [death to this world], and come after Me [in God's Kingdom], cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and *counteth [count] the cost [of the project], whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply [half hazardly], after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth [with his generals] whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage [ambassador], and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost *his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but [even] men cast it out. He that hath [Spiritual] ears to hear, let him hear.' - Note: Salt as a chemical does not lose saltiness, however what can happen is that other substances that look like salt can be confused for salt or added to salt then the salt is no longer salty because it is compromised with other objects and materials that cannot perform the functions [spice, thirst and preserving ] of salt. The parable is teaching that people who become compromised by worldly objects and desires [comfort, security, money, reputation, respect, etc.] are substituting the false appearance of worldly salt for the real salt of the Kingdom of God.
Luke 14:15-24 And when one of them that sat at meat with Him [Jesus] heard these things, he said unto Him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God. Then said He unto him, A certain man made a Great Supper, and bade [invited] many: And sent His servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, **Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray Thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray Thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to His servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, *and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and *compel them to come in, that My House may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden [and refused the invitation] shall taste of My supper. - The invitation to the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ is an open invitation. All are invited to the "Great Supper" the Eternal Feast in Heaven with God. We each individually need simply to accept from Jesus and His servant the Holy Spirit the gracious invitation that is being offered to us and to then with thanks and gratitude acknowledge His invitation for us to be able to enter into His eternal Kingdom that awaits us all.

Calvary Chapel Senior Pastor Chuck Smith now supports Rick Warren [Rick Warren's good friend (and Saddleback Church attendee) Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News also owns and distributes the Satanic bible, is a leading promoter of abortion and is also one of the leading distributors of pornographic material throughout the world] - {Note: Chuck Smith seems to think that 'anything' he does is a move of the Holy Spirit or is endorsed 'blessed' by the Holy Spirit simply because he does it and that is complete blasphemy! Pastor Chuck Smith needs to continually submit himself to the Holy Spirit in the same way and manner as everyone else. There are no special circumstances or special people, even in these End Times [or especially in these End Times], everyone is to be submitted to God at all times and there are no exceptions. Honestly, Pastor Chuck Smith and Pastor Rick Warren seem to think that they have some special anointed 'secret agent' End Time calling on their life and are to define and complete the Church and to personally above everyone else 'deliver the Church personally to God' as some super servant at the 2nd Coming appearance and return of Jesus and it is certainly not the case. - The Apostle Paul had the calling of Apostle on his life and the Apostle Paul openly and publically declared to everyone his calling [1 Corinthians 1:1] and his intentions within the Church. We now live in days where Church leaders and pseudo Church leaders like Smith and Warren seem to be enacting out a secret fantasy of an End Time calling [that does not exist] with their secret intentions and hidden agendas and it's not Biblically correct. Secrecy is a deception that is being imposed upon the Christian Church by the leaders of the Church and the Church doesn't need it or want it. - Also Note: Chuck Smith is always overselling his Calvary Chapel agenda and Rick Warren is always overly aggressive in demanding his agenda and both approaches towards people and audiences are unbiblical.} (YouTube)
This video shows the many compromises that Chuck Smith has made, on this one I fear he has gone beyond the pale. [article link]

Luke 15 - The religious leaders with their own agendas and hidden ways continue to get in the way and to interfere with the actual work and Ministry of Jesus Christ -- 'Luke 15:1-2 Then drew near unto Him [Jesus] all the publicans [city officials] and sinners [outsiders] for to hear Him. And the Pharisees [religious leaders] and scribes murmured [complained], saying, *This man [does not do what we prescribe] receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.' - Note: The Religious leaders of that day refused to acknowledge that Jesus was a Prophet calling Him only a 'man' just as the religious Christian leaders of our day refuse to acknowledge that Jesus is the authority and leader over His Church and are acting as though Jesus is just a man who is absent and separated from His own Church.
Luke 15:11-32 And He [Jesus] said, A certain man had two sons [Lit. Sons, inheritors - G5207, Huios]: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living [a living inheritance, while the Father was yet alive]. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son [lit. Child (yet to inherit) - G5043, Teknon], thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. - This Parable of Jesus illustrates a couple of points. 1. To be out of the presence of the Father [God] is to be dead, there is no life apart from God. 2. That we are Children [Teknon] of God while we are in our physical bodies on earth, we only become Sons [Huios] after receiving the inheritance from the Father in person in Heaven (Revelation 21:7). Note: After death and upon entering into the actual visible, perceivable presence of God in Heaven if we are clean [without sin] by the eternal life blood of Jesus and have received by faith God the Holy Spirit and we are a Child of God then once in Heaven and being of the same Spirit of God, He will then Adopt us as a Son and as a son we each receive of a Living Inheritance; a new name, a new [spiritual] body, a place to live and an occupation. An occupation, house - dwelling, a new name, family authority and an eternal spiritual body are all from the Father given to a Son as a part of the Adoption and Inheritance process from first being a 'born again' Child of God and then being Adopted as a Son of God into an eternal family relationship with God.

Luke 16 - In His confrontation with the religious leaders Jesus instructs them that they need to change - selfish ways are an abomination to God and neither God nor the Law are going to change to accommodate a greedy selfish mankind it is up to mankind to change and conform into the image of God as glimpsed in the image of the Law and represented in the person of Jesus Christ -- 'Luke 16:14-17 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous [greed], heard all these things: and they derided Him [Jesus]. And He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; *but God knoweth your hearts: *for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and every [greedy] man presseth [lit. inserts himself - i.e. party crasher] into it. And it is easier for Heaven and earth to pass [the law is a permanent foundation embodied in Jesus Christ], than one tittle of the law to fail.'
Jesus tells an actual story [not a Parable] about the pre-heaven Paradise: Luke 16:19-31 There was a certain rich man [an actual man], which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar [an actual man] named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate [edge of his property], full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, *and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom [Paradise before the cross of Jesus]: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and *seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. **And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf [separation] fixed [permanent]: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: *For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. **Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses [law] and the Prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay [No], father Abraham: *but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead [and several rose from the dead in including a Lazarus (John 11:44) and of course Jesus Himself (Luke 24:6)]. - Note: Before the cross and resurrection of Jesus there was no access for mankind into heaven. The Angels of Heaven had access to Heaven and even Satan and his fellow fallen Angels still have some access to heaven since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden there has been no access for sinful mankind into God's Holy Heaven. Prior to the Ministry of Jesus [virgin birth, shed blood, death on the cross and His eternal resurrection life] mankind that died remained separated from God and did not go to Heaven but actually departed Souls went to the middle of the earth in a compartment called Paradise and apparently the compartment of hell was visibly and audibly nearby. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ He brought the departed Souls residing in Paradise with Him into Heaven (Ephesians 4:8) while the departed human Souls residing in the compartment of hell remain there until the judgment day having rejected Jesus Christ as their personal savior and proven by their own actions and deeds to be unworthy of being in the presence of God are cast into the eternal lake of fire.

Luke 17 - As Jesus prepares to conclude His physical Ministry and physically depart from among His Disciples - Jesus continues to stress the importance of faith in God alone and of the necessity of rejecting the many false doctrines and deceivers that are going to follow after the work and Ministry of Jesus attempting only to enrich themselves and to deceive the Disciples of Jesus -- 'Luke 17:20-23 And when He [Jesus] was demanded of the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation [in one confined location]: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, *the Kingdom of God is [the born again Spirit] within you (John 3:3). And He said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to [physically] see [Jesus] one of the days of the Son of Man, and ye shall not [physically] see it [Jesus physically among them]. And they [deceivers] shall say to you [Disciples], See here [the kingdom of god]; or, see there [their kingdom of god]: go not after them, nor follow them.'
Luke 17:1-10 Then said He [Jesus] unto the Disciples, It is impossible but that offences [persecution] will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. *Take heed to yourselves [that we do not offend others or worse to become bitter from being offended by others]: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. *And the Apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith [in Jesus, the Kingdom of God][the smallest amount] as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamore tree [offending person], Be thou plucked up by the root [you don't rule me or affect me eternally], and be thou planted in the sea [the evil intentions towards me are buried in the bottom of the sea]; and it should obey you. But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat [dinner]? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready [dinner] wherewith I may sup [dine], and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? *Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow [suggest] not. *So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you [by God], say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do [maintain a position of gratitude, indebtedness and faithfulness towards God]. - Note: our relationships with other people are almost as important as our relationship with God however unlike our relationship with God our relationships with other people [God is not complicating our relationship with Him] and even within ourselves can become very complex, confused and incorrect. It's important to maintain first a right relationship with God to be thankful and grateful to God and to try to see ourselves as precious in the sight of God as we are to Him and then from our precious relationship with God we can better interact with our self and then with others.

Luke 18 - Jesus continues to make it clear that the Kingdom of God does not originate from humans and is not fabricated [built or advanced] by humans from the outside but is completely a work and accomplishment of God and that humans are to enter into the completed work and accomplishments of God in Jesus Christ and then once inside of the Kingdom of God [here on earth having received the 'born again Spirit'] we become a partaker [receive] and a participant [build, grow and mature] the Kingdom of God from within the Kingdom of God -- 'Luke 18:18-27 18 And a certain ruler asked Him [Jesus], saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good [Jesus wanted it clear and to make certain that the man knew he was talking to God]? none is good, save one, that is, God [Jesus!]. Thou knowest the Commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept [from his wrong perspective] from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, *Yet lackest thou one [obvious] thing [greed]: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come, follow Me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly [difficult] shall they that have riches [self-sufficiency] enter into the Kingdom of God! For it is easier for a [actual] camel to go through a [actual] needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. **And they that heard it said, Who then can be Saved [perceiving that wealth is a blessing from God to the Saved]? And He said, The things [Redemption-Salvation, the Kingdom of God] which are impossible with men ***are possible with God.'
Luke 18:9-14 And He [Jesus] spake this *parable [where the story of Lazarus was an actual specific event, this event is so common among men that Jesus just calls it a parable] unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the Temple to pray; the one a Pharisee [religious leader], and the other a publican [city official working for Rome]. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, *God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house *justified rather than the other: forevery one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. -Religious leaders assume that they are Saved and have favor with God simple because of their service to God and standing among men and therefore they continually attempt to make others conform into their human image of salvation. When a religious leader believes himself to be Saved in part by his service to God or by his stature among his peers then naturally they think others should become, think, act and look like themselves in order to be Saved as they themselves believe they are [and probably are]. Of course it is a complete perversion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to try to get anyone to conform into the image of another human and not to provide them with the freedom to conform into their rightful image created by God.

Luke 19 - Jesus prepares for and makes His Holy Week entrance into Jerusalem where Jesus offers His Kingdom and authority to mankind but is rejected by mankind [both the Jews and the Gentiles] -- 'Luke 18:31 Then He [Jesus] took unto Him the Twelve [Apostles], and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written *by the [O.T.] Prophets concerning the Son of Man [Jesus] shall be accomplished. For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they [Jews (Matthew 26:67-68) and Gentiles (Matthew 27:30-31)] shall scourge Him, *and [Jews and Gentiles] put Him to death: ***and the third day He [Jesus] shall rise again [Resurrection Life].'
Luke 19:26-42 ... For I [Jesus] say unto you [continuing His illustration], That unto every one which hath [a relationship with God] shall be given [more]; and from him that hath not [a relationship with God], even that he hath shall be taken away from him. But those mine enemies, *which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. And when He had thus spoken [an illustration], He went before [in front of the Apostles], ascending up {on the Sabbath Day} to Jerusalem [with God (Jesus) there, Heaven on earth]. And it came to pass, when He was come nigh to [the villages of] Bethphage and Bethany [from Jerusalem a Sabbath Day's journey Acts 1:12], at the Mount called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord [Jesus the true owner, owner of the universe] hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as He went [on the Saturday Sabbath Day, Triumphal Entry Saturday - modern Palm Sunday], they spread their clothes in the way. And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, *the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; *Saying, Blessed be the ***King that cometh [on the Sabbath Day] in the Name of the Lord: *Peace in Heaven, and Glory in the Highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones [creation] would immediately cry out. And when He [Jesus] was come near, He beheld the city [Jerusalem], and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, *the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid (hidden) from thine eyes [but not removed just hidden]. - Note: In modern times the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem is celebrated on a Sunday as Palm Sunday however the actual Biblical event occurred on the Saturday Sabbath Feast Day [Mark 11:11, "eventide" - lit. close of the Feast Day]. The arrival of Jesus Christ and with His Kingdom of God the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth offered freely to mankind the fulfillment of the Sabbath rest [7th Day of Creation - 7th Dimension (Genesis 2:2), 4th of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:8), 1st of the 8 Levitical 'Holy Convocations' Feasts (Leviticus 23:1-3)] is now made available in Jesus for mankind. With King Jesus reigning in and over our life we now have rest 'Sabbath' through the finished and accomplished works of Jesus [creation (original creation life), redemption (atoning cross of Jesus) and salvation (resurrection life of Jesus)] for all eternity!

Luke 20 - With the Kingdom of God now in effect after the Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem - Immediately the authority of Jesus is questioned by the religious leaders of the day -- 'Luke 20:1-2 And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as He [Jesus] taught the people in the Temple, *and Preached the Gospel [good news of God towards mankind], the Chief Priests and the Scribes came upon Him with the Elders, And spake unto Him, saying, *Tell us, by what **authority doest thou these [Kingdom of God] things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?'
Luke 20:27-40 Then came to Him [Jesus] certain of the Sadducees, *which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked Him, Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed [a generation] unto his brother. There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. Last of all the woman died also. *Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife. **And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry [in Heaven], nor are given [have sex] in marriage [no marriages or sex in Heaven]: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels [with spiritual bodies for worshiping God, not physical bodies for sex]; and are the Children [family] of God, being the Children [family] of the resurrection [the confined earthly marriages and families are dissolved in heaven and expanded into the one true family as every human is already physically related and family in Adam and Eve and the Children of God are Spiritually related to God and each other in Jesus Christ]. ***Now that the dead are raised, *even Moses shewed at the bush [Exodus 3:6], when he calleth the Lord the God of *Abraham, and the God of *Isaac, and the God of *Jacob. ***For He [God] is not a God of the dead, ***but of the living: ***for all live unto Him. Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said. And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. - Note: God is life! God is life even above death and therefore God is also Resurrection life! Everything outside of the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is death while everything within the presence of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is life. To enter into the presence of God is to enter into life and to become a Child of God is to receive eternal life the free gift from God in Jesus Christ.

Luke 21 - Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple - The destruction of Jerusalem - and His 2nd Coming -- 'Luke 21:5-6 And as some spake of the Temple [2nd Temple], how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, He said [Prophecy], As for these things [building] which ye behold, the days will come [70 A.D.], in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'
Luke 21:25-37 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars [Revelation 6:12-17, Sixth Seal]; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: **for the powers [fallen Angels] of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see [visibly] the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] coming in a cloud with Power and Great Glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption [in the visible presence of God] draweth nigh [for those still on earth]. -- And [now Jesus switched from immediate prophecy to a Parable, distant future events] He [Jesus] spake to them a *Parable [parable - heavenly event or distant future event]; **Behold the fig tree [rebuilt 3rd Temple in Jerusalem], and all the trees [men - systems of men, man's worldly religion]; When they now shoot forth [sprout from underground, become visible no longer hidden (occult)], ye see and know of your own selves that summer [the growth and ripening just before the harvest] is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye [Disciples, Christians], when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh [near, close in time] at hand [tangible]. Verily I say unto you, This generation [destruction of Temple, destruction of Jerusalem - generation, but not the parable events for that current generation] shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. ***And take heed ***to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (excess ease), and drunkenness, and cares [worries] of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell [unsaved] on the face of the whole earth. ***Watch ye [for the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ] therefore, and Pray Always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these [Great Tribulation] things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. And in the day time He was teaching in the Temple; and at night He went out, and abode in the Mount that is called the Mount of Olives. - Revelation 6:12-17 And I [Disciple John] beheld when He [Jesus Christ] had opened the Sixth Seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a **fig tree casteth her untimely [out of season] figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven [deep sky] departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens [manmade underground bunkers] and in the rocks of the mountains [caves, hollowed out mountains, i.e. NORAD]; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath [Great Tribulation] is come; and who shall be able to stand? - Jesus explains the coming End Time events so that His disciples will not be shaken by the enormity [manmade, natural and supernatural] of the cataclysmic events to come: Note: the coming Seven year period that is considered the Last Week or 70th Week of Daniel is the timeframe for this last series of events that happen prior to the visible 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His 1,000 year Kingdom reign on earth. - Also Note: The 7 year period is divided into half comprising two 3½ year periods [because of the demonic violence and the violence of mankind the second half is cut short and according to Daniel [Daniel 12:12] and to Jesus [Matthew 24:21-22] the second half might last only 45 days instead of the given 3½ year - Note: the ministry of Jesus from Baptism by John the Baptist until the cross, resurrection and ascension was 3½ years, so basically Jesus, mankind (Tribulation) and Satan (Great Tribulation) all get a 3½ year 'Ministry' period upon the earth] the first half is the Tribulation [the unrestricted wrath (passion) and hatred of mankind and the demonic realm] and the second half is the Great Tribulation [Satan's vengeance, the vengeance of demons and of mankind and the necessary judgments of God upon an unjust and uncooperative mankind and upon the fallen Angels]. The three controlled systems of Revelation are Seals [overseen by Jesus], Trumpets [overseen by the Holy Spirit] and measured Vials (Bowls) [overseen by the Father]. The three systems intertwine and intermingle in the events of Revelation. Some Seals are broken some Trumpets are blown and some Vials are poured out then more of each etc. until the events of Revelation are completed and mankind is physically [visibly] reunited with God and no longer [since the Garden of Eden] separated from God.

Luke 22 - The arrival of the events of Holy Week - The Feast Days - The Betrayer [Judas] - The Usurper [Barabbas] - The Cross, Death and Sealed Tomb of Jesus Christ - The Glorious and Triumphant Eternal Life Resurrection of Jesus Christ - The Beginning of the Christian Church - The Ascension of Jesus Christ -- 'Luke 22:1-8 Now the *feast of *unleavened bread [8 days total, two Feasts combined - The Lord's Passover Feast [2nd of the 8 Levitical Feasts - 14th of Nisan] (1 day) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (7 days) [3rd of the 8 Levitical Feasts - starting the 15th of the Jewish month of Nisan] = Passover (8 days) and the fest of Firstfruits [3rd of the 8 Levitical Feasts] comes the First Sunday after the Lord's Passover] drew nigh, which is *called [all 8 days] The Passover. And the Chief Priests and Scribes sought how they might kill Him [Jesus]; *for they feared [losing their reputation and standing among] the people. *Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the Twelve. And he [Judas] went his way, and communed with the Chief Priests and Captains [Jewish guard], how he might betray Him [Jesus] unto them. *And they were glad, and covenanted to give him [Judas] *money. And he [Judas] promised, and sought opportunity to *betray [the three betrayers of the Bible are - Ahithophel (King David), Judas [Jewish] (Jesus' 1st Coming), False Prophet [Christian] (Jesus' 2nd Coming)] Him [Jesus] unto them in the absence [away from any crowds of people] of the multitude. Then came the day of Unleavened Bread [first day of the 8 days], when the Passover must be killed [Feast of the Lord's Passover]. And He [Jesus] sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover [Lord's Passover], that we may eat.'
Luke 22:14-21 [Wednesday - 14th of Nisan - Lord's Passover Feast - Last Supper Communion] And when the Hour was come, He [Jesus] sat down, and the Twelve Apostles with Him. And He said unto them, *With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. And He took the cup [1st cup of the 4 cups of Passover wine], and Gave Thanks, and said, *Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God shall come. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper [3rd cup, cup of redemption], saying, This cup is the New Testament [New Covenant] in My blood [shed physical blood and internalized Spiritual (eternal life blood)], which is shed for you. But, behold, the hand of him [Judas] that betrayeth Me is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man [Jesus] goeth, as it was determined [permitted by God]: but woe unto that man by whom He is betrayed! - Jesus institutes the New Covenant [New Testament] between God and mankind in His body. The Christian Communion of Jesus Christ represents both the physical body and the Spiritual body of Jesus Christ. When the physical unleavened bread is taken and broken it represents the physical body of Jesus. When the cup of wine is taken and mingled with the water it represents the cleansing physical blood and water that flowed from the side of Jesus on the cross. When the broken, unleavened bread is eaten it represents the eternal Spiritual body of Jesus Christ giving us an eternal Spiritual body and when the wine mixed with water is consumed it represents the eternal Spiritual life blood of Jesus giving us of His eternal Spiritual life. The physical blood and body of Jesus Christ was sacrificed for our sins that by His blood we are clean and then 3 days later the Spiritual body of Jesus rose from the grave to give us our eternal resurrection life in the eternal life of Jesus Christ.

Luke 23 - The arrest, multiple trials [3 Jewish, 3 Roman - total 6 trials] - the cross - the death and the burial tomb of Jesus Christ -- 'Luke 23:13-15 And [Pontius] Pilate [the Roman Governor of Jerusalem where Jesus was accused], when he had called together the Chief Priests and the rulers [Roman and Jewish] and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this Man [Jesus] unto me, as one that perverteth [corrupts] the people: and, behold, I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this Man [Jesus] touching those things whereof ye accuse Him: No, nor yet Herod [the Roman Tetrarch (provincial ruler) of Judea including Nazareth where Jesus was a citizen]: for I sent you to Him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto Him.'
[Thursday - 15th of Nisan - Feast of Unleavened Bread (removal of sin) - the cross and crucifixion of Jesus Christ] - Luke 23:33-56 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary [Latin - lit. cranium - skull], there they crucified Him [crushing forever the skull-head, power and authority of sin and Satan], and the [two] malefactors [repetitive, unable to rehabilitate, common petty criminals], one on the right hand, and the other on the left. *Then said Jesus [1st of 7 sayings on the cross], Father, forgive them; **for they know not what they do [grant human sinners entrance in to Heaven the true Sanctuary City]. And they parted his raiment [clothing], and cast lots. And the people stood beholding [participating]. And the rulers also with them derided Him, saying, He saved others; let Him save Himself, *if He be Christ, the chosen of God. And the [Roman] soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him, and offering Him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the King of the Jews, save Thyself. And a superscription also was written over Him in letters of *Greek, and *Latin, and *Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, If thou be Christ, save Thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same [condemned] condemnation? And *we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our [continual] deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, *Lord, remember me when thou comest into *Thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise [Paradise inside the center of the earth - Paradise no longer exists it is now relocated in Heaven the '3rd Heaven' the presence of God]. And it was about the sixth hour [12:00 noon], and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth [3:00 p.m.] hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil [separation between man and God] of the Temple was rent [torn] in the midst [top to bottom - God tore the veil]. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend My spirit [7th and final saying from the cross]: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost [Jesus commanded His soul and Spirit to leave His body, something humans do not have the authority to do with their own body]. **Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a Righteous Man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts {regretted their involvement and actions}, and returned. And all His acquaintance, and the women that followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things. And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor [Jewish ruler]; and he was a good man, and a just: The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them; he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the Kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. *And he took it down [from the cross], and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in [solid] stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day [Thursday] was the preparation, and the Sabbath [evening Sabbath for the Feast of Unleavened Bread] drew on. And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld [observed] the sepulchre [tomb], and how His body was laid. And they returned, and [Friday - regular day] prepared [purchased, worked and labored] spices and ointments; and rested the [Saturday] Sabbath day according to the Commandment [4th Commandment]. - The body of Jesus is placed in a tomb but the Spirit and Soul of Jesus departed and spend 3 days in the center of the earth [like the Prophet Jonah in the whale (fish)] in the old Paradise and while Jesus was there Jesus preached to the 'captives' [Ephesians 4:7] the people in paradise and Jesus proclaimed His victory [1 Peter 3:19] to the people in Hell. After His resurrection Jesus led the people from Paradise into Heaven and the presence of God while the people in Hell remain in their compartment until the Day of Judgment.

Luke 23:34a "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing", one of the famous "seven last words" of Jesus, is enclosed by double brackets in NA and UBS, indicating that the logion is known not to be a part of the original text - In reality, however, a vigorous debate rages on, with the proponents of the shorter reading [omission] tending to emphasize external evidence, and defenders of the longer reading [inclusion] focusing on intrinsic probability. Both sides have claimed victory in the transcriptional arena but have paid little, if any, attention to early Christian interpretations of the prayer, giving this aspect of the debate a regrettably speculative flavor - In this essay I shall review the external evidence, arguing that proponents of the shorter reading have exaggerated their case - Then, after examining ***the formidable intrinsic evidence in favor of the longer reading [inclusion], I shall turn to neglected transcriptional evidence that shows that Luke 23:34a was a problem passage [regarding Judaism] in early Christianity
Yet patristic citations offer a powerful and neglected counterweight to the papyrus. The prayer [Luke 23:34a] is cited by Irenaeus [130 AD - 202 AD] (Haer. 3.18.5 - k, Adversus Haereses or Against Heresies published in 180 AD) and apparently by Marcion (in Epiphanius, Pan. 42.11.6) in the second century, Hippolytus [Hippolytus of Rome (170 AD – 235 AD)] (Ben. Is. Jac. 27.28) in the late second or early third century, as well as Origen [Origen of Alexandria (184/185 AD – 253/254 AD)] (Pasch. 2.43.7-14; Horn. Lev. 2.1.5) in the third and Eusebius [Eusebius of Caesarea (263 AD - 339 AD)] (Hist. eccl. 2.23) in the fourth. Ephrem [Ephrem the Syrian (306 AD – 373 AD)] cites the prayer three times in his commentary on the Diatessaron, which suggests that the prayer was in Tatian's [Tatian the Assyrian (120 AD – 180 AD)] text in the middle of the second century (10.14; 21.3; 21.18). In addition, the prayer is found in the Pseudo-Clementine literature (Rec. 6.5; Hom. 11.20); Archelaus, Disputation with Manes 44; Apos. Con. 2.3.16; 5.3.14; Didascalia 25; Gos. Nic. 10; and Acts of Philip [about 350 AD or 400 AD] (ANF 8:500). Moreover, while the significance of Eusebius's citation of Hegesippus is disputed--a problem to which I shall return--Hegesippus also cited the prayer in the second century, if Eusebius transmitted his source more or less faithfully. As Kim Haines-Eitzen has noted, "These witnesses demonstrate that the prayer was known in the second century in Gaul, Alexandria, Palestine, Syria, and Rome." --- The evidence for the spuriousness of Luke 23:34a is both early and diverse. The prayer is missing from arguably the two strongest Alexandrian witnesses, p75 and Codex Vaticanus, as well as from 579 and the Sahidic version. It is missing also from important Western witnesses--most notably, the first hand of Codex Bezae and the Old Latin manuscripts a and d--and from the Caesarean manuscript Codex Koridethi. Finally, it is missing from Byzantine manuscripts stretching from Codex W in the late fourth century to 597 in the thirteenth century. --- IV. CONCLUSION The external evidence for Luke 23:34a is far from conclusive. Both the short and the long reading are found in every text type, including important Alexandrian witnesses. The short reading is supported by an important late-second- or early- third-century papyrus, but a good number of second- and third-century church fathers testify to the long reading. Moreover, intrinsic probability suggests that the prayer belongs in the text of Luke: the prayer matches Luke's preferred way of addressing God; its structure resembles that of the Lukan Lord's Prayer; it resembles Stephen's prayer for his killers without having a single word in common; and the link between ignorance and mitigated culpability matches a motif running throughout Luke-Acts. -- Regarding transcriptional probability, it is now clear that Luke 23:34a was a problem passage in early Christianity. We may, therefore, conclude that Harnack and others who suggested that the prayer was omitted for anti-Jewish reasons were on the right track. Note, however, that early Christian consternation with Luke 23:34a stemmed not from anti-Judaism alone but also from the fact that Jesus' prayer seemed to have gone unanswered, and from a sense that the Jews had been punished unjustly. The discomfort with the prayer explains why the external evidence for both readings is early and widespread; in all likelihood, Luke 23:34a was omitted fairly early [at Alexandria, Egypt - the catechetical school in Alexandria, Egypt - founded in about 176 AD], possibly by multiple scribes, while other scribes corrupted the text by changing [the text]. [article link]

Luke 24 - Resurrection Sunday - The Feast of Firstfruits - Jesus fulfills the Feast of Firstfruits by breathing the Firstfruits of His Resurrection Spirit life [Romans 8:23] into each of His Disciples - The Christian Church era begins - The Ascension of Jesus Christ back into Heaven takes place -- 'Luke 24:1-7 Now upon the first day [Sunday] of the week, very early in the morning [the Feast of Firstfruits the 4th of the 8 Levitical Feasts], they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared [on Friday], and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre [tomb]. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men [Angels] stood by them in shining garments: And as they [Disciples] were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they [Angels] said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here [in the tomb], but is Risen [eternally Alive!]: **remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee [from the beginning], Saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' -- 'Romans 8:23-24 And not only they [all of creation], but *ourselves also, *which have the Firstfruits of the Spirit [each Christian personally breathed upon by Jesus, no exceptions - every person has to acknowledge the Kingdom of God [Jesus] (cross and resurrection) to then be baptized by Jesus and receive (by faith not by experience) His Spirit from Him [Matthew 3:11] in order to become a Christian, no exceptions - yesterday, today, tomorrow, the first day of the Christian Church [Resurrection Day] the last day of the Christian Church [Rapture Day] and every day in between - every Christian needs to recognize the Kingdom of Jesus and be baptized by Jesus with His Spirit life to then enter into the Church and be a part of the eternal Kingdom of God], even we *ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [becoming Sons of God], to wit, the redemption of our body [receiving an eternal Spiritual body like Jesus now has]. For we are saved by hope [faith in the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ] ...'
Luke an early Christian convert, travel companion to the Apostle Paul and first Church historian concludes his incredible Gospel of Jesus Christ with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the beginning and formation of the Christian Church and of the ascension of Jesus Christ back up into Heaven. - Luke 24:45 Then opened He their [new Christians] understanding [John 20:22], that they [Christians] might understand the Scriptures [Holy Bible], And said unto them [Christian Disciples], Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And **that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His [Jesus'] Name **among All Nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses [lit. martyr - G3144] of these things. And, behold, I send the Promise of My Father *upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be *endued with power from on high [at Pentecost]. And [forty days after the resurrection] He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and Blessed them. And it came to pass, **while He Blessed them [Christians - Christian Church], He was parted from them, and carried up into Heaven. ***And they [Christians] Worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the Temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

SAINT JOHN

Gospel of John: The Son of God - A Gospel foreveryone - John has been called "the single most influential book of the New Testament" - "For many Christian people the Gospel according to St. John is the most precious book in the New Testament it is the book on which above all they feed their minds and nourish their hearts, and in which they rest their souls" - This Gospel has the most "penetrating gaze" of all the New Testament writers. A. T. Robertson says it is "the Holy of Holies of the New Testament"
AUTHOR: The human author was a Jew of Palestine, and an eyewitness of what he describes. The author claims to be "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (21:20, 24). The book consists largely of personal experiences of the author with Christ. "One may note all through the book evidences of an eye-witness in the vivid details." The internal evidence of the Gospel points directly to the Apostle John, the son of Zebedee and Salome, as the author (Matt. 19:20; Luke. 19:54; Mk. 3:17; Jn. 13:25; 18:16; 19:26; 20:2; Acts 3:4; 4:7; Rev. 1:9). He was the younger brother of James, and came from a fairly well-to-do family (Mark 15:40-41). He was a leader in the early church (Acts 3:1; 8:14; Gal. 2:9). All of the external evidence from the first centuries support John, the son of Zebedee, as the author. No other New Testament book has stronger external evidence since there were no real questions of authorship of John in the early church. He also wrote the three Epistles of John and Revelation. DATE: The majority of scholars date the Gospel of John in the last decade of the first century. Church tradition says John lived to an old age and to have died a natural death at Ephesus about A. D. 100. He was the last survivor of the apostolic group. The Gospel was probably written later than the three Synoptic Gospels, about A. D. 85-90. Three possible locations are suggested-Ephesus, Antioch, and Alexandria. PURPOSE: The author clearly states his purpose of writing in John 20:30-31. He writes to win others to like faith in Christ. John's thesis is given in 1:1-18. This Gospel was written for everyone. THEME: The deity of Jesus Christ is the theme of the book. The Divine Sonship of Jesus is set forth in John more than in anywhere else in the New Testament. Jesus is non-other than "the only begotten of the Father" (1:14, 18). All of John's evidence points to this conclusion. KEY VERSES: John 20:30-31. KEY WORD: The key word is "believe" which is found 98 times in this Gospel. STYLE: John writes for the thinking man. It is full of double meanings given in key words. He employs the language of the intellectuals of his time. The plan of this gospel is argumentative and not primarily biographical. A. T. Robertson wrote: "The language of the Fourth Gospel has the clarity of a spring, but we are not able to sound the bottom of the depths. Lucidity and profundity challenge and charm us as we linger over it." John uses quotes and allusions from the Old Testament. This Gospel contains more of Jesus' actual words than any of the other three gospels. John uses long discourses. He is a Jew who wrote in the Greek of his time. OMISSIONS IN JOHN: (1) No genealogy is recorded in this Gospel. (2) No account of His birth is given because He was "in the beginning." (3) Nothing about His boyhood is recorded by John. (4) Nothing about His temptations are recorded by John because God cannot be tempted. (5). No transfiguration is specified. (6) There are no parables in John. (7) No account of the ascension is given, or (8) the great commission. THEOLOGY OF JOHN: The Apostle John gives a clearer teaching about the Holy Spirit than any other gospel writer (14:26; 15:26; 16:7- 14). The book is filled with Deity. The Deity of Christ is found in every chapter. "The Word (logos) becomes flesh." John uses titles to portray the deity of Christ: "the Word was God" (1:1), "the lamb of God" (1:29), "the Messiah" (1:41), "the Son of God" (1:49), "the King of Israel" (1:49), the "Savior of the world" (4:42), "Lord and. . . God" (20:28), "I Am" (4:24, 26; 6:35; 8:12, 24, 28, 58; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:6; 15:1, 5). The amazing thing is Satan and demons have almost no place in this Gospel (8:44; 12:31; 17:15). John does not record any demons being cast out. He treats themes such as the logos, love, life, light, truth, abiding in Christ, Spirit, world, lamb, wine, temple, the deity as well as the humanity of Jesus, etc. He traces a parallel development of faith and unbelief. One of the unifying themes in the Gospel is the growth of faith and development of unbelief. [article link]

Agape Catholic Bible Study: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN: BACKGROUND - It is John who gives us the theology of Christ as revealed in this deep mystery in which the promised Messiah comes to fulfilled the Old Covenant in His sacrifice and death on the cross, and through His resurrection to establish the New Covenant which transforms man's relationship with God through the gift of the redemption and salvation of mankind - In John's Gospel there is a deeply connected thread of the liturgy of the Old Covenant Church [Congregation] which will be transformed in Christ's resurrection into the New Covenant creation - Grasping the multiple Old Covenant connections is very important to understanding and correctly interpreting John's Gospel and its connection to Old Covenant feasts and sacraments - John's Gospel reveals to us the Ministry of the Divinity of Christ and the mystery of Christ united in the Most Holy Trinity, the unity and diversity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
The Gospel According to John, Apostle of Jesus Christ, Bishop of Ephesus, stands as a unique testimony among the other 3 Gospels and indeed unique among the other books of the New Testament. Only in John's account of the ministry and life of Jesus of Nazareth is Jesus revealed as the "Word", the Living, creative Second Person of the Divine Trinity. It is John who gives us the theology of Christ as revealed in this deep mystery in which the promised Messiah comes to fulfilled the Old Covenant in His sacrifice and death on the cross, and through His resurrection to establish the New Covenant which transforms man's relationship with God through the gift of the redemption and salvation of mankind. When I had completed my year of research on John's Gospel I identified 5 statements of truth around which I would build this study: The fourth Gospel is the last Gospel to be written, therefore, John assumes we have read and studied the other 3 Gospel texts. Rather than just recording the events of Jesus' life, John is more concerned with the significance of Christ's coming and the His significance of His ministry. That the events and "signs" about which John writes had a deeper meaning not perceived at the time but through the ministry of the Holy Spirit these events and signs were revealed after Christ's resurrection and His appearance to the disciples and Apostles. It was after His resurrection that Jesus instructed the Apostles in the whole truth (John 2:20, 22; 12:16; 13:17-19; 14:26; 20:9; Luke 24:25-27, 44-48) and John's Gospel looks back on Christ's earthly life in the light of this complete understanding. In John's Gospel there is a deeply connected thread of the liturgy of the Old Covenant Church which will be transformed in Christ's resurrection into the New Covenant creation. Grasping the multiple Old Covenant connections is very important to understanding and correctly interpreting John's Gospel and its connection to Old Covenant feasts and sacraments. -- John's Gospel reveals to us the ministry of the divinity of Christ and the mystery of Christ united in the Most Holy Trinity, the unity and diversity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Authorship of the Fourth Gospel: The first questions we must address are the questions of authorship and the date this Gospel account was written. Today most modern Biblical scholars do not accept that John (Yehohanan) the Apostle, son of Zebedee, brother of James the Greater, and Bishop of Ephesus is the author of the fourth Gospel despite the fact that the Fathers of the Church unanimously identified the Apostle John as the inspired writer. Why then is John the Apostle's authorship almost universally rejected in modern critical scholarship? The answer involves several objections as to why the son of the fisherman Zebedee could have authored such a deeply theological text. The following list is a summary of the most often expressed arguments against Johannine [St. John] authorship: ... Internal Evidence Which Points to John the Apostle as the Inspired Writer: Point #1: The other Gospel writers all identify the son of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth (kinswoman of Mary) as John "the Baptist" [or Baptizer]. It is obvious that the use of this title is necessary to avoid confusion with John son of Zebedee, the Apostle. But in the fourth Gospel, John son of Zechariah is identified simply as "John" 22 times (see John 1:6, 15, 19, 23, 26, 28, 29, 32, 35, 40; 3:23, 24, 25, 26, 27; 4:1; 5:33, 35, 36; 10:40, 41, 41). If there was an author other than John the Apostle wouldn't it be expected that there would be confusion between which "John" was being mentioned in the text? John never identifies himself by name in the Gospel, but if it was understood by the various churches of Asia Minor that their Bishop, John the Apostle, was the inspired writer it was not necessary to make the differentiation between himself and John the Baptist. Point #2: As I mentioned earlier, it is generally agreed today that the inspired writer of the fourth Gospel was an Israelite (or Jew) from the region we now call Palestine. The author accurately portrays Old Covenant customs, religious traditions, and the fine points of halakhic (legal) regulations that were unique to Israel as God's holy covenant people. The inspired writer of this Gospel is knowledgeable about the different sects of 1st century Judaism and is especially knowledgeable about the geography and topography of what was the Roman dominated province of Judea and the city of Jerusalem, identifying and correctly describing sites that were not rediscovered in Jerusalem until the late 1800s. All these qualifications fit John the Apostle. Point #3: The author identifies himself as an eyewitness to the events of the fourth Gospel and as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." He uses this designation five times: John 13:23, John 19:26, John 20:2, John 21:7, John 21:20. The author of the book of Revelation (whom the Fathers of the Church testify is John son of Zebedee, Bishop of Ephesus) identifies himself as "John" five times: Revelation 1:1, Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:9, Revelation 21:2, Revelation 22:8. This may be a coincidence but considering the symbolic use of numbers in both the Gospel and in Revelation it could be another indicator of John's authorship; 5 is the symbolic number of grace in Scripture (see the document "The Significance of Numbers in Scripture" in the Documents section of Agape Bible Study). But how do we know which of the Apostles is "the one Jesus loved"? The Synoptic Gospels identify 3 Apostles that Jesus singled out on important occasions. These were Peter, to whom Jesus gave the "keys of the kingdom", James, the son of Zebedee, and James' younger brother, the Apostle John. It was to this trinity of Apostles that Jesus chose to reveal Himself in His glory on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). We can narrow down the identity of the inspired writer of the fourth Gospel to one of these 3 men and, by eliminating the other 2, we can come to one final name. The "beloved disciple" who authors the fourth Gospel cannot be Peter because the fourth Gospel records that on several occasions Peter was accompanied by the "beloved disciple" (John 20:2; 21:20). James Zebedee is eliminated as a candidate for the "beloved disciple" by the fact that he was the first Apostle to be martyred (circa 42AD). We have an accurate date for his martyrdom not only from Christian sources (Acts 12:2, etc.) but also from Jewish accounts. This fact eliminates James because the fourth Gospel was written at least 25 years after his death. That only leaves John, son of Zebedee as the "beloved disciple". [article link]

Ray Stedman - Adventuring Through the Bible - The Gospel of John - The fourth Gospel holds peculiar significance to me for many reasons, but especially because it is written by [John] the disciple closest to our Lord - He was of that inner circle which included Peter and James, who went with our Lord through the most intimate circumstances of His ministry and heard more than any of the others - Therefore, we open this book with a sense of anticipation - Here is the Testimony of our Lord's closest friend - But John goes deeper than that - He says that He [Jesus] is not only the Christ [Messiah], but **He is the Son of God - When you see Him in His delivering power, you are indeed seeing the Promised Deliverer, the Messiah - Does that amaze you? Have you thought that it was His miracles that proved He was God? No, no - They proved He was the Messiah, the Promised One. **It is His Words that prove He is God - Listen to them: "I am the bread of life" - That is, I am [Communion] the sustainer of life, the One who satisfies life (Mp3s)
The fourth Gospel holds peculiar significance to me for many reasons, but especially because it is written by the disciple closest to our Lord. When you read the Gospel of [John], you are reading the record of our Lord as seen through the eyes of a devoted disciple. Mark and Luke, of course, were dedicated Christians who knew and loved Jesus Christ, though they learned about him largely through the testimony of others, but John is one who leaned upon his breast. He was of that inner circle which included Peter and James, who went with our Lord through the most intimate circumstances of His ministry and heard more than any of the others. Therefore, we open this book with a sense of anticipation. Here is the testimony of our Lord's closest friend. In light of this, it is very startling to see how John's Gospel begins (chapter 1, verse 1): In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 RSV) Sometimes I think it is difficult to believe that Jesus is God. I know there is not a Christian who has not at one time or another felt the full force of all the arguments that would make him out to be nothing more than a man. There are times when we find it difficult to lay hold of the full intent of those words and think of the man Jesus as God. But if we find it difficult, how much more did his own disciples find it so? They, of all men, would be least likely to believe that he was God, for they lived with him and saw his humanity as none of us ever has or ever will. They must have been confronted again and again with a question that puzzled and troubled them, "Who is this man?" As they themselves said, "What manner of man is this who heals the sick, raises the dead, quiets the wind and changes the water to wine?" (Matthew 8:27) I have often pictured them lying out under the stars with our Lord on a summer night by the Sea of Galilee. I can imagine Peter or John or one of the others waking in the night, rising up on an elbow, and as he looked at the Lord Jesus sleeping beside him, saying to himself, "Is it true? Can this man be the eternal God? What is the secret of his being, the mystery of his coming?" No wonder they puzzled about him and constantly conversed among themselves about the mystery of his being. Yet, so overwhelming and convincing was the evidence they saw and heard that when they reached the end of the story, when John began to write down the recollections of those amazing days, he began with declaring the deity of Jesus, "This is the One who was in the beginning. He was the Word who was with God, who was in the beginning with God, and was God" (John 1:1). That is the theme of this Gospel of John. In Matthew we see the Lord as the King; in Mark we see him as the servant, always busy in ceaseless activity, serving men; in Luke we see his perfection of humanity, man as God intended man to be. Now, in the Gospel of John, we see his entrance into the Holy of Holies. We learn the secret of his life. The key to the Gospel of John is found in the next to the last chapter. There are two endings to this little Gospel. John adds a postscript, which we call Chapter 21, that has to do with certain things that occurred after the resurrection. But John had ended his Gospel with these words (chapter 20, verses 30, 31): Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these [that is, these signs] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing [that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God] you might have life in his name. (John 20:30-31 RSV) That is the twofold purpose of this book. First, John is setting out to give evidence why any man in any age or in any place can fully and wholeheartedly believe that Jesus is the Christ -- or to use the Hebrew form, Messiah, the Anointed One, the promised one. The second purpose is to show that he is the Son of God. ... The last miracle is the raising of Lazarus from the dead (see John 11:1-44), symbolizing the delivering of those who all their lives had been held under the bondage of Satan through fear of death. Thus these seven signs prove beyond question that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the expected One. But John goes deeper than that. He says that he is not only the Christ, but he is the Son of God. When you see him in his delivering power, you are indeed seeing the promised Deliverer, the Messiah. Ah, yes, John says, but that is not the greatest secret about him. When you see that he is the one able to do all these mighty things, meeting the deepest need of men's lives, look further and you will see there is glory yet. You discover that when you stand in the presence of his humanity, see his lovely eyes. feel the beating of his human heart, sense the compassion of his life poured out in service. you are also standing in the presence of God, you are seeing what God is like. "This One," he says, "is the Son of God." ... Does that amaze you? Have you thought that it was his miracles that proved he was God? No, no. They proved he was the Messiah, the Promised One. It is his words that prove he is God. Listen to them: "I am the bread of life," (John 6:35b RSV). That is, I am the sustainer of life, the One who satisfies life. [article link]

Studying the Four Gospels of the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - Each Gospel is written to a Specific defined audience group of people (PDF)
Studying the Four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. How they relate to and correspond with each other. Of first Importance when reading and studying the four Gospels is to recognize that each Gospel is written to a Specific defined audience and group of people. Matthew is written to the Jewish audience. Mark is written to the Roman, action - result oriented person. Luke is written to the Greek, thinking, discerning and understanding person. John is written to the "Born-Again" Christian Church member and why other additional writings are not in the Bible. [article link]

Cradle to Grave - The Life of Jesus Christ (Mp3s)
The Tabernacle's purpose is to change lives! We do this by loving God, loving people and by teaching people how to follow Jesus and how to labor for His Kingdom. [article link]

TheoCentric.com: The Gospel of John - The Word Became Flesh - John 1:14 "And the Word [O.T.] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth." - The Word became flesh, not simply to die, but in order that we might live! - God united deity with humanity in Christ in order that humanity might forever be united with deity through Christ and in the Spirit! - In short, that we might share in the [Fellowship] Dance of Eternity... forever! - That we might know the love of Father, Son, and Spirit by sharing in the Sonship of Christ through the Spirit {Note: This extraordinary website TheoCentric.com has a slightly Christian Mystic approach. The Gospel of John is the union of the Word of God with the flesh of mankind and therefore there is a certain amount of Christian Mysticism involved in the Ministry of Jesus Christ although just enough that we as Christians should be aware of True Mysticism but exceedingly weary of the common everyday worldly mysticism and this website does an excellent job of separating and distinguishing between the two. - Also Note: The Word of God describes God and when God became human flesh as His Word had already described Him it was done so not as a philosophy or as pure mysticism but it was done as reality, the reality of God and as reality it is eternity.}
Today we celebrate the most important event of human history-the advent of our Lord, the birth of Jesus Christ. It is this event that is both the centerpiece and turning point of God's redemptive drama. But people are born all the time. What makes this birth so special? The uniqueness of the birth of Christ stems from who is born and why. Who is Jesus? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God" (John 1:1-2). Before time began and before a single thing was created, John reveals a relationship of love and delight at the heart of reality-indeed, a *relationship that is reality itself! In eternity past, the Word (Jesus) and God (the Father) participated in a shared life of love, joy, and communion. Jesus was in a "face-to-face" relationship with the Father, while at the same time (mystery of mysteries!) Jesus fully shared in the deity of the Father. This relationship of mutual life and love-this eternal giving, receiving, and sharing of self-is the [Fellowship] Dance of Eternity. This Dance is the eternal movement of Father to Son, Son to Father, and Son and Father to Spirit. This fullness of life, love, joy, and communion was complete, needing nothing or no one to fill any deficiency. It is from the fullness of this Dance that God created: "All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being" (John 1:3). John fills in the gaps of Genesis by revealing that the Dance is the source of creation. It is not sovereign, impersonal, individual, and isolated power that is the source of all things. Rather, it is personal, relational, giving, and sharing love that is the source of all things. And this love which is the source of all things is also the goal and end of all things, for God made us to share in God's life, love, and communion. Let's make certain we understand this: God did not create us in order to love, but out of the abounding fullness of love between Father, Son, and Spirit, God created us to share in this love. In short, God created us to share in the Eternal Dance of Father, Son, and Spirit. ... Conclusion: God has said "yes" to humanity in the person of Christ. This is good news of great joy to all people! God has exalted humanity to the highest position through his union with humanity in Christ. A human being now shares in the Dance, making it possible for us to do so as well! Again, to use some clichés, God has "sunk to the lowest level" and "gone to the extreme" to embrace us. We are invited to the Dance of Eternity-a Dance of Love which is at the heart of reality. Will you accept the invitation by opening yourself up to the love of God in Christ? "But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name" (John 1:12). The invitation is open to all. Come join the Dance! [article link]

Ex New-Ager Author's Testimony (Mp3)
A few days before his revealing book was ready for distribution, Randall Baer died under "very suspicious circumstances" in an automobile "accident" in Colorado. His car went over a 350ft. precipice near Del Norte, in South Central Colorado. There were no skidmarks in the vicinity. Was Baer murdered for having blown the cover off the New Age movement through his book and this audio? By the grace of Jesus he released this audio to warn Christians of the many faces of the new Age Movement and how it is influencing everything, Churches, Bibles, Business, schools, government, exercise, medicine and so much more. Having been in the New Age movement for 15 years and a bestselling author of New Age Books, he came to the Lord Jesus, then made this audio and wrote a book exposing the New Age Movement. 5 days before the book was to be released, he was killed. But they could not stop us from getting this audio. so we share it with you. He died to get us this message, let us not let his death be in vain. [article link]

CIA Disinfo Officers EXPOSED {Warning: first few seconds are graphic} (YouTube)
While some former clandestine military officers, clandestine intelligence agents, and NWO researchers like William Cooper, John Todd, Randall N. Baer, Phil Schneider and Fritz Springmeier have been murdered or imprisoned, a few suspicious individuals are allowed to lecture all around the globe, sell books, DVDs, t-shirts, and get airtime on television and radio shows. Why? Because their talking does not interfere with the plans of those who don't want you to know the truth. That's the story of David Icke, Alex Jones, the makers of Zeitgeist, and other shills, disinformation artists, pseudo-truthseekers and faux whistleblowers (like Ron Paul, Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann, Jesse Ventura, Bill Maher, Penn & Teller, etc.). It's impossible to bury the truth forever - one way or another, it will always come out. The elite know this, and their rationale is: "If the truth is to come out anyway let it be OUR people that tell it" - so that they have control over it. Alex Jones was allowed to film the Cremation of Care ritual (that involves real human sacrifice) in Bohemian Grove because the elite want us - the small percentage of the population who cannot be controlled by the media - to be paralyzed with fear and to have no real leader to organize a rebellion. David Icke is allowed to educate those who he can reach as long as he can dirty the truth with his unfounded reptilian lies and confuse the shit out of conscious, open-minded people in hopes that, frustrated, we will give up truthseeking and delude ourselves into believing that there are no conspiracy facts or open secrets. The CIA's agenda is to flood the truth genre with disreputable content and thereby exhaust public interest. That's also why Illuminati Hollywood makes all these movies like "V for Vendetta", "The Matrix", "Angels and Demons", etc., so that when someone discovers the similarities to reality others will say: "You've watched too many movies, dude". [article link]

John 1 - The Disciple and Apostle John in his Gospel immediately sets out the eternal Divine nature of Jesus Christ "the Word" and also the eternal Divine nature of God - The disciple John tells how he and his friend Andrew went from being disciples of John the Baptist to disciples of Jesus -- 'John 1:36-38 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he [John the Baptist] saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two [of John's] disciples [Andrew, Peters brother and John, the writer of this Gospel of John] heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see.'
'John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. Note: In the opening of his Gospel John writes "In the beginning was the Word" some have said that because the word "the" is used with "the Word" it means that Jesus is not God when in fact it actually means that Jesus is God. Had John used "a" instead of "the" it might mean that Jesus was one of many god's like a word god, or a thought god, or a god of reason or intellect or something but the Apostle John purposely used the definite article "the" in order to limit the words of the Bible to be exclusively about Jesus Christ and in doing so proclaiming Jesus to be the human manifestation of the eternal God spoken by Word into the ears of the Prophets and written by Word onto the pages and scrolls of the Bible.' - 'John 1:15-18 John [the Baptist] bare witness of Him (Jesus), and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is Preferred before me: for He (Jesus) was [eternally] before me. And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. No [human] man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He (Jesus) hath declared [represented] Him.' - John continues to decisively portray the unique Divinity of God among mankind in Jesus Christ.

John 2 - Jesus begins to call and assemble His Disciples - Twelve of His Disciples would become His Apostles - The first miracle in the Gospel of John is recorded - The turning of water into wine for a wedding festival -- 'John 2:11 This beginning [1st] of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His Glory; and His disciples believed on Him.'
'John 2:13 And the Jews' Passover [first of three Passover Feasts during the Ministry of Jesus] was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple [the first time], and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's House an House of merchandise. And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine House hath eaten Me up. Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign [miracle] shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these [authoritative] things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this Temple, and in Three Days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But He spake of the Temple of His Body. When therefore He was risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this unto them; and they believed the Scripture, and the Word which Jesus had said. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in [inside] man.' - Jesus demonstrates the proper way to cleanse a situation in the illustration of making "a scourge of small cords" apparently Jesus wove together three cords to make one cleansing cord this illustrate that two people plus the witness of the Holy Spirit should be involved in any cleansing removal situation. - 'Ecclesiastes 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord [including and involving the Holy Spirit] is not quickly broken.'

BasicChristian.org: The Christian Walk Illustrated in the 7 Miracles of Jesus Recorded in the Gospel of John (PDF Available)
These are Seven Miracles performed by Jesus and recorded in the Gospel of John by John a disciple of Jesus. John was an eyewitness present at each of these seven miracles. These miracles are illustrations representing miracles that Jesus is currently doing in the life of each and every Christian. Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. -- Topics: [Miracle #1] {John 2:1-12} Turning wedding water into wine. The New Christian is now clean and becomes filled with the Holy Spirit. -- [Miracle #2] {John 4: 46-54} Healing the Nobleman's Son. Our cured Life and Nobility in Jesus Christ. -- [Miracle #3] {John 5:1-17} Healing of the lame man to walk. The Christian can now walk a Christian lifestyle. -- [Miracle #4] {John 6:1-13} Feeding the Thousands with Bread and Fish. Fellowship of strengthening, building up, and nourishment in the faith among the believers. -- [Miracle #5] {John 6:16-21} Jesus calms the disciples during a storm. Jesus calms our fears during the storms of life. -- [Miracle #6] {John 9:1-41} Blind eyes opened. Apostles with their eyes opened to the hopeless plight of humanity are sent out to non-believers. -- [Miracle #7] {John 11:1-45} Resurrection of Lazarus from death to life. Resurrection of the believer from physical death to eternal life. ... Introduction: After accepting Jesus as our very own personal Lord and Savior by knowing that without the sacrifice of Jesus, what He did for us on the cross, that we would be permanently dead in our sin and rebellion, separated forever from God. Now that the sin has been paid for and taken away at the cross of Jesus we Christians are now free from sin and reunited with God in the Resurrection of Jesus. But what do we do now? After our conversion [Heavenly focus] for the Christian the conversion is just the start of Christianity the best is yet to come. In the fascinating Gospel of John, John one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus and an eyewitness that was present at all seven miracles, lays out seven miracles that Jesus Himself performed while in person on the earth and in a specific order. These seven miracles in the Gospel of John are a model of the very miracles that Jesus is doing right now this very moment and day in the life of every single living and breathing Christian. Let's take a look at the 7 miracles that Jesus performed and that His disciple John recorded for us. [article link]

John 3 - Jesus instructs about how to become 'born again' in order to enter the Kingdom of God -- 'John 3:5-6 Jesus answered [Nicodemus], Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [human] and of the Spirit [re-birth], he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh [physical - earthly]; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit [Spiritual - Heavenly].'
'John 3:15-21 That whosoever believeth in Him (Jesus) should not perish, *but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him (Jesus) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved [corrected]. But he that doeth truth cometh to the Light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought [fashioned] in God.' - The Kingdom of God is about life and it is about eternity it's not about being good and then becoming better in Jesus Christ it's about being dead and lost in sin and becoming new and Spiritually alive in Jesus Christ.

John 4 - Jesus instructs his disciples in Priestly functions that would be included in His Christian Church - Jesus meets a woman at the well in Samaria -- 'John 4:1-4 When therefore the Lord (Jesus) knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John [the Baptist], Though Jesus Himself baptized not [not with water but after His Resurrection with His Spirit], but his disciples [baptized with water], He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And He must needs go through Samaria [Jesus had an eternal appointment with a woman at a well].'
'John 4:6-39 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink. For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat. Then saith the woman of Samaria unto Him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the [eternal] gift of God, and who it is [Messiah] that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee [Spiritual] living water. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our [1/2] father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this [earthly] water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the [nourishing, Spiritual] water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into [eternal] everlasting life. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is [a live-in boyfriend] not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto Him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a Prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain [Mt. Gerizim]; and ye say, that in Jerusalem [Mt. Zion] is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for Salvation is of the Jews. *But the hour cometh, and now is, when the True Worshippers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. *God is a Spirit: and they that Worship Him must Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. The woman saith unto Him, I know that Messias (Messiah) cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all [such religious] things. *Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He [Messiah/Christ]. And upon this came His disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? *The woman then left her [earthly] waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, *Come, see a man, which told me all [living with men] things that ever I did [without condemnation]: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto Him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. ... And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him (Jesus) for the saying of the woman, which testified, He (Jesus) told me all that ever I did [without condemnation].' - It is often the goodness of God that draws people to Jesus. Jesus showed compassion when people needed compassion and Jesus showed contempt for man's preferences when the situation needed a radical redirection. But whether showing compassion or contempt Jesus did it in limited amounts and He did it at a time and in a manner that would draw everyone involved into a closer relationship and understanding with God.

John 5 - Jesus keeps His works and His ministry focused and confined to the main task at hand - Representing His Father here on earth to mankind and accomplishing the task of the Cross and the Resurrection -- 'John 5:36-43 But I (Jesus) have greater witness than that of John [the Baptist]: for the works [cross and resurrection] which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me. And the Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me [at the baptism]. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape. And ye have not His Word abiding in you: for (Jesus) whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not. *Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which Testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's Name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name [Antichrist], him ye will receive.'
John 5:22-29 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son (Jesus): That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, *He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead [living spiritually dead] shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall [Spiritually] live. For as the Father hath Life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have Life in Himself; And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves [physically dead] shall hear His voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. - Creation life for both humans and angels is everlasting and therefore the judgment to go with it is also everlasting.

John 6 - Jesus' 5th Miracle 'walking on water' that is recorded in the Gospel of John - Jesus demonstrated that He had complete authority over all realms - The spiritual realm the human realm and the physical realm of nature -- 'John 6:19-21 So when they (Disciples) had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship [boat]: and they were afraid. But He (Jesus) saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. *Then they willingly received Him into the ship [boat]: and immediately the ship was at the land [destination] whither they went.'
'John 6:33-40 For the bread [Manna] of God is He (Jesus) which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And *Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out [reject]. For I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that *every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.' - The eternal life and the eternal Kingdom of God that Jesus is offering is to be received inside of us at this point it is an internal Spiritual Kingdom. To miss out on the concept that the Kingdom of God is available now in Jesus Christ and to be unaware of its internal existence is to miss out on the Kingdom itself.

John 7 - Jesus continues to teach and to make that point that what mankind has it temporary and is passing away but what He has to offer is eternal -- 'John 7:37-39 In the last day, that great day of the feast [Feast of Tabernacles, shelters - temporary homes], Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly [inner-life] shall flow rivers of living water [eternal Tabernacle]. But this spake He of the [Holy] Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet Glorified [Resurrection].' - 'John 7:52-53 They [Pharisees] answered and said unto Him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no Prophet. And every man went unto his own [tabernacle] house.'
'John 7:2-10 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brethren (brothers; James, Jude, etc.) therefore said unto Him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. *For neither did his brethren believe in him [James and Jude are known to have become believers after His resurrection]. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: *I go not up yet unto this feast; *for My time is not yet full come. When He had said these words unto them, He abode still in Galilee. But when His brethren were gone up, then went He also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret [in Resurrection Spirit].' - The time of Jesus to fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles has not yet com in full that is why Jesus went in part in secret. The Feast of Tabernacles is a 'Fall feast' a 'Second Coming' Feast that has begun now with the giving of the Holy Spirit but we do not yet have our permanent bodies we still 'tabernacle' in our physical bodies while on earth. Jesus went to the Feast of Tabernacles 'secretly' to give the Living Water to those who would believe in Him and receive it but the rest of the Feast the tabernacle becoming a temple will be completed at the Second Coming of Jesus.

Did Jesus Lie? - "Look What's Missing" from modern [NIV] bibles {Note: I just emailed Chick Tracts for verification on David Daniels' claim that an unidentified Christian host of an unidentified Christian call in show made the comment "wiggle room" that Jesus might have lied. As soon as I can locate the specific name of the show and of the host and possibly a date and time of the show to go along with the accusations I'll post them. It's completely inappropriate to make an accusation like that without any substantiating material. ***Updated: Now that I'm forced to speculate as to who the Christian radio call in show host was I'm going to go with the first name that popped into my head and speculate that Don Stewart who has hosted and co-hosts many Calvary Chapel radio shows is the referred to host and my second guess at this moment is Christian Research Institute Bible Answer Man, Hank Hanegraaff. So until we have more details or until the next speculation, Cheers!!! - Also Note: The NKJV in John 7:8 has the word 'yet' but it is footnoted that other manuscripts do not have that word implying that it should not be there. As deceptive as the NIV is known to be the NKJV [New King James Version] is possibly the most deceptive of all modern bible versions. The deceptive NKJV should be completely avoided by everyone seeking to fellowship with God through His holy word the Bible. ~ God bless you, David Anson Brown} (YouTube)
Author David Daniels shares information from chapter 1 of his book, "Look What's Missing," and shows why it's so important that your Bible is not missing anything! The book is available at www.chick.com or www.amazon.com. [article link]

Bible Versions Controversy Explained - Highly Recommended (Mp3)
Can you trust the new versions? before you say yes, you need to hear this message. learn where they came from [Antichrist agenda], who is behind them [practically everyone, NWO], and HEAR ACTUAL AUDIO FROM CHUCK SWENDOL, DR. D.A. WAITE AND OTHERS.. Learn what you need to know before you use that new [NKJV, NIV, Message, etc.] bible version. [article link]

John 8 - Jesus teaches that freedom and eternity comes only from Truth and that His Words are Truth and therefore are freedom and eternity -- 'John 8:31-32 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free.'
'John 8:1-12 [After the Feast of Tabernacles] Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives. And early in the morning He came again into the Temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them. And the Scribes and Pharisees brought unto Him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto Him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting Him, that they might have to accuse Him [trying to get Jesus to contradict the Laws of Moses, but Jesus is the voice that spoke the Law to Moses]. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground [dust, sin], as though He heard them not. So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up [resurrection] Himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, *being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up [resurrection] Himself, and saw none but the woman, He said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life.'

John 9 - Jesus performs His 6th Miracle in the Gospel of John by healing a man blind since birth -- 'John 9:17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of Him (Jesus), that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He (Jesus) is a prophet.'
'John 9:5-15 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When He (Jesus) had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, and made clay [mankind, clay - the condition of frail humanity] of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam [Lit. Greek - Apostle], which is by interpretation, Sent. He went His way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A Man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes [with clay], and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam [Apostle], and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto him, Where is He? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I [went and] washed, and do see.' - The clay that Jesus made and anointed the eyes of the blind man with is the clay of humanity. The man was physically blind but he was also unaware that others who were not blind were still suffering just as much as he was but in different was. The man was "Sent out" Apostatized to go into the world and to see how others live others who do not have the luxury of begging in the Temple itself where the generosity of mankind is at its best but going out into the world and seeing the condition of the world apart from the Temple.

John 10 - Jesus now teaches that He has more sheep to bring into His flock and into His pasture than just the natural sheep of Israel -- 'John 10:16 And other sheep [Gentiles] I have, which are not of this [Jewish] fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.'
John 10:7-18 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers [i.e. King Saul - a type of Satan]: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd [i.e. King David - a type of Jesus]: the good shepherd giveth His Life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling [i.e King Solomon - a type of the Antichrist], and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down My life [Cross], that I might take it again [Resurrection]. *No man taketh it [life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father. - The cross of Jesus Christ was not an accident nor the work of man or even of devils it was the predetermined plan of God because only the cross of Jesus could free mankind from our self-imposed predicament of sin and death and liberate us into the Heavenly eternal life that we were created to be a part of with God in Heaven.

John 11 - Jesus performs His 7th Ministry Miracle in the Gospel of John when He calls the dead Lazarus by name and raises him back to life - 'John 11:43-45 43 And when He (Jesus) thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he (Lazarus) that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him.'
'John 11:11-27 These things said He: and after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, *that I may awake him out of sleep [it's not that people sleep when they die but that sleep is a reference to death in that it is harmless to the Christian]. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with Him. Then when Jesus came, he found that he [Lazarus] had lain in the grave four days already. ... Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, *Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. *Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die [separate from God]. Believest thou this? She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.' - Jesus is unequivocally demonstrating that as God He has authority over human life and death and over human separation from God or human reconciliation to God.

John 12 - The Gospel of John now takes us into Holy Week that last week of Jesus' Ministry physically among mankind on earth - "Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany" with the day of Passover plus the three days and three nights in the Tomb this places Jesus' and the Disciples arrival at Bethany on the Friday 10 days before the Sunday Resurrection with the actual Triumphal Entry "On the next day" occurring on the next day the Saturday Sabbath Day -- 'John 12:1-2 Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with Him.' - 'John 12:12-15 On the next day [10th of Nisan - selection of the Passover lamb] much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion (Zion): behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.'
John 12:20-32 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the [Passover] feast: The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. ... And I, if I be lifted up [crucifixion and resurrection] from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.' - The Gentiles were not allowed to seek Jesus until after His death and resurrection as only then will He "draw all men" unto Himself. - Note: It's hard for a Gentile to understand but actually both the O.T. and the N.T. Covenants of God are with the Jews [Jeremiah 31:31] and belong to the Jews [Hebrews 8:8]. There was no Gentile representation at the Passover when the N.T. was initiated apart from the Promise of God given to Abraham [Genesis 12:3] that in Jesus all Nations would be blessed. Everyone involved with and seated at the Passover Table was Jewish including Jesus and none of them became a Christian by eating the Passover. The Jewish Disciples of Jesus became Christian followers of Jesus the same way everyone else does by acknowledging His sinless death on the cross and by acknowledging His resurrection of eternal life. The New Testament that was instituted the evening of the Passover and went into effect with the death and resurrection of Jesus and is for the 'House of Israel'. The New Testament was not finalized at the Passover it was finalized and institutionalized with the giving of the Holy Spirit an event that happened after the Resurrection of Jesus [and after the betrayal and rejection of Jesus] then when He ascended into Heaven briefly the Day of His Resurrection and He was received by His Father in Heaven as the acceptable Atonement offering for mankind to God the Father then that same Resurrection day sent the Comforter the Holy Spirit to mankind in the Baptism of Jesus Christ. As Gentile Christians we have entered into the Jewish New Testament Covenant by the Promises of God not by the Covent of God. The New Testament Covenant belongs to the Jews and through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ we are invited and welcomed into their Covenant to be partakers of their promises and of the blessings that have been given to the Jews from God. Having received an invitation to join in on their eternal Heavenly blessings we need to be certain that we do not, even accidently, take away from the Jews what already belongs to the Jews and we also need to make certain that we are grateful to God and to the Jews for the free gift we have been given and to receive it with gratitude and thankfulness so we don't accidently give a false impression of taking from the Jews something that is not ours and of being guilty of appearing to take and enter the Kingdom of God by force when in fact it has been freely given to us in the promises of God.

John 13 - The day off the Passover after a lunch Jesus washes the feet of His disciples in preparation of the Passover later that evening -- 'John 13:31-35 Therefore, when he (Judas) was gone out [of the upper room], Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come [by the Laws of Moses]; so now I say to you. A New [Perspective] Commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you [New Perspective - He gave His life for us], that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.'
'John 13:1-12 Now *before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. And supper [lunch] being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper [lunch], and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a bason [basin], and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded. ... So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again ...' - 'John 13:21-3121 When Jesus had thus said, He was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples [John], whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him (John), that he should ask who it should be of whom He (Jesus) spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto Him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop [sauce], when I have dipped [bread in] it. And when He had dipped [bread in] the sop, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him (Judas). Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the [Passover] table knew for what intent He spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast [Feast of Unleavened Bread]; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night [the Passover Feast is the only Feast that is not also a sundown curfew feast]. Therefore, when he (Judas) was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.'

John 14 - Judas having left before the conclusion of the Passover Feast - Jesus and remaining eleven Disciples conclude the Feast of Passover by singing a Psalm - Then the Passover Feast not being a curfew feast Jesus and His eleven Disciples depart the upper room and go to the Garden of Gethsemane, on Mount Olivet - Along the way to the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus explains that unless He departs the earth and goes back into Heaven that the Holy Spirit cannot be given or sent to mankind [mankind would still be in sin and cannot receive the Holy Spirit] -- 'John 14:1-4 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: *if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go [to Heaven] and prepare a place for you, I will come again [Second Coming], and receive you unto Myself; that where I Am, there ye may be also. And whither I go [Heaven] ye know, and the way [through Jesus Christ] ye know.'
John 14:15-21 If ye love Me (Jesus), keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter [Holy Spirit], that He may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; *for He dwelleth with you, and *shall be in you [born again]. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth Me no more; but ye (Disciples) see Me: because I live [Resurrection], ye shall [resurrection] live also. At that day ye shall know that I Am in My Father, and ye in Me, and *I in you [Resurrection Day]. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and *I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him (believer-follower).

52 different weekly Bible passages to read before taking the Lord's Supper - Jeff Himmel, the preacher at the Spring Warrior Church of Christ in Taylor County, Florida, wrote an interesting article in the church's weekly LifeLines bulletin entitled, Thoughts Around the Lord's Table {Note: These are some excellent verses but the pastor who wrote and published this article seemed to have the ever present agenda of putting all modern [paraphrase] bible versions on the same level as the KJV [translation] Bible. - Also Note: The various modern bible versions (NKJV, NIV, TNIV, NLT) are not "translations" but are what are called "paraphrases" where the modern 'translators' simply paraphrased the text of the modern bible versions with what they think the Bible should have originally said [and they use knowingly fraudulent and forged documents to attempt to justify their often egregious and erroneous paraphrases]. A paraphrase (opinionated) bible version is very, very different from the Trustworthy, accurately translated [mostly word for word at about 99.9%] KJV Bible.}
52 Passages to read before taking the Lord's Supper: Before we pass around the Lord's Supper each week at Spring Warrior (Acts 20:7), the man responsible for leading the observance will usually read a passage from the Bible reminding us either of the significance of taking the Lord's Supper or the significance of Christ's death. In his article, Mr. Himmel points out that Christians oftentimes needlessly limit their choice of passages to simply a trite few (e.g., Matthew 26:26-29 1 Corinthians 11, etc.). There are many more passages available. So my challenge to the readers is this: If you lead the Lord's Supper, what passages do you read aloud? If you don't "head the table" in your congregation, but do read from your Bible while the Lord's Supper is being passed around, what passages do you read? I will begin our list with the tried and true mentioned in Jeff's article. Let's see if we can't come up with 52 different passages, one for each week throughout the year. Add your passages via a comment. Matthew 26:26-29. Matthew's account of the evening in which Christ instituted the Lord's Supper. Mark 14:22-26. Mark's parallel account to Matthew 26. Luke 22:14-22. Luke's account of the institution of the Lord's Supper differs from that described in Matthew and Mark in that it tells of Jesus instructing the disciples to "divide" the cup among themselves before partaking of the bread and fruit of the vine. This passage is useful when studying with someone who insists that everyone in the congregation should drink from the same cup ("one-cuppers"). Acts 20:7. Yes, this is a great passage for the authority for the observance occurring on the first day of the week, but can't we come up with a better passage for the meaning of the occasion? 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." (1 Cor. 11:26, NKJV) Psalm 22, often referred to as the Psalm of the Cross. "They have pierced my hands and my feet ... They divide my garments among them" (NIV vss. 16, 19). and cast lots for my clothing Isaiah 53. A Messianic prophecy which actually begins In Isa. 52:13. Romans 5:6-11. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8, NKJV) 1 Corinthians 5:7 with Exodus 12:5, 14 (or Numbers 28:19). Christ is our Passover sacrifice who saves us from death. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 with Exodus 12:14-20. Taking the memorial feast in sincerity and truth. not in a sinful condition, and not with sinners. 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. " (2 Cor. 5:15, TNIV) 4/26/2009 Philippians 2:5-11. "He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-even death on a cross!" (Phil 2:8, TNIV) Philippians 3:10 with 1 Corinthians 11:24 and 1 Corinthians 10:16-18. "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:10, NKJV). Christ says that the bread represents his body which was broken for us. Paul says that we partake or share the communion. So, in a sense, by partaking of the Lord's Supper we share in the sufferings of Christ. (5/17/09) Hebrews 2:14-18. "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Heb. 2:14-15, NKJV) Hebrews 9:12-15. "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:13-14, NKJV) You could start reading in verse 1, but I have paired these down into smaller readings simply to prepare our minds for taking the Lord's Supper. Hebrews 9:16-28. "He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. ... Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." (Heb. 9:26, 28, NKJV) Hebrews 10:1-10. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. ... He takes away the first that He may establish the second." (Heb. 10:4, 9, NKJV) Hebrews 10:11-18. "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. ... For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. ... Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin." (Heb. 10:12, 14, 18, NKJV) 1 John 4:9-10. "God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love-not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." (NLT) Jeremiah 31:-34 with Matthew 26:26-28. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant .... I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."(Jer. 31:31, 34) "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matt. 26:27-28) Luke 22:20 with Genesis 31:44-54. Pointing out that part of the purpose behind the memorial feast is to remind people of their covenant relationship with God in much the same way that Jacob and Laban shared a feast to memorialize their covenant of peace. Exodus 12:5, 14 (or Numbers 28:19) with John 1:29. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 3:16. By partaking in the communion, we are proclaiming Christ's life, death and resurrection. John 3:16 affirms that Christ was obedient to the will of God to the point of death for all who believe in Christ. Some may want to read this passage with 1 John 4:9-10. Deuteronomy 8:3 with John 6:30-33, 48-51. God gave the Jews manna so they would learn that they could not live by bread alone. Then He gave the world Jesus, the bread of life. John 6:54-56 with Deuteronomy 12:16 & Leviticus 17:10-11. Under the Old Law of Moses, God was given the blood of the sacrifice. Men were prohibited from drinking blood because life is in the blood. Under the New Covenant, Christ says that whoever drinks his blood has eternal life, and figuratively, we drink his blood when we drink the fruit of the vine. Although the context of John 6 is not directly related to the Lord's Supper, Christ is saying that whoever believes in Him eats His flesh and drinks His blood. Who believes Christ, but those who obey all His teachings, including the command (1 Cor. 11:24-25) to eat the Lord's Supper? (3/22/09) Acts 2:21-36, Peter's sermon on Pentecost. "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it" (Acts 2:23-24, NKJV). 1 Corinthians 10:24 with Deuteronomy 16:3. Comparing Christ's body of suffering to the Passover bread of suffering. 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1. When we come together and share the same bread and fruit of the vine, we stress not only our unity and equality before God, but also His call for us to be holy, sanctified, set apart and consecrated. "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God." (2 Cor. 6:14-16, NKJV) Ephesians 2:11-18. Christ's death reconciled Jew and Gentile to each other and to God. The fruit of the vine represents Christ's blood which was shed for the remission of sins. (Matt. 26:27-28) Colossians 2:11-15, "... buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ... having nailed it to the cross...." (NKJV) What additional passages can you come up with? [article link]

John 15 - Jesus and the Disciples are still continuing ther walk to the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus continues to instruct the Disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit about His Resurrection and about their eternity with Him in Heaven -- 'John 15:1-5 I Am the True Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman [Caretaker].'
'John 15:1-5 I Am the True Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman [Caretaker]. Every branch (Disciple) in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth [cleanses] it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I Am the Vine, ye (Disciples) are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.' - In Jesus there is life and fruitfulness [relationship with God] apart from Jesus there is no fruitfulness [relationship with God] and no life.

John 16 - Jesus explains that the life of a Disciple without the physical presence of Jesus is going to be difficult -- 'John 16:1-3 These things have I (Jesus) spoken unto you, that ye (Disciples) should not be offended. They [religious and political leaders] shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.'
'John 16:7-16 Nevertheless I (Jesus) tell you the Truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: *for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, *He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me; Of righteousness, because I [Righteousness] go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; Of judgment, because the prince [Satan] of this world [system] is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: *for He [Holy Spirit] shall not speak [referencing] of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear [be in agreement with], that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: *for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. *A little while, and ye shall not see Me [Crucifixion death]: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me [Resurrection Life], because I go to the Father.'

John 17 - The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus - Jesus Prays for His disciples and all of this future followers His 'High Priestly Prayer' -- 'John 17:1-3 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, *that He should give Eternal Life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And *this is Life Eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.' - 'John 17:20-21 Neither pray I for these (Disciples) alone [only], but for them [future Disciples] also which shall believe on Me through their word [Ministry]; that they all may be one [Church]; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one [body] in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me.
John 17:1-26 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to Heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee: As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, *that He (Jesus) should give Eternal Life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And *this is Life Eternal, that they (humans) might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou Me with thine own self with *the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. I have manifested Thy Name unto the men which thou gavest Me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them Me; and *they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given Me are of Thee. *For I have given unto them (Disciples) the Words which thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me. I pray for them (Disciples): *I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I Am Glorified in them (Disciples). And now I Am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, *keep through Thine own Name those whom thou hast given Me, that they [Disciples] may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy Name: those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition [Judas by his own freewill]; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and *these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Thy Word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I Am not of the world. I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil. *They are not of the world, even as I Am not of the world. Sanctify them through Thy Truth: Thy Word is Truth. As thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I Sanctify [go to Heaven] Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the Truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but *for them [future Disciples] also which shall Believe on Me through their word [Ministry]; That they all may be one [Church]; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in thee, that they also may be one [body] in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me. And the Glory which thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, *and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am [in Heaven and while on earth]; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have declared unto them Thy Name, and will declare it: that the Love wherewith Thou hast Loved Me may be in them, and I in them.' The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus to His Father in Heaven revealing to His Disciples His heart towards His father and His heart towards all His Disciples.

John 18 - After His High Priestly Prayer to His Father in Heaven - Jesus steps over the small stream "brook of Cedron" and Jesus with His eleven disciples arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane - Jesus separates Himself from His followers and goes a short distance to pray - Judas bringing Temple guards to arrest Jesus catches up with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is arrested and brought to Jerusalem to multiple trials involving the Sanhedrin, Herod and finally Pontius Pilate who will sentence Jesus to death on the cross - As the dawn arises Peter will deny knowing Jesus three times -- 'John 18:1-2 When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and His disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with His disciples.'
'John 18:28 Then [Jewish leaders] led they Jesus from Caiaphas [the High Priest installed by Rome while Annas was the High Priest, there were two High Priests] unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover [the Unleavened Bread portion of the Passover Week, the Crucifixion day was a Feast curfew day, Unleavened Bread has a curfew the Passover does not].' - 'John 18:36-38 Jesus answered [Pontius Pilate], *My Kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants [physically] fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My Kingdom not from hence [the Kingdom of Jesus is no from Heaven]. Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art thou a King then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I Am a King. [Yes] To this end was I born, and for this cause [King of the World] came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the Truth. Every one that is of the Truth heareth My Voice. Pilate saith unto Him, What is truth?' - Note: The 'Thou sayst' was apparently a custom, and it was required when someone was in court facing Roman charges against them, to confirm dialect especially between a Roman and another culture. When a Roman official spoke the non-Roman would reply 'thou sayest' to confirm that they understood what the Roman was saying.'

John 19 - The rejection, death and burial of Jesus Christ is completed - The Crucifixion day is the [15th of Nisan] on the Feast of Unleavened Bread day the day after the [14th of Nisan] and the Passover Day - It is the same day [Exodus 12:17] that the Children of God left Egypt after the original death of the firstborn Passover in Egypt - {The Apostle Paul explains that the Passover was the night Jesus was betrayed [1 Corinthians 11:23 - "That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread"] the day before His Crucifixion.} -- John 19:4-5 [Pontius] Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring Him (Jesus) forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in Him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! - 'Zechariah 6:11-12 Then take silver and gold, and make Crowns [silver - High Priest crown, gold - Kings crown], and set them upon the head of Joshua (Jesus) the son of Josedech, the High Priest; and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, 'Behold the man' whose name is the Branch (Nazarene), and He shall grow up out of His place and He shall build the [Heavenly] Temple of the LORD:'
John 19:25-27 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the Disciple [John] standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son [Christian fellowship]! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother [Christian fellowship]! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. - The name Mary in Hebrew means bitter so it was a 'bitter,' 'bitter,' 'bitter,' day, event and place to be at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ for the followers of Jesus. Note: Jesus on the cross united His Mother Mary and His Disciple John in Christian fellowship not in some form of worldly adoption. Biblically had Mary adopted the Disciple John then he would have gone to her house because that is what the adoption is it is rights and privileges of the house or estate. Apparently Joseph was clearly deceased not being available for any of the events of the adult life of Jesus and also apparently none of the brothers and sisters were followers of Him either, until after the resurrection so Jesus sent His mother to be with John and the soon to be forming Christian Church.

John 20 - Resurrection Day - The first Jewish converts to Christianity through belief in the eternal life Resurrection of Jesus Christ - The Spirit Baptism of Jesus Christ begins - With the receiving of the Spirit of Jesus Christ a person [Jew or Gentile] becomes a Christian - The Christian Church begins! -- 'John 20:14 And when she [Mary Magdalene] had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and *knew not that it was Jesus.' [Note: Only Christians can recognize Jesus while Mary and the other Jewish Disciples and followers all had to become Christians like the Gentiles have to as well to then recognize Jesus] - 'Colossians 1:27 ... [the Resurrected Jesus] Christ in you, the hope of glory'
John 20:19-23 Then the same day [Resurrection Day] at evening, being [Sunday] the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when He had so said, He shewed unto them his hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My Father [in Heaven] hath sent Me [Jesus has been back to Heaven], even so send I you. And when He had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost [Having been to Heaven and received by the Father as the acceptable Atonement the Holy Spirit is now given and available to all mankind]: Whose soever sins ye remit [discernment via the Holy Spirit], they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain [discernment via the Holy Spirit], they are retained.

John 21 - After His crucifixion and Glorious resurrection Jesus spends 40 more days with His Disciples instructing them in His eternal Kingdom - The Kingdom that that they are to present to all mankind -- 'John 21:1 After these [crucifixion and resurrection] things Jesus shewed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (aka the Sea of Galilee and Lake Gennesaret); and on this wise shewed He Himself.'
'John 21:24-25 This is the disciple [John] which Testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we [Apostles] know that His Testimony [Jesus Christ] is True. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.' - The beloved Disciple and Apostle of Jesus Christ closes his Gospel to the Christian Church with his personal Testimony that what he has written and recorded for mankind is based in fact and actually did happen and occurred as he has written.

THE

ACTS

OF THE APOSTLES

Background to the Book of Acts - The book of Acts has traditionally been called the Acts of the Apostles and this can be a bit confusing because the contents is not about all the apostles, but primarily on the life of Peter (Chapters 1-12) and Paul (Chapters 13-28) - Rather than a history book it is more in line with a biography - Luke gives a record of the life [of Jesus] and events of the early Church for a period of about sixty to sixty five years {About 35 years of Early Church History: The Ascension of Jesus Christ from Mount Olivet, Jerusalem in about 33 A.D. - The Jerusalem Council [1st Church Council] in about 50 A.D. (Acts 15) - until just before the Martyrdom of the Apostle Paul in Rome in about 67 A.D.}
The gospels end with the great commission. (Matthew 28:19-20). "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." The book of Acts opens with instructions to the Disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. These instructions become the theme of the book of Acts and give us a clue to how the spread of Christianity would take place. The purpose of Acts is to show the spread of the Gospel throughout the then known world. 'But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.' (Acts 1:1-8). The disciples were to be witnesses. In the first twelve chapters the focus is on the Gospel going forth under Peters direction in Jerusalem. There the ministry was directed mainly among the Jews in Jerusalem. Then the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul is stressed in his missionary activities outside of the boarders of Israel. He is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles. -- Jerusalem: Chapter 1-7: Jewish Christian Church which covers about the first fifteen years. Peter is the central character during this period which centers around Jerusalem. -- Judea and Samaria: Chapter 8-12: Gentile Christian Church takes in the next twenty-five years. Paul is the central character during this period which centers around Antioch. Paul takes the gospel to the Gentiles. Ends of the Earth: Chapter 13-28: Consolidation of the Church covers the last thirty years to the close of this period. John is the central character during this period which centers around Ephesus {though not really mentioned in the Book of Acts}. [article link]

Footsteps of Paul (Photos)
According to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul made three separate missionary journeys and a journey to Rome. The biblical narrative ends there, but tradition has it that he was martyred in Rome around 67 AD. On the other hand, it is also possible that he was released in Rome following his appeal, and continued his missionary work in various places. Fortunately for modern travelers interested in biblical sites, Paul traveled in some of the most beautiful places around the Mediterranean! Below is an illustrated index of the 11 Footsteps of Paul profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles. ... Paul in Rome: According to early tradition, Paul was imprisoned in Rome in 53-62 AD and again in 64 AD. While in Rome he wrote the New Testament books of Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. According to the 4th-century historian Eusebius, he (Paul) was beheaded in Rome in 67 AD. [article link]

A Chronological Study of Paul's Ministry
Why is Chronology Important? Chronology is the study of the sequence of events in an historical text, and the comparison of those events with other known events from other sources. The Bible is an historical document, and part of assessing the value of any historical narrative is the study of Chronology. When events in the Bible line up with known dates confirmed outside the Bible, is suggests a high level of reliability in the biblical text. Also, some areas of doctrine are based on chronological assertions, as we shall see in the case of Gal. 2. This outline explains in shortened form how scholars date the events in the ministry of Paul. A more complete study of this process is available in Jack Finnegan, A Handbook of Biblical Chronology. -- Sequential Outline of the Movements of Paul by Major Periods: The first step in studying chronology is to assemble a sequence of events along with all chronological notes. In other words, a narrator will say, "for over two years" or "in time for the Passover." These notes, when assembled, form a time chain, often with some missing spots. Here are the important events for Paul's ministry: [article link]

The Apostle [Paul] by John Pollock (Book - Paperback)
Product Description: Pollock brings Paul and his amazing story freshly alive, making it possible for you to know Paul much as Luke or Timothy did as they traveled with him. As you turn the pages, you'll sense Paul's motives, his aims and priorities what mattered to him and what he was willing to die for. [article link]

Paul: The Emissary (DVD)
Product Description: How did the fiercest opponent of Christianity become one of its greatest advocates? This dramatic video shows you Paul's powerful conversion on the Damascus road, and his transformation from an angry zealot bent on exterminating the church into a messenger willing to pay any price---even death---to bring the message of salvation to the world. Paul's life changed the ancient world and still confronts our world today! Approx. 54 minutes. [article link]

Peter and Paul (DVD)
Product Description: Follow these two very different yet highly influential men over three world-changing decades. Beginning with the crucifixion, you'll see Paul on the road to Damascus, witness the day Peter met Paul in Jerusalem, and watch them clash later over Jewish law. Anthony Hopkins and Robert Foxworth star in this epic network television mini-series about early Christianity. Approx. 194 minutes. [article link]

A.D. - The stunning sequel to Jesus of Nazareth - (DVD)
Product Description: The stunning sequel to Jesus of Nazareth, this captivating epic vividly re-creates the turbulent years following the crucifixion of Christ. Witness the growth of the fledgling church, from Peter's first bold sermon at Pentecost to the martyrdom of Paul. Filmed on location in the Middle East and Europe with an all-star cast. Includes a 12-session on-disk study guide. Two DVDs, 6 hours total. Abridged Edition. [article link]

Acts - Matthew, John & Acts, 6-DVD Set The Visual Bible Series (DVD)
Product Description: Journey back to first-century Palestine [Israel] and witness the extraordinary events that changed the world! Meet Matthew and John as they reflect on the events they witnessed as Jesus' disciples. Travel with Luke as he shares the struggles and triumphs of the early church. Shot on location, these vivid portrayals are adapted word-for-word from Scripture. Closed-captioned. Six DVDs, approx. 13 hours total. [article link]

Acts 1 - Luke a Gentile Physician-Doctor [a Greek background], historian, companion to the Apostle Paul, eyewitness and early Christian Church recorder/reporter continues his Ministry to the Christian Church with his follow up to the Gospel of Luke in his second and final Book of the Bible the Book of Acts -- 'Acts 1:1-3 The former treatise [Gospel of Luke] {A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject. - Wiki.com} have I [Luke] made [written], O Theophilus, *of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which He [Jesus] was taken up [Ascension at Mount Olivet, Jerusalem], after that **He [Jesus] through the Holy Ghost had given Commandments [Directions] unto the Apostles whom He had chosen: To whom also He [Jesus] shewed Himself alive [Resurrection] after His Passion [Passion to reunite God and mankind - Cross and Resurrection] **by many infallible [irrefutable] proofs, being seen [eyewitness] of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God ...'
Acts 1:4-14 And, [Jesus] being assembled together with them [on the Mount of Olives - at the Ascension of Jesus], Commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for **the promise of the Father [to send the Comforter - the Holy Spirit as a companion], which, saith He, ye have heard of Me [John 14:6]. For John [the Baptist] truly baptized with water; but ye [already baptized by Jesus, with the Firstfruits of the Spirit (John 20:22) - Christians] shall be baptized [by the Father] with the Holy Ghost [for comfort, wisdom, truth, empowerment, etc. to be a witness of Jesus Christ to the world] not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, *wilt thou at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel [from Rome]? And He said unto them, It is not for you (Christians) [before Pentecost] to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power. ***But ye [Christians] shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. **And when He [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their [visible] sight. **And while they looked stedfastly [for His return] toward Heaven as He went up, behold, two men [Angels] stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, **why stand ye gazing up into Heaven [at this spot on Mount Olivet]? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven {but when Jesus visibly returns to Mount Olivet it will be to the Jews not the Church - the Church will already be in Heaven}. Then [departed Mount Olivet] returned they unto Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room [in the upper room - where the Passover, Last Supper was eaten], where abode [lived] both [Apostles and Disciples (brethren)] {Apostles} Peter, and James [brother of John], and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James [son of Alphaeus]. These all continued with one accord [combined purpose] *in prayer and supplication, with the women, *and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His {Disciples} brethren [Christians]. The Promise of the Father is to send the Comforter and the empower [the Holy Spirit] to those who acknowledge Jesus [John 14:16]. The Promise of Jesus is to give eternal life [John 14:6] to all that come to Him. - John 14:6-21 Jesus saith unto him [Apostle - Thomas], ***I [Jesus] Am *the Way, *the Truth, and *the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. ... If ye love Me, keep My Commandments [instructions]. And I will pray the Father, and He [Father] shall give you another (along with Jesus) Comforter [Holy Spirit], that He [Holy Spirit] may abide with you [eternally] forever; Even the [Holy] Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him [Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit] not, neither knoweth Him [God]: but ye know Him; for He [God] dwelleth with you, ***and shall be in you [Firstfruits - Resurrection Day - birth of the Christian Church]. I [Jesus] will not leave you comfortless: I [Jesus] will come to you [Resurrection]. Yet a little while [death on the cross], and the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me [Resurrection]: **because I live, ye shall live also. At that [Resurrection] day ye shall know that I Am in My Father, and ye in Me, **and I [Firstfruits] in you. He that hath My Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father [who will baptize with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit], and I will love him, and **will manifest [show] Myself [Jesus] to him [Christian].

Acts 2 - The Christian Church already individually (Luke 24:31) [by faith in the cross and resurrection of Jesus] having the 'born again' Firstfruits of the Spirit of Jesus - The Church corporately (all in one group) receives the 'experience' the promised Baptism of the Father the Comfort and empowerment of the Holy Spirit - Note: At Pentecost The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the entire world [John 16:8] - With Pentecost [empowerment for the Church, conviction for the world] comes the Baptism of Persecution (Fire) for the Church -- 'Acts 2:1-5 And when the Day of Pentecost [lit. 50 days - after the Feast of Firstfruits] [5th Levitical Feast - Leviticus 23:16] was fully come, they [Christians] were all with one accord in one place [in the upper room]. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire [refinement, trials, persecution], and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled [empowered] with the Holy Ghost, and [experientially] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, ***out of [representing] every Nation under Heaven.' - 'John 16:7 Nevertheless I [Jesus] tell you the Truth; It is expedient for you that I go away [back to Heaven]: for if I go not away, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] will not come unto you [at Pentecost]; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He [Holy Spirit] is come, ***He will reprove the *world [Pentecost is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the entire world] of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on Me [Jesus]; Of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more [after the Ascension]; Of judgment, because the prince of this world [Satan - Devil] is judged.'
Acts 2:14-21 But Peter, standing up with the Eleven [Apostles - Judas has committed suicide], lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, *be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour [9:00 A.M.] of the day. **But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel [Joel 2:28-32]; And it shall come to pass in the Last Days [days since - The Triumphal Entry of Jesus in to Jerusalem], saith God, I will pour out of My [Holy] Spirit *upon all flesh [the entire world]: and your [Jewish, Christian and Gentile - *the entire world] sons and your daughters shall prophesy [at times everyone (inside and outside of the Church) speaks for a prophetic truth about God, however (outside of the Church) it is often a corrupted message i.e. New Age message (Acts 16:17-18)], and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on My servants [Christians] and on My handmaidens [men and women] I will pour out in those days of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy: [including all days - even the days of Tribulation and Great Tribulation] And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke [Tribulation]: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood [Great Tribulation], *before that Great and Notable Day of the Lord come [2nd Coming of Jesus]: ***And it shall come to pass [at any day, at any time, at any moment, Last Days, Church Age, Tribulation, Great Tribulation], that *whosoever [any person] shall call [at any time] on the Name [Jesus] of the Lord [that person] shall be Saved. - Pentecost, empowerment, witness and persecution: In the few days before Pentecost the Christian Church gathered in the Jewish Temple and worshiped Jesus [Luke 24:53] without any incidents because the Church was without the [external upon] witness of the Holy Spirit. With Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit upon the entire world, upon every individual and with the empowerment of the Christian Church by the Holy Spirit and now all of mankind with the increased presence of God among mankind the conflict between man and God has dramatically increased and the Christian Church is at the forefront of man's conflict with God. With Pentecost the desire for mankind to either accept or reject the Ministry of Jesus Christ has been heightened and those who reject God do so in a more violent manner. - Note: The Baptism of Fire (persecution) upon the Christian is a baptism directly enacted by Jesus [Matthew 3:11] therefore Jesus controls all aspects and intensities of the persecution (Baptism of Fire) in the life of each Christian. To receive the Baptism of Fire from Jesus is to be given the opportunity to grow in faith and trust in Jesus and it is to be trusted enough by Jesus to be able to endure in the Christian faith while continuing to be a witness of Jesus. - Also Note: With Pentecost and the global outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all mankind [since the blood, cross and death of Jesus - the blood of Jesus has cleansed the entire world (Acts 10:15) - the world [system] is now a clean - however [unclean from within] unsaved mankind is working overtime to corrupt what Jesus has cleansed upon] with the Holy Spirit upon all mankind Christianity and the resurrection life of Jesus Christ that Christianity represents is not a philosophy nor just an idea of a select few but Christianity is the living Spirit, Blood and Word - Testimony of God and therefore because Christianity is a living Spirit that unsaved mankind then physically reacts out of proportion [sometimes in strong denial, rejection, even dangerously, etc.] to the Spiritual calling on their life by God in Jesus Christ.

Acts 3 - The early Christian Church continually Worshiped and Served Jesus Christ even after His bodily Ascension back into Heaven - As a part of their Christian Devotion to Jesus their lives and the lives of those around them were dramatically altered being transformed by the Holy Spirit to conform within the Kingdom of God -- 'Acts 3:1-9 Now Peter and John went up together into the Temple at the hour of prayer [Christians went to the Temple only to pray and perform certain services but no longer to sacrifice (a lamb) as Jesus is our eternal sacrifice], being the ninth hour [3:00 P.M.]. And a certain man lame [unable to walk] from his mother's womb [physical birth] was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the Temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms (gifts) of them that entered into the Temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the Temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us [make eye contact]. And he gave heed unto them [looked them in the eye], expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said [worldly wealth], Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have [Heavenly wealth] give I thee: *In the Name [at Jesus' bidding] of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he [Peter] took him by the right hand [Christian fellowship], and lifted him up [cross and resurrection of Jesus]: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood [new life - resurrection], and walked [Christian walk], and entered with them [into fellowship] into the Temple [to pray to God], walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God ...'
Acts 3:10-26 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the Temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when Peter saw it, he *answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? ***The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of [Pontius] Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer [Barabbas] to be granted unto you; And killed [Jesus] **the Prince of life, whom God hath raised [resurrection] from the dead; **whereof we are witnesses. And His Name [Jesus] *through faith [cross and resurrection] in His Name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by Him [Jesus] hath given him [lame man] this perfect [complete] soundness [health] in the presence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it [crucified Jesus], as did also your rulers. *But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth *of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled. ***Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And He [Father] shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: [Jesus] *Whom the heaven must receive [remain] {this is where the concept of the Church Rapture emerges as Jesus is to remain in Heaven and not to come physically to the earth until the end of the Book of Revelation and His 2nd Coming to the Jews, Jesus will have gathered His Christian Church together unto Himself in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17) avoiding coming to earth until later} until the times of restitution [end of the Book of Revelation] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His Holy Prophets since the world began. **For Moses truly said (Deuteronomy 18:15) unto the fathers, A Prophet [who is God] shall the Lord your God raise up [resurrection] unto you of your brethren, [a leader of the people of Israel] like unto me [Moses]; Him [Jesus] shall ye hear in all things whatsoever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet [Jesus], shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the Prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. *Ye [redeemed of God] are the Children of the Prophets, and of the Covenant which God made with our fathers, **saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed [Jesus] shall all the Kindreds [Ethnicity] of the earth be Blessed. Unto you [Jews] first(,) God, having raised up [resurrection] His Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you [Jews, first], in turning away every one of you from his iniquities [inability to have a real meaningful relationship with God]. - The Apostles Peter and John demonstrate to the people both in their life and in their preaching that the Spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ though it has only partially arrived [Firstfruits] for mankind the partial Kingdom of Jesus Christ fully Triumphs over and supersedes the current fallen physical realm and predicament of mankind.

Acts 4 - The Gospel of God in Jesus Christ has begun to be Preached (Proclaimed) to mankind first to the Jews in Jerusalem then to the mixed multitude [Jews and gentiles] in Samaria [the ancient (O.T.) Kingdom of Northern Israel] and ultimately to all the Gentiles of the world -- 'Acts 4:1-4 And as they [Apostles] spake unto the people, the Priests, and the Captain [of the guard] of the Temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, *Being grieved [since Pentecost Christianity is a perceivable Spirit that men either rejoice in or are grieved by] that they taught the people, *and preached through Jesus *the resurrection [of just humans] from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide [lit. close of a regular day - G2703]. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men [converts to Christianity] was about five thousand.'
Acts 4:5-31 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the High Priest [the Jewish appointed High Priest], and Caiaphas [the Roman appointed High Priest], and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred [Levitical Tribe] of the High Priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? *Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost [the continuing empowerment and witness of Pentecost], said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole [lit. Salvation]; **Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised [resurrection] from the dead, even *by Him [Jesus] doth this man stand here before you whole. *This [Jesus] is the stone which was set at nought [aside - not used] of you [Temple] builders (Isaiah 28:16, Psalm 118:22), which is become the head of the corner. *Neither is there Salvation in any other: ***for there is none other Name under Heaven ***given among men, ***whereby we must be Saved [eternal resurrection life in Jesus]. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned [unschooled in ministry] and ignorant men [tradesmen], they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this Name [Jesus]. And they called them, *and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus. **But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. *For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man [who was healed] was above forty years old [an adult], on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they [Christians] heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, **and said, *Lord, thou art God, *which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against thy Holy Child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the Name of thy Holy Child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, *and they [Christians] spake the word of God with boldness. - Now the Kingdom of God in Jesus Christ has been removed from the religious institutions and the Gospel News is to be brought directly to the people of the world directly from the Children of God.

Acts 5 - With the presence and assistance of the Holy Spirit people are able to Trust and discern the Truth of Christianity and as a result the Christian Church realizes an enormous, explosive, unprecedented exponential growth in numbers of participants -- 'Acts 5:14 And [Christian] believers were the more added to the Lord [Jesus Christ], multitudes both of men and women.'
Acts 5:17-42 Then the High Priest [Annas] rose up, and all they that were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees [liberal sect of Judaism (Democrats) - Pharisees are the conservative sect (Republicans)], and were filled with indignation, And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. *But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, **and said, Go, stand and speak *in the Temple [speak to the inner spirit of man] to the people all the words of this [eternal resurrection] life. And when they heard that, they entered into the Temple early in the morning, and taught. But the High Priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council [Sanhedrin - Jewish Supreme Court] together, and all the senate of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the [Jewish] officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the High Priest and the Captain [of the guard] of the Temple and the Chief Priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the Temple, and Teaching the people. Then went the Captain with the Officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the Council: and the High Priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this [Jesus] Name? and, ***behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your *doctrine, and intend to bring this man's [Jesus'] blood upon us. **Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, **We ought to obey God [Jesus] rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince [Son] and a Saviour, *for to give repentance to Israel, **and forgiveness of sins. ***And we are His witnesses of these things; ***and so is also ***the Holy Ghost, *whom God hath given [in comfort, wisdom and empowerment] to them that obey Him. *When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, *and took counsel to slay [kill] them. Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named *Gamaliel [the Apostle Paul's teacher - Paul was a Pharisee], a doctor [teacher] of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the Apostles forth a little space [in another room]; And said unto them [Jewish Council], Ye men of Israel, *take heed [from God - pray first] to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas [a false christ], boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, *and [God] brought [it] to nought. After this man rose up Judas [false christ] of Galilee in the days of the taxing [about the time of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem], and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed [by God]. *And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: *for if this counsel or this work [of the Apostles] be of men [acting in the Name of God], it will come to nought: **But if it [ministry of the Apostles] be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him *they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and *beaten them, *they commanded that they should not speak in the Name of Jesus, and let them go {they somewhat agreed}. And they [Apostles] departed from the presence of the Council, *rejoicing that they were counted worthy [by Jesus] to suffer shame for His Name. And daily in the Temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. - Note: The famous teacher Gamaliel [his writings are still with us today - quoted in the Talmud] is who the Apostle Paul as a boy and as a young man received his instruction in the Torah (Bible) from before Paul (Saul) became a Christian. - [Gamaliel, also called Gamaliel I or Gamaliel the Elder was a first century authority on Jewish law who appears in the Acts of the Apostles. In Christian tradition, he was later considered to be a Christian saint (Saint Gamaliel). In Judaism he is a respected authority quoted in the Talmud referred to as Rabban Gamliel. - Wiki.com] (The title "Rabban," was borne only by presidents of the highest religious council, first prefixed to the name of Gamaliel - www.jewishencyclopedia.com).

Wikipedia.org - Gamaliel: However, there is no other record [than the writings of the Apostle Paul] of Gamaliel ever having taught in public, although the Talmud does describe Gamaliel as teaching a student who displayed impudence (The quality of being offensively bold - answers.com) in learning, which a few scholars identify as a possible reference to [the Apostle] Paul
As Rabban: In the Talmud, seven leaders of Hillel's school of thought, of which Gamaliel was the first, are given the title Rabban (master), a rabbinic title given to the Head of the Sanhedrin; although it is not doubted that Gamaliel genuinely held a senior position, whether he actually held this highest position has been disputed. Gamaliel holds a reputation in the Mishnah for being one of the greatest teachers in all the annals of Judaism: Since Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, there has been no more reverence for the law, and purity and piety died out at the same time Gamaliel's authority on questions of religious law is suggested by two Mishnaic anecdotes, in which the king and queen ask for his advice about rituals; the identity of the king and queen in question is not given, but is generally thought to either be King Herod Agrippa I and his wife Cypris, or King Herod Agrippa II and his sister Berenice. However, as classical rabbinical literature always contrasts the school of Hillel to that of Shammai, and only presents the collective opinions of each of these opposing schools of thought - without mentioning the individual nuances and opinions of the rabbis within them - these texts do not portray Gamaliel as being knowledgeable about the Jewish scriptures, nor do they portray him as a teacher. For this reason, Gamaliel is not listed as part of the chain of individuals who perpetuated the Mishnaic tradition; instead, the chain is listed as passing directly from Hillel to Johanan ben Zakkai. Nevertheless, the Mishnah still mentions Gamaliel's authorship of a few legal ordinances on the subjects of community welfare and conjugal rights. He argued that the law should protect women during divorce, and that, for the purpose of re-marriage, a single witness was sufficient evidence for the death of a husband. The Mishnah also contains a saying it attributes to 'Gamaliel', though it is vague in this case about which particular 'Gamaliel' it means; the saying itself concerns religious scruples: Obtain a teacher for yourself, keep yourself [on religious questions] far from doubt, and only infrequently give a tithe using general valuation. Various pieces of classical rabbinic literature additionally mention that Gamaliel sent out three epistles, designed as notifications of new religious rulings, and which portray Gamaliel as the head of the Jewish body for religious-law. Two of these three were sent, respectively, to the inhabitants of Galilee and the Darom (southern Judea), and were on the subject of the Levite Tithe. The third epistle was sent to the Jews of the Diaspora, and argued for the introduction of an intercalary month. Since the Hillel school of thought is presented collectively, there are very few other teachings which are clearly identifiable as Gamaliel's; there is only a somewhat cryptic dictum, comparing his students to classes of fish: A ritually impure fish: one who has memorized everything by study, but has no understanding, and is the son of poor parents A ritually pure fish: one who has learnt and understood everything, and is the son of rich parents A fish from the Jordan River: one who has learnt everything, but doesn't know how to respond A fish from the Mediterranean: one who has learnt everything, and knows how to respond. -- Influence on the Christian Apostles: The author of Acts of the Apostles introduces Gamaliel as a Pharisee and celebrated scholar of the Mosaic Law. In this passage, Saint Peter and the other apostles are described as being prosecuted by the Sanhedrin for continuing to preach the Gospel, despite the Jewish authorities having previously prohibited it; the passage describes Gamaliel as presenting an argument against killing the apostles, reminding the Sanhedrin about previous revolts, which had been based on beliefs that individuals such as Theudas and Judas of Galilee were the prophesied messiah, and which had collapsed quickly after the deaths of those individuals. According to Acts, his authority with his contemporaries was so great that they accepted his advice, regardless of how unwelcome it was; Gamaliel's concluding argument to them had been that: if [the Gospel] be of men, it will come to naught, but if it be of God, ye will not be able to overthrow it; lest perhaps ye be found even to fight against God. The Book of Acts later goes on to describe Paul of Tarsus recounting that he was educated at the feet of Gamaliel about Jewish religious law, although no details are given about which teachings Paul adopted from Gamaliel - and hence how much Gamaliel influenced aspects of Christianity. However, there is no other record of Gamaliel ever having taught in public, although the Talmud does describe Gamaliel as teaching a student who displayed impudence in learning, which a few scholars identify as a possible reference to Paul. Helmut Koester, Professor of Divinity and of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University, is doubtful that Paul studied under this famous rabbi, arguing that there is a marked contrast in the tolerance that Gamaliel is said to have expressed about Christianity, in contrast to the "murderous rage" against Christians that Paul is described as having prior to his conversion. [article link]

The Apostle Paul - When Paul became a Christian, his very thorough [Jewish] education was enormously helpful - He was able to assimilate Christian doctrines rapidly and relate them accurately to the Scripture teaching he had received - From his education, both from Gamaliel and in the desert [Saudi Arabia] from the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul developed a divine viewpoint attitude toward human history - *Paul knew that the existence of God [by the Holy Spirit since Pentecost] can easily be perceived by anyone, *that man can become aware of God, *but that many men's deliberate sin halted this good beginning [after becoming aware of God] by [continued] immoral activities which accompanied their [past] idolatry
The Apostle Paul - The apostle Paul was one of the most famous citizens of the Roman Empire and without question one of the most influential individuals in history. He was used by the Lord in his missionary and evangelistic activities to set in motion a great deal of the organization known as the Christian Church, the Body of Christ on earth, to the extent that billions of human beings have been directly or indirectly affected by his ministry. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the foundation documents for the Christian way of life, the Word of God which has changed the lives of millions. -- Paul's Education: Paul was educated by his mother until the age of five. From age five to ten he studied with his father in the Hebrew scriptures and traditional writings. At the same time, being a Roman citizen and living in a Greek and Roman environment, he received a thorough education in the Greek language, history, and culture. He was sent to Jerusalem at about the age of ten to attend the rabbinical school of Gamaliel, who was the son of Simeon the son of Hillel. Gamaliel was a most eminent rabbi who was mentioned both in the Talmud and in the New Testament (Acts 5:24-40; 22:3). Gamaliel was called Rabban - one of only seven teachers so called. He was a Pharisee, but he rose above party prejudice. He composed a prayer against the Christian "heretics". He lived and died a Jew. At this time, Herod was dead, and the Romans had complete control of Judea, hence, there was Roman money, language, and culture. The Jews, therefore, were inclined to cling more closely to their religion as the center of unity. [Refer to the topic: Judean History] There were two great rabbinical schools, those of Hillel and Schammai. Hillel, the grandfather of Gamaliel, held that tradition was superior to the Law. The school of Schammai despised traditionalists, especially when there teachings clashed with the writings of Moses. The religious school of Gamaliel (Hillel) was chiefly oral and usually had a prejudice against any book but Scripture. They used a system of Scriptural exegesis, and Josephus in his writings expressed the wish to have such a power of exegesis. When school was in session, learned men met and discussed scriptures, gave various interpretations, suggested illustrations, and quoted precedents. The students were encouraged to question, doubt, even contradict. -- When Paul became a Christian, his very thorough education was enormously helpful. He was able to assimilate Christian doctrines rapidly and relate them accurately to the Scripture teaching he had received. From his education, both from Gamaliel and in the desert from the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul developed a divine viewpoint attitude toward human history. Paul knew that the existence of God can easily be perceived by anyone, that man can become aware of God, but that many men's deliberate sin halted this good beginning by immoral activities which accompanied their idolatry. Therefore, Paul had an intense hatred of idolatry of any kind. Paul's teaching shows that the only reality is God. Idolatry distorts man's conception of the world and external nature. Idolatry is the enemy of mankind. Paul knew the law of growth of human nature. As a Roman, Tarsian, Hebrew, and culturally Greek, he knew of the many distortions of the life of his society. As a nation becomes unhealthy, development is halted. Societies errors as to the nature of God and the true relation of God to man prevented nations from getting rid of their besetting evil. The books of Acts is the chief authoritative record for the ministries of Paul and the other apostles. For a brief outline of Paul's ministry, see the Chronological Table of Paul's Ministry. The most thorough, accurate, and interesting secular work on Paul is The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, by Conybeare and Howson. [article link]

JewishEncyclopedia.com - GAMALIEL I: Son of Simon and grandson of Hillel: according to a tannaitic tradition (Shab.15a), he [Gamaliel] was their successor as nasi and first president of the Great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem - The apostle Paul prides himself on having sat at the feet of Gamaliel
His Correspondence: Son of Simon and grandson of Hillel: according to a tannaitic tradition (Shab.15a), he was their successor as nasi and first president of the Great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem. Although the reliability of this tradition, especially as regards the title of "nasi," has been justly disputed, it is nevertheless a fact beyond all doubt that in the second third of the first century Gamaliel (of whose father, Simon, nothing beyond his name is known) occupied a leading position in the highest court, the great council of Jerusalem, and that, as a member of that court, he received the cognomen "Ha-Zaen." Like his grandfather, Hillel, he was the originator of many legal ordinances with a view to the "tiun ha-'olam" (= "improvement of the world": Gi. iv. 1-3; comp. also Yeb. xvi. 7; R. H. ii. 5). Gamaliel appears as the head of the legal-religious body in the three epistles which he at one time dictated to the secretary Johanan (account of Judah b. 'Illai: Tosef., Sanh. ii. 6; Sanh. 11b; Yer. Sanh. 18d; Yer. Ma'as. Sh. 56c). Two of these letters went to the inhabitants of Galilee and of the Darom (southern Palestine), and had reference to the tithes; the third letter was written for the Jews of the Diaspora, and gave notice of an intercalary month which Gamaliel and his colleagues had decided upon. That part of the Temple territory-a "stairway of the Temple mount"-where Gamaliel dictated these letters is also the place where he once ordered the removal of a Targum to Job-the oldest written Targum of which anything is known (report of an eye-witness to Gamaliel II., grandson of Gamaliel I.: Tosef., Shab. xiii. 2; Shab. 115a; Yer. Shab. 15a). -- His Relative Position: Gamaliel appears also as a prominent member of the Sanhedrin in the account given in Acts (v. 34 et seq.), where he is called a "Pharisee" and a "doctor of the law "much honored by the people. He is there made to speak in favor of the disciples of Jesus, who were threatened with death (v. 38-39): "For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it." He is also shown to be a legal-religious authority by the two anecdotes (Pes. 88b) in which "the king and the queen" (Agrippa I. and his wife Kypris; according to Büchler, "Das Synhedrion in Jerusalem," p. 129, Agrippa II. and his sister Berenice) go to him with questions about the ritual. Tradition does not represent Gamaliel as learned in the Scriptures, nor as a teacher, because the school of Hillel, whose head he undoubtedly was, always appears collectively in its controversies with the school of Shammai, and the individual scholars and their opinions are not mentioned. Hence Gamaliel is omitted in the chain of tradition as given in the Mishnah (Abot i., ii.), while Johanan b. Zakkai is mentioned as the next one who continued the tradition after Hillel and Shammai. Gamaliel's name is seldom mentioned in halakic tradition. The tradition that illustrates the importance of Johanan b. Zakkai with the words, "When lie died the glory of wisdom [scholarship] ceased," characterizes also the importance of Gamaliel I. by saying: "When he died the honor [outward respect] of the Torah ceased, and purity and piety became extinct" (Soah xv: 18). -- His Classification of His Pupils: Gamaliel, as it appears, did most toward establish-. ing the honor in which the house of Hillel was held, and which secured to it a preeminent position within Palestinian Judaism soon after the destruction of the- Temple. The title "Rabban," which, in the learned hierarchy until post-Hadrianic times, was borne only by presidents of the highest religious council, was. first prefixed to the name of Gamaliel. That Gamaliel ever taught in public is known, curiously enough, only from the Acts of the Apostles, where (xxii. 3) the apostle Paul prides himself on having sat at the feet of Gamaliel. [article link]

Acts 6 - The early Christian Church and Church leaders in Jerusalem learn to handle the continual controversies and conflicts that arise both from within the Christian Church and from outside the Church -- 'Acts 6:1-7 And in those [early Church in Jerusalem] days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians [Greek Jews] against the Hebrews [Israel Jews], because their widows were neglected [not on the list] in the daily [food giving] ministration. Then the Twelve [the Eleven plus Matthias the (temporary) replacement for Judas - Paul in all likeliness became the Twelfth Apostle permanently replacing Judas] called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the [study and preaching] word of God, and serve tables [distribute food]. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this [charity] business. But we [leaders] will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word [Bible]. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a [Greek - Jewish convert] proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the Apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the [Levitical Temple] Priests were obedient [converts] to the [Christian] faith. - Note: The Grecian Christians issued the complaint and the early Church (primarily Hebrew) responded not in a compromise but by selecting all seven of the appointed charity workers from the Grecian group. The Greek [Greece the 5th Kingdom of the world - Revelation 17:10] nation ruled over Israel for about 200 years [336 B.C. - 149 B.C.] before Rome began to rule over Israel and the Greek culture was deeply implanted into Jewish society in Israel.'
Acts 6:8-15 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. Then there arose certain [Greek - Helenistic Jews] of the Synagogue, which is called the Synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the [Holy] Spirit by which he spake. Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him [Stephen], and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this Holy place [Temple], and the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place [Temple], and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. And all that sat in the council, *looking stedfastly on him, saw [observed] his face [with the presence of the Holy Spirit upon him] as it had been the face of an angel [in the very presence of God]. - Stephen living enough in the presence of God to become loving enough to witness to the people around him becomes bold enough to die for the Christian faith and becomes the first Christian martyr.

Acts 7 - Stephen under arrest for blasphemy and on trial for his life in Jerusalem - Stephen uses as his defense the known fact that nearly every single prophet of importance to Israel throughout the history of Israel the people of Israel have first rejected the true Prophet before they ultimately accepted them and their ministry as being of God - Stephen is saying that Jesus was obviously God in the flesh though many people refused to believe it but then rejecting the true Prophets of God is the track record of mankind when it comes to interactions between man and God - Mankind has a propensity to reject the true interaction with God while at the same time embrace the false prophets of the world -- 'Acts 7:52-53 Which of the [true] Prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them [true Prophets] which shewed before [prophesied] of the coming of the Just One [Jesus Christ]; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers [their Jewish forefathers put to death the true prophets but they managed to go a step further and put to death the Messiah, Jesus the one prophesied about]: Who have received the law [the image of Jesus] by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it [because the law revealed the nature of Jesus].'
Acts 7:52-60 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One [Messiah]; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law [Divinely] by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart [enraged in their soul], and they gnashed on him with their teeth. *But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, *looked up stedfastly *into heaven, *and saw the glory of God, *and Jesus *standing [Jesus is standing as the Melchizedek High Priest ready to receive into Heaven the acceptable offering of the sacrifice and life of Stephen] on the right hand of God, And said, **Behold, I see the Heavens opened, and the Son of Man [Jesus] standing on the right hand of God [Father]. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city [outside the city limits, probably at the dump], and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul [later the Apostle Paul] {Note: Saul (the Apostle Paul) although perfectly within his rights did not throw a stone himself - Paul was not the violent aggressor that the secular world wants to portray}. And they [not Saul] stoned Stephen, ***calling upon God, and **saying [as Jesus said from His cross (Luke 23:46)], Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. *And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge [as Jesus had said from His cross (Luke 23:34)]. And when he had said this, he fell asleep [to the Christian death is as harmless as sleep and often in the Bible death is referred to simply as a [harmless] sleep for those who are saved and will awake in Heaven]. - Note: Normally in the Bible Jesus is represented as seated [enthroned]at the right hand of the Father Matthew 26:64)however Stephen describes Jesus as standing - standing is a part of the office of the High Priest - sitting is a part of the office of the King. Jesus preforms all three offices of God as King of the Universe, High Priest [Melchizedek] and True Prophet. The Christian Stephen lived his life with Jesus as his example, he preached his life with Jesus as his example and in his death (sleep) he departed with Jesus as his example and as such Stephen saw Jesus standing in Heaven and was received directly into Heaven receiving what the Apostle Paul would call the martyrs death the "better resurrection" (Hebrews 11:35).

wikipedia.org - St. Stephen's Day [December 26th]: Commemorates Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr
St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian Saint's day celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church and 27 December in the Eastern Church. Many Eastern Orthodox churches adhere to the Julian calendar and mark St. Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which places it on January 9 according to the Gregorian calendar used in secular (and Western) contexts. It commemorates St Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr. -- Protomartyr (Greek "first" + "martyr") is a term for the first Christian martyr in a country. Alternatively, the phrase the Protomartyr (with no other qualification of country or region) can mean Saint Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church. -- See also: Boxing Day [day after Christiams] - The name derives from the English tradition giving seasonal gifts (in the form of a "Christmas box") to less wealthy people. In the United Kingdom this was later extended to various workpeople such as laborers, servants, tradespeople and postal workers. ... Boxing Day is traditionally celebrated on 26 December, St. Stephen's Day, the day after Christmas Day. Unlike St. Stephen's Day, Boxing Day is a secular holiday and is not always on 26 December: the public holiday is generally moved to the following Monday if 26 December is a Saturday. If 25 December is a Saturday then both the Monday and Tuesday may be public holidays. However the date of observance of Boxing Day varies between countries. In Ireland - when it was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland - the UK's Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the feast day of St Stephen as a non-moveable public holiday on 26 December. Since Partition, the name "Boxing Day" is used only by the authorities in Northern Ireland (which remained part of the United Kingdom). Their Boxing Day is a moveable public holiday in line with the rest of the United Kingdom. The Banking and Financial Dealings Act of 1971 established "Boxing Day" as a public holiday in Scotland. In the Australian state of South Australia, 26 December is a public holiday known as Proclamation Day. -- Calendar: In the countries that observe this holiday, 26 December is commonly referred to both as Boxing Day and as St. Stephen's Day, no matter what day of the week it occurs. However, in some countries, holidays falling on Saturday or Sunday are observed on the next weekday. Boxing Day cannot be on a Sunday, that day being the officially recognized day of worship, so traditionally it was the next working day of the week following Christmas Day, (i.e. any day from Monday to Saturday). In recent times this tradition has been either forgotten or ignored. Most people consider 26 December to be Boxing Day even when it falls on a Sunday. The last year 26 December was called Christmas Sunday in the United Kingdom and Canada was 1993. The next time the date fell on a Sunday (1999), it was known as Boxing Day. If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, then Monday 28 December is declared a bank or public holiday. In the United Kingdom and some other countries, this is accomplished by Royal Proclamation. In some Canadian provinces, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday that is always celebrated on 26 December. As with most statutory holidays in Canada, if it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, compensation days are given in the following week. If Boxing Day falls on a Sunday then Christmas Day would be on a Saturday, so in countries where these are both bank or public holiday, the Statutory Holiday for Christmas is moved to Monday December 27 and the Statutory Holiday for Boxing Day is moved to Tuesday December 28. If Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, then Boxing Day is on Monday 26 December, and no Royal Proclamation is required. In such a circumstance, a 'substitute bank holiday in the place of Christmas Day' is declared for Tuesday 27 December, so the Boxing Day holiday occurs before the substitute Christmas holiday. [article link]

Acts 8 - The early Christian Church begins to experience wide scale opposition and persecution -- 'Acts 8:1-3 And Saul [later the Apostle Paul] was consenting unto his [Stephen's] death. *And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they [Christians - Disciples] were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, *except the Apostles [Apostle means 'sent out' at this point in the Church the Disciples basically fled while the Apostles remained calm]. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to *prison [early Christians in Jerusalem were primarily sent to prison for a short time].'
Acts 8:4-25 Therefore they [Christian - Disciples] that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the [Gospel] Word. Then Philip [one of the seven servants as was Stephen] went down to the city of Samaria [ancient capital of Northern Israel], and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called Simon [the Sourcer - Warlock], which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. *But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus Christ, *they were baptized, both men and women. *Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God [but not yet the actual Kingdom of God], they sent unto them *Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost [Jesus instructed that the Christian Church would expand orderly and with the participation of Peter (Matthew 16:17-19) the leading Apostle]: For as yet He [Holy Spirit] was fallen upon none of them [Pentecost empowerment]: only they were baptized [Firstfruits] in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they [Peter, John] their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost [i.e. the 2nd Pentecost of the Church "Samaritans" - with the 3rd Pentecost household of Cornelius (Acts 10) Romans-Gentiles yet to come]. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the Apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given {actually a new mission field was opened up}, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. **But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee [Peter did not consider Simon the Sourcer to be saved], because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. *Thou [unsaved] hast neither part nor lot in this matter: *for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. *Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. *For I perceive [discern] that thou art in the gall of bitterness [against Jews and Christians], and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon [unwilling to go to God himself], and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the Word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in many villages [in the now open mission field] of the Samaritans. - The spread of Christianity being a work of God ordained in the Holy Spirit was spread only through the opening of opportunities by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9 - The Pharisee Saul of Tarsus while traveling the road to Damascus experiences a divine encounter with the resurrected Jesus Christ of Nazareth and instantly converts to Christianity eventually becoming the Apostle Paul the permanent 12th Apostle (replacing Judas), the leader and human standard for putting forth Christian doctrine and the writer of the majority of the Holy Bible's New Testament -- 'Acts 9:1-4 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the [Christian] disciples of the Lord, went unto the High Priest, And desired of him letters [of authority] to Damascus to the Synagogues, that if he found any of this way [Christianity], whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. *And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: *and suddenly there shined round about him *a light from Heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?'
Acts 9:5-22 And he [Saul] said, ***Who [Father, Son Jesus or Holy Spirit] art thou, Lord? *And the Lord said, *I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks [the prodding of God to become a Christian]. And *he trembling and astonished *said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice [but unable to hear the words (Acts 22:9)], but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. *And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. And *there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord [Jesus] in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord [Jesus]. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive [through confirmation] his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy Saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy Name. *But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: *for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear My Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for My Name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house [of Judas]; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. *And immediately there fell from his eyes [Jewish blindness (Romans 11:7)] as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, *and arose, *and was baptized. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. *And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, *that He [Jesus] is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this Name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the Chief Priests? But Saul increased the more in strength [Holy Spirit empowerment], and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving [Biblically] that this [Jesus] is very Christ. - Saul of Tarsus had a Divine encounter with the resurrected Jesus Christ and instantly Saul rejected his past and embraced his future realizing the high calling on his life in Jesus Christ. Note: Saul of Tarsus heard the voice of God from Heaven and in one of the great moments of mankind proclaimed "Who art thou, Lord?" Saul knew instantly that God was speaking to Him and he knew just as instantly that God consisted of the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit just as all of the Christian Disciples had been claiming and teaching all along. Saul of Tarsus [later the Apostle Paul] grasped and seized his moment of destiny with God in the same way that other great men of God had been able to grasp the enormity of their encounter with the living God of Heaven and earth. Saul understood his moment with God just as much as Abraham understood his moment with God when Abraham on the Mount of Sacrifice (Genesis 22:8-14) declared "Abraham said, my son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together ... And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the Mount of the LORD it shall be seen." King David understanding the greatness of his Divine moment with God at the Holy entrance of God into His Holy city Jerusalem King David worshiped God not as a King of men but simply as a man of God stripped naked and worshiping in the presence of the Holy God of Israel (2 Samuel 6:14). The Prophet Isaiah grasping the moment (Isaiah 37:14-35) that both the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of God were about to be conquered by the invading Assyrian army, Isaiah rushed into the Temple of God and among the Holy Scrolls spread the letter of defeat before God in the Temple and in a prayer of intercession saved the city of Jerusalem, the Temple and the people of God from the impending attack. The Apostle Peter seized his moment of Divine destiny and Preached to the gathered crowd at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41). Saul of Tarsus after hearing the voice of God would rise from the ground and without any disputing or questioning of God's providence and unlike Moses (Exodus 4:10), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:9) the new convert Saul would immediately set his life to fulfill God's calling on his life and with his life as a living sacrifice to God [God the Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit] Saul became Paul the Apostle and fulfilled one of the greatest destinies presented by God to a worshiping mankind.

Acts 10 - Acts Chapter 10 - The birth of the Gentile Christian Church -- 'Acts 10:1-7 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a Centurion [soldier - company commander] of the band [unit] called the Italian band, A devout [Gentile] man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the [Jewish and Gentile] people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour [3:00 pm] of the day an Angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he [Angel] said unto him, *Thy prayers and thine alms [giving] are come up for a memorial [eternal remembrance] before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is [Apostle] Peter He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he [Peter] shall [open the doors for the Christian Church to now receive Gentile members] tell thee what thou oughtest to do. ...'
Acts 10:7-48 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour ... And the voice [of God] spake unto him [Peter] again the second time, *What God hath cleansed [with His blood on the cross], that call not thou common [unclean]. ... Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate, And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there. While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them. ... Now therefore are we all here present [back at the house of Cornelious in Caesarea] before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee [Peter] of God. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons [Jew or Gentile]: But **in every Nation he that feareth Him [God], and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him. The word which God sent unto the Children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all: That Word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea [Israel], and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; *How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. **And we are witnesses of all things which He [Jesus] did both in the land of the Jews, and in [Holy Week] Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly [visibly]; ***Not to all the people [only Christians (Firstfruits) those haven received the born again' Spirit of Jesus witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus], but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us [Apostles], who did eat and drink [feasting] with Him after He rose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick [living] and dead. To Him give all the prophets witness, that *through His Name *whosoever believeth in Him *shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, ***the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word [the 3rd and final ethnic Pentecost globally opening the Christian Church to Gentiles]. And they of the circumcision [Jewish Christians] which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid [Baptism] water, that these should not be Baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? *And he commanded them to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit]. Then *prayed [communicated] they him to tarry certain days. - Note: By this time in history with the move of the Holy Spirit to allow Gentiles into the Christian this is about 48 A.D. with the cross, resurrection and Pentecost occurring in about 33 A.D. the Christian Church has been firmly established and is about 15 years old when Gentiles are brought into Christian Fellowship with God. The as a result of Gentiles coming directly into the Christian Church in about 51 A.D. the Christian Church will have its first council the Council of Jerusalem to decide the validity and positioning of Gentiles in the already well-established Christian Church. The decision will be that Gentiles who have also been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ are to be welcomed into the Christian Church as full and equal members in the one universal Church body of the resurrected Jesus Christ.

Acts 11 - The Christian Church in Jerusalem is told by Peter that he was instructed by God to go to Caesarea to preach to the Gentiles and that the Holy Spirit had descended upon the Gentiles and that now through the acceptance of God the Gentiles are converting from Paganism and are now entering into their true Church of God -- 'Acts 11:1-4 And the Apostles and brethren [disciples] that were in Judaea [Israel - Jerusalem] heard that the Gentiles had also received the Word of God. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision [Jewish Christians] contended [argued] with him, Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat [fellowship] with them. But Peter rehearsed the matter [how it was intended by God] from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, ...'
Acts 11:19-30 Now they [Jewish Christians] which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians [Gentiles], preaching the Lord Jesus. *And the hand of the Lord was [also] with them: and a great number [of Gentiles] believed, and turned unto the Lord [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit]. Then tidings [news] of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas [Mark's Uncle - Gospel of Mark], that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, *and had seen the Grace of God [among the Gentiles], *was glad, and **exhorted [encouraged] them all [Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians], that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit]. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. *Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul [Apostle Paul]: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that *a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and *taught much people. *And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. *And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth [famine] throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of [Roman Emperor] Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea [Israel]: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. - The early Christian Church exercised great diversity in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Every person within the congregation participated and contributed in some acceptable form or fashion. Barnabas encouraged the people, Saul (Paul) taught the people, others as watchmen prophesied coming events while everyone contributed to the welfare of the grater Christian Church mainly at that time in Jerusalem. - Note: The book of Acts mentions several local prophets and prophecies that at local in scope, composed mainly of events of concern to that day, location or situation. The Book of Acts in regards to Church prophecy seems to be recording a transition the transition from the Old Testament Office of Prophet [given to only a select few] for example Isaiah to the New Testament Gift of Prophecy [given and available at times to every Christian] for example Agabus and the four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9).

Acts 11 (Part 2) - The early Christian Church in Jerusalem
The early Christian Church in Jerusalem was an important witness and an important part of all the things that Jesus did and taught in His earthly Ministry especially regarding the events of Holy Week including the cross, resurrection and 40 days later the Ascension of Jesus back into Heaven from Mount Olivet (near Jerusalem). However the early Church leaders in Jerusalem actually seemed early on to begin to hinder the broader plans and purposes of God that He has for His entire bride of Jesus Christ the Christian Church. The Christian Church in Jerusalem suffered a disproportionate amount of hardships compared to other early Christian Churches including several rather sever famines and eventually in 70 A.D. with the rest of Jerusalem the Christian Church in Jerusalem [what was left of it] ceased to exist and now for almost 2,000 years of Christian Church history there has been no Jerusalem centered leadership for the Christian Church a function that for all practical purposes has emanated from Rome and Catholicism. The Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:5) reveals how Jesus is determined to remove His presence from individual Churches and denominations that cease to be a work of God and instead become a humanistic work of man [glorifying pastors] much as the functioning of the Church in Jerusalem appeared to be. Today in modern Christianity we have a very similar set of circumstances in the Evangelical Church where the leaders, pastors, teachers and organizations of Evangelical Christianity have ceased [or have severely curtailed] to represent God and are now more inclined to represent the agendas and councils of men and as a result the modern broad-based current Evangelical system seems to have come under the judgment of God. This immediately brings up two important points. 1. We as individual Christians do not want to be trapped into a judgment that is upon an unfaithful segment of the Christian Church and therefore we should scatter [like the disciples from Jerusalem] from among the Evangelical establishment so as not to hinder the corrective work of God and by doing so becoming a partaker of their justly deserved plagues. 2. It is notable that God will first judge His Church (1 Peter 4:17) before the great and terrible Revelation judgment of the entire earth and so it seems that Evangelical Christianity is being judged and removed and with a severe judgment upon the Church the global judgment of Revelation may not be far behind. [If many particularly major Evangelical ministries start collapsing and dissolving *consider that primarily it is a judgment from God and do not even consider assisting them either financially or emotionally (to enable them to remain unrepentant) in what will probably be a much lamented and very public time for them but instead come outside of a system that has become corrupted by men and worship God outside the gates of the past Evangelical-Jerusalem failed Church system. - Note: It seems that modern day Evangelical Christians are at the same place where early Jerusalem Christians found themselves just prior to 70 A.D. where they were at one time a part of something that for a moment was unique and spectacular but had failed to move along with the broad-based and determined plans of God so therefore their system was to be upended by God and being in a system that was more of men than of God many of the early disciples in Jerusalem chose to vacate the Jerusalem Church and by doing so saved themselves from much hardship [even from destruction] and were therefore much more able to continue on with their lives and the lives of their family in a much better unhindered and untangled environment and were able with pure hearts to lift up clean and simple hands in complete worship and adoration to God.

Acts 12 - The Apostle James the representative of [and Apostle to] the redeemed group of Martyred Saints of Revelation is himself Martyred -- 'Acts 12:1-2 Now about that time Herod [Antipas] the king [the son of King Herod the Great of Matthew 2:1] stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.' Note: Jesus only allowed the Disciples Peter, John and James [each representing a distinct group of redeemed - saved people] to witness and participate at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1) and in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33) while the other disciples were excluded.' - Peter the Apostle representing the Jews (Galatians 2:7), the Disciple John representing the Christian Church (Revelation 4:1) and James the Apostle representing the Martyred Saints of Revelation (Acts 12:2) - John and James were brothers as the Christian Church and the future [primarily Gentile] Martyred Saints of Revelation (Revelation 6:9) are brothers (Revelation 13:7) but are not the same group - The 144,000 (Revelation 7:4) Jewish witnesses of Revelation are also Martyred (Revelation 14:1) during the tribulation period.
The death of Herod Antipas (who put John the Baptist to death) - Herod the Tetrarch (Matthew 14:1): Acts 12:20 And Herod was highly displeased with them [the cities] of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration [speech] unto them. *And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. *And immediately the angel of the Lord smote [stricken] him [Herod], **because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and [five days later] gave up the ghost. *But the Word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul [Apostle Paul] returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry [delivering contributions], and took with them John [Mark John - writer of the Gospel of Mark - nephew of Barnabas], whose surname was Mark.

Jewish historian Josephus (Born: 37 AD - Died: 100 AD) on the Death of Herod [Antipas] (Born: 20 BC - Died: 39 AD) - when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly [infection from worms] for five days, he departed this life
Josephus on the Death of Herod: By Nathan Busenitz - In Acts 12:20-24, Luke records the remarkable account of the death of Herod Agrippa I (who reigned from A.D. 37-44). Below is the same event described by the historian Josephus. It's fascinating stuff. "Now when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judea, he came to the city Caesarea. . . . . There he exhibited shows in honor of the emperor. . . . On the second day of the festival, Herod put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a truly wonderful contexture, and came into the theater early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment was illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays upon it. It shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently upon him. At that moment, his flatterers cried out . . . that he was a god; and they added, 'Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.' Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery. But as he presently afterward looked up, he saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and he fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, 'I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept of what Providence allots, as it pleases God; for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid and happy manner.' After he said this, his pain was become violent. Accordingly he was carried into the palace, and the rumor went abroad that he would certainly die in a little time. But the multitude presently sat in sackcloth, with their wives and children, after the law of their country, and besought God for the king's recovery. All places were also full of mourning and lamentation. Now the king rested in a high chamber, and as he saw them below lying prostrate on the ground, he could not himself forbear weeping. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and in the seventh year of his reign." (Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 19.343-350). [article link]

Herod Antipas who put John the Baptist to death, son of Herod the Great - was Born: 20 BC - Died: 39 AD - Cause of death: unspecified [infected with worms]
Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great by the Samaritan Malthace, and full brother of Archelaus, received as his share of his father's dominions the provinces of Galilee and Peraea, with the title of tetrarch. Like his father, Antipas had a turn for architecture: he rebuilt and fortified the town of Sepphoris in Galilee; he also fortified Betharamptha in Peraea, and called it Julias after the wife of the emperor. Above all he founded the important town of Tiberias on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee, with institutions of a distinctly Greek character. He reigned 4 BC to 39 AD. In the gospels he is mentioned as Herod. He it was who was called a "fox" by Christ (Luke 13:32). He is erroneously spoken of as a king in Mark 6:14. It was to him that Jesus Christ was sent by Pilate to be tried. But it is in connection with his wife Herodias that he is best known, and it was through her that his misfortunes arose. He was married first of all to a daughter of Aretas, the Arabian king; but, making the acquaintance of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip (not the tetrarch), during a visit to Rome, he was fascinated by her and arranged to marry her. Meantime his Arabian wife discovered the plan and escaped to her father, who made war on Herod, and completely defeated his army. John the Baptist condemned his marriage with Herodias, and in consequence was put to death in the way described in the gospels and in Josephus. When Herodias's brother Agrippa was appointed king by Caligula, she was determined to see her husband attain to an equal eminence, and persuaded him, though naturally of a quiet and unambitious temperament, to make the journey to Rome to crave a crown from the emperor. Agrippa, however, managed to influence Caligula against him. Antipas was deprived of his dominions and banished to Lyons, Herodias voluntarily sharing his exile. [article link]

Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) [Father of Herod Antapas] - This revised chronology dates the capture of Jerusalem to 43 B.C., the rebuilding of the Temple to 32 B.C., and Herod's death to 8 B.C. - Some of the evidence for this revised chronology is summarized below
Herod the great captured Jerusalem for the Romans in the first century B.C. He rebuilt the Second Temple of Jerusalem, the Temple where Christ later taught. Herod tried to kill the Christ-Child, by killing the male children 2 years of age or younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Not long before his own death, Herod put to death about forty Jews who studied at the Temple, "and that very night there was an eclipse of the moon." Biblical chronologists generally date the capture of Jerusalem by Herod to 37 B.C., the rebuilding of the Temple as beginning in 20 B.C., and Herod's death to either 4 B.C. or 1 B.C. This revised chronology dates the capture of Jerusalem to 43 B.C., the rebuilding of the Temple to 32 B.C., and Herod's death to 8 B.C. Some of the evidence for this revised chronology is summarized below. For details and references, please see chapter 12 of the book. 1. According to Josephus, the year in which Herod captured Jerusalem was both a Sabbatical year (which must include the summer before the capture of the city) and a year in which Tishri 10 fell in September. To determine the year of the capture of Jerusalem, we must take both these factors into consideration. Notice, in the Table above, that the usual date for the capture of Jerusalem is ruled out, because Tishri 10 did not fall in September in that year. So far, we have three possible dates for the capture of Jerusalem: 44 B.C., 43 B.C. and 36 B.C. Examining the length of Herod's reign and the year of his death will help us decide between them. [article link]

Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:2) - Eusebius quoted some early Apocryphal (the general term 'Apocryphal' is usually applied to the books that were considered by the Church as useful, but not divinely inspired - wiki.com) accounts which he did not name, that said Pilate suffered misfortune in the reign of Caligula (AD 37-41), was exiled to Gaul (present day France and Belgium) and eventually committed suicide there in Vienne - There is an old tradition linking the birthplace of Pilate with the small village of Bisenti, Samnite territory, in today's Abruzzo region of Central Italy. There are ruins of a Roman house known as "The House of Pilate" - [Eusebius born 263 AD - died 339 AD - became the Bishop of Caesarea [home of Cornelius (48 A.D.) - Acts 10:1], in Palestine (Israel), about the year 314 A.D. - wiki.com]
Etymology of the name Pilatus: There are several possible origins for the cognomen Pilatus. A commonly accepted one is that it means "skilled with the javelin". The pilum (= javelin) was five feet of wooden shaft and two feet of tapered iron. When the point penetrated a shield, the shaft would bend and hang down, thus rendering it impossible to throw back. Another definite origin of Pilatus was the name given to a hat worn by the devotees of the Dioskouroi. The Castorian cult was well established throughout the empire and persisted well into the 5th Century AD particularly among the Dacian and Sarmatian soldiers throughout the frontiers of the empire. The name Pileatus was used as a cognomen by the descendants of Burebista of Dacia whose descendants are known to have been soldiers who were stationed in Judea, Britain, Spain, Gaul, and Germany. -- Birth, life and death in legend: Pilate's date and place of birth are unknown. An 1899 article in the New York Times references a Scottish legend that Pilate's father was an ambassador to the Caledonians and that he was born in Fortingall in Glen Lyon, Perthshire; this legend is quite common in Highland Perthshire. The 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article on Pilate said that Pontius suggested a Samnite origin-among the Pontii-and his cognomen Pileatus, if it derived from the pileus or cap of liberty, implied that he was either descended from, or had been himself a freedman. It is also commonly believed that the name 'Pontius' implies that he was descended from Gaius Pontius, the Samnite General. One tradition relates that he married Claudia Procula, daughter of illegitimate birth to Julia, Augustus' only natural offspring and adopted by Tiberius who had previously been married to Julia. Eusebius quoted some early apocryphal accounts which he did not name, that said Pilate suffered misfortune in the reign of Caligula (AD 37-41), was exiled to Gaul and eventually committed suicide there in Vienne. There is an old tradition linking the birthplace of Pilate with the small village of Bisenti, Samnite territory, in today's Abruzzo region of Central Italy. There are ruins of a Roman house known as "The House of Pilate." [article link]

Acts 13 - The Missionary efforts of the Christian Church primarily to Gentiles begins with Saul [Apostle Paul] and Barnabas being sent out (Apostle) by the Holy Spirit on the first of three Missionary trips undertaken by the Apostle Paul and recorded in the book of Acts -- 'Acts 13:1-4 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen [a childhood friend of Herod], which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul [Apostle Paul]. ***As they ministered to the Lord [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit], and fasted, *the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the [Missionary] work whereunto I have called them. And when they [Church fellowship] had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, *being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia [in modern Syria]; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.' - Note: Where Jesus is the head and authority of the Christian Church it is primarily the work of the Holy Spirit that is in charge of gathering, assembling and orchestrating the Christian Church into becoming the one assembled Bride of Jesus Christ.
Acts 13:43-52 Now when the [Jewish synagogue] (redeemed - Jewish redemption) congregation was [concluded for the Saturday] broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next Sabbath day [Saturday] came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God [for salvation] should first have been spoken to you [Jews the redeemed of God]: but seeing ye put it [Salvation] from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life [here and now], lo, *we turn to the Gentiles. *For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for *salvation [eternal life] unto the ends of the earth. *And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region. But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them [evicted] out of their coasts. But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost. - Note: What is being offered to the Jews is salvation. The [observant obedient - Synagogue] Jews are already redeemed (in the presence of God) and for the redeemed Jews salvation comes *after death. Jesus is offering Salvation [eternal life] here and now. The Gentiles [us]do not have redemption as the observant Jews do, some Gentiles are (saved) in that their conscience was a witness to them that there is a God but they were saved (also after death) not directly knowing God and not being in the presence of God as the redeemed Jews are. Gentiles who become Christians receive instantly both the Redemption (without sin in the presence of God) and Salvation (eternal life). Where the Jews have Jewish redemption and eventually (after death) eternal life (Salvation) a redeemed Jew can become a Christian and then also receive Salvation already having redemption but the Gentiles coming into the Christian Church only have the option of Salvation and with Christian Salvation comes redemption.

PAUL [the Apostle] has been called the greatest Christian who ever lived
PAUL has been called the greatest Christian who ever lived. He also suffered greatly for the name of Jesus Christ. When Paul defended his calling to the Church, he defined suffering as a major proof of his spiritual office. 'I have worked much harder,' he insisted, 'been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again' (2 Corinthians 11:23). Strength in Weakness: But Paul's many trials did not deter him from living the Christian life. Neither did they restrict his preaching the gospel. To the contrary, suffering seemed to impel Paul to even greater spiritual service. The apostle Paul said something remarkable about his adversities: 'For Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong' (2 Corinthians 12:10). We shouldn't, however, think of Paul as bigger than life or an indestructible superman. There were times when the tremendous hardships he confronted were far beyond his human endurance. After suffering one rather malicious incident of persecution, Paul admitted he and his companions 'despaired even of life' (2 Corinthians 1:8). But Paul had faith in the living God to see him through his trial. 'On him we have set our hope,' wrote Paul, 'that he will continue to deliver us' (verse 10). But as Paul's life demonstrates, God usually delivers us out of troubles we are already in, not necessarily from troubles before they begin. Yet, as we must, Paul was able to rise above all his many afflictions. How did he do it? And how can we surmount our trials and troubles? Paul certainly didn't overcome by his own strength or will. He never took personal credit for being able to bear his painfully heavy cross. He attributed his spiritual muscle to its true source - Jesus Christ. Paul said: 'I can do everything through him who gives me strength' (Philippians 4:13). He exulted, not in his own will and courage, but in the power of Christ in him. By his example we know that we, too, have access to the same spiritual power and courage. [article link]

Seleucia [near Antioch (Syria)] - Seleucia was the seaport from which Paul and Barnabas left [from the Church in Antioch] with John Mark [Mark who the departed from the mission at Pamphylia] for their first missionary journey (in approximately 49 A.D.) (Photos)
Seleucus I Nicator of Syria founded Seleucia Pieria in 301 B.C. as a port for his capital in Antioch. The city became one of the "Syrian Tetrapolis," designed to promote Hellenistic culture in Syria. It was then an important political, military, and economic game piece in the Ptolemaic-Seleucid wars. In 63 B.C. Rome made Seleucia a free city and then in 70 A.D. made it the base for the imperial fleet. ... see Acts 13:4). Part of the ancient (manmade) harbor can still be seen, although it has since silted up. This harbor caused continual problems and required frequent maintenance. ... Titus' Tunnel: A stream which led into the harbor was so threatening during the flood season that the Romans built a water channel north of the city to divert it. Legionaries, sailors, and Judean prisoners provided the work for the project. Titus' tunnel, as it is called today, cuts through the solid rock of the mountain in two places. ... Vespasian Inscription: The tunnel is dated based on two inscriptions. The inscription shown here was dedicated to Vespasian and Titus, so construction of the tunnel probably began in 70 A.D. However it was not finished until the second century. [article link]

Map of Paul's First [of Three] Missionary Journeys - [Paul made a fourth documented trip - as prisoner in his first visit to Rome] - This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey around 48 AD (Map - List of Bible Verses)
This map reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary Journey's. They had been gone for a year and a half planting churches and appointing elders. They had traveled approximately 1,250 miles. When they [Paul and Barnabas] returned they reported to the Church [in Antioch and later in Jerusalem] all that had happened. [article link]

Acts 14 - The first Missionary Journey continues and the Apostles [Paul and Barnabas] continue to experience and to witness firsthand both the events of miraculous conversions to Christianity from some and from others outright hostile opposition against Christianity -- 'Acts 14:3-7 Long time therefore abode [in the city of Iconium] they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave Testimony unto the Word of His [Jesus'] Grace, and granted [miraculous] signs and wonders to be done by their hands. But the multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the Apostles. And when there was *an assault made *both of the *Gentiles, and also of the *Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, They were aware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: And there they [also] preached the gospel.'
The first Missionary Journey is successfully concluded: Acts 14:21-28 And when they had preached the gospel to that city [Derbe], and had taught many, they **returned again to Lystra [where Paul was taken outside the city and stoned to death - and also where the Disciple Timothy (1st and 2nd Timothy) was from who joined Paul on the 2nd Missionary Journey], and to Iconium, and Antioch (Pisidia)[now modern central Turkey], **Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. And after they had passed throughout Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia [where Mark left them and the Missionary Journey (a journey Mark was not originally called by the Holy Spirit to be a part of) and went back to Jerusalem]. And when they had preached the Word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: And thence sailed to Antioch (Syria - now modern costal Turkey) [North of Israel - near the port of Seluecia where they originally left from], from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church [in Antioch] together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.

Ancient Syrian Antioch (Modern Antakya in Turkey): Seventeen ancient cities in present day Turkey were named Antioch but only two are remembered today in a historical sense - One is modern day Antakya (located in ancient Syria) and the other is Antioch in Pisidia (Central Turkey)
Overview: A city of southern Turkey on the Orontes River near the Mediterranean Sea. Seventeen ancient cities in present day Turkey were named Antioch but only two are remembered today in a historical sense. One is modern day Antakya (located in ancient Syria) and the other is Antioch in Pisidia ... The plain of Antioch was occupied from the Neolithic onwards but the city itself was not founded until 300 B.C. by the Greek General Seleucus I after the death of Alexander the Great. Antioch was one of the two capitals of the Parthian Empire and was populated by indigenous groups and Greek colonists. It became a Roman city in 64 B.C. and was made the administrative capital of the Roman Province of Syria. [article link]

Acts 15 - The 1st Church Council takes place about 52 A.D. at the Church in Jerusalem - The 1st Church Council was specifically in regard to the major number of Gentiles that were now joining the Christian Church daily [predominantly through Missionary efforts] and whether or not the Gentiles would have to be circumcised and observe any of the Jewish customs or take part in any of the established laws of Moses -- 'Acts 15:6 And the Apostles and [Church] Elders [including James the ½ brother of Jesus] came together for to consider of this matter.'
Acts 15:6-22 And the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing [arguing], [Apostle] Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago [Cornelius and his household at Caesarea] God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, *giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, **purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke [law of Moses] upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? **But we believe that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [Jews who are Redeemed] shall be Saved, even as they [Gentiles who are now being Saved - Salvation]. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James [the ½ brother of Jesus - Church leader in Jerusalem] answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon [Apostle Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, ***to take out of them a [Christian] people for His Name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After [Gentile Christian Church] this I [Messiah] will return [2nd Coming], and will build again the Tabernacle [House - Dwelling] of [the Throne of King] David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That [during the Christian Church Age] the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My Name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. ***Known unto God are all His works ***from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God [those who have the Holy Spirit]: But that we write unto them, *that they abstain from pollutions of [Gentile] idols, and from [Gentile] fornication, and from things strangled [Jewish law], and from blood [Jewish law]. **For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him [abstain from idols and fornication because it is un-Christian, abstain from unclean food and blood only if it offends the local Jewish population], being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole Church [in Jerusalem], to send chosen men of their own company to [the Church in] Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren ... - Note: The early Church recognized that God was active in calling Gentiles into His Christian Church and they also recognized that the Gentiles would have to conduct their new life in a manner consistent with Biblical Christianity and finally they concluded that it is important for Christians not to openly offend those that have remained Jewish. Also Note: All food including blood is now clean because the eternal blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed the world. Eating animal blood and probably human blood if it were obtained in a legal manner does not make a person unclean. Satan has devised a scheme that the world is unclean however it is not. It is unprofitable to do questionable things and germs and disease might be involved but if someone for example drank pig blood thinking it is an evil act the act itself is not but the intentions of their heart might be. - Some cultures eat blood foods and if the Jews are simply notified that it is a custom and not a slight on Moses then they are free to eat their blood food of course not offering any of it to a devout Jewish person because that would be terribly offensive. The 1st Church council was saying to the Gentiles to have our Christian Gentile liberties but also to be mindful and respectful of the [Redeemed] Jews who do still follow the laws of Moses. [article link]

Acts 15 (Part 2) - Christian Church Councils - All of the Church Councils throughout history have dealt specifically with the issues of God's Redemptive and Salvation plan for mankind and in light of God's plan for mankind the councils have also attempt to explain who God is to mankind - A Note of Encouragement: Participation in the blog Bible Study has been going extraordinarily well since the start of the study and it continues as one of the most active projects on the Basic Christian website. I'm encouraged and blessed daily by the numbers of people who are so actively studying the Bible and seeking a direct relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Continue with prayer, study and fellowship! Continue the good work in Jesus Christ!
A brief background note on the blog Bible Study and a summary of Redemption and Salvation: The Bible is about the Redemption and Salvation plan of God for mankind therefore the blog Bible Study is attempting to be about the Redemption and Salvation of mankind in examining the predetermined plan of God in Jesus Christ for mankind. - Summary: Adam and his wife [later named Eve] were both a part of the original creation of God and were both created possessing Redemption [in the visible, perceivable presence of God] and Salvation [eternal life]. With the fall of Adam and Eve by disobedience to God that directly resulted in sin against God then Adam and Eve lost their Redemption and Salvation and as a result of not having Redemption and Salvation they were then unable to pass along Redemption and Salvation to any of their descendants including us at our present day. The very children of Adam and Eve were without God in any form except in the brief [redemptive] knowledge of God that their parents Adam and Eve were able tell them about from their experiences and for a few corrective and punitive [redemptive] measures from God. It seems we fail to realize how complete the sin separation was for mankind and how devastating the results were. Adam and Eve were a part of the original creation of God and then their immediate children [Cain, Abel, Seth, etc.] composed a group of individuals separated from God but were able through the instructions of their parents to follow substitutional sacrificial practices. This group highly separated from God consisting of individuals and families were known as the 'sacrificing righteous Gentiles' a group of disorganized individuals that encompassed the highly personally [self] esteemed Job and it finally the system spun completely out of control and came to an end in the folly of Balaam the last of the sacrificing Gentiles. God chose the man Abram (Abraham) and his wife Sarai (Sarah) from among the sacrificing Gentiles to become the father of the Jewish Nation of further redeemed of God. Jewish Redemption was to bring mankind through the laws, customs and representation of God into a more direct and more Redeemed presence of God [as an example for all of mankind] than any of mankind had previously been since the fall of mankind. God Redeemed the Jewish Nation of Israel through Covenants (Promises), Laws (Society), Kings (representation of God), Priests (access for the people to God), Prophets (access from God to the people) all a direct representation of the one coming Jesus Christ the Messiah of all mankind. With the now accomplished Redemption and Salvation for all mankind in the Messiah Jesus Christ the finalized Christian Salvation and Redemption provided in the Virgin birth, atoning Redemption blood and eternal Salvation resurrection life of Jesus Christ is the completed work of God among mankind however not everyone is yet at the completed Christian work of God in mankind. The work of God in convicting Gentiles [in remote areas who have not heard the Gospel] through their conscience about the Holy God and through the enormity and splendor of God's creation continues. Also the Redemption of the Jewish people and Nation of Israel continues and soon another group of Redeemed the End Time Martyred Saints of Revelation will be established and quickly joined by the Redeemed 144,000 [Jewish Firstfruits (Revelation 14:4), Jews who acknowledge Jesus and remain Jewish] Jewish Witnesses of Jesus Christ the Messiah. Then after the return of Jesus Christ and during His 1,000 year Righteous Kingdom reign here on earth there will be another group of Redeemed 'Millennial Saints' to continue to fulfill and establish the Redemption and Salvation plan of God in Jesus Christ existing for all of mankind throughout every age and into all of eternity.

The Council of Jerusalem Acts 15:6-31 (Approx. 52 A.D.): where we read of the first General Church Council - A serious question of doctrine arose, and "the apostles and the presbyters came together to consider this matter" - The decree of the Council of Jerusalem went on, then, to establish a binding obligation upon all Christians in the local churches of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: "that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality" (Acts 15:29) - Did the local churches bristle at this imposition of doctrine and practice from the ecclesiastical leadership of the whole Church? Not at all, but rather they "rejoiced over its encouragement" (Acts 15:31) {The 50 A.D. Jerusalem Council decision was yes, Gentiles can become Christians and then simple directions and reminders were given so that the new Gentile Christians would not offend God. The food (abstain from eating blood) decision was given so that Christians would not offend the Jews. Christians can eat any food however God is still protecting the Jews and He does not want them offended by others even Christians. Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them (Jews) that preach (law) him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.}
The Council of Jerusalem: We may prove this quite readily by turning to Acts 15:6-31, where we read of the first General Church Council. A serious question of doctrine arose, and "the apostles and the presbyters came together to consider this matter" (Acts 15:6). After hearing the arguments and testimony of Peter, Paul and Barnabas, the leader of the Council, James [half brother of Jesus, writer of the book of James], then passed a decree with the words, "Therefore I judge" (Acts 15:19, 'dio ego krino'). This passage describes no truly democratic process, but rather it describes submission to the judgment of a central ecclesiastical authority [an authority completely submitted to Jesus Christ]. -- After receiving the judgment of James, "it pleased the apostles and presbyters together with the whole Church" (Acts 15:22: 'apostolois kai tois presbyterois syn hole ekklesia') to dispatch delegates with a letter promulgating the decree of the Council. The council then drafted a letter in the name of "the apostles and the brother-presbyters" (Acts 15:23: 'hoi apostoloi kai hoi presbyteroi adelphoi'). This phrasing, and especially the apposition of 'presbyteroi' and 'adelphoi', is quite precise in establishing the authority of the decision of the Council in the office of the ministers who serve and lead the Church, as opposed to a democratic process. -- Does the phrase "whole Church" here refer to the universal Church, or merely to the entirety of the congregation at Jerusalem. Recalling that the leadership of the Council was comprised of the apostles who were planting local churches in the Hellenistic world, delegates of the Hellenistic churches, and the presbyters of the church at Jerusalem, we can only rightly conclude that they spoke in the name of the universal Church. Indeed, the letter explicitly states that the authors speak in the authority of the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28); since Paul tells us that it is by one Spirit that we were baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13) which is Christ (1 Cor. 12:27) and over which Christ is the head (1 Eph. 1:22-23), when Luke writes in Acts 15:22 of the leadership of the whole Church assenting to the decree of James which is binding on all Gentile Christians, he is necessarily speaking of the Church in its universal or catholic sense. -- The Council then sent the letter to the local churches in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. This letter remarks that the false doctrine which the council repudiated was in fact discernibly false because "we gave no such commandments" (Acts 15:24). Hence, the Bible tells us that right doctrine is subject to the discernment of the leadership of the whole Church. The decree of the Council of Jerusalem went on, then, to establish a binding obligation upon all Christians in the local churches of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: "that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality" (Acts 15:29). Did the local churches bristle at this imposition of doctrine and practice from the ecclesiastical leadership of the whole Church? Not at all, but rather they "rejoiced over its encouragement" (Acts 15:31). Clearly, the Bible itself sets a precedent for the government of the universal Church by means of General Councils. [article link]

wikipedia.org: First Council of Nicaea by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 325 AD - The First Council of Nicaea is commonly regarded to have been the first Ecumenical [representing the whole Christian Church] council of the Christian Church [that is if neglecting the Council of Jerusalem in 52 AD] - Most significantly, it resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Creed of Nicaea
History: The purpose of a creed is to act as a yardstick of correct belief. The creeds of Christianity have been drawn up at times of conflict about doctrine: acceptance or rejection of a creed served to distinguish believers and deniers of a particular doctrine or set of doctrines. For that reason a creed was called in Greek a word that meant half of a broken object which, when placed together with the other half, verified the bearer's identity. The Greek word passed through Latin "symbolum" into English "symbol", which only later took on the meaning of an outward sign of something. The Nicene Creed was adopted in the face of the Arian controversy. Arius, a Libyan preacher, had declared that although Jesus Christ was divine, God had actually created him, and there was a time when he was not. This made Jesus less than the Father and contradicted the doctrine of the Trinity. Arius's teaching provoked a serious crisis. The Nicene Creed of 325 explicitly affirms the divinity of Jesus, applying to him the term "God". The 381 version speaks of the Holy Spirit as worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son. The Athanasian Creed describes in much greater detail the relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Apostles' Creed, not formulated in reaction to Arianism, makes no explicit statements about the divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit, but, in the view of many who use it, the doctrine is implicit in it. [article link]

Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. - Constantinople Creed of 381 A.D.
First Council of Nicea (325 A.D.) We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven; From thence he shall come to judge the quick (living) and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost. -- First Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.) We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (eons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; from thence He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick (living) and the dead; *whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. [article link]

4 Great Church Councils Part 1 & 2 (Mp3s) {Note: The Council of Jerusalem Acts 15:6-31 (Approx. 52 A.D.) is the original and first Christian Church Council. All of the later Church Councils are modeled after the first Jerusalem Council.}
Excellent!!! [article link]

The Bible and The Creeds - Sermon Series: An Introduction to the Creeds (Mp3s)
Brian Borgman is the founding pastor of Grace Community Church. He earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Biola University (La Mirada, CA), a Master of Divinity from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary (Portland, OR) and a Doctor of Ministry from Westminster Seminary (Escondido, CA). [article link]

Book of Common Prayer (1662) - "I believe there is no Liturgy in the world, either in ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety than the Common Prayer of the Church of England" John Wesley (PDF)
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England (you can download it by clicking the picture to the left or the link below) is still technically the only "official" prayer book of the Church of England, the mother church (for the moment at least) of the Anglican Communion. It itself is the result of more than a century of liturgical development through a turbulent time in British history. Its literary and theological influence is immense; this alone makes it an important document. [article link]

Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) - Downloadable Documents (Doc)
The Westminster Catechism was completed in 1647 by the Westminster Assembly and continues to serve as part of the doctrinal standards of many Presbyterian churches. [article link]

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647) - Downloadable Documents (PDF)
In 1643, during a period of civil war, the English "Long Parliament" (under the control of Presbyterian Puritans) convened an Assembly of Divines (mostly Puritan ministers, including a few influential Scottish commissioners) at Westminster Abbey in London. Their task was to advise Parliament on how to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Scotland and the Continental Reformed churches. The Westminster Assembly produced documents on doctrine, church government, and worship that have largely defined Presbyterianism down to this day. These documents included a Confession of Faith (1646), a Larger Catechism (1647), and a Shorter Catechism (1647), often collectively called "the Westminster standards." Parliamentary efforts to reconstitute the established Church of England along Presbyterian lines were soon thwarted by the rise to power of Cromwell (who favored Independency) and the expulsion of Presbyterians from Parliament in 1648, and then the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, which quickly led to the reinstitution of Episcopacy and the suppression of Puritanism. -- But things were different in Scotland. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland adopted the Confession of Faith in 1647 and the Catechisms in 1648. The Scottish Parliament ratified them in 1649 and again (after a time of political and religious strife) in 1690. The Presbyterian character of the Church of Scotland was safeguarded when Scotland and England were united under one crown in 1707. Numerous Presbyterian bodies have been formed since then, both in the United Kingdom and around the world, and they have always been constituted on the basis of the Westminster standards (although declension from them has sometimes followed). -- When the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was formed in 1788, it adopted the Westminster standards, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures. However, it revised chapters 20.4, 23.3, and 31.2 of the Confession, basically removing the civil magistrate (i.e., the state) from involvement in ecclesiastical matters. [article link]

The Westminster Confession of Faith 1648 - The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) and its related documents are the greatest of all the creeds of the Christian church (Mp3s)
"As truly as in the cases of the Nicene and Chalcedonian formularies, the Westminster Standards mark an epoch in the history of human reflection on the truths of the gospel--an epoch in the attainment and registry of doctrinal truth; and as truly in the one case as in the other the statements they give of the truths that fall in their sphere are scientifically final. All attempts at restatement must either repeat their definitions or fall away from the purity of their conceptions or the justness of their language." (Benjamin B. Warfield, "The Significance of the Westminster Standards as a Creed," 1897). [article link]

Historic Baptist Documents - Confessions, Catechisms, Creeds
Many contemporaries have a deep-seated suspicion of catechisms. In our own Baptist denomination, many would consider the words "Baptist catechism" as mutually exclusive. A popular misconception is that catechisms are used in times and places where inadequate views of conversion predominate or the fires of evangelism have long since turned to white ash. If the Bible is preached, they continue, no catechism is necessary; catechisms tend to produce mere intellectual assent where true heart religion is absent. This concern reflects a healthy interest for the experiential side of true Christianity. Concern for conversion and fervor, however, should never diminish one's commitment to the individual truths of Christianity nor the necessity of teaching them in a full and coherent manner.~An Encouragement to Use Catechisms, Tom Nettles. [article link]

Acts 16 - The Apostle Paul departs for his 2nd of three Missionary Journeys - Barnabas and Paul have divided company so Paul takes Silas on his second journey -- 'Acts 15:35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, *with many others also. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again [on a 2nd Missionary Journey] and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them [Mark] John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. *And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder [split] one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren [fellow Christians] unto the grace of God. And [starting] he went through Syria and Cilicia [local existing Churches], confirming the Churches.'
Acts 16:1-4 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra [where Paul was stoned to death on the first trip]: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus [Timothy, 1st and 2nd Timothy], the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess [Jewish], and believed; but his father was a Greek [Gentile]: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. **Him [Timothy, ½ Jewish - ½ Gentile] would Paul have to go forth with him; *and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek [but that his mother was Jewish so Timothy should have been circumcised as an infant - Paul was trying to right a previous wrong - and most importantly Paul was trying to find a way for Christianity and Judaism to exist side by side an effort that will almost get Paul killed and will lead to his arrest and being sent to Rome]. And as they [Paul, Silas, Timothy and soon Luke (Acts 16:11)] went through the cities, *they delivered them the decrees [New Testament writings - book of James - probably Gospel of Matthew - and possibly the Didache (extra-Biblical material)] for to keep, that were ordained of the Apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. ... Acts 16:5-10 And so were the Churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of *Galatia [book of Galatians], **and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia [even though the Holy Spirit had previously directed the Apostle Peter to open up Christianity to all ethnicities there are still barriers that remain in preaching and spreading the Gospel], After they were come [diverted] to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not [again more barriers and another closed door]. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. *And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a [contact] man of Macedonia, and prayed [asked] him, saying, Come over into Macedonia [Greece], and help us. And after he had seen the vision, *immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us [the door was open] for to preach the gospel unto them. ... Acts 16:16-32 And it came to pass [in the city of Philippi, later the book (letter) of Philippians], as we went to prayer, a certain damsel [young lady] *possessed with a spirit of divination [lit. python] [knowledge of Satan's plans or intentions for people, always bondage, usually false hope and often evil - i.e. tragedy, death, illness] met us, which brought her masters much gain [money] by soothsaying [fortunetelling]: *The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation {she has the Holy Spirit of God upon here (since Pentecost - Acts 2:17) and an conflicting evil spirit inside of her}. And this did she many days [Paul took a while to assess and discern the spirits at work through and around her] {not outright confusion but a grey (foggy) area of Christianity and of the world - the events of the world and of the spiritual realm are not always just black and white and we do need to pray and to exercise and use Biblical discernment}. **But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit [of divination], I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her [stop possessing her]. And he came out the same hour [hour - with concern, patience and discernment]. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains [the evil spirit] was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates [city officials], saying, These men, being Jews [early Christianity until Rome's edict was still considered a sect of Judaism], do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner [most escape proof part of the] prison, *and made their feet fast in the stocks [wooden handcuffs]. ***And at midnight [the darkest hour] Paul and Silas *prayed, *and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great [actual] earthquake [God intervened], so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled [escaped]. *But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here [we value your life and have not fled]. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas [grateful they did not flee], And brought them out, **and said, Sirs, what must I do to be Saved? **And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house [Christianity is available to everyone, male, female, young, old, etc.]. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. - The life changing message of Christianity continues to be given to a grateful mankind!

The Didache [lit. The Teachings] - The Didache is also called the "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles" - It was possibly written around 65 - 80 A.D. {possibly 52 A.D. about the time of the letter from the 1st Church Council in Jerusalem} and is supposed to be what the twelve apostles taught to the Gentiles concerning life and death, church order, fasting, baptism, prayer, etc. - There is debate as to its authenticity - The work is cited by Eusebius who lived from 260 - 341 [A.D.] and Athanasius (293-373 A.D.) It seems to be referenced by Origen who lived from 185-254 [A.D.] - In the Didache, 16:2-3 is quoted in the Epistle of Barnabbas in 4:9, or vice versa - The Epistle of Barnabbas was [possibly] written in 130-131 A.D. - The Didache is not (purely) inspired {extra-Biblical}, but is valuable as an early church document
A total of 16 Chapters: CHAPTER 1 1:1 There are two paths, one of life and one of death, and the difference is great between the two paths. 1:2 Now the path of life is this -- first, thou shalt love the God who made thee, thy neighbor as thyself, and all things that thou wouldest not should be done unto thee, do not thou unto another. 1:3 And the doctrine of these maxims is as follows. Bless them that curse you, and pray for your enemies. Fast on behalf of those that persecute you; for what thank is there if ye love them that love you? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? But do ye love them that hate you, and ye will not have an enemy. 1:4 Abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts. If anyone give thee a blow on thy right cheek, turn unto him the other also, and thou shalt be perfect; if any one compel thee to go a mile, go with him two; if a man take away thy cloak, give him thy coat also; if a man take from thee what is thine, ask not for it again, for neither art thou able to do so. 1:5 Give to everyone that asketh of thee, and ask not again; for the Father wishes that from his own gifts there should be given to all. Blessed is he who giveth according to the commandment, for he is free from guilt; but woe unto him that receiveth. For if a man receive being in need, he shall be free from guilt; but he who receiveth when not in need, shall pay a penalty as to why he received and for what purpose; and when he is in tribulation he shall be examined concerning the things that he has done, and shall not depart thence until he has paid the last farthing. 1:6 For of a truth it has been said on these matters, let thy almsgiving abide in thy hands until thou knowest to whom thou hast given. CHAPTER 2 2:1 But the second commandment of the teaching is this. 2:2 Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not corrupt youth; thou shalt not commit fornication; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not use soothsaying; thou shalt not practice sorcery; thou shalt not kill a child by abortion, neither shalt thou slay it when born; thou shalt not covet the goods of thy neighbour; 2:3 thou shalt not commit perjury; thou shalt not bear false witness; thou shalt not speak evil; thou shalt not bear malice; 2:4 thou shalt not be double-minded or double-tongued, for to be double tongued is the snare of death. 2:5 Thy speech shall not be false or empty, but concerned with action. 2:6 Thou shalt not be covetous, or rapacious, or hypocritical, or malicious, or proud; thou shalt not take up an evil design against thy neighbour; 2:7 thou shalt not hate any man, but some thou shalt confute, concerning some thou shalt pray, and some thou shalt love beyond thine own soul. CHAPTER 3 3:1 My child, fly from everything that is evil, and from everything that is like to it. 3:2 Be not wrathful, for wrath leadeth unto slaughter; be not jealous, or contentious, or quarrelsome, for from all these things slaughter ensues. 3:3 My child, be not lustful, for lust leadeth unto fornication; be not a filthy talker; be not a lifter up of the eye, for from all these things come adulteries. 3:4 My child, be not an observer of omens, since it leadeth to idolatry, nor a user of spells, nor an astrologer, nor a travelling purifier, nor wish to see these things, for from all these things idolatry ariseth. 3:5 My child, be not a liar, for lying leadeth unto theft; be not covetous or conceited, for from all these things thefts arise. 3:6 My child, be not a murmurer, since it leadeth unto blasphemy; be not self-willed or evil-minded, for from all these things blasphemies are produced; 3:7 but be thou meek, for the meek shall inherit the earth; 3:8 be thou longsuffering, and compassionate, and harmless, and peaceable, and good, and fearing alway the words that thou hast heard. 3:9 Thou shalt not exalt thyself, neither shalt thou put boldness into thy soul. Thy soul shall not be joined unto the lofty, but thou shalt walk with the just and humble. 3:10 Accept the things that happen to thee as good, knowing that without God nothing happens. CHAPTER 4 4:1 My child, thou shalt remember both night and day him that speaketh unto thee the Word of God; thou shalt honour him as thou dost the Lord, for where the teaching of the Lord is given, there is the Lord; 4:2 thou shalt seek out day by day the favour of the saints, that thou mayest rest in their words; 4:3 thou shalt not desire schism, but shalt set at peace them that contend; thou shalt judge righteously; thou shalt not accept the person of any one to convict him of transgression; 4:4 thou shalt not doubt whether a thing shall be or not. 4:5 Be not a stretcher out of thy hand to receive, and a drawer of it back in giving. 4:6 If thou hast, give by means of thy hands a redemption for thy sins. 4:7 Thou shalt not doubt to give, neither shalt thou murmur when giving; for thou shouldest know who is the fair recompenser of the reward. 4:8 Thou shalt not turn away from him that is in need, but shalt share with thy brother in all things, and shalt not say that things are thine own; for if ye are partners in what is immortal, how much more in what is mortal? 4:9 Thou shalt not remove thine heart from thy son or from thy daughter, but from their youth shalt teach them the fear of God. 4:10 Thou shalt not command with bitterness thy servant or thy handmaid, who hope in the same God as thyself, lest they fear not in consequence the God who is over both; for he cometh not to call with respect of persons, but those whom the Spirit hath prepared. 4:11 And do ye servants submit yourselves to your masters with reverence and fear, as being the type of God. 4:12 Thou shalt hate all hypocrisy and everything that is not pleasing to God; 4:13 thou shalt not abandon the commandments of the Lord, but shalt guard that which thou hast received, neither adding thereto nor taking therefrom; 4:14 thou shalt confess thy transgressions in the Church, and shalt not come unto prayer with an evil conscience. This is the path of life. ... [article link]

Acts 17 - The 2nd Missionary Journey continues to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ into further reaches of mankind -- 'Acts 17:1-4 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica [1st and 2nd Thessalonians], where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days *reasoned {now the Book of Hebrews} with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and *risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ [Messiah]. And some of them believed ...'
Paul's sermon in Athens Greece at the Mars Hill outdoor Auditorium: Acts 17:16-34 Now while Paul waited for them [Silas and Timothy] at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. *Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, *and in the market daily with them [Gentiles] that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans [pleasure seekers - food, wine, music, sex, adventure, etc.], and of the Stoicks (Stoicism) [pleasure deniers - no emotions, submit the body to the mind, overcome all obstacles in life with no emotions], encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because *he [Paul] preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. *And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus [Mars' Hill], saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing. Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, **Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are *too *superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I [starting with God's creation] unto you. God that made [created] the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord [owner - authority] of Heaven and earth, **dwelleth not in temples made with hands; *Neither is worshipped with men's hands [abilities, accomplishments], as though He [God] needed anything [for His existence from man], seeing He [God] giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; **And hath made of one blood [Adam and Eve] *all Nations of men [everyone] for to dwell on all the face of the earth, *and hath determined the times [generations] before appointed, and the bounds [city, state, nation - Limits] of their habitation; [restrictions] That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel [with their conscious] after Him, and find Him, though he be not far from every one of us [God is always close]: ***For in Him [in God's created realms] we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own [Greek] poets have said, For we are also His offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit] is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. **And the times of this ignorance [before Pentecost] God winked at [allowed mankind to rebel]; ***but now [after the cross, resurrection, Pentecost] commandeth all men everywhere to repent [in the Church age]: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Son of Man] whom He hath ordained; whereof ***He hath given assurance unto all men, ***in that he hath raised [resurrection] Him [Jesus - Son of God - Son of Man] from the dead. *And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, *some mocked: and *others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. *Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed [became Christians]: *among the which was *Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named *Damaris, *and others with them.

Areopagus (Mars Hill), Athens [Greece] - The Areopagus or Mars Hill is a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis in Athens - It is especially popular with travelers for its connections with a speech made by Paul the Apostle (Photos)
History: In pre-classical times (before the 5th century BC), the Areopagus was the council of elders of the city, like the Roman Senate. Like the Senate, its membership derived from those who had held high public office, in this case that of Archon. In 462 BC, Ephialtes put through reforms which deprived the Areopagus of almost all its functions except that of a murder tribunal. In classical times, the Areopagus functioned as the chief homicide court of Athens. At the foot of the Areopagus was a temple dedicated to the Erinyes, where murderers could find sanctuary. -- In the Bible: The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times, and it was then that the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech about the identity of "the Unknown God." According to the biblical account (Acts 17) ... [article link]

Acts 18 - The eventful, far reaching and highly successful 2nd Missionary Journey of the Apostle Paul concludes as Paul visits the seaport city of Corinth in Greece and then after a brief visit to Ephesus [in modern Turkey] he quickly makes his way back to the Church at Antioch hoping first to make it to Jerusalem in time to celebrate the Passover [Holy Week] in Jerusalem - After a very short visit in Jerusalem possibly during Holy Week [it's not mentioned if Paul made it in time] and then on to Antioch and after spending a short time in Antioch he soon departed for his 3rd and final Missionary Journey -- 'Acts 18:9-10 Then [while in Corinth] spake the Lord [Jesus] to Paul in the night by a vision, *Be not afraid [of persecution], but speak, and hold not thy peace: *For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.'
Acts 18:18-23 And Paul after this [put on trial before Gallio] tarried [stayed] there [at Corinth] yet a good while [longer], and then took his leave of the brethren, and [beginning to conclude the 2nd Missionary Journey] sailed thence [in the direction] into Syria [back to Antioch], *and with him Priscilla and Aquila [friends from Corinth]; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a [Nazarite] vow. And he came to [the Church in] Ephesus [in the modern day Nation of Turkey], and left them [Priscilla and Aquila] there [in Church]: but he himself entered into the Synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they [Christians] desired him to tarry [stay] longer time with them, he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast {Passover?} that cometh in Jerusalem [now Holy Week]: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. And when he had landed at Caesarea [an ancient seaport in Turkey - not Caesarea Philippi in Israel near Mount Hermon], and gone up, and saluted the church [in Jerusalem], he went down to Antioch. [--- End of the 2nd Missionary Journey] And after he had spent some time there [Antioch], he departed [--- Start of Paul's 3rd and probably final Missionary Journey (though disputed - there might have been a fourth Missionary Journey after Paul was released from prison in Rome)], and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. - The second Missionary Journey concludes and the Apostle Paul now with a permanent passion [and even a fever] for Missionary life shortly begins another Missionary Journey.

Drive Thru History :: Ancient Greece - A TV Series DVD Promo (YouTube)
In the first episode Dave hops on a car ferry and ends up where you could once find the Oracle at Delphi. After some weird fun Dave looks at the origin of the Olympics, follows the conquests of Alexander the Great, and begins a look at the Apostle Paul. It's in this episode, Drive Thru History presents what is perhaps the most thorough, yet condensed, (about 15 minutes) story of Paul's missionary journeys ever produced for television. In Athens, Dave will take you to the Acropolis and the Parthenon and provides a quick lesson in Greek philosophy learning about Plato, Aristotle and Socrates. In the last episode Dave visits the ruins of ancient Corinth. He examines the decadence of the Corinthians during the Roman era. Corinth sits near an isthmus, and you will see why understanding the geography of Corinth was so important to understanding the people of Corinth. Lastly, Dave will examine the Apostle Paul's life in Corinth and his writings to the church there-writings that forever changed history. Visit the Drive Thru History Website: http://www.drivethruhistory.com. [article link]

Acts 19 - With the 3rd Mission Journey the Apostle Paul makes more of a concerted effort to clean up loosened doctrines that are still around, to deepen and instruct the disciples in the correct Church doctrines of Jesus Christ and to strengthen the faith of the new leaders and new disciples by having a faith based solely on the living resurrected Jesus Christ -- 'Acts 19:10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.' - 'Acts 19:21 After these things were ended, Paul purposed *in the Spirit, [that later] when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia [Greece], to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.'
Acts 19:1-7 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos [a disciple from Alexandria, Egypt - he was a disciple of an early disciple of John the Baptist] was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John [the Baptist] verily baptized with the baptism of repentance [renewed heart], saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him [Jesus] which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. *When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. ... Acts 19:13-20 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed. - Other people even Jewish people were trying to use the Name of Jesus to command evil spirits however Jesus is not a Name to be thrown around like an incantation instead Jesus is the Name above every name and in His name He is to be worshiped!

Acts 20 - By the 3rd Missionary Journey of the Apostle Paul the Christian Church much as we know it today [with weekly Sunday worship] was firmly established and in operation throughout most of the Roman world -- 'Acts 20:7-11 And upon the first day of the week [Sunday], when the disciples came together to break bread [regular Christian Church day], Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. ... When he [injured man was healed] therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and [Paul] talked a long while, even till [the] break of day [sunrise], so he [Paul then] departed.'
Acts 20:16-38 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. And *from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the Church. *And when they were come to him, he said unto them [a farewell sermon], Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: *And how I kept back nothing [all Christian doctrines were publically taught] that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you [every doctrine], and have taught you publickly (publically), and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, **so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. *Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. **Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock [Christian Church], over the which the *Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the ***Church of God, ***which He [Jesus] ***hath purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous *wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of His Grace, *which is able to build you up, and to give you an *inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He [Jesus] said, *It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he [Paul] had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship [to continue on his way to Jerusalem].

Urbana Invite Videos - Urbana is intended for anyone interested in missions - It's our prayer that Urbana 09 will be an eye-opening, life-transforming, commitment-producing call to join God's mission (Video - Downloads)
Urbana 09 is intended for anyone interested in missions. The target audience is college-aged women and men between the ages of 18 and 30. But every Urbana draws people from all over North America who want to learn more about global realities, current missions issues, and their place in God's mission. ... Register here at www.urbana09.org. A minimum $100 non-refundable, non-transferable deposit must accompany your registration. The remaining balance should be paid by credit card, e-check, or check by December 15, 2009. [article link]

Acts 21 - The Apostle Paul goes once again to the Church in Jerusalem and once again the Apostle Paul attempts to reconcile Christianity with Judaism and this time the events are disastrous and nearly fatal for the Apostle as Paul ends up arrested and in the custody of Rome no longer a freeman but a prisoner of Rome -- 'Acts 21:4 And finding disciples, we tarried there [in Tyre] seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, *that he should not go up to Jerusalem.' - Note: Christian laity prophecy, those exercising the gift of prophecy [forth telling] often simplify and under complicate the prophecy message they are intended to give. The many disciples who prophesied to the Apostle Paul did so in oversimplified black and white terms [don't go to Jerusalem]. The Apostle Paul correctly identified the prophesies as more complex and as a warning from the Holy Spirit, intending that Paul should go to Jerusalem but not to go there unprepared for the unsuspected and disasters events that were about to occur mainly the wholesale and universal rejection of Paul's Gospel message by his Jewish brethren in Jerusalem.
Acts 21:17-24 And when *we [Luke was among the disciples with Paul in Jerusalem] were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James [½ brother of Jesus - leader of the Church in Jerusalem - book of James]; and all the elders were present. And when he [Paul] had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his Ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law [of Moses]: And they are informed [misinformed] of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? the multitude [Christians in Jerusalem] must needs come together [be in agreement regarding the customs and laws of Moses for Jewish Christians]: for they [Jewish Christians] will hear that thou art come. **Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men [Jewish Christians] which have a [Temple] vow on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them [at the Temple], **and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: **and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law [of Moses]. - The Apostle Paul arrived in Jerusalem and with the advanced knowledge of Paul's pending arrival the Christian Church in Jerusalem just happened to have four men who were in dire need of a Temple ritual service and of someone to accompany them in their ritual Temple Service. The Christian leaders in Jerusalem being concerned for their own customs didn't even bother to ask Paul what his message was but instead insisted that Paul participate in their customs regardless of any circumstances that might occur. The Apostle Paul attempted to appease the Church in Jerusalem and while following and participating in their manmade localized customs disaster ensued.

Acts 22 - The Apostle Paul complies with the desires of the leaders of the Christian Church in Jerusalem - The results are a disaster as once in the Temple area Jews of Asia [modern Turkey] recognized Paul and immediately sought to kill him - Being arrested by the Roman authorities the Apostle Paul requested to speak to the crowd of Jews - The Jews of Jerusalem [many previously friends of Paul (Saul)] completely rejected the Apostle and more disheartening refused even to hear his message in its entirety -- 'Acts 22:24 The chief [Roman] Captain commanded him [Paul] to be brought into the castle [into the jail cell], and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he [Rome] might know wherefore they [Jews] cried so against him [Paul].' - Note: Even though the Apostle Paul was unexpectedly imprisoned in a Roman jail and facing death with charges of treason and riotousness the disciples who accompanied Paul used their precious time in Jerusalem wisely. Luke used the time to research and to write his Gospel of Luke while Paul even though in jail he used the time to write his letter to his Jewish Christian brethren in Jerusalem his book of Hebrews.
Acts 22:25-30 And as they [Roman guards] bound him [Paul] with thongs [leather ropes], Paul said unto the Centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and un-condemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman [citizen]. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him [Paul], Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea (yes). And the chief captain answered, With a great sum [money] obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born [Paul has family that can come to his defense in the Roman courts]. Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined [scourged] him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him. On the morrow [next day], because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the [Jewish] Chief Priests and all their Council (Jewish Supreme Court) [Sanhedrin] to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them. - The Apostle Paul, the disciples, the Church in Jerusalem, the Jews, the Romans and all the world are trying to initiate their plan to get things to go their way by bringing in their customs, preferences, laws, rituals and their order however everyone is about to find out that there is a new plan being established in the universe and that it is not the plans and desires of man but instead the predetermined purposes and plans of God in Jesus Christ.

Acts 23 - Paul goes on trial both in Jewish and Roman courts - Ultimately in Rome Paul is acquitted and released from prison - However after a brief period of freedom in Rome Paul was rearrested, being a well-known Christian leader and during the continued persecution of Nero the Apostle Paul was put to death while in his second prison stay - A short time late the Apostle Peter was also executed in Rome during the same persecution of Christians by Caesar Nero -- 'Acts 23:1-5 And Paul, earnestly beholding the [Sanhedrin] Council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good *conscience before God until this day. And the High Priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him [Paul] on the mouth [being struck Paul becomes a type of Jesus (John 18:22)]. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for [because] sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to [against] the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? *Then said Paul, I wist (lit. perceived) not, brethren, that he was the high priest [Paul is saying that the only High Priest is Jesus Christ]: for it is written [Exodus 22:28], Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.'
The letter (epistle) that accompanied Paul written by the Chief army Captain of Rome in Jerusalem to the Roman Governor Felix in Caesarea: Acts 23:25-35 And he [Roman army Captain] wrote a letter (epistle) after this manner: [army Captain] Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent Governor Felix sendeth greeting. This man [Paul] was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood {well actually later} that he was a Roman. And when I would have known [uncertain of their accusations] the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council [to clarify their charges against him]: Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds. And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee [clearly] what they had against him. Farewell [end of letter]. Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris. On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned [the foot soldiers] to the castle [back in Jerusalem]: Who, when they [the horse soldiers] came to Caesarea, and delivered the epistle (letter) to the Governor [Felix], presented Paul also before him. And when the Governor had read the letter, he asked [why do I have to deal with this mess] of what province he was. And when he understood that he [Paul] was of Cilicia [Tarsus of Cilicia]; I will hear thee, said he, *when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall. - The Apostle Paul entered the often clear but sometimes murky Roman judicial system. Paul was kept in prison in Caesarea and not forwarded to Rome in the hopes of Governor Felix that Paul would pay him a large bribe or ransom to obtain his freedom (Acts 24:26) but the Apostle Paul had been told in a vision that this was to take Paul to Rome to testify of Jesus in Rome so the Paul didn't even consider paying money for his release.

Acts 24 - The Apostle Paul would now spend over two years' time in jail in Caesarea - The Apostle Paul having already written the book of Hebrews [while in jail in Jerusalem] could have written his famous 'confinement' (prison) Epistles [the Bible books - Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians] while in jail in Caesarea though Church tradition holds that the four Epistles were written by Paul while under house arrest in Rome after having left Caesarea and having traveled by ship to Rome -- 'Acts 24:27 But after two years Porcius (Procurator) [High Roman official - 2nd in command to the Emperor - wiki.com] Festus came into [Governor] Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound [in jail]. - Note: Besides the four common Prison Epistles of Paul the book of Hebrews is a prison Epistle [Hebrews 13:19] (from Paul's imprisonment in Jerusalem) and the book of 2nd Timothy [2nd Timothy 1:8] is a prison Epistle from Paul's second imprisonment in Rome and was written possibly just days before Paul was executed as a prisoner of Rome
Acts 24:24-27 And after certain days, when [Governor] Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he [Paul] reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come *Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He hoped also that [bribe] money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. But after two years Porcius (Procurator) Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. - The Apostle Paul navigates the many and varied ramifications of being a prisoner of not only of Rome and Jerusalem but also of the many and varied administrative officials of the Roman Empire.

The Epistles of Paul by C.I. Scofield - The Two Silences: Two periods in the life of Paul after his conversion are passed over in a silence which is itself significant--the journey into Arabia, from which the Apostle returned in full possession of the Gospel explanation as set forth in Galatians and Romans; and the two silent years in prison in Caesarea, between his arrest in the Temple at Jerusalem and his deportation to Rome - It seems most congruous [harmonious] with the events of Paul's life to suppose that these great revelations [Paul's Epistle books of the Bible] came during the silent years at Caesarea--often spoken of as wasted
The Two Silences: Two periods in the life of Paul after his conversion are passed over in a silence which is itself significant--the journey into Arabia, from which the Apostle returned in full possession of the Gospel explanation as set forth in Galatians and Romans; and the two silent years in prison in Caesarea, between his arrest in the temple at Jerusalem and his deportation to Rome. It was inevitable that a trained intellect like that of Paul, a convinced believer in Mosasism, and, until his conversion on the Damascus road, an eager opponent of Christianity, must seek the underlying principles of the Gospel. Immediately after his conversion he preached Jesus as the Messiah; but the relation of the Gospel to the Law, and, in a lesser degree, of the great Jewish promises, needed clear adjustment if Christianity was to be a reasonable faith, and not a mere dogma. In Arabia Paul sought and found that adjustment through revelation by the Spirit. Out of it came the doctrinal explanation of salvation by grace through faith, wholly apart from the law, embodied in Galatians and Romans. But the Gospel brings the believer into great relationships--to the Father, to other believers, to Christ, and to the future purposes of God. It is not only a salvation from sin and the consequences of sin, but into an amazing place in the Divine counsels. Furthermore, the new thing, the church in its various aspects and junctions, demanded clear revelation. And these are the chief themes of the Epistles written by Paul from Rome, and commonly called the Prison Epistles--Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. It is contrary to the method of inspiration, as explained by Paul himself, to suppose that these crowning revelations were made apart from deep meditation, demanding quietness, and earnest seeking. It seems most congruous with the events of Paul's life to suppose that these great revelations came during the silent years at Caesarea--often spoken of as wasted. - Article from Scofield Reference Notes (1917) (Public Domain) For over 90 years people have relied on this reference work in their daily study of God's Word. Written originally in 1909, C. I. Scofield's intent was to provide a concise but complete tool that would meet the need of someone just beginning to read the Bible. [article link]

Acts 25 - The Apostle Paul famously appeals his case to Caesar and Procurator Festus [now interim Governor for Felix] famously unaware of the Spiritual matters that the case involves grants Paul's appeal and agrees to send Paul on to Rome to be tried by Caesar himself -- 'Acts 25:10-12 Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. *I appeal unto Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, *answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.'
Acts 25:24 And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man [Paul], about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem, and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. *But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus [Caesar], I have determined to send him. [But] Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord [Caesar]. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, *I might have somewhat to write [in an epistle to Rome]. For it seemeth to me unreasonable [and unlawful] to send a prisoner [to Rome], and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him. - Festus found himself in a predicament of having an extremely hot button issue on his hands. An issue that was not going to resolve itself or go away by itself and after several attempts Festus was still unable to grasp or understand the exact nuances and the nature of the differences of the event that was creating such a great and catastrophic disturbance in Jerusalem.

Acts 26 - The Apostle Paul gives his Testimony to King Agrippa, the King's wife Bernice and to Festus - While the Apostle Paul is speaking - Festus then has his famous 'I didn't know Christianity was about that' moment and in a loud outburst Festus publically challenges what he sees as the absurdity of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ -- 'Acts 26:1-2 Then [King] Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself ...'
Acts 26:21-32 21 For these [preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah to the world] causes the Jews caught me in the Temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God [not of Rome, the Roman Captain], *I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ [Messiah] should suffer, and that He should be *the first *that should ***rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. **And as he thus spake for himself, Festus [came undone and] said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art [crazy] beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but **speak forth the Words of Truth and soberness. For the king [Agrippa] knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; ***for this thing [cross and resurrection of Jesus] was not done in a [secret] corner. King Agrippa, *believest thou the prophets? I know (lit. perceive) that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a *Christian. **And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds [chains]. And when he had thus spoken, the King rose up, and the Governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man [Paul] doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty [freed], if he had not appealed unto Caesar. - Festus has his famous 'I didn't know Christianity was about that' moment. Festus had though that Jesus was just some guy that some people though he was dead and some other people though he was alive because they had seen him and that the confusion and the controversy was over whether or not the man was dead or alive. When Festus realized that the controversy is about the Lord Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh and was killed before the eyes of many and was buried in a sealed, stone tomb but then Resurrected back to life three days later to interact with and to be witnessed by many eyewitnesses then Festus realizing that he was being told of spiritual life overcoming the physical death of mankind and of eternal life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ for the human as the doctrine of Christianity, for the moment at least Festus had gone beyond the scope of what he was capable of retaining and Festus publically could hear no more of the concept of Christianity. Did Festus later come to grips with and understand the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and himself become a Christian, we don't know at least not at the moment.

Acts 27 - The Apostle Paul is finally sent on to Rome and after surviving a major shipwreck will eventually make it into Rome -- 'Acts 27:1-2 And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy [and go to Rome the capital city of Italy], they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a Centurion of [Caesar] Augustus' band [unit]. And entering into a ship of [the city of] Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.'
Acts 27:13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. **For there stood by me this night the Angel of God, *whose I am, *and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, *lo, God hath given [with] thee [to safety] all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island [the island of Malta]. - The Apostle Paul is shipwrecked onto the mysterious island of Malta.

Acts 28 - The Apostle Paul finally arrives in Rome and discovers that no charges have been forwarded from Jerusalem to Rome -- 'Acts 28:16-21 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered [allowed] to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea [Israel] concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.'
The book of Acts concludes: Acts 28:22-31 But we [Jews of Rome] desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect [Christianity], we know that everywhere it is spoken against. And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the Kingdom of God [God's perceivable (discernible) presence on earth - the Kingdom of Heaven, the eternal Visible Kingdom of God], persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some [Jews] believed the things which were spoken, and some [Jews] believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted [become Christians], and I should heal [lit. make whole - Salvation] them. Be it known therefore unto you, that *the Salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. - Note: The redemption of the Jews is not disputed by the Apostle Paul or by anyone what is at issue is the Salvation of the Jews. The Jews as redeemed are a part of the eternal Kingdom of Heaven and receive their Salvation later in the Kingdom of Heaven while the Christians are a part of the Kingdom of God on earth and we receive our Salvation [eternal life] while still on the earth having received the 'born again' - 'born from above' Spirit given by Jesus Christ. As is presented through the interaction of the Apostle Paul with his own Jewish brethren the difference between Jewish redemption and Christian salvation is immense and though both groups [Jews and Christians] are redeemed by God, the one and only God, the differences are still vast. Therefore historically and Biblically Jews and Christians are two distinct groups of People, however Jesus as the firstborn of the Resurrection receives both the Jews and the Christian Gentiles and with Jesus receiving as His firstborn [double portion] both the Jews and the Gentiles it is imperative that the Jews and the Gentiles assist each other at a certain level or at least it is imperative that the Christians give every bit of understanding, compassion and consideration to the "Jewish Sect" in order to please God and to fulfill our Biblical demands as given in alms from the House of Cornelius to the decrees of the 1st Church Council in Jerusalem and as they are presented throughout the entire Bible in both the Old and New Testaments of God.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

ROMANS

The Books of Romans, Galatians and Hebrews are being grouped together and presented as a Trilogy of Systematic Theology by the Apostle Paul
The three books were written by the Apostle Paul with the primary audiences being the Roman Empire, the remaining Gentile world and all Hebrew/Jewish Christians. -- Romans --> Roman Empire, Galatians --> remaining Gentile world, Hebrews --> Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and scattered throughout the world. --- The Apostle Paul in part built his Trilogy written to the empowered Gentiles (Rome), the Gentiles (Galatia) and to the Christian Jews (Hebrews) off of a verse from the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk. "Habakkuk 2:4 ... but the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4 appears only three times in the New Testament and it is in each of the three Trilogy epistles of the Apostle Paul to the Nations. 'Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.' - 'Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.' - 'Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in Him.' --- Romans --> who are *the just [the just are in a right relationship with God, the people who acknowledge God in the living resurrection of Jesus Christ and believe in His promise the free gift of eternal salvation available to all mankind]. Galatians --> how the just *shall live [the just shall live in the Holy Spirit, not after the law and not after physical self-serving, worldly desires]. Hebrews --> the just shall live *by faith [the just shall live by faith - Hebrews chapter 11 with its examples of faith in the lives of believers is known as the Bible's Hall of Faith].

Romans 1 - Paul a servant (bond slave) of Jesus Christ - At the writing of his letter to the Christian Church at Rome the Apostle Paul had not yet been to Rome - It would be three more years before Paul would make it to Rome - It would not be as a free person that the Apostle Paul would take his first steps into Rome but as a prisoner of Rome that the Apostle Paul would enter into Rome -- 'Romans 1:3-6 Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the [physical] seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with [Spiritual] power, according to the Spirit of Holiness [Holy Spirit], by the resurrection from the dead: By (Jesus) whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all Nations, for His Name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ'
'Romans 1:18-21 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men [mankind], who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest [conscience] in them; for God hath shewed it [spiritually] unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made [creation], *even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they [all mankind] are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.' - The Apostle Paul is making the point to the people in Rome [the center of world power and domination] that citizenship in Rome does not constitute access into heaven and that slavery in Rome does not constitute a denial of access into Heaven. The Apostle Paul makes the deliberate point that all people have sinned and are separated from God whether they are Romans in Rome, slaves in Rome, Jews in Jerusalem or anyone anywhere at any place or time in the world. The Apostle Paul makes the point that the whole world is in a lost and sinful condition and that everyone; man, woman and child is in need of the free gift of the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Xenos.org: Background of the Book of Romans - Scholars also agree upon the date and place of authorship, believing [Apostle] Paul wrote this letter while in Corinth (Acts 20), between A.D. 55 and 58 A.D. (Teachings - Mp3s, Video, PowerPoint)
History of the church: The origin of the Roman Church is historically obscure. There is no indication when or by whom the church in Rome was founded. Scholars theorize the founders were part of the Diaspora (Acts 8). This church already had a world-wide reputation by the time of Paul's writing (1:8). Because Paul had been unable to visit the church, he writes a letter stating his intentions (1:13-15). Authorship of the Epistle: There is no doubt the author of Romans is Paul. He clearly states this in the opening verse, and the style and content is identical to Paul's other letters. His primary theme is the gospel; God's plan of salvation; and righteousness for all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike (1:16-17). Scholars also agree upon the date and place of authorship, believing Paul wrote this letter while in Corinth (Acts 20), between A.D. 55 and 58. [article link]

Drive Thru History :: Ancient Rome - A TV Series DVD Promo (YouTube)
In this series Dave takes you through the ancient history of Rome. Dave doesn't just talk about history either; he lives it in fast, easy-to-digest road trips. Like the trip to the Coliseum in Rome where Dave accidentally picks a fight with one of those cheesy "Roman Guards" who'll pose for a picture for a couple of Euros. Topic Summary: Episode 1: Lost in Rome, The Forum & Palatine Hill, the Emperors during the time of Christ, the Arch of Titus, and the destruction of Jerusalem. Episode 2: the Circus Maximus, chariot racing, the great fire of Rome, Nero's persecution of Christians and the Roman Pantheon. Episode 3: Hannibal invades Rome, the Coliseum, the Gladiators and the early Christian influence. Visit the Drive Thru History Website: http://www.drivethruhistory.com. [article link]

Romans 2 - As the Apostle Paul stated "The wrath of God is going to be revealed from Heaven" now the Apostle Paul makes clear that we are all under that wrath - this is self-evident in that no person has even met their own standards they set for themselves let alone God's standards set for all mankind -- 'Romans 2:33 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest [others] them which do such [evil] things, and doest the same [one sin is just as evil as another and we all sin], that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?'
Romans 2:14-16 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law [of Moses], do by nature [created in the image of God] the things contained in the law [image of God], these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts [soul, intellect, conscience], *their [Gentile] conscience also bearing witness [to God's intentions for all mankind], and their thoughts the mean while accusing [convicting in wrong thoughts] or else excusing [exhorting in godly thoughts] one another [each thought]; In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ [Jesus is the standard set for all mankind] according to my gospel. This is explaining that all of mankind has within each individual a conscience placed there by God that provides a witness and a testimony about the nature and image of God. There is a right and a wrong and a difference between the two and there is also a certain higher power and authority [God] that will judge each individual for the right and wrong thoughts and actions that they commit. - This concept that God is in contact with every single human who has ever existed is the Biblical concept that God has created each individual in the womb and that God is intimately in contact and knowledgeable about every thought and intention of every human. God is not far-off and away from His creation. God is very close and intimate to His creation regardless of anyone's location or industrial standard on the earth. Clearly someone even in modern times on some remote island who has never heard the name of Jesus is still well within fellowship with God as their conscience testifies between right and wrong and of the existence of God though they may not know God by Name or know the love that God has for them in going to the cross for them they know of God's existence and are a 'law unto themselves' until the day of God's judgment. Having accepted in their conscience the authority of God in the universe they are not condemned on judgment day but receive eternal salvation because their conscience desires to obey God and to fellowship with God. Note: Part of what the Apostle Paul is saying is that before the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ all mankind had a conscience to direct their thoughts, intentions and actions but since the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit has been poured out [from Pentecost] upon all mankind so since the cross and resurrection of Jesus the knowledge of God has increased among mankind from just the conscience to the conscience plus the conviction and directing of the Holy Spirit. It is at the leading of the Holy Spirit that one ultimately becomes a Christian by accepting the Spirit of God inside of them to become a 'born again' Spiritual person, a Child of God now in the family of God.

Romans 3 - The Apostle Paul continues to reveal God's plan of salvation for mankind through Jesus Christ - 'Romans 3:29-30 Is He the God of the Jews only? is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the [Jewish] circumcision by ["a seal of the righteousness of the faith" - sign of circumcision] faith, and [Gentile] uncircumcision through [resurrection] faith.' - 'Romans 4:9-11 9 Cometh this blessedness [sins are covered] then upon the circumcision [Jews] only, or upon the uncircumcision [Gentiles] also? for we say that faith (belief) was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. And he received *the sign of circumcision, *a seal of the righteousness *of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe [Jews and Gentiles], though they [Gentiles] be not circumcised [Jews]; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:'
Romans 3:20-26 Therefore by the deeds [works] of the law there shall no flesh be justified [made right] in His sight: *for by the law is the knowledge of sin [not salvation from sin]. But now the righteousness [Jesus] of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified [made right] freely by His grace through the redemption [cross] that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [full payment of sins] through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of {our} sins that are past, through the forbearance [patience] of God; To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just [God], and the justifier [imputing His righteousness onto the believer] of him which believeth in Jesus. - The Apostle Paul is pointing out that no unrighteousness is allowed into the direct presence of the Holy God. Therefore God has to give [impart] of His righteousness onto humans in order to allow us humans into His presence. The way we receive the righteousness of God from God is for us to acknowledge that Jesus Christ came to mankind and died for our sins, all of our sins and that there was nothing we could do but that Jesus did it all for us and in His doing it all for us we can freely receive of His righteous standing that He is freely offering to us if we will just accept that He died for our sins and is resurrected [shown to be righteous] for our righteousness.

Romans Road - Program Download Available (Mp3)
The Romans Road is a series of verses from the New Testament book of Romans, written by the Apostle Paul. These verses describe God's plan to redeem men's hearts and to give us eternal hope in the person of Jesus Christ. The Romans Road has been used by Christians over the centuries as a tool to share the good news of the gospel in an easy and effective way. [article link]

Question: "What is the Romans Road to salvation?"
Answer: The Romans Road to salvation is a way of explaining the good news of salvation using verses from the Book of Romans. It is a simple yet powerful method of explaining why we need salvation, how God provided salvation, how we can receive salvation, and what are the results of salvation. [article link]

The Romans Road to salvation - Let me take you down the path of the Roman Road to Salvation and the gate of eternal life with Jesus Christ
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, nobody comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). I have only two choices either Jesus' statement is true or false. Think about this statement what does it mean? I either accept that Jesus is the way for salvation or I reject it. When people say all religions lead to the same path that is obviously wrong. How could that be true with Jesus above statement. It does not work. If we look at Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says the following, "Enter the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. You may be asking yourself what is this narrow gate and how do I get through it? The Bible clearly tells us how to find this gate. Let me take you down the path of the Roman Road to Salvation and the gate of eternal life with Christ. [article link]

Take the Romans Road to salvation
Take the Romans Road to salvation: --> Who is good? ~Romans 3:10~ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. --> Who has sinned? ~Romans 3:23~ For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. --> Where sin came from. ~Romans 5:12~ Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. --> God's price of sin. ~Romans 6:23~ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. --> Who paid The price? ~Romans 5:8~ God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. --> The only way out. ~Romans 10:9-10~ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart God hath raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. --> Take God at His word and claim His promise for your salvation. ~Romans 10:13~ For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. [article link]

Romans 4 - The Apostle Paul continues and now uses examples in the lives of Abraham and King David to illustrate how consistent the word of God is - how reliable the word of God is - and also how long ago it was that the promises of God were given [the original promise of the redeemer was given to Adam and Eve] and are still in use by God today [in the book of Hebrews Moses will be contrasted to Jesus] - 'Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God [that God has the power and authority of life over death], and it was counted unto him for righteousness.' -- 'Romans 4:6-8 Even as [King] David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin [because of a faith like Abraham].'
'Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him (Jesus) that justifieth the *ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.' Romans 4:17- As it is written, I (God) have made thee (Abraham) a father of many nations, before Him whom he believed, even God, *who quickeneth [makes alive] the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope [against all odds] believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith [the life giving power of God], he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God [to be the father of many] through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it [faith - that God 'quickeneth the dead'] was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it [justification - righteousness] was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it [faith] shall be imputed, *if we believe on Him that raised up [eternal life] Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered [to the cross] for our offences, and was raised again [resurrection] for our justification. - The faith of Abraham, the faith of King David and the faith of the Christian is that God is the giver of life and as the giver of life God has the power and authority of life over death. In Abraham God demonstrated His ability to give life in the two bodies that were completely beyond the capability of childbirth and yet Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 75 years old. -- King David had grievously sinned with Bathsheba and then later had her husband Uriah killed in a battle. When the prophet Nathan came to King David [2 Samuel 12] and told of a sin in the land King David said that person who sinned shall be put to death. It turned out that King David was that person who was to be put to death however "2 Samuel 12:13 And [King] David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD and Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die" because King David had a righteousness imputed by God not of works but by faith, the same faith that his forefather Abraham had in the faith that God will make right our wrongs and that God will give life even when death is required.

Romans 5 - The Apostle Paul now declares that once justified [in a right relationship with God] that we do in fact and in actuality have access into the presence of God and being in the presence of God we receive the blessings of God notably Peace and Grace -- 'Romans 5:1-3 Therefore being justified by faith, we have Peace [no longer at war] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this Grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the Glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations [we are still in this world] also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience ...'
'Romans 5:5-6 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts *by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time *Christ died for the ungodly.' - 'Romans 5:10-11 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled [cross] to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved [resurrection] by His [resurrection] life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom *we have now received the atonement.' - 'Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned [lit. kingdom of sin] unto death, even so might grace reign [lit. kingdom of grace] through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.' Note: Jesus gave His life for the "ungodly" it is in our condition of a sinner that we become saved by Jesus and by Jesus we are transformed into a Saint. The clear message of Christianity is that God came to mankind to save mankind not that mankind somehow in some vague way went to God. There is no way to make a saint out of ourselves for we are "without strength" and even if we could, though we can't, make ourselves into a saint it would be rejected by God. We as humans just do not have righteousness or godliness in and of ourselves. Jesus gave His life for the ungodly so that through the righteousness of Jesus the ungodly can receive of His righteousness and with His righteousness and the Holy Spirit now "in our heart" we become an authentic, genuine and valid godly person.

Romans 6 - The Apostle Paul reveals to us that having received the righteousness of Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit in our heart we now have a "newness of life (eternal)" -- 'Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with Him (Jesus) by baptism [identifying ourselves with Jesus - also represented in our actual water baptism] into death [cross]: that like as Christ was raised up [resurrection] from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.'
Romans 6:5-14 5 For if we (Christians) have been planted [baptized] together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: *Knowing this, that our old [physical nature] man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead [to sin] is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe [faith] that we shall also [eternal life] live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members {talents} as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: *but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members {talents} as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion [authority] over you: for ye are not under the law [of sin], but under [the law of] grace. - Note: in order for us to live eternally in the righteousness of Jesus Christ we have to first identify with the cross of Jesus Christ and with our need for His going to the cross for us in order for Jesus to completely remove [make dead] sin. But then with sin dead on the cross and removed from us we do now have eternal life through the eternal resurrection life of Jesus Christ. -- 'Romans 6:23 For the wages [works] of sin is death; but the [free] gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'

Romans 7 - The Apostle Paul makes clear that our emotions and intentions are not to be just reformed and made a little better but are actually to be renewed and made new into the Spiritual image and presence of God in His Spirit inside of us - 'Romans 7:24 O wretched [dual nature - physical and spiritual (actually - body, soul, spirit)] man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death [and limitation]? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord {that His resurrection Spirit life delivers me from limitations that limit and distance me from God}. So then with the mind [my new unlimited Spiritual intentions] I myself serve [obey] the law [image] of God; but with the flesh [I still unwillingly and regretfully serve] the law of sin.'
'Romans 7:9-14 For I was alive [in the conscience] without the law [of Moses] once: but when the commandment [laws of Moses][Bar Mitzvah at 13 years of age] came, [knowledge of] sin revived, and I died [saw myself as the sinner I am]. And the commandment [law of Moses], which was ordained to [spiritual] life [image of God], I found to be unto [revealing physical and spiritual] death. For sin, taking occasion [in part before knowledge of the commandment] by the [absence of the] commandment, [sin] deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law [of Moses] is Holy, and the commandment [of Moses] Holy, and just, and good {but the law of sin and death is unholy}. Was then that which is good [law of Moses - image of God] made death unto me? God forbid. But sin [is death], that it might appear [reveal] sin, working death [physical and spiritual] in me by that which is good [law of Moses - image of God]; that sin by the commandment [laws of Moses] might become exceeding [obviously] sinful. *For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal [physical], sold [by Adam and Eve] under sin.' - The Apostle Paul is explaining how the spiritual law is both needed and able to give spiritual life where sin and death took away life and that the renewing ability of the Holy Spirit of God is completely capable of overcoming the sin, death and destruction that have ravaged mankind for such a long time. - In a sense there are no works involved in receiving the Holy Spirit because there is no struggle [no works] between the Holy Spirit and death as the Holy Spirit has a complete victory over sin and death no human works are required or needed. The concept that the Holy Spirit is a good start in overcoming sin and death but that then a person needs to add to it to overcome sin is an incorrect concept. As Paul will go on to say we do struggle and sometimes we struggle immensely in our Christian walk but that is because of our new dual nature in being still physical but now also having the Holy Spirit within us. This internal struggle is not an indication that the Holy Spirit is struggling to overcome it is an indication that our old nature is struggling to overcome and the remedy to this battle is to trust, rest and rely on the victory that the Holy Spirit has already accomplished over both sin and death. It is in the trusting, resting and relying on the Holy Spirit through seeking after the relationship with God that is now available to us that we are transformed and renewed though never to the point of ceasing from struggles because as long as we live in our physical body we will struggle. However along with our struggles we also now have hope and with hope the knowledge that one day through the victory of Jesus Christ we will escape this limited physical body of struggle and receive a new heavenly body that will not struggle against us, a new spiritual body that will correctly match our new spiritual nature that we now have in Jesus Christ.

Romans 8 - The Apostle Paul reminds us that with all the condemnation in the world and it is a world of condemnation that Jesus is one person who is not condemning us - Jesus Christ died for us, Jesus is for us and certainly not against us - Jesus is our biggest supporter and in fact the support of Jesus Christ is the complete opposite of the condemnation of the world - His support for us is confirmation and affirmation at the highest level that God does love us and that God does want us to have eternal life and a relationship with Him - 'Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even [acceptable] at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession [mediation] for us.'
Romans 8:2-13 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law [of Moses] could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending [incarnating] His own Son (Jesus) in the likeness of sinful [human] flesh, and for sin, *condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled *in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the [Holy] Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be [Holly] spiritually minded is [eternal] life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity [at war] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. *So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the [Holy] Spirit, *if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the [Holy] Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him [Father, Holy Spirit] that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die [eternally]: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live [eternally]. - Throughout the book of Romans and with all of his writing about the ease and certainty of receiving the free gift of the Holy Spirit of God and our becoming a new creation in God the Apostle Paul is revealing to the Gentile Empire a Spiritual and Personal Truth about God. It is that God is the God of Life and that God is so much the God of life that it is actually easier to receive Salvation Life from God then it is to receive damnation from God. God is for us and has not condemned us, He died for us, it is we who condemn ourselves. Those who do receive eternal damnation will have done it at their own hands by their own conduct with their own strenuous hard work and mortal striving in order to receive the damnation that they so diligently sought for so long. Had they sought the righteousness of Jesus Christ they could receive it instantly and freely however it has taken them a lifetime to turn from God and to reject the eternal life and goodness of God.

Romans 8 (Part 2) - The Apostle Paul now having established the transition from our mortality in earthy sin to immortality in Jesus Christ - now begins to explain more about the heavenly realm and more about eternal Christian concepts and principles -- 'Romans 8:11 But if the [Holy] Spirit of Him (God) that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in [inside] you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make heavenly aware] your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.'
'Romans 8:14-17 For as many (Christians) as are led by the [Holy] Spirit of God, they [looking ahead to the adoption in heaven] are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are [now while on earth] the children of God: And if children, then [after the adoption in heaven] heirs [sons]; heirs [sons in heaven] of God, and joint-heirs [a living inheritance in heaven] with Christ; if so be that we suffer [on earth] with Him, that we may be also glorified [in heaven - accomplished and in our new heavenly spiritual body] together [the Christian Church and Jesus].' - The Biblical concept of adoption is that a child when mature enough (adulthood) is then adopted and once adopted becomes a son and as a son receives an inheritance from the father. Abraham was a father of many Nations however Isaac was his only son, his only child to be adopted by Abraham and his only child to receive the inheritance of the promises, covenants and land in the Promise Land given by God to Abraham. Isaac would later adopt his child Jacob and give Jacob the inheritance over his brother Esau. Jacob then would adopt all twelve of his male children (Joseph via his children) as Jacob would even adopt two of his grandchildren Ephraim and Manasseh to give his son Joseph a double inheritance in his portion of land in the Promise Land. Ephraim and Manasseh are grandchildren of Jacob but because of their adoption by Jacob [Genesis 48:5-6] Jacob told Joseph that he would adopt his first two children but if Joseph had any more children Jacob would not adopt them, they would not get a same sized portion of the Promise Land as their uncles they become equal to and receive and equal portion of land in the Promise Land that their Uncles the children of Jacob received. Part of the adoption and inheritance process on earth and in heaven is then to receive glorification the fine robes, family ring, finances, authority and recognition by others as a son. A child cannot make decisions regarding the family wealth and possessions but an adopted son now has authority that a child doesn't have and a son is able to make decisions and do things a child is not permitted to do. Joseph in the Bible is the only person besides Jesus to be glorified. Joseph as a type of Jesus was glorified twice. First [Genesis 37:3] as a Jew by his father Jacob with the coat [robe] of many colors of glorification and second [Genesis 41:42] as a gentile when he received raiment and a ring from the Pharaoh of Egypt. Jesus was actually bodily temporarily glorified [Matthew 17:2] meaning that Jesus had no sin as sin will not be glorified in the presence of God. It is because sin will not be glorified in the presence of God [1 Corinthians 1:29] that the adoption as sons and the inheritance as sons has to take place in heaven after we have physically died and separated from our physical body were sin [Romans 8:3] has been confined.

Romans 8 (Part 3) - The Apostle Paul concludes his section on Christian heavenly spirituality by proclaiming the spiritual truth that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ - 'Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither [physical] death, nor [events of] life, nor angels, nor principalities [fallen angels], nor [demonic] powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height [success], nor depth [failure], nor any other [i.e. unexplained UFOs (Note: UFOs are either manmade objects, or fallen angels manifesting or just demons manifesting)] creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
'Romans 8:28-30 And we know that all things [for the believer] work together for good to them that love [agape, highest love] God, to them who are the called [all are called] according to His [election] purpose. For whom He did foreknow [those who answer His call like Abraham did], He also did predestinate [eternal destination] to be conformed [glorified] to the image of His Son (Jesus), that He [His Son Jesus] might be the firstborn [inheritance with a double portion - both the Jews and the (Gentile) Nations] among {very, very} many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate [eternal destination], them He also called [i.e. Abraham]: and whom He called, them he also justified [i.e. Jacob]: and whom he justified, them he also glorified [i.e. Joseph].' - The predestination of the Bible is that the people who answer the call of God and enter into a relationship with God like Abraham answered the calling of God are then after answering the call predestined to be completed [eventually in Heaven] by being changed into the glorious resurrection image of Jesus Christ. What this is saying in part is that God will complete what He has begun in us and that God will never leave us or abandon us part way but that He will guaranteed get us safely into Heaven. With predestination we can also know in advance a little of what our completed process will be like because we will be somewhat similar to the resurrected Jesus Christ in that we will be able to belong in Heaven and to interact in the Heavenly realm among God and among the Angels of Heaven. - The predestination is only after the calling and everyone is called so it isn't that some are predestined to heaven and others are predestined to hell. Eternity is our own freewill decision a decision that we all have to make and in our decision we all have the same opportunity in Jesus Christ to go to heaven. Lastly predestination rules out a variety of false teachings that would allude to different heavens or different levels of heavens or vastly different appearances in heaven based on individual rewards because with predestination we are all predestined to the same place and into about the same image though there will be slight variations because we remain individuals and do not become clones but we do become Sons of God transfigured into the glorious image of Jesus Christ.

Romans 9 - The Apostle Paul in continuing his systematic approach to theology now changes topics from sin and justification to the current standing of his fellow Jews - Paul expresses his regrets that the Jews are not partakers with the Christian Church in salvation [though the Jews still have the promises of God and are partakers of the adoption in the eternal Kingdom of God] - 'Romans 9:4-5 Who are Israelites (Jews); to whom pertaineth the adoption [heavenly adoption as Sons of God], and the glory [earthly glory and heavenly glorification], and the covenants [including the New Testament], and the giving of the law [of Moses], and the service [producing the Holy Scriptures, bringing in the Messiah, the 144,000 witnesses of Revelation, the Second Coming, etc.] of God, and the promises [of God]; Whose are the fathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Israel)], and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [the Messiah] came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.'
'Romans 9:27-28 Esaias (Elijah) also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved [become Christians]: For He (God) will finish the work [among the Gentiles and the Jews], and cut it short [make His work effective] in righteousness: because a short [effective] work will the Lord make upon the earth.' - A Summary of the righteous effective 'short work' of the Lord upon the earth: After the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden mankind has been separated from God and dispersed from one another. In re-gathering a separated and dispersed mankind unto Himself God has used segments of groups and epochs of time to re-gather His Kingdom. After the fall of Adam and Eve the first group of Biblical redeemed people were the Ancient Sacrificing Righteous Gentiles, this group had to sacrifice their own animals in order to have the blood covering for their sins and to be in a relationship with the Holy God. The Ancient Sacrificing Righteous Gentiles as a group and as individuals had little knowledge of God who they were sacrificing to and in fact they primarily had a physical relationship with God and they thought the blessing of God were physical in wealth and status and that curses from God were physical as well in poverty and sickness, this group also understood that to see God was to die that a sinful human could not enter the presence of the Holy God and live. Job was one of the later Sacrificing Gentiles [Job 1:5] and in the book of Job it is revealed that Job had some knowledge of God but really no idea how to fellowship with God and later Balaam possibly the last Sacrificing Gentile the system of Gentile sacrifice has become so misrepresented that Balaam just goes completely off course in serving God and Balaam becomes one of the Bibles primary examples in how not to conduct your life. From the Ancient group of Sacrificing Gentiles, a system that was spinning out of control, God called Abraham [Genesis 12:1] and created the Jewish Nation. Through Abraham and His Jewish Nation descendants especially through the giving of the Law to Moses and of the teachings of the Prophets that God was able to correct many of the misconceptions that persisted during the Ancient Sacrificing Righteous Gentile era. The Jews with their improved knowledge of who God is were able to get closer to God in their relationship with God. To the Jews God sent Himself the Redeemer and the Savior [Jesus Christ] of all mankind. The Christian Church was started from the midst of the Jewish Nation chosen of God and with the Churches advanced knowledge of God, knowledge [Romans 5:5-8] that God loves mankind so much that God was willing to die for mankind in order to reconcile mankind back to Himself the Church is in a much more intimate relationship with God then the Jews are able to be in. After the Christian Church has been completed and is taken (raptured) into Heaven there is another group after the Church called the Martyred Saints of Revelation [Revelation 6:9] and this group having missed out on the Church age but coming to the realization of their desire to fellowship with God they will be put to death by the world for their love of God. The Martyred Saints of Revelation will have been forgiven much for their sins and because they have been forgiven much they will love God much [Luke 7:47], even more than the Church loved God and the Martyred Saints with their love for God will be close to God in Heaven [Revelation 7:15] even in His Temple. The group that will become the closest to God in love and knowledge will be the 144,000 Jewish Witnesses of Revelation they will follow God continually in Heaven and they sing a song [Revelation 14:3] that no other group knows. However no group of people or person gets to know God completely as Jesus will have on Him a Name [Revelation 19:12] that no one knows.

Romans 10 - The Apostle Paul continues His teaching making the absolute irrefutable proof that direct access to God through Jesus Christ is now also available to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews - For about the first 10-15 years the Christian Church was entirely Jewish and there was some concern whether or not Gentiles could enter into the promises of God as a Gentile - Paul reveals that yes, because the death of Jesus on the cross finalized the physical earthly system and that Christianity is a new Heavenly Spiritual resurrection system that yes the Gentiles can enter into the new Heavenly system of Christianity and receive the promises and blessings of Christianity without first becoming Jewish -- 'Romans 10:10-13 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him (Jesus) shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord (Jesus) over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord (Jesus) shall be saved (Salvation - Soteria).'
'Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel (Jews) is, that they might be saved (Soteria).' - 'Romans 11:2 God hath not cast away His people [the Jews] which He foreknew.' - 'Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved (Soteria): as it is written, There shall come out of Sion (Zion) the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:' - Soteria - Salvation (healing) in Jesus Christ. The name Jesus actually means God is Salvation. - In a sense the Jews have redemption from God the Father [and ultimatly Jesus] however Salvation at this moment is only from Jesus and they do not yet have a relationship with Jesus and are not yet experiencing the healing Salvation work of Jesus Christ. Salvation in Jesus is the primary difference between the Jews and the Christian Church. The Christian Church has emotional and spiritual Salvation healing while the Jews have not yet received their salvation healing. Note: All of the Jews includes all of the redeemed Jews; the Jewish forefathers [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob], the Jews in slavery in Egypt, those that died in the desert wandering, those in the Promise Land and those outside the Promise Land {Reuben, Gad and the ½ Tribe of Manasseh as an example}, those with a Temple and those without a Temple, those in Captivity in Babylon, those who returned to rebuild Jerusalem, those in the 2000 years of Diaspora, those who have returned, those who have not returend and those who are in the Tribulation of the End Times and it also includes the Jewish subset the 144,000 called out Jewish Witness of Revelation. -- 'Romans 11:2 God hath not cast away His people [the Jews] which he foreknew. [The Jews have stumbled over Jesus but have not fallen and are not cast away.]' - 'Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion [Greek Sion, Hebrew Zion -- there is also a Hebrew 'Sion' though not to be confused with the Greek 'Sion' (Zion)] the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:' -- 'Revelation 19:1 And after these [End Time, Great Tribulation] things I heard a great voice of *much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; *Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:' This is the Host of Heaven, it includes all the saved people from Adam and Eve (the 'Mother of all living' - saved) until the last redeemed person; this includes the ancient Righteous Sacrificing Gentiles [i.e. Job], all the redeemed Jews [from Abraham until the Second Coming], those saved in the Christian Church era, the Righteous Gentiles in remote areas who do not hear the Name or Gospel of Jesus Christ but their conscience is a witness to them, the Martyred Saints of Revelation who die for their faith and the 144,4000 Jewish Witnesses of Revelation.'

Romans 11 - Having made clear that Gentiles now have access into the originally all Jewish Christian Church the Apostle Paul goes on to contrast the new [particularly in Rome] predominantly Gentile Christian Church customs with the old Jewish customs in Israel - Paul is saying to the Gentiles in Rome that it isn't enough to just boast that God is their Savior as the Jews had done in Israel in the past - But that God requires more than boasting and like the Jews the Gentiles will have to seek after, obey and follow God in order to remain Children of God - The Jews in a sense were set aside as the primary work of Salvation has gone to the Gentiles however Paul warns the Gentiles that just as God was under no manmade mandate or obligation to the Jews God remains under no manmade mandate or obligation to the Gentiles - Any Gentile can find themselves removed from the Church and from the promises of God by God just any branch can be removed from a plant and the branch is dead or dies yet the plant with the good healthy root continues to grow and flourish -- 'Romans 11:20-21 Well; because of unbelief they [Jews] were broken off [from Salvation], and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural [Jewish] branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.'
The Jews have redemption and those Jews who do not become Christians (Salvation) their Jewish salvation is postponed until they enter into heaven. To the Gentiles however Salvation is a package deal and both redemption and salvation begin at the same moment. The Apostle Paul goes on to explain in the Book of Hebrews to the Jewish Christians that for those Jews who do become Christians and receive the Salvation but then later reject their Christian (Salvation) that there is no ability to fall back into the redemption of Judaism. Anyone who has the blood covering of Jesus and later rejects the blood of Jesus and tramples it underfoot [Hebrews 10:29] is guilty of the blood of Jesus and will be condemned. At this point the Jews as a Covenant Nation do not yet have the blood of Jesus and therefore have not trampled underfoot the blood of Jesus. The Jews not yet having the blood of Jesus Christ are entitled to and do need our encouragement, our cooperation, our support and most important of all our Christian compassion and mercy. -- 'Romans 11:30-36 For as ye (Gentiles) in times past have not [faith] believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their [Jewish] unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your (Christian) mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all [Gentiles and Jews] in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the Mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him (Jesus), and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.'

Romans 12 - Having established beyond a doubt that Gentiles do belong and have a home in the Christian Church the Apostle Paul goes on to instruct the Romans in Christian living and in Christian conduct -- 'Romans 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.'
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you (Christian) therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [live outwardly] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. - Christianity is a living relationship with God. Sometimes it is thought that God is far away from us or that Christianity doesn't actually start until after we die and go to heaven but the truth is that God is intimately close to us and with God being intimately close to us here and right now in our physical body that Christianity does have just as much meaning, significance and practice while we are still alive on earth as Christianity has once we enter into our eternal condition in Heaven.

Romans 13 - The Christian Church in Rome specifically and throughout the world generally is being instructed to obey civil authorities because ultimately it is God is in control and in charge - God has permitted each civil authority to receive their position of authority - 'Romans 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject [to government authorities], not only for wrath [the wrath of God is upon those who disobey], but also for [our] conscience sake.'
'Romans 13:10-14 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time [End Times], that now it is high time to awake out of [spiritual] sleep: for now is our salvation [the return of Jesus Christ] nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering [sexual perversion] and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.' - The ability to have a successful Christian walk and a meaningful Christian life is going to come by focusing on and looking to Jesus Christ. As we place our attention and desires on the return of Jesus and on His Divine Heavenly Kingdom our earthly physical desires will be replaced with godly, spiritual, Heavenly desires. Mankind was originally created to be in fellowship with God by being eternally heavenly focused however our sin nature does now distract us from our desired heavenly focus. Because of sin our emotions have been damaged and are now incomplete so a relationship with God and even a relationship with others is something that is not entirely natural to us so we do have make the effort to overcome sin in order to have a godly relationship with God and to be in fellowship with others. It is however only in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that we will be able to overcome our sin and to have our desired meaningful, godly relationship with God and to also be able to participate in our desired godly fellowship with others.

Romans 14 - The Apostle Paul instructs that Christianity is about encouragement, edification and building up of each other in Jesus Christ and that it is not like the ways of the world where tearing down, manipulating and even destroying one another are the norm -- 'Romans 14:18-19 For he (Christian) that in these things [consideration of others] serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify [encourage and build up] another.'
'Romans 14:11-13 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me (Jesus), and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.' - The Apostle Paul is saying that everyone Christian and non-Christian is going to have to give an account of their life that God gave to them to God. However for the Christian the account that we give to God is going to be a pleasing account it is an account of our intimate relationship with God and of our blessed fellowship with others. Our account to God is not intended to be a negative thing so let's all be careful that we don't turn our blessed account before God into an account that is less than blessed because we have been less than a blessing to God, ourselves and to others.

Romans 15 - The Apostle Paul again provides more Biblical standing from the Old Testament scriptures that Jesus came both to fulfill the promises given to the Jews and to receive unto Himself the Gentile Nations - Paul confirms the he indeed is God's chosen Missionary to deliver God's message to the Gentile Nations - 'Romans 15:15-17 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, *that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. I have therefore whereof I may glory [be accomplished] through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.'
'Romans 15:8-14 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a Minister of the circumcision [Jews] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made [to the Jews] unto the fathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob]: And *that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy; as it is written [2 Samuel 22:50], For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again He saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people [the Jews]. And again [Deuteronomy 32:43], Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud Him, all ye people. And again, Esaias (Isaiah) saith [Isaiah 11:10], There shall be a root [offspring] of Jesse [of the Jews, Jesse is the father of King David], and He (Jesus) that shall rise {shall stand} [resurrection] to reign over the Gentiles; in Him (Jesus) shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing (faith), that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish [instruct] one another.' - 'Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand {shall rise} [resurrection] for an ensign [flag of authority] of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.' - The apostle Paul is confirming that even after the sin and separation of mankind that God still has authority over mankind over both the Jews who He instructed through the Law and the Prophets and who He physically came to becoming one of them and that God also has authority over the Gentiles who He also came to. No human is outside of the authority and representation of the resurrected Jesus Christ and it is in His resurrection authority that Jesus Christ does Heavenly reign and rule all the Nations of the world.

Romans 16 - Phebe a Deaconess [lit. servant, a female church worker] at the Christian Church in Cenchrea [the seaport near the major city of Corinth in Greece where Paul wrote his letter to Rome] - Phebe was entrusted to take Paul's letter from Corinth to the Christian Church in Rome a distance of about 617 miles - Phebe delivered the letter that Paul wrote and Tertius was the scribe for writing the letter, often a scribe wrote on parchment while the author of the letter spoke - Tertius [the scribe] salutes the Christians in Rome 'I Tertius, who wrote [scribed] this epistle, salute you in the Lord' - 'Romans 16:16 Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.'
'Romans 16:24-27 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to Him (Holy Spirit) that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the Mystery [the Mystery of God], which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest [the Mystery that God would dwell in human harts], and by the [Bible] scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all Nations for the obedience of faith [belief]: To God only wise, be Glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.' - The Apostle Paul mentions the previously unknown Mystery of God and reveals that the Mystery of God is that God in His love for mankind would come and die for mankind and that having died for mankind that God would unite with those who choose to unite with Him in such an intimate and meaningful way that God would actually with His Holy Spirit enter into the human spirit and dwell in the body of living human beings and that this blessing of intimate fellowship with God is for both the Jews and also the Gentiles. - 'Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the Mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself:' - 'Ephesians 3:3-7 How that by revelation He (God) made known unto me (Apostle Paul) the Mystery; as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the Mystery of Christ Which in other [past] ages [Prophets and Law] was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs [with the Jews], and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power.' - 'Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.' - The Apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Christian Church at the center of the Roman Empire in Rome [and to all of Christianity] with these words. 'Romans 16:27 To God only wise, be Glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.'

Memo - The blog Bible Study has completed the Book of Romans and next is the Book of Galatians - The study pace has been fast though in the future the pace will probably vary a little bit more and there might even be some pauses in the study it depends mostly on the quality of material being presented - I have some other things scheduled but I think we can keep studying around any other events
The blog Bible Study has been continuing at a fairly quick rate though it isn't the intention of the study to go at a fast pace and to set some sort of speed record although we might have set some record at the pace we have been going. The intentions are to only go as fast as we can get good material posted and we are getting good Bible study material posted at this rate however the rate will fluctuate from time to time. My intentions and concerns when committing to and starting the blog Bible Study were 1. That it wouldn't become a 2-3 year project as I don't even remotely have a schedule for that to happen. 2. Another major concern is that the study might not get finished and the slower the pace the more likely it won't finish in this window of opportunity that we have for the study. 3. Another concern was that the Bible study might go at such a slow pace that people wouldn't have enough material to study. There are few thing worse than going to a website to do a Bible Study and they have incomplete studies though that is fine and understandable for a study in progress however it is the intention of this website to have enough material so that people can do more than just get started in their studies but that everyone visiting the site, at all levels of Christian maturity will be able to find enough material to make good progress in their Christian Studies. Thanks again to everyone for your prayers and understanding. Keep up the excellent work in staying with the Bible study! God bless everyone, David Anson Brown

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

1 CORINTHIANS

THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS: Introduction - AUTHOR: PAUL, the Apostle (1:1; 16:21) - PLACE OF WRITING: EPHESUS (16:8) - TIME OF WRITING: Probably in the spring of 57 A.D., shortly before the Jewish feast of Pentecost (16:8), *during his third missionary journey [while in Ephesus] (Ac 19:1-41) - What is the purpose of this epistle? To correct sinful practices and refute false doctrine - Where is the theme of the epistle stated? 1 Corinthians 1:10
BACKGROUND OF THE CITY OF CORINTH: Corinth was situated on the Isthmus of Greece (called Achaia in the Bible) between the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea, above the Mediterranean Sea. About 50 miles to the east was the city of Athens. ... BACKGROUND OF THE CHURCH AT CORINTH: The establishment of the church occurred during Paul's second missionary journey. It is recorded by Luke in Ac 18:1-18, which can be divided into three sections: 1) Abiding with Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tentmakers; reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath (Ac 18:1-6). 2) In the house of Justus, abiding there and teaching for a year and six months (Ac 18:7-11). 3) An incident before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia (Ac 18:12-18). It appears from reading the epistle that the church was adversely affected by the immoral environment found in the city. Pride caused division in the church and disruption in the services (1 Cor 1-4, 11). Immorality and immodesty found its way into the church, which gave it a bad reputation (1 Cor 5). The brethren were taking their personal problems with each other before the heathen courts instead of working them out among themselves (1 Cor 6). Other issues affecting the church included questions about marriage (1 Cor 7), meats sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8-10), women praying and prophesying with heads uncovered (1 Cor 11), the use of spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12-14), the resurrection from the dead (1 Cor 15), and the collection for the saints in Jerusalem (1 Cor 16). Thus the church was one beset with problems and questions that needed to be answered. -- PURPOSE OF WRITING: The bad news concerning the problems at Corinth had reached Paul in Ephesus. It seems that this news came from at least two sources: 1) the household of Chloe (1:11); and 2) a letter sent to him (7:1), possibly by the hands of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus (16:17). Therefore, in answer to these reports Paul writes: TO CORRECT SINFUL PRACTICES AND REFUTE FALSE DOCTRINE - THEME: 1 Corinthians 1:10 "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." [article link]

There is going to be a slight shift in the emphasis of the blog Bible Study regarding the Church Epistles (part of study segment #6) 1st Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st Thessalonians and 2nd Thessalonians - During the study of the Church Epistles the blog Bible Study is going to study and emphasize the rampant Deception currently taking place within the modern Evangelical Christian Church
Of the many problems and perils that face the current Christian Church the main problems and breakdowns within Christianity itself are not from the outside forces such as the events of the day as portrayed on the nightly news or by secular authorities or even by cults and groups that openly oppose Christianity the main peril and problem in modern Christianity is a breakdown in the leadership, the pastors, the teachers and the organizations of the current Christian Church. While studying the Bible's Church epistles the blog Bible Study is going to explore and examine some of the aspects of modern Christian leadership and current Church practices that are both unbiblical and unstable and that are now wreaking havoc and destruction on the Church, the body of Christ, from within the Church. Pastors, men and ministries that even a few short years ago seemed to be faithful and honest have now in a short time become so compromised and compromise is a byproduct of corruption so we have to assume corrupt, that they are now openly and outwardly opposing the work of God, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. The blog Bible Study is going to actually look at two aspects of deception. 1. How we ourselves as true worshipers of God can over time and usually through hardships, bitterness, neglect or misconceptions can become deceived. 2. How outright wolves in sheep's clothing are deceiving and taking advantage of the Christian Church. Note: As important as it is to be able to discern and avoid the workings of the wolves and the false shepherds I think it is much more important that we ourselves the individual Christian worshipers of God be able to present ourselves to God as holy and undefiled (Romans 12:1-3) because ultimately our relationship and accountability with God is going to be the final result of our actions and our intentions and not the actions and intentions of others or of organizations.

1 Corinthians 1 - In the opening of the first Church epistle (letter) to the Christian Church in Corinth the Apostle Paul defines what it is to be a Christian - 1 Corinthians 1:2-3 Unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, to *them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with *all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from [God] the Lord Jesus Christ. - Note: The word "and" in the Greek language can also be used as an equal sign (=) "from God our Father, and [=] from the Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the Testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; **waiting [watching] for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the [Judgment] Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called [invited] unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. - The Christian Church, fellowship with the living God as a Child of God is open and available to everyone who calls upon the Name of Jesus Christ in His resurrection glory, power and authority!

1 Corinthians 2 - Paul notes that earthly human wisdom will only go so far in understanding the Spiritual matters and nature of God as God has revealed Himself to mankind in the 3 in 1 [Triune - Trinity] nature of God - Therefore Paul speaks to people in a spiritual way so people can have an opportunity to receive the Spiritual nature of a relationship between God and mankind -- '1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, [I] came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, [in] declaring unto you the Testimony of God [Jesus]. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was [humble] with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing [salesmanship] words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: *That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.'
1 Corinthians 2:6-16 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect [complete in Jesus]: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought [nothing]: But we speak the wisdom of God *in a mystery [Triune - Father, Son Jesus , Holy Spirit], even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew [the Triune nature of God as revealed to mankind]: for had they known it [Triunity - Trinity], they would not have crucified the [the Triune] Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the [Triune] things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them [Triunity] unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God [are unknown to man] knoweth no man, but [unless the Spirit of God is within the born again person] the Spirit of God. [and] Now we have received [the born again Spirit of Jesus], *not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God [Jesus - Firstfruits];* that we might know the [Spiritual] things [of God] that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak [about], not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; *comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual. But the natural [physical, earthly] man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned [lacking]. *But he that is spiritual [born again] judgeth [considers] all things, yet he himself is judged [condemned] of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have [a mind above the earthly] the [heavenly, eternal] mind of Christ. - The Apostle Paul repeatedly throughout his writings refers to the 3 in 1 Triune (Trinity) nature of God [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit] as revealed by God to mankind as a "Mystery". If God were exclusively the Father and not the Son or the Holy Spirit than (singular) God in man is not really a mystery. Having one Spirit of God inside of one man could be easily explained and would not be encompassed in a mystery. However having the 3 in 1 nature of God, God the Father and equally God the Son Jesus Christ and just as equally God the Holy Spirit the three being individually separated [as revealed to mankind] as well as eternal (always existent, self-sustaining), omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and yet the three being one it is a great mystery. The eternal, undefined, exact True nature of God is a mystery [at least currently] to mankind because God is unique and God is complex as revealed by God to mankind in the 3 in 1 complexness of God in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 3 - The Spiritual nature of God is revealed to now be inside and comingled with the [cleansed by the blood of Jesus] human spirit in the [completed] Spiritually born again person -- '1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?' - '1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are [equally] yours ...'
1 Corinthians 3:9-15 For we [labor] are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry [living plant, vine branch], ye are God's building [structure]. According to the grace [individuality] of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder [of the Church structure of God], I have laid [revealed] the [Gospel] foundation, and another [Christian] buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed [be very careful] how he buildeth thereupon [the Gospel of Jesus]. For other [new] foundation can no man lay than [the original foundation] that is laid, *which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man [labors] build upon this [Jesus] foundation [then accordingly] gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work [labor on the one Christian structure] shall be made manifest [revealed]: for the [Judgment - rewards judgment] day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire [extreme judgment]; and the fire [Judgment of God] shall try [test] every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide [remain after the fire] which he hath built thereupon [the Christian foundation], *he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss [of rewards]: but he himself shall be saved [enter into Heaven]; yet so [emptied] as by fire. - The one eternal foundation of Jesus Christ is to be built on by all Christians of all denominations, at all times and throughout all locations. There are no alternate foundations in the House of God there is only the one True, Divine, precious [gold, silver, precious gemstones] eternal foundation of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 4 - It is required that those who oversee and administer the elements [mystery] of the Kingdom of God to themselves and to others that they do so being faithful to Jesus Christ -- '1 Corinthians 4:1-2 Let a man so account of us, as of the Ministers of Christ, and stewards [keepers, agents] of the *mysteries of God. Moreover *it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.'
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge [make final] nothing before the time, until the Lord [Jesus] come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and **will make manifest the counsels of the hearts [soul]: and then shall every man have praise of God [in the truth manifested of Jesus]. ... 1 Corinthians 4:7-15 For who maketh thee [beginning Christian] to differ from another? and what hast thou [of Christianity] that thou didst not [freely] receive? now if thou didst receive it [Salvation], why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received [but created] it? Now ye [beginning Christians] are full [have everything including all understanding and know all knowledge], now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us [the Apostles]: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might [benefit] reign with you. For I think that God hath set forth us the Apostles last [least in the Church], as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to Angels, and to men. We [experienced Christians] are fools for Christ's sake, but ye [beginning Christians] are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: **being reviled, we bless [as Jesus did]; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring [rejected] of all things unto this day. *I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons *I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors [to lord and reign over you] in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers [who care more for you than for themselves - to build you up and pray for your continued success]: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten [fathered] you through the Gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me [the Apostle Paul a mature, accomplished Christian, father of others in the faith]. - Christianity at first glance to some might look like an opportunity to get ahead in this world as an opportunity to gain status, respect, eat a free lunch, sell some books, increase some finances, gain earthly pleasures and flaunt authority over others. However true Christianity is about giving yourself to God and to others in an unselfish godly way and that the world is bitterly opposed to and completely at odds against. The beginning Christian sees what appears to be a good earthly opportunity for comfort and advancement in Christianity but the mature Christian experiences the difficulty of the reality of existing in an environment [both physical and spiritual (demonic)] that is truly hostile towards Christianity [the Christianity of Jesus Christ].

1 Corinthians 5 - The Apostle Paul rebukes some of the unholy behavior taking place in the Church and states that as a discerning Christian Paul does not even have to be in their presence to discern that their behavior is unscriptural -- '1 Corinthians 5:3-5 For I [Paul] verily, as absent [not physically among you] in body, *but present [discerning] in spirit, *have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this [immoral] deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit [of fellowship], with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan [remove the offender from Church fellowship] for the destruction of the flesh [having discovered the hard way after encountering Satan that serving (self) or is not worth it], that [through repentance] the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.'
1 Corinthians 5:6-13 Your glorying [about sin] is not good. Know ye not that a little [sin] leaven leaveneth [corrupts] the whole lump [fellowship]? Purge [remove] out therefore the old leaven [old sinful ways], that ye may be a new [fellowship] lump, as ye are unleavened [holy and undefiled]. *For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: ***Therefore let us keep the Feast [in Jesus], not with old leaven, neither with the leaven [sin] of malice [hostility] and wickedness; but with the [holy] unleavened bread of Sincerity and Truth. *I wrote unto you in an [previous] epistle [letter] not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators [Gentiles] of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company [with evil people within the Church], if any man that is called a brother [a fellow Christian] be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; **with such an one [avoid] no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them [don't judge non-Christians] also that are without? do not ye judge them [do judge fellow Christians] that are within? But them that are without [non-Christians] God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves [remove from fellowship] that wicked person. - Paul teaches of the necessity to judge people within the Church. It is of particular importance to Judge the pastors, leaders, teachers and elders of a Church or fellowship those are the offices most easily corrupted and they are the offices that need the most oversight. Don't hesitate to go to another fellowship in fact ALWAYS try to fellowship in two or more locations [denominations] although today the same tired message is repeated from denomination to denomination so that any actual variety is a rarity but it is unadvisable to be taught only by one man or only in one denomination particularly in this day and age of rampant deception with so many church personnel impersonating and pretending to be true Christian Church authorities. Note: The man that Paul referred to in this passage was removed from the fellowship, he then repented but the Church in Corinth would not receive him back into fellowship so part of the letter of 2nd Corinthians [which is actually 3rd Corinthians] is Paul instructing the Church to accept the repentant person back into fellowship. Also Note: The referenced previous letter from the Apostle Paul to the Church at Corinth was probably brief enough and specific enough that it was intended only for a few people in Corinth for the one specific matter. In all of the other writings of Paul he wrote broadly to encompass the complete body of Christ in his writings and in his letters even in his personal letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon the Apostle Paul directed them as Church wide epistles.

1 Corinthians 6 - The Apostle Paul explains Christian liberty - we as Christians in a personal relationship with God in Heaven are free to do anything on earth - However on earth there are still harmful (unprofitable) things and if a Christian is not discerning enough to avoid and stay away from the harmful effects of things that still remain on this earth than a Christian can suffer the consequences of bad personal decisions -- '1 Corinthians 6:9-12 Know ye not that the unrighteous [unsaved] shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? *Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. **And such were some of you [we have all sinned]: ***but ye are [now] washed [cleansed by the blood of Jesus], but ye are sanctified [set apart to God], but ye are justified [right with God] **in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit [born again] of our God. **All things are lawful unto me [we have liberty not the law], but all things are not expedient [well]: all things are lawful for me, ***but I will not be brought under the power [into bondage] of any [worldly thing].'
1 Corinthians 6:13 Meats [food is] for the belly, and the belly [is] for meats [food]: *but God shall destroy both it [physical stomach] and them [food urges] {food, bodily urges and our physical body become obsolete}. **Now the body *is *not *for *fornication, but [it is to worship] *for *the *Lord; and the Lord for the body. **And God hath both raised [resurrection] up the Lord, **and will also *raise *up *us by His own power [in a new body without food or sexual urges] {worship and our new resurrection body become everything}. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? *know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith He, shall be one flesh (Genesis 2:24). **But he that is [born again] joined unto the Lord *is one Spirit. **Flee fornication. **Every sin that a man doeth [greed, envy, etc.] is [in the soul] without the body; **but he that committeth fornication sinneth [both against the soul and the physical body] against his own [physical] body. What? *know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price [death on the cross]: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your [human] spirit, which are God's. - Sexual sin is one of the sins that a person can commit that has larger ramifications than other sins. When a person sins in their soul it is bad enough but when we sin body and soul it is a double portion of sin in a sense. When we sin in our mind for instance if we think God does not love us or does not hear our prayers then that is sin and God can and will deal with that sin (shortcoming) by revealing more of Himself to us. Sometimes our sins do bring us closer to God. God is able to use both our obedience and our disobedience in order to reveal Himself to us. The cults are often so wrong when they say that God can't do something because of our sin however with physical sin like murder, drugs, pornography, etc. it involves other people and brings our physical body and the bodies of others into the sinful act therefore the consequences of the sin are often multiplied [in a sexual encounter you might not have a social disease at the start of the encounter but because another person is involved you might have one at the end of the encounter] and yes God can and does overcome our physical sins however physical sins are an indication that a person is further away from God and being further away from God the person often needs more and drastic measures in order to bring them into a honorable relationship with God.

1 Corinthians 7 - 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 But [this is a New Testament Teaching] to the rest speak I [in the Holy Spirit in the New Testament], not the Lord [through the Old Testament]: If any brother [Christian] hath a [non-Christian] wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not [divorce] put her away. And the [Christian] woman which hath an [non-Christian] husband that believeth not, *and *if *he *be *pleased *to *dwell [no violence or abuse] with her, let her not leave him. *For the unbelieving husband is sanctified [set apart] by the wife [through her prayers and intercession for the family], and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband [through his prayers and intersession for the family]: else were your children unclean [without any knowledge of God]; but now are they holy [having some knowledge of God]. - Note: Divorce is unfortunate however love is above the law (Galatians 5:22). If someone is divorced they can remarry anyone out of love [a highest commitment of good to God]. Divorce breaks the law, it breaks the marriage, it breaks the family and it breaks society but marriage [any marriage, 2nd, 3rd, etc.] in a committed union through love in Jesus Christ can overcome all things. God is the God of a new life and of second, third, fourth, fifth chance etc. Have the freedom [freedom means making mistakes] and the liberty [to make more mistakes] in this life but be sure to live it for God and God is more than willing and more than capable of picking up the pieces of our life including and especially in failed relationships and in marriages.
1 Corinthians 7:17-24 But as God hath distributed [life's circumstances] to every man, as the Lord [comes down to man and meets man] hath called [invited] every one, so let him walk [where he first met God]. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. **Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called [where he met God, until or if you discern a change in your life]. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it [God can fellowship with a servant (slave)]: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; **be not ye the servants of men. *Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called [where he met God], therein abide [fellowship] with God. - The Apostle Paul is saying that God meets individual mankind where we are, at any particular moment in life. If someone is famous and they meet God then God has met them there in that condition they don't have to sell everything and become poor to fellowship with God they have already met God. So don't chase after God according to the wisdom of men but just consider that God has already dealt us many of our cards in life and God can work in and around the cards we hold in our life. Once meeting God that is a new relationship and some things do change [like going into some form of ministry]and many things stay the same in life. Make sure the changes and any new directions in life are from God when and if they happen.

1 Corinthians 8 - Continuing with instructions to the Church the Apostle Paul explains that Christian love is more important and more meaningful than knowledge and it is certainly more powerful than hidden (occult) knowledge - If someone has vast occult knowledge the answer often isn't our Christian knowledge but our Christian love and of our concern for them, their safety and their wellbeing -- '1 Corinthians 8:1 Now as touching (occult) things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity (love) edifieth [builds up].'
1 Corinthians 8:4-13 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing [without authority] in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many, and lords many, But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him. *Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge [of Jesus Christ]: for some with conscience [knowledge] of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But meat [food] commendeth [recommended] us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not [fast], are we the worse. But take heed lest by any means this liberty [to eat foods sacrificed to idols] of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak [suspect idols have authority]. For if any man see thee which hast [Biblical] knowledge sit at meat [rejecting the idol] in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols [accepting the idol]; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish [fall away], for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend [follow idols]. - Loosely this is about a Christian who has a good walk and goes into a pagan temple and has lunch as a Christian in a pagan place knowing that God is above all. Then a weaker Christian sees this and wrongly thinks that the Christian really worships idols so that person begins to think maybe idols do have power and is seduced away from Christianity all because a Christian went into a pagan place. 1. Always make sure [to the best of our ability]that when we do go into a non-Christian environment that we try to keep our Christian bearing if we act non-Christian at a sports event or whatever it is an issue. 2. Our actions do affect other Christians both for good and for bad so just be aware of it that our actions do affect other people even if we don't know them directly or realize it.

1 Corinthians 9 - The Apostle Paul points out that although servants of God are allowed to make a living from their service to God it is not intended that the Gospel [Good News of Jesus Christ] is to be perceived by others as having been sold for income -- '1 Corinthians 9:18 What is my reward then? Verily that, *when I Preach the Gospel , I may make the Gospel of Christ [free] without charge, *that I abuse not my power in the Gospel.'
1 Corinthians 9:16-27 16 For though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the Gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a [temporary] corruptible crown; but we [Christians] an [eternal] incorruptible [crown]. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air [shadowboxing]: But I keep under [submission]my body, and bring it into subjection: *lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, *I myself should be a [disqualified] castaway. - The Apostle Paul is continuing to talk about God's ability to meet people when and where they are. Paul is not saying that he joins [lawless] people in their activities, what the Apostle Paul is saying is that some people eat only certain foods and that is fine God can meet them there. Some people have certain customs and rituals and that's fine God can meet them there. At times in Church history missionaries have gone from developed countries like England and America to remote areas to spread the Gospel but at times the missionaries were so intent on making foreign people British or American subjects first that the teaching of the gospel was neglected. The Apostle Paul is saying that he does not try to convert people to a nationality or a custom but only to the eternal, living, Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 10 - A continuing encouragement for Christians to conduct our lives with an ever-present Kingdom of God conduct and with an eternal life purpose of mind -- '1 Corinthians 10:31-33 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, *or whatsoever ye do [with your liberty], *do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the *Jews, nor to the *Gentiles, nor to the *Church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit [benefit], but the profit [benefit] of many, **that they may be saved. - Note: The Bible divides the three groups; Jews, Gentiles and Christians.'
1 Corinthians 10:23-29 All things are lawful for me, *but all things are not expedient [well]: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify [build-up] not. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth [benefit]. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles [market], that eat, asking no question [about its occult origins] for conscience sake: **For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. If any of them [non-Christians] that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no [about its occult origins] question for conscience sake. **But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not [don't join in] for his sake that shewed it, and for [our] conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof [God is Lord and does not want us to fellowship with idols (demons)]: Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other [try not to give people the false impression that Christians compromise and go along with the idols of others]: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience? - Note: Why is our Christian liberty judged for another man's conscience? Paul is saying that we have a more complete knowledge and we also have the backing of the God of the universe therefore we need to represent God to an unsaved world with as clear and uncompromised message as we can. If Christians send a message of compromise it conflicts with the no compromise message of Jesus and His cross but if we also send a message of no love then it also conflicts with the message of Jesus and His cross where His love for us was so complete that He died for us so we can live. Therefore try to keep and give and accurate representation of Jesus Christ and of His cross and of His resurrection to others who we interact with especially in social interactions.

1 Corinthians 11 - The Church is instructed in the Communion of Jesus Christ -- '1 Corinthians 11:23 For I have received of the Lord [Jesus] that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus *the same night in which He was betrayed [by Judas] took bread ...' - Note: The Communion represents and is a part of the Levitical Feats of "The Lord's Passover" Jesus was betrayed on the night of the Passover Feast [14th of Nisan - Leviticus 23:5]. The very next day, the day of the crucifixion (cross) of Jesus is the Levitical Feast the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" [15th of Nisan - Leviticus 23:6] then that first day of the week [Sunday] is the Feast of Firstfruits [Leviticus 23:7] - Jesus Resurrected on Sunday the Feast of Firstfruits and began (John 20:22) to give individually to each one of His disciples the Firstfruits of His Holy, eternal resurrection life - 'Romans 8:23 And not only they [all of creation groans for redemption], but ourselves also, which have *the Firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption [from Children of God to Sons of God], to wit, the redemption of our body.'
Christian Communion - The New Testament - The body [both the physical and the resurrection body of Jesus] and the blood [both the physical blood and the resurrection - eternal life, spiritual blood] of Jesus Christ: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 23 For I [Apostle Paul] have received of the Lord [Jesus] that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is *My body [representing both the physical body and resurrection (spiritual) body of Jesus], which [physical body] is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My blood [both physical blood and resurrection Spirit-life blood]: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. *For as often as ye eat *this [unleavened] bread, and drink this [grape and water mingled] cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily [thinking they are not a sinner], shall be guilty of the [sacrifice for our sins] body and blood of the Lord. **But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, **not discerning the Lord's body [that the physical body of Jesus was given physically for our sin on the cross (redemption) and that the Spiritual body of Jesus is given to us from His eternal life resurrection (Salvation)]. For this cause [not knowing that the same body of Jesus from the cross is the same body that resurrected and is for our eternal, resurrection life, salvation] many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [are unaware of the power and of the pending resurrection in our own life]. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened (Hebrews 12:6) of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. - Note: The 'cup' is in reference to both the physical life-blood and the Spiritual life-blood of Jesus. The Communion of Jesus Christ represents both the body on the cross and the resurrection life body of Jesus. The New Testament - Communion of Jesus Christ represents both the Redemption (cross) and Salvation (resurrection) body of Jesus Christ. - Also Note: Jesus being without sin in His body (Matthew 17:2), bodily resurrected in His same body. We having sin our own physical body we vacate our physical body and it returns to dust [Genesis 3:19] then we each receive a new spiritual body - not a new physical body [not a reincarnation of a physical body] but a new eternal spiritual body for the purposes of our [continuing] eternal spiritual life.

1 Corinthians 12 - The individual nature and use of Spiritual gifts [abilities] giving from God are discussed -- '1 Corinthians 12:1-7 Now concerning Spiritual gifts [abilities from God], brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can [honestly] say [with the human spirit] that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost [but deceivers can easily say in their mind or with their mouth that Jesus is God - or some variation 'Almighty' to attempt to fool people]. Now there are diversities of [different] gifts, but [done in] the same [Holy] Spirit. And there are differences of administrations [uses for the same gift], but the same Lord [Jesus]. And there are diversities of operations [how each gift is used by each individual person], but *it is the same God which worketh all in all [in all Christians]. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit [each man] withal [each in a similar manner].'
1 Corinthians 12:27-31 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some [individuals] in the Church, first Apostles [sent out ones - evangelists], secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments [administration], diversities of tongues. *Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? [No!] But covet [seek] earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. ... [the way of love (agape)]. - All of the gifts, offices and functions of God are valuable and all work together in the one resurrection body of Jesus Christ. - Note: The individual workings and accomplishments through the use of the gifts are not a substitute for love. We have to love, God and one another in Jesus Christ or else any of the works we do are meaningless.

1 Corinthians 13 - The superior Christian way - The way of Love (Agape) - Spiritual resurrection life love in Jesus Christ -- '1 Corinthians 13:12-13 For now [while in our physical body] we see through a glass [eye], darkly [barely visible of the spiritual realm]; but then [after our resurrection and spiritual body then] face to face [with Jesus - God]: now I know [experience - Ginosko, G1097] in part; but then shall I know [experience divinely - Epiginosko, G1921] even as also I am known. And *now [in the darkened physical realm] abideth [exists] *faith, *hope, charity (love - Agape, G26), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love - Agape, G26).'
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that [Jesus] which is perfect is come [2nd coming], then that which is in part [the gifts - Apostle, teaching, prophecy] shall be done away. When I was a child [incomplete], I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man [adult - complete (sonship)], I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. - Note: Many of the various gifitngs of God the Holy Spirit are only temporary and will later be unnecessary in the presence of Jesus during His 2nd Coming Kingdom reign. Where the abilities of some gifts will cease of diminish in the presence of Jesus the ability to have faith, to have hope, to give and to love will increase in the presence of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 14 - The Christian Church is to function in an and orderly manner and in an atmosphere of mutual respect -- '1 Corinthians 14:31-33 For ye [Christian] may all prophesy [explain Biblical concepts] one by one, that *all may learn, and *all may be comforted. And *the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets [themselves] {people are not possessed (taken over) by the Holy Spirit the way a demon might (overpower) a person's freewill}. For God is not the author of confusion, *but of peace [comfort], as *in all Churches of the Saints [holy - saved].'
1 Corinthians 14:36-40 What? came [originated] the Word of God out from you? or came it unto you [exclusively] only? *If any man think himself to be a prophet, *or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I [Apostle Paul] write unto you are the commandments of the Lord [Jesus]. But if any man be ignorant [self-serving], let him be ignorant. Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy [explain to others the concepts of Christianity], and forbid not to speak with tongues. *Let all things be done decently [respecting one another] and [functionally] in order. - Note: This is a major indictment against the popularity preaching [one man shows] of modern Christianity. Everyone in the Christian Church is equal among each other and everyone can contribute equally among the fellowship, no exceptions. The one man shows of modern Christianity are completely unbiblical and worse yet having one person in several positions of leadership [i.e. leadership, teaching, counseling, guiding, etc.] is disastrous and almost always, without fail it leads to the eventual destruction of the fellowship.

1 Corinthians 15 - The Christian Gospel is given as the [cross] redemption and [resurrection] salvation of Jesus Christ for our benefit of receiving eternal [resurrection] life -- '1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you *the Gospel [Jesus Christ is risen] which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved [salvation], if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died [cross - redemption] for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried [proven to be dead], and that He rose again [resurrection - salvation] the third day according to the scriptures'
1 Corinthians 15:12-58 Now if [Jesus] Christ be preached [proclaimed] that He rose [resurrection] from the dead, *how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? *But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, *then is our preaching vain [empty], and your faith is also vain [empty]. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. **But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the Firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [Jesus] came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in [Jesus] Christ shall all be made alive. *But every man [individually] in his own order: Christ the Firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming [in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17, Acts 3:21)]. Then cometh the end [Tribulation - Great Tribulation], when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God [from here on earth], even {to} the Father; when He shall have put down all [Satanic] rule and all authority and power. For He [Messiah] must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. **The last enemy that shall be destroyed is [physical] death [spiritual death (separation from God) - lake of fire remains (Revelation 20:14)]. For He [Jesus] hath put all things under His feet [authority - soul]. But when He [Holy Spirit] saith, all things are put under Him [Jesus], it is manifest that He [Holy Spirit] is excepted [excluded - the Holy Spirit is not at odds with Jesus and is not subjected], which did put all things under Him [Jesus]. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him [Jesus], then shall the Son [Jesus] also Himself be subject unto Him [Father] that put all things under Him, **that God [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit] may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead {at times of severe persecution to get baptized was practically a death sentence}, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead {why baptize if it will cause your death if there is no resurrection}? *And why stand we [professing Christ] in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. ***Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that [plant seed] which thou sowest [plant in the ground] is not quickened [made alive], except it die: And that which thou sowest, *thou sowest not that body [blossoms] that shall be, but bare grain [seed], it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But *God giveth it a body [from a seed] as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies [sun], and bodies terrestrial [moon]: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. **So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption [physical flesh, sin]; it is raised in incorruption [spiritual body]: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: *It [human life] is sown a natural [physical] body; it [human life] is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [Jesus] was made a quickening [life giving] spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural [physical]; *and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man [Adam] is of the earth, earthy: the second man [Jesus] is the Lord from Heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: **and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. **Now this I say, brethren, that [physical] flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed [from physical body to spiritual eternal body], In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump [Church announcement from God - not the trumpet judgments of Revelation]: for the trumpet [announcement] shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible [in their resurrection body], and we [who are alive] shall be changed [into a spiritual body]. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality [eternity]. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, **then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, ***Death is swallowed up in [the] victory [of Jesus]. *O death, where is thy sting? *O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. **But thanks be to God, **which giveth us **the victory **through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, *be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, *forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain [emptiness] in the Lord [our labor is eternal].

1 Corinthians 16 - Paul concludes his current letter to the Church at Corinth -- '1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection [donation] for the Saints [in Jerusalem], as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia [modern day Asia, Turkey], even so do ye [in Greece]. Upon [Church day] the first day of the week [Sunday] let every one of you lay by him in store (savings), as God hath prospered him, *that there be no gatherings when I come.' - Note: the Apostle Paul continually separates himself from any appearance of being personally enriched by the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. - Also Note: The collection was taken for the Church in Jerusalem and likely 100% of the collection went directly to the Church in Jerusalem. Today in modern Christianity some ministries would probably take their own cut [though honestly many Church ministries do not take a cut - but in a modern non-Church, visiting pastor (as the Apostle Paul was) or crusade type of setting the donations are often misappropriated] of the donations [for a specific causes] and usually only a fraction of the designated amount of the original stated purpose would now make it to the original cause.
The Epistle (book) of 1st Corinthians concludes: 1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch [be alert, continually look for the 2nd Coming return of Jesus] ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you [behave] like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity. I beseech you, brethren, ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the Firstfruits of Achaia [a part of grater Greece], and **that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints, That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to everyone that helpeth with us, and laboureth. I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such. The Churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla [good friends of Paul, Jewish Christians originally from Rome] salute you much in the Lord, with the Church that is in their house. All the brethren greet you. Greet ye one another with an holy kiss [friendly embrace]. The salutation [closing remark] of me Paul [written] with mine own hand. If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema [lit. banished] Maranatha [lit. until - Our Lord, come!]. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

2 CORINTHIANS

Second Corinthians "A Ministry of Reconciliation" - This is a unique letter with a writing style that is very personal, bold, at times sarcastic, and very defensive - It shares the concern, passion, intimate feelings and thoughts of an Apostle [Paul] who is defending his own apostleship and ministry in a church which he founded - The letter is the least systematic [theology] of the Apostle Paul's writings - Even a casual reading gives the impression of a man who is on his feet fighting a battle with his feelings and personal biases clearly involved - It reads almost like a man who expresses freely his feelings about himself and his ministry in a journal
Second Corinthians reveals Paul's deep concern for a troubled Greek church. The Church at Corinth had great potential, but its history was marked by dissension, confusion in theology, distortions in worship, and apathy in moral concerns. Therefore, it is a letter of extreme relevance for churches in our day and age. This is a unique letter with a writing style that is very personal, bold, at times sarcastic, and very defensive. It shares the concern, passion, intimate feelings and thoughts of an apostle who is defending his own apostleship and ministry in a church which he founded. The letter is the least systematic of the Apostle Paul's writings. Even a casual reading gives the impression of a man who is on his feet fighting a battle with his feelings and personal biases clearly involved. It reads almost like a man who expresses freely his feelings about himself and his ministry in a journal. Thus analysis of this letter is almost impossible. Try outlining it for yourself. Read with pencil in hand. ... CHRONOLOGY OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PAUL AND THE CORINTHIANS: 1. Paul visited Corinth on his second missionary journey and established a church there about A.D. 50 Acts 18:1-17). 2. While in Ephesus (A.D. 55), Paul heard of moral problems within the Corinthian church from Chloe's people and wrote a letter of instruction to them. He referred to this "previous letter" in 1 Cor. 5:9. This letter no longer exists; it was lost without trace. We will call it Paul's "Corinthians A" letter after F. F. Bruce's designation. 3. Paul received a letter from some of the members in the church concerning serious problems within the fellowship (I Cor. 7:1). They sought Paul's counsel in dealing with the issues. The family of Chloe came with news of the church (I Cor. 1:11), and the visit of Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus (I Cor. 16:17). On the basis of the letter and other information that reached him in Ephesus about problems in the church, Paul wrote what is now called 1 Corinthians in about A.D. 55 and sent it to Corinth via Timothy (I Cor. 4:17). We will call 1 Corinthians letter "Corinthians B". 4. The pastoral letter, 1 Corinthians, was not successful and the situation grows worse. In fact, it seems to have stimulated further rebellion against Paul's authority. In response Paul probably made a brief visit across the Aegean Sea to Corinth in a personal attempt to resolve the crisis (2 Cor. 2:1; 12:14; 13:1-2). This is often referred to as the "painful visit" which breaks his heart. Paul was rebuffed by members of the church. The opposition comes to a head with one member in particular defying his authority. The leadership in the church took no effective action in Paul's defense. Paul, deeply humiliated, left Corinth. 5. The "painful visit" didn't accomplish its goal, therefore Paul returned to Ephesus and wrote a third letter to the Corinthians "out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears." It is referred to in 2 Corinthians 2:3-4, 9, and 7:8, 12. This "exceedingly severe letter," delivered by Titus (2 Cor. 2:3f, 13; 7:13), is often called the stern or rebuking letter. This letter left Paul almost sorry that he had written it. We will call it letter "Corinthians C". 6. Titus visited Corinth with the "severe letter" in an attempt to reconcile the situation. Paul, in the mean time, was so anxious to hear from Titus that he left Ephesus traveling north to Troas seeking him (2 Cor. 2:13; 7:5, 13). Somewhere in Macedonia, probably Philippi, Paul received the good news from Titus of a change in attitude in the Corinthian church. The leader of rebellion had been rejected and disciplined. The church was once again open to Paul's counsel and desirous of his friendship. 7. Paul responded by writing 2 Corinthians from Philippi around A.D. 56 or early A.D. 57. We will call this letter "Corinthians D." 8. Paul made a final visit to Corinth (Acts 20:1-3) during which he solidified his relationship with the church and received the mission offering for the Jerusalem church. On this stay in Corinth Paul probably wrote his letter to the Romans. He sends Titus back to them with two other friends. F. F. Bruce is of the opinion that "this second visit of Titus to Corinth was not so happy as the former one. . . Paul was really putting them on the spot. . . . A new feeling of resentment showed itself among some members of the church, and it was fostered by certain visitors to Corinth who did their best to undermine Paul's prestige in his converts' eyes." He bases his theory on 2 Cor. 10-13. PURPOSE OF SECOND CORINTHIANS: False teachers who claimed to be apostles had infiltrated the Corinthian church with the goal of discrediting Paul's ministry and apostleship. This letter was written with the purpose of refuting these intruders. Paul is defending his integrity. 1. Paul wrote to prepare the Corinthians for his visit and insure the restored relationship with them (chapter 1-7). 2. He wrote to remind the church of their commitment to the offering for the poor saints at Jerusalem (chapters 8-9). 3. Paul defended his apostolic authority (chapters 10-13). 4. "He wrote to reprimand the obstinate remnants of the 'Cephas' (Peter) and 'Christ' factions for their persistent opposition" (Shepard, p. 273). THEME OF 2 CORINTHIANS: The joys and sorrows in Paul's ministry at Corinth at a time when his authority is undermined and severely questioned. ... GENUINENESS OF THE EPISTLE: Many scholars are of the same opinion as J. W. Shepard regarding the genuineness of 2 Corinthians. He writes: There is abundant proof of the circulation and genuineness of this epistle previous to 120 A. D. Polycarp and Irenaeus are among those who testify to this fact; through citation and otherwise. The evidence is yet more copious for early circulation dating from 175 A. D.; the Muratorian Fragment, Marcions Canon, and the citations from Clement of Alexandria and others. . . The internal evidence of Pauline authorship is so clear in the matter of style, vocabulary, and character of its general teachings as to render its authenticity unmistakable. So strong is both the external and internal evidence that only a small group of 'eccentric critics' any longer call in question its genuineness. [article link]

2 Corinthians 1 - The Apostle Paul begins what in the Bible is 2nd Corinthians though possibly it is his 4th letter to the Church at Corinth - Paul was a simple straightforward man from a medium sized city (Tarsus) - In Corinth one of the true metropolises of the ancient world the seemingly unsophisticated ways of Paul were almost completely rejected by the highly cultured and complex people of Corinth -- '2 Corinthians 1:-2 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the Church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia [grater Greece]'
2 Corinthians 1:9-24 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, *but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf. For our rejoicing is this, the Testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly [physical, worldly] wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. For we write none other things unto you, than what ye read or acknowledge; and I trust ye shall acknowledge even to the end; As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit; And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia unto you, and of you to be brought on my way toward Judaea. When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness [Paul didn't neglect the Church at Corinth]? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay? But *as God is True, our word toward you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay [devious], but in Him was yea [God is straightforward, steadfast]. For all the promises of God in Him are yea [yes], and in Him Amen [lit. Truth], unto the glory of God by us. Now *He [Holy Spirit] which establishes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not [postponed] as yet unto Corinth. Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith [redemption (cross) and salvation (resurrection) equal faith] ye stand. - Paul continues to attempt to remove the focus and adoration of the highly cultured Church at Corinth off of individuals and off of society in general and instead seeks for them to focus on the eternal Kingdom of God.

2 Corinthians 1 (Part B) - Intermixed in Paul's letter is his own personal memoirs and contributions to the Christian Church as a whole -- '2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.'
2 Corinthians 1:6-10 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation [wellbeing], which is effectual [an example] in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted [it is also an example], it is for your consolation and salvation. *And our hope [of your success in Christ] of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: *But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but *in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us; - Paul is revealing that the struggles he is facing day to day in life on the road as a Missionary is very much a constant struggle of life and death.

2 Corinthians 2 - Paul sets out that he is in Ministry to reveal Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world and not for fame, fortune or even wealth -- '2 Corinthians 2:14-17 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour [sweet aroma] of His knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour [aroma] of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one [unsaved] we are the savour [reminder] of death unto [their eternal spiritual] death; and to the other [fellow Christians] the savour [reminder] of life unto [eternal spiritual] life. And who is sufficient [worthy] for these [eternal - Kingdom of God] things? For we are not as many [hired pastors - imposters], which corrupt the Word of God: but as of sincerity [of an Apostle - Evangelist], but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.'
2 Corinthians 2:6-11 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage [turning our worship into socializing] of us: for we are not ignorant of his [Satan's] devices [tricks]. - Paul now mentions again the person referred to in 1st Corinthians who was removed from fellowship for immoral behavior. The Church in Corinth is instructed to allow the repentant worshiper back into the congregation because Christianity is not a social group and it is not a social gathering it is a place of fellowship, worship and obedience unto the almighty God.

2 Corinthians 2 (Part B) - Paul is explaining that this rift between the Church and himself is taking a heavy personal toll on him -- '2 Corinthians 2:1-5 But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that makes me glad, but the same [people] which is made sorry by me? And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. *For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you [possibly a letter after 1st Corinthians and before this 2nd Corinthians] with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he hath not grieved me, but in part: that I may not overcharge [breakoff relations with] you all.'
2 Corinthians 2:12-13 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia [Greece]. - Apparently Paul wrote a very stern letter the "exceedingly severe letter" delivered by Titus from Ephesus to the Church in Corinth then Paul journeyed from Ephesus to Troas hoping to meet up with Titus and hear of how his stern letter was received back in Corinth. Paul was unable to find Titus so he went further towards Corinth into Macedonia. Titus (2 Corinthians 7:6) finally located Paul and his companions in Macedonia and gave him the good news that the [now missing] stern letter was well received by the Church in Corinth. After the news from Titus then Paul wrote this 2nd Corinthians letter. - Note: The often referred to "stern letter" could have actually been 1st Corinthians that is being mentioned and not a missing letter though Paul's first (memo) letter to Corinth is known to be missing.

2 Corinthians 3 - Glory brings about glory while dishonor brings about dishonor - In order to be conformed into the image of Jesus we need to be steadily transformed from spiritual victory (glory) to spiritual victory (glory) in the Holy Spirit -- '2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all [Christians], with open [unveiled] face beholding as in a glass [the physical realm] the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image [as Jesus is already in] from glory [accomplishment] to glory [accomplishment], even as by the [Holy] Spirit of the Lord.'
2 Corinthians 3:11-17 For if that which is done away [the laws of Moses] was glorious, much more that which remaineth [the resurrection of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit] is glorious. Seeing then that we have such [resurrection] hope, we use great plainness [outspoken boldness] of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face (Exodus 34:35), that the Children of Israel [Jews] could no stedfastly look [as the face of Moses dimmed] to the end of that [laws of Moses] which is abolished: But their [Jewish] minds were blinded [covered by the vail of Moses]: for until this day remaineth the same vail [vail of Moses] untaken away [when a Jew/Hebrew reads the Bible they see Moses not Jesus] in the reading of the Old Testament [by the Jews]; which vail is done away [removed from Christians] in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail [of Moses] is upon their [Jewish] heart. Nevertheless when it [Jewish heart] shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. - Paul is explaining that the Bible is not vailed to the Christian. When a Christian reads the Bible the meaning should be self-evident. We as Christians have the vail removed and we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit therefore we don't need to be instructed in the Bible as the Jews are instructed in the laws of Moses. Christians are to engage in their own readings, devotions and studies of the Bible and are not to rely on man or on classes taught by men in order to teach the Bible to us.

2 Corinthians 3 (Part B) - Don't rely on men to teach you the Bible and in the same context don't rely on men to recommend other men to you as men of good Christian character, conduct or ability - Assess each Christian man (leader, worker) yourself in prayer, in guidance and in discernment with the Holy Spirit and don't look for other people to commend your ministry instead just look for 'living' Spiritual fruit from God as conformation for your work in Jesus -- '2 Corinthians 3:1-3 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles (letters) of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our [living] epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, *written not with ink [in the words of man], but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.'
2 Corinthians 3:4-6 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; **but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter [the law of Moses or the recommendations of man], but of the [Holy] Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. - Trust in God and look to God both in personal devotions and in personal ministry service. The laws of Moses are constricting, blinding and irrelevant to New Testament service based in the Holy Spirit to God and the advice, council and approval of men is just as entangling, constricting, blinding and worthless in New Testament Christian service and devotions to God.

2 Corinthians 4 - Paul reiterates the equality we all have in Jesus Christ - One Christian person [regardless of service or human status] will be raised up just as the next Christian person -- '2 Corinthians 4:14 Knowing that He [Father] which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up *us also by Jesus, and shall present [in Heaven] us [equally] with you.'
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward [physical] man perish, yet the inward [spirit-soul] man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction [difficulties of life], which is but for a moment [considering eternity], worketh *for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of [eternal] glory; While we look not at the [current] things which are seen, but at the [eternal] things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal [temporary]; but the [spiritual] things which are not seen are eternal. - Being reminded again of the eternal and complex nature of the spirit realm vs. the briefness and simplicity of the physical realm.

2 Corinthians 4 (Part B) - Christian work is difficult in fact it is doing the impossible therefore relax, enjoy and allow God to work naturally through your life in an extraordinary, supernatural way, a way unknown and not experienced by unsaved mankind -- '2 Corinthians 4:8-11 We [Christian workers] are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, *that the [unselfish] life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the [extraordinary] life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal [body] flesh.'
2 Corinthians 4:1-7 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint [resign] not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, **nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; *but by manifestation of the Truth commending ourselves *to every man's conscience [discernment] *in the sight of God. But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god [Satan] of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, **[Jesus] who is the image of God, should shine unto them. *For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. *For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness (Genesis 1:3), hath shined in our hearts (Isaiah 60:1, 1 John 2:8), to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this [spiritual] treasure in [fragile] earthen vessels [bodies], that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. - When we allow God into our lives He will live in us and through us naturally in a natural, supernatural way not in a manmade way or in a man-mandated way but only in a spiritual, supernatural way.

2 Corinthians 5 - The physical human body is temporary and for the [saved] Christian will be exchanged for a an eternal spiritual body as given by God to each of us individually -- '2 Corinthians 5:4-5 For we that are in this tabernacle [temporary physical body] do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed [unembodied], but clothed upon [with an eternal spirit body], that mortality might be swallowed up of [eternal] life. Now He that hath wrought [created] us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest [down payment - Firstfruits] of the Spirit.'
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the [physical] body, we are absent from the Lord: For we walk by faith, not by sight: We are confident, I say, and willing rather *to be absent from the [physical] body, and to be present with the Lord. *Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him [Jesus]. For we must all appear before the *judgment seat [lit. foot of the Throne - Bema, G968] of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his [physical] body, according to that he hath done, *whether it be good or bad. - Note: Humans because of sin are originally conceived [in the womb] separated from God but then can become spiritually 'born again' into the family of God as a "Child of God" and remain a child of God while in the physical body. After physical death and appearing in Heaven at the Bema (judgment of Jesus Christ) a holy (clean) person [Christian] is rewarded and adopted into the family of God going from a Child of God to a Son of God and as a Son receiving a new eternal spiritual body, a body in the (image - able to interact and associate with God) resemblance of the risen Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5 (Part B) - Paul continues to instruct the Church in the ability to discern between the staged and planned exhibits of mankind and the actual eternal Spiritual life realm of God -- '2 Corinthians 5:11-12 Knowing therefore the terror [lit. reverence] of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences [discernment]. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory [accomplish] on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them [imposters] which glory in [human] appearance [standing], and not in [a godly soul, spirit] heart.'
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 For the love of Christ constraineth [restraints] us; because we thus judge, that if (lit. since) one [Jesus Christ] died for all [mankind], then were all [mankind were] dead [separated from God]: And that He [Jesus] died for all, **that they which live should not [anymore] henceforth live unto themselves, *but unto Him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore [for that reason - the unselfish sacrifice of Jesus on the cross - and now the eternal life resurrection] henceforth know we no man after the [physical] flesh: yea, though we have known Christ [came at one time physically] after the flesh, *yet now henceforth know we Him no more [physically]. ***Therefore if any man be in Christ, he [born again person] is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. *And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by [Himself] Jesus Christ, **and hath given to us the Ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that ***God was in [Jesus] Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing [holding] their trespasses [sins] unto them; and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation [forgiveness of sins in the blood of Jesus]. Now then we are Ambassadors for [Jesus] Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray [ask] you in Christ's stead [stand-in], *be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; *that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. - Note: Jesus became sin for us, He took on our sin upon himself as he removed our sin from us. It is important to note that our sins [trespasses] did not affect Jesus permanently but only temporarily while He was on the cross for us. Jesus overcame our sins and as a result the sinless body of Jesus was able to rise from the grave. The Disciple John (Revelation 5:6) observes Jesus standing in Heaven in the midst of the Throne in His slain physical body. Jesus having no sin of His own and perfectly able to overcome our sins (all the sins of the world)was able to bodily resurrect. We humans are unable to overcome even our own sins by ourselves and therefore we do not bodily resurrect as Jesus did but we separate from our body our temporary physical body returns to dust and in the adoption we receive a new resurrection body a body vaguely similar [able to be in the presence of the Holy God and to worship and interact with God] to what Jesus has now.

2 Corinthians 6 - Paul now focuses on the opportunity that life is the opportunity to enter into an eternal life relationship with God -- '2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with Him [God - Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit], beseech you also that ye receive not the grace [personal individuality allowed by God] of God in vain. For He saith, I [God] have heard thee [prayers] in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured [assisted, aided] thee: **behold, now [today] is the accepted time [to become a born into the family of God - child of God]; behold, now is the day of salvation [eternal life].'
2 Corinthians 6:3-10 Giving no offence in anything [offending not the Jews, Gentiles or the Church of god], that the [Christian] Ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving [representing] ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes [whippings], in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, *in watchings [looking for the 2nd Coming of Jesus], in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy [Spirit] Ghost, by love unfeigned, By *the Word of Truth [Holy Bible], by the power [lit. life creating, resurrection eternal life power - Dunamis, G1411] of God, by the armor of [Jesus'] righteousness on the *right hand [in Christian fellowship] and on the *left [outside of Christian fellowship], By honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. - Note: Paul gives a list of precautions to take and he includes in his list of precautions to be equally cautious and alert inside of the Church [right hand of fellowship] as with those who are outside the Church [the left hand path]. Inside of a Church particularly a metropolis (city) [mega-Church] like Corinth was is no place to remove our Christian armor and no place to set aside our individual discernment. There can be and are just as many perils within Church fellowships as there are outside of Church fellowships and inside the Church there is always the ever-present wolves seeking take advantage of people in the fellowship with their Christian guard down and sometimes the wolves are behind the pulpits and in the Universities and in the classrooms and write books and broadcast on the radio and other very public and prominent positions so always be careful inside of Church as well as outside of Church. Also Note: Because we do have the discernment of God we can interact more with people both inside and outside of Church. This is not an invitation to close up and disassociate with others, just the opposite it is a calling to interact more in a fallen imperfect world but with the admonishment to maintain at all times a prayerful, purposeful Christian demeanor and attitude at all times and in all places.

2 Corinthians 6 (Part B) - Do to the behind the scenes and always hindering nature of spiritual warfare and because of the Christian maturity of the Apostle Paul the Apostle is actively seeking to keep the door of communication open and accessible with his Church in Corinth knowing that Satan prefers to deceive in darkness with rumors and through innuendos -- '2 Corinthians 6:11-13 O ye Corinthians, our mouth [communication] is open unto you, our heart is enlarged [accepting you]. Ye are not straitened [confined] in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels. Now for a recompense in the same, I speak as unto my children [in the faith], be ye also enlarged [accepting].'
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what Communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial [Satan]? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the Temple of God with idols? **for ye are the Temple of the living God; as God hath said, *I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; *and I will receive you [clean - holy], And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. - Note: The relationship restored by Jesus Christ between God and mankind is now a family relationship it is closer than the mutual friendship between God and mankind that existed before as in the days of trouble and separation experienced by Job and others in that time.

2 Corinthians 7 - Paul continues to represent that Christianity requires individual self-effort - Christianity, a relationship with God, does not just happen by coincidence or by random circumstances it is the result of continued individual intentions and actions in deliberately seeking a personal relationship with God -- '2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore *these promises [eternity in the family of God], dearly beloved, **let us cleanse ourselves [enter into a personal relationship with Jesus through His blood] from all filthiness of the flesh and [human] spirit, perfecting [completing in Jesus the] holiness in the fear of God.'
2 Corinthians 7:2 Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you. Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: *I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation [troubled efforts]. - Paul makes mention that even with all the difficulties, the misunderstandings and the confusion of the present situation between Paul and the Church at Corinth that really the effort is worth it "exceeding joyful" because the Church at Corinth still has much to glory in as people are being saved there and are growing in the grace of God there as the original work of the Apostle Paul was continuing on despite the enormous controversy over Church authority that had erupted there.

2 Corinthians 7 (Part B) - Paul mentions a previous letter he had written to the Church at Corinth and how the letter was difficult for them to read but very necessary in order for them to regain some eternal perspective in Jesus Christ -- '2 Corinthians 7:8-10 For though I made you sorry with a [previous] letter [1st Corinthians or possibly another letter no longer available], I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle [letter] hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, *not that ye were made sorry, *but that ye sorrowed to repentance [mind change - life change]: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. **For *godly *sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented [regretted] of: but the [self] sorrow of the world worketh death.'
2 Corinthians 7:14-16 For if I have boasted anything to him [Titus] of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how *with fear and trembling ye received him. I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things. - Paul is noting how the Church at Corinth, at least some of the people, understood the eternal ramifications of Christianity and "with fear and trembling" realized that Christianity is not something to be taken lightly but something to be taken very seriously as only True Christianity in Jesus Christ is the way to salvation and everlasting life a reality that the imposters in Corinth were neglecting to keep in mind themselves or to present to others.

2 Corinthians 8 - A healthy empowered Church-Fellowship is a body that is able to give to others while the week Church [regardless of size and location] is a Church that receives more than it gives -- '2 Corinthians 8:3-5 For to their [other Christian Churches in Greece] power [of giving], I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the [offering] gift [for Jerusalem], and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints [in Jerusalem]. And this they did, not as we hoped [but exceeded the expectations], *but first gave their own selves to the Lord [Jesus], and [then donated] unto us by the will of God.'
2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this [ability to give] grace also. *I speak not by commandment [the Christian Church does not tithe it only gives], but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, **though He [Jesus] was rich [in Heaven], yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His [human appearance] poverty might be [resurrection] rich. And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before {Corinth had previous year started to collect donations for Jerusalem but the collection lapsed}, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago. Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have. *For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: As it is written (Exodus 16:18), He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. - The Christian Church does not have the Old Testament law and therefore the tithe (tenth portion) of the Old Testament is not a part of the New Testament Christian Church. The Christian Church is composed of grace [individuality] not law [conformity] and therefore it is the freewill grace offerings of individuals that comprise the donations to the Christian Church.

2 Corinthians 9 - The Apostle Paul wants the Church in Corinth to experience the empowerment and the blessings of giving but he wants to be certain that they maintain an understanding that it is God that first and foremost gave to us in His free gift to us of eternal life in Jesus Christ -- '2 Corinthians 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty [generosity], and not as of covetousness [provoked].'
2 Corinthians 9:8-14 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: As it is written (Psalm 112:9), He [the righteous man] hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth forever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the Saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection into the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal [gift giving] distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding Grace of God in you. **Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift [salvation - eternal life]. - We are to give to one another knowing that it is God who gave to us first and foremost in a reconciled relationship of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 10 - The Christian battle being a battle of eternity and for souls is a battle primarily being fought and waged in the spiritual realm - Later some physical observations and outcomes can be perceivable after the events or outcomes have been manifested from the spiritual realm into the physical realm -- '2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh [physical], we do not war after the flesh: *For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [physical], **but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; **Casting down imaginations [imagination, fantasy], and every high thing [like pride] that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of [Jesus] Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, *when your obedience is fulfilled [having kept everything in a godly eternal perspective].'
2 Corinthians 10:7-18 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? **If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, *let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification [building up], and not for your destruction [tearing down], I should not be ashamed: That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. *For his [Paul's] letters [epistles], say they [some in Corinth], are weighty and powerful; *but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. **Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such **will we be also in deed when we are present. For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that *commend themselves: **but they measuring themselves by themselves, and **comparing themselves among themselves, ***are not wise [we are to compare ourselves to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)]. But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the Gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the Gospel in the regions beyond you [on into Europe], and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand. **But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. ***For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. - Note: The biggest problem with modern day Mega-Church (Corinth) Christianity is that the Pastors or the leaders of the Mega-Church movement all got that way because they each pretend to be commended of God and they each pretend to have something more than the ordinary or average Christian has and therefore followers are encouraged to seek after them and their services, their crusades and their teachings (methods), etc. The problem with this false teaching is that it is opening the door wide open for the future Antichrist to be easily accepted by remnants of the Church. Modern Mega-Church leaders like Chuck Smith, Greg Laurie, Rick Warren and others are deceiving the people into thinking that they are in a unique and special relationship with God so therefore they seem to be preaching that people should seek them and what they have to offer when in actuality the Christian Gospel is clearly to seek Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ only. The real potential for disaster is that in having conditioned people to follow themselves, a few select Mega-Church men and even a couple of women then in the future when a stronger and even more deceiving personality arises on the scene people who are not grounded in Jesus Christ will more easily revert from following one person to the next eventually even embracing the Antichrist who being gifted with extraordinary abilities is going to make all of the modern lukewarm pastors look like the true incompetents and posers that they truly are in regard to spiritual matters. The audiences of deceived people having already been prepped and conditioned by the Mega-Church, the man centered gospel of modern Christianity, could easily be eternally deceived before the final coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His eternal Kingdom here on earth.

2 Corinthians 11 - Paul makes clear the Biblical concept that "subtlety" is the most dangerous Satanic element to the Christian and that many Preachers preach with a subtlety and a worldliness that can lead people away from Jesus and into the subtle worldly 'good works' and agendas that are actually of Satan -- '2 Corinthians 11:3-4 But I fear, lest by any means, as the Serpent [Satan] beguiled Eve [in the Garden of Eden] *through his [Satanic] **subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he [self-aggrandizing, worldly personality preacher] that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with [accept] him [and his , worldly, vaguely entertaining but possibly highly Satanic preaching].' - Note: It isn't preaching the style that is being addressed but more the preaching content. The subtly 'worldly' preaching like Rick Warren at Greg Laurie's 2009 Anaheim Harvest Crusade (parts available on YouTube) after being introduced by Chuck Smith he is then supposedly leading people in prayer to Jesus but then not really mentioning repentance, sin, the cross or even addressing Jesus in his prayer it is that 'subtle' preaching and teaching of worldliness and the acceptance and passing on of worldly cultural trends into the Church that can actually be so 'subtle' and so worldly that it becomes Satanic.
2 Corinthians 11:5-10 For I suppose I was not a whit [bit] behind the very chiefest Apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, **because I have preached to you **the Gospel of God freely? **I robbed other churches, taking wages of them,** to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted [needed money], I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. - Note: The Church at Corinth was a large Church and could easily have been capable of donating to other ministries however they were almost completely self-focused on their own functions and agendas and the thought of donating money to the foreign Church in Jerusalem was itself a foreign concept in the self-aggrandizing Church at Corinth. Today Mega-Churches continue the exact same scenario as the selfish Corinth Church did. Mega-Churches receive millions in donations however only a miniscule amount of money actually leaves the Mega-Church that is not in some way responsible for promoting the Mega-Church or the Mega-Pastor. A good analogy of the large corporation Mega-Churches of today is the Dead Sea in Israel where everything flows into the Dead Sea but there is no outlet from the Dead Sea so the water just gets shifted around in the Dead Sea and eventually dies but the Sea of Galilee [also in Israel] has an outlet river and it passes along as much water as it receives and the Sea of Galilee [where Jesus spent much of His time] is teaming with abundant life.

2 Corinthians 11 (Part B) - The Apostle Paul is now going to contrast what true Kingdom of God Christianity is like compared to the worldly social Christianity that is beginning to be practiced in Corinth -- '2 Corinthians 11:1-2 Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband [Jesus], that I may present you as a chaste virgin to [Jesus] Christ.'
2 Corinthians 11:18-33 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, [as a comparison] I [Paul] will glory also. For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer [cultish hardship], if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face {some people accept and tolerate the oppression and abuse by the cults but do not want to accept the freedom and liberty of Jesus}. I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, I speak foolishly [worldly], I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool [in contrast to them] I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft [often]. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned [to death], thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils *by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings [looking for the 2nd Coming of Jesus] often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily [mentally], the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? **If I must needs glory, *I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities [weaknesses]. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed forevermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus [shortly after his conversion to Christianity] the Governor under Aretas the King kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me [because Paul so boldly spoke the Gospel]: And through a window [hidden] in a basket was I let down by [over] the [city] wall, and escaped his hands [of persecution]. - The Apostle Paul provides the Church at Corinth with some perspective of what true Christianity involves in contrast to the worldly social Christianity that was being adopted in Corinth.

2 Corinthians 12 - The Apostle Paul explains that he is paying a severe price, often being harassed demonically, because of the abundance and magnitude of the Holy revelations that Paul has been able to deliver to mankind [much like the afflictions of the prophets Isaiah, Daniel and Jeremiah] -- '2 Corinthians 12:7-10 And lest I [Paul] should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the [Holy] revelations, there was given to me a [demonic interference] thorn in the flesh, *the messenger of Satan to buffet [inflict] me, lest I should be [personally] exalted above measure. For [removal of] this thing I besought the Lord thrice [three times], that it [being demonic] might depart from me. And He [Jesus] said unto me, **My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect [complete] in weakness [as Jesus completes his strength]. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities [weaknesses], *that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: **for when I am weak, then am I strong [completed in Jesus Christ].'
2 Corinthians 12:12-15 Truly the signs of an Apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not [financially] burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong. Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will [still] not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours [belongings], but you [fellowship]: for the children ought not to lay up [finances] for the parents, but the [mature] parents [give an allowance] for the children. And I [as a mature parent] will very gladly spend [financially] and be spent [physically, emotionally] for you; **though the more abundantly I love you, **the less I be loved. - The Apostle Paul is touching on the truly Satanic depths that the Church in Corinth had begun to engage in. Previously the Church in Corinth had attacked Paul's speaking ability (2 Corinthians 10:9) and as an Apostle-Evangelist it was a direct Satanic attack from the Church directed at the Apostle Paul on his calling and on his abilities to fulfill his Christian Calling. Had the Church at Corinth encouraged Paul and his message it would have accomplished a lot to help Paul further the Gospel message he was given but instead the Church in Corinth took it upon themselves to cast doubt upon Paul, his abilities and his message. Secondly in another highly Satanic practice the Church at Corinth used the compassion of the Apostle Paul "though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved" as a tool in order to further attack the Apostle. When Paul was in their midst he was weak, compassionate and understanding and the Church in a worldly Satanic way took advantage of Paul using Paul's goodness and compassion against him [suspecting that with the goodness of Paul he would not retaliate]the Church perceived Paul to be a gentle and easy target *someone that they could form their social groups around as they ridiculed and asserted themselves superior to the Apostle Paul and in a worldly social way they probably were superior to Paul so it was no accomplishment to present themselves above Paul but in the spiritual Heavenly matters of Jesus Christ the Apostle Paul had much to offer them thought some simply because Paul was an outsider sought to reject out of hand his message of the Gospel.

2 Corinthians 12 (Part B) - Paul tells the Church in Corinth that his only objective is to build them up spiritually in Jesus Christ -- '2 Corinthians 12:19 Again, think ye that we excuse [make excuses for] ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but **we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying [building up].'
2 Corinthians 12:1-6 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to** visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man [the Apostle Paul] in Christ [a Christian] above [more than] fourteen years ago {thought to be on the first Missionary Journey with Barnabas in Lycaonia (Acts 14:19)}, whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth; such an one [the Apostle Paul] {died and} caught up to the third heaven [Throne of God]. And I knew such a man [Paul speaking in 3rd person to avoid promoting himself], whether in the body, or out of the body, *I cannot tell [explain] {the experience was instantaneous}: [only] God knoweth; How that he [Paul] was caught up into paradise [Heaven], and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a [physical] man to utter. Of such an one [3rd person] will I glory: yet of myself [1st person] I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. *For though I would desire to glory [in religious, spiritual experiences], I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: *but now I forbear [forgo], lest any man should think of me [exalted] above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. - Regardless of what someone might want to call Heaven (paradise, 3rd heaven) and the Throne presence of God the Apostle Paul had personally been there and he had personally as a Christian experienced Heaven in the very Throne presence of God.

2 Corinthians 13 - The Apostle Paul concludes his much labored letter to the Christian Church in Corinth, Greece -- '2 Corinthians 13:7-9 Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. For we are glad, when we are weak, and ye are strong: and this also we wish, even your perfection.'
The Apostle Paul concludes the book of 2nd Corinthians: 2 Corinthians 13:1-6 This is the third time I [Apostle Paul] am coming to you. [Publically] In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present, the second time; and being absent now *I write to *them which heretofore have **sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare: Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to [your perception] you-ward is not weak [weakness in Christ], but is mighty in you. 4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the [almighty] power of God. For we also are weak in Him [Jesus Christ], *but {if need be} we shall live with Him **by the power of God toward you. ***Examine yourselves, ***whether ye be in the [Christian] faith; ***prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that *Jesus Christ is in you, except [if Jesus is not in you] ye be reprobates [unsaved]? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. ... 2 Corinthians 13:10-14 Therefore I [Paul] write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification [building up], and not to destruction. **Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect [complete in Jesus Christ], be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and [Jesus Christ] the God of love and peace shall be with you. Greet one another with an holy [embrace] kiss. All the Saints salute you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the Communion [fellowship] of the Holy [Spirit] Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

GALATIANS

Introduction: Part 2 of the Apostle Paul's Trilogy [Romans, Galatians, Hebrews] of Systematic Theology - The Book of Galatians
The book of Romans was written to Rome a Gentile Nation that was used to being in charge and used to having their own rights, power, authority and privileges to the extent that the Roman people as Pagans had viewed their privileges as god given entitlements. In this letter to the Gentile Region of Galatia the Apostle Paul is addressing a group of Gentiles that are foreigners from power and are accustomed to being the outsiders, separated from authority and alienated from the privileges of class and status that the Superpower Nation of Rome had enjoyed and had even taken for granted. The Galatians accustomed to their second class status could not quite grasp the concept of the free gift of Salvation and with it the free gift of receiving the Holy Spirit. The Galatians kept reverting back to their second class mentality of having to labor and earn every single accomplishment that came their way however being a second class citizen is itself a concept that is completely foreign and outside of Christianity. Christianity has only one class of citizens and they are all Saints, Sons of God and Children of the Promise. There is no second class status in Heaven there are no throwaways or hidden undesirables in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ only Jesus Christ and His class and that is the first class of eternity for all eternity.

Short introduction/synopsis to the New Testament Book of Galatians and an outline to the book - The book of Galatians was written by [the Apostle] Paul in the year 49 A.D. or 55 A.D. - The subject of Galatians seems to be parallel to that of [the Book of] Romans in the aspect of justification by faith alone
The book of Galatians was written by Paul in the year 49 or 55. The churches in Galatia were fashioned to a certain extent of converted Jews and Gentiles. The Apostle Paul emphasizes his apostolic personality as well as the doctrines that he was teaching. He did this in hopes that he would sanction the Galatian churches in the faith of Jesus Christ. It is believed this letter was written during the third missionary trip and that the church was founded during the second missionary trip. - The subject of Galatians seems to be parallel to that of Romans in the aspect of justification by faith alone. Paul directs special attention to the fact that men are justified by faith not by the Law of Moses. This of course was something quite different for the Jews to hear. The Jewish people had after all been brought out of the wilderness by Moses; now Christ is becoming the authority for people to stand on. - The concept of Galatians is one that deals with how people can come to God being of a sinful nature while God is of a holy nature. How does a sinful person stand in the presence of a Holy God? Paul gives the answer to this problem by saying there is one way only, through the salvation of God's grace which comes from the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. In other words, Paul says that one must receive Jesus Christ as savior to come before God. Paul says no longer do we need to pay attention to the "good point or good works" salvation of Moses law, but instead we simply need to follow the salvation plan of God through His Son Christ Jesus. The main theme of Galatians is justification by faith. This concept is explained, defended and applied. Paul also talks of his three years in Arabia, the fruits of the Spirit and his correction of Peter. [article link]

Galatians - Salvation is by God's grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ by means of the Holy Spirit - The book of Galatians played a critical role in the formation and development of the Reformation and the conversion and spiritual life of Martin Luther
Background: Paul wrote to the Galatians after he had received word that there had been a change of attitude toward him and his Gospel among the Galatians. Not long after Paul left them during his first visit, false teachers and leaders began to attack Paul personally and turn the Church against him. They were preaching another Gospel. They were looking to the law for their salvation. They were being urged to accept circumcision and to observe Jewish days and seasons. (Galatians 6:12) This caused dissension and conflicts in the Church. - These agitators were likely Jewish Christians trying to sway the Gentile Christians to Judaism. It appears that they either had come from Jerusalem or had the support of the Jerusalem Church and leadership. They held that Gentile converts must enter the Kingdom of God by means of Judaism. As this was contrary to the teachings the Galatians had received from Paul, the Judaizers found it necessary to attack Paul's authority and apostleship. ... Salvation is by God's grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ by means of the Holy Spirit. -- The book of Galatians played a critical role in the formation and development of the Reformation and the conversion and spiritual life of Martin Luther. Galatians has been called 'Luther's Book'. [article link]

Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) on Galatians by ARLAND J. HULTGREN Luther Seminary St. Paul, Minnesota (PDF)
DURING HIS LIFETIME NO FEWER THAN SIX EDITIONS OF MARTIN LUTHER'S lectures on Galatians were published. Of these six, five were in Latin, and one was in German. Two of these have been translated for inclusion in the American edition of Luther's Works. The one is translated from the 1519 Latin edition (based on lectures in 1516-1517), published during the early years of Luther's career, and the other is translated from the 1535 Latin edition (based on lectures in 1531), published at a later point in Luther's life. The two editions, from lectures given a decade and a half apart, are quite different in many respects, reflecting two very different times in Luther's life and career. Luther's teaching career was marked on many occasions with study and lecturin on Paul's Letter to the Galatians, often called the Magna Carta of Christian liberty, but called "my Katie von Bora" by Luther himself. In what follows the focus will be limited to the two sets of lectures published in the American edition. ... Luther made use of both the Greek New Testament and the Latin Vulgate in his work on Galatians. The Greek text used for the 1519 edition was that of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, which had been published in 1516. Luther's subsequent exegetical work continued to make use of the Greek New Testament of Erasmus, which was revised and republished several times during the lifetime of these two contemporaries. ... It comes as no surprise that in both editions of Luther's lectures on Galatians the theme of justification by faith should take center stage. The theme is, of course,a major one in Galatians itself (2:16-21; 3:6-11, 24; 5:4-5). For Luther, however, it is not simply a major theme; it is the heart of the matter. When he writes concerning the "argument" of the letter as a whole, Luther says that the letter sets forth "the doctrine of faith, grace, the forgiveness of sins or Christian righteousness." Distinctions are drawn again and again between "political" (or civic) righteousness and righteousness received by faith and distinctions between law and gospel. The "real theologian," he says, is one who "knows well how to distinguish the Gospel from the Law." The actual phrase "simul justus et peccator" is to be found in the 1535 edition. ... The two editions of Luther's works on Galatians, coming from very different times in his career, exhibit striking differences. It is clear that when Luther lectured on Galatians in 1531, he did not simply pull out his notes from 1516-1517 to repeat what he had said earlier. Nor did he simply "touch them up." The printed edition of 1535 differs markedly from that of 1519; it is a new work altogether. The most obvious differences between the two editions are that the 1535 edition is longer, more polemical, and less philological than the edition of 1519. It applies the text of Galatians more directly to events in Luther's own time. In the 1519 edition Luther still identifies himself as an Augustinian. That is lacking in the 1535 edition. What also becomes obvious in reading the two editions is that the 1535 edition has much to say about the "fanatics" and "sectarians" that assail Luther, the evangelical movement, and the church at large. Luther refers, in fact, to his own work as a "movement,"34 but also says that in Wittenberg a "form of a Christian church" has been acquired over against the fanatics who would destroy it. ... That evaluation notwithstanding, problems with Luther's interpretations and perspectives have become evident in modern times, particularly in his understanding and treatment of Judaism in Paul's day. Moreover, connections between his understanding of first-century Judaism, his portrayal of Paul's opponents in Galatia, and his descriptions of his own opponents are drawn too easily. Luther himself admitted that his commentary of 1535 was inadequate and, above all, too "wordy." But every interpreter is bound by his or her social and temporal location to one degree or another. It remains clear that in Luther one finds a sympathetic hearing of the apostle Paul and a masterful performance in representing the teachings of the Letter to the Galatians in new circumstances. -- ARLAND J. HULTGREN is professor of New Testament. He is the author of a forthcoming commentary on the parables of Jesus to be published by Eerdmans. [article link]

Galatians 1 - Continuing the Apostle Paul's Trilogy of Systematic Theology with Part 2 the Book of Galatians - Perhaps no other book either Christian or secular has made more of an impact in the changing, designing and shaping of Western Culture than the Bible's Book of Galatians -- 'Galatians 1:1-5 Paul, an Apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him (Jesus) from the dead; And all the brethren which are with me, unto the Churches of Galatia: Grace be to you and Peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.'
'Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.' - 'Matthew 28:1-6 In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward [Sunday] the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre [tomb]. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is Risen, *as He (Jesus) said. Come, see the [empty] place where the Lord lay.' - Paul mentions that whether a man or an angel preaches a different Gospel than the Gospel that Jesus Himself spoke about then it is not from God and not being from God it is an accursed message. The Angelic spiritual realm along with the Holy Spirit and with the human realm is also very active in preaching the Gospel of the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Later in the Book of Revelation immediately after the Mark of the Beast (666) is offered to all of mankind remaining on the earth it will be Angels that will also preach the everlasting Gospel to mankind along with the sealed (selected) 144,000 Jewish Witnesses. The Angels will be preaching the Gospel instructing mankind to Worship the True and Living God the creator and giver of physical life as well as the creator and provider of eternal, everlasting, Spiritual life. - 'Revelation 14:6-7 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, *having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every Nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give Glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and *Worship Him that made [created] heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.'

Galatians 2 - The Apostle Paul is encouraging the Galatians to work on areas that they know need improving - By demonstrating in his own life that they don't need permission from a Church hierarchy in order to do what is Biblically right even to the point of rebuking authority figures when they fail to practice themselves what they preach -- 'Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith [resurrection] of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.'
'Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I (Apostle Paul) withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.' - Note: It's very important to know that when rebuking someone particularly an elder that 1. If you feel compelled to rebuke them don't even if you have prayed about it because it's probably not from God. 2. If you feel really, really compelled to rebuke someone then absolutely really, really Do Not rebuke them. 3. If you do not feel led to rebuke someone but you have a clear picture of the situation and you understand the beginning of the situation and know where the problem is in its current middle form and most importantly can see the resolution to the problem and in fact feel that the problem has already been resolved [maybe in Heaven] and that there just needs to be a tiny notification, a tweak, an adjustment here on earth to match God's will in Heaven [Matthew 6:10] then go ahead and talk to that person or persons about the topic. 4. When you do talk to someone try to ascertain if you have an open door for the conversation but if you have to seek someone out to have a conversation then forget it, don't even bother they probably won't listen to most of what you have to say and will probably twist what they did hear and then the whole situation will be worse after the conversation. If however there is a 'chance meeting' or a defined opportunity and both people are calm and there is a moment to build each other up in the faith then take that moment and build your brother in the faith up. For instance if you think a preacher is excessively telling too many personal stories from the pulpit then don't mention the personal stories much or at all but instead mention what part of the preaching blessed you for example a background on Biblical doctrine or an explanation of the original Greek word that helped explain the Bible better to you. In time the particular Preacher might lend more preaching to Biblical interpretation or in time we might be the one who needs to move on. A final comment about rebuking and you can tell that the Apostle Paul did this and that is that when the Apostle Paul rebuked someone else like in this case the Apostle Peter that Paul was also rebuking himself at the same time and was listening to what he was saying and making his rebuke a part of his own personal Christian Walk and life. Later when the Apostle Paul welcomes Mark back into his presence it is after Paul had rebuked the Church at Corinth for not accepting back into their midst a repentant believer. Always remember that for us the Word of God is a two edged sword [Revelation 1:16] it cuts [affects] both the speaker of the Word and the hearer of the Word.

Galatians 3 - The Apostle Paul explains that works have never been a part of a relationship with God - There has always only been one program with God and it is a program based on faith and trust in God and not in the works of man - Even Abraham's great relationship with God was based on faith and trust as Abraham had faith in God before he exhibited his works to God -- 'Galatians 3:2-3 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the [Holy] Spirit by the works of the law {no}, or by the hearing [free gift] of faith {yes}? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the [Holy] Spirit, are ye now made perfect [complete] by the [human] flesh? {no}'
'Galatians 3:6-7 Even as Abraham believed God, and it [his circumcision] was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of [Christian] faith, the *same are the children of Abraham.' - Note: Traditionally after Abraham the children (descendants of Abraham) are circumcised as an infant on the eight day after their birth. The infant circumcision is not a seal of the faith of the child but it is a seal of the faith of the parent [it is a generational faith]. Abraham was not circumcised as an infant Abraham was circumcised as an adult, he made his own decision and therefore Abraham's circumcision is the faith of an adult and his adult decision for faith is why our Christian faith is compared to Abraham but not necessarily to circumcision. Circumcision after Abraham is more like a child dedication for us as it is more of an exhibit of the faith of the parent than of the child. Abraham circumcised himself as an adult but then he also circumcised his infant son Isaac with his adult faith then later Isaac circumcised his infant son Jacob with his adult faith and on and on until the present time. -- 'Galatians 3:12-14 And the law [self-ability] is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them [self-ability]. Christ hath redeemed us from the [self-ability] curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written [Deuteronomy 21:23], Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the [Spiritual] blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith.' - The Apostle Paul is again declaring the finality of the death of Jesus on the cross and then with the finality of death on the cross then the giving of the Holy Spirit and a new life. Yes, Jesus in the eyes of man was made a curse [for our benefit] but keep in mind that Jesus died on the cross and with Jesus all sin and every curse also died [though Jesus resurrected the sins and curses of mankind remained dead and nailed to the cross]. The cross of Jesus Christ removed both the curse of our own human restrictions and constraints and also any curse or restraints from the Satanic, Demonic realm that might be placed on us in attempting to hinder and restrict us. 'Colossians 2:14-15 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary [against] to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His (Jesus) cross; And having spoiled principalities [fallen satanic angels] and powers [demonic powers], He (Jesus) made a shew [show] of them openly, triumphing [Victory] over them in it.'

Galatians 4 - The Apostle Paul continues to dispel any notion that there might be benefits to following the Law that faith alone and the receiving of the Holy Spirit cannot provide -- 'Galatians 4:4-7 But when the fullness of the time [human history] was come, God sent forth His Son (Jesus), made of a woman [virgin birth], made under the law [Temple in Jerusalem was in operation], To redeem [bring into the presence of God] them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. *Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir [inheritor] of God through Christ.' {Note: Being redeemed from the law is not the same thing as being redeemed from sin. It is similar to a Christian practicing alcohol, drugs, pornography etc. and then being redeemed from those things that are restricting a Christian from their closer more intimate relationship with the presence of God in their life. The Law was actually a boundary keeping sinful people apart from the Holy God but after being cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ and with the finality of His death on the cross the Holy Spirit then removed the boundary of the law from us and redeemed us into the actual perceivable presence of God.}
'Galatians 4:21-5:1 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid [Hagar], the other by a freewoman [Sarah]. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh [man's plan]; but he of the freewoman [Sarah] was by promise [God's plan]. Which things are an allegory [parable]: for these are the two covenants [Old Testament, New Testament]; the one from the mount Sinai [Mt. Sinai], which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar [Hagar]. For this Agar is mount Sinai in [Saudi] Arabia {the Biblical Mt. Sinai is located in Saudi Arabia with the now traditional Mt. Sinai located in Egypt}, and answereth to Jerusalem [Mt. Zion] which now is [in effect, New Testament], and [Hagar] is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem [Mt. Zion] which is above is free, which is [Sarah] the mother of us all [in faith]. ... *Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: *for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.' - This analogy of two Mountains or two locations Mt. Sinai [the Law] and Mt. Zion, Jerusalem [the cross and the resurrection] is one of the most important Biblical concepts because it goes straight to how and where we are to approach God. God was on Mt. Sinai when Moses met God in the burning bush and then as a sign God brought the Children of God out of Egypt and to Mt. Sinai to worship Him there. But they could only worship from a distance as they could not approach Mt. Sinai 'whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death' then as Moses and the Children of God journeyed to Israel their Promise Land God went with them. God in allegory left Mt. Sinai [Law] and relocated with the Children of God to Jerusalem [Mt. Zion]. If you want to keep the Law that mountain [Mt. Sinai] is vacant and if it's not vacant it's certain death if you even try to approach it. Mt. Zion in Jerusalem the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the other hand is both open and available to all mankind and along with the availability of Mt. Zion there is an invitation to all to come to God freely but only to Mt. Zion not to Mt. Sinai. It is only to Mt. Zion that the invitation for mankind to meet with God has been given.

Mountain Of Fire - The Search For Mount Sinai pt 2 of 5 - The boundary markers around Mt. Sinai (Video) - Exodus 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount [Mt. Sinai], or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:' (YouTube)
Bob Cornuke from BASE Institute has been called a modern day Indiana Jones. This video is a clip from Bob's video about The Search For Mount Sinai. -- {Note: The Apostle Paul is writing about Mt. Sinai from both common knowledge of the day and his experiential knowledge having been to Mt. Sinai himself. After his Damascus road experience and departing Damascus the Apostle Paul went to Saudi Arabia and stayed in Saudi Arabia for about three years. Earlier the Prophet Elijah [1 Kings 19:8] had also gone to Arabia [Mt. Sinai also called Mt. Horeb] and stayed for a short time in the cave on Mt. Sinai (video part 4 of 5).} 'Galatians 1:17 Neither went I [Apostle Paul] up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; *but I went into Arabia [for about three years], and returned again unto Damascus.' - 'Galatians 4:25 mount Sinai in Arabia ...' [article link]

Galatians 5 - The Apostle Paul exhorts the Christian Church to live in their newfound life of freedom and liberty in Jesus Christ -- 'Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith [Jesus] Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.'
'Galatians 5:5 For we [Christians] through the [Holy] Spirit wait for the hope of [Jesus'] righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.' - The Apostle Paul makes another comment to Christians about the practice of circumcision reiterating that the physical practice alone symbolizes a bygone era and brings with it the bondage of that previous era. Circumcision the actual physical, ritual, process does not save people. People are not saved because they have been circumcised. The Apostle Peter will also make the same comment [1 Peter 3:21] to the Christian Church in regards to our water baptism. Likewise the physical, ritual event and process of baptism does not save us. People are not saved because they have been water baptized. Note: There are other significant reasons and blessings for each individual person to be water baptized [and it is a commandment from God] however salvation apart from a relationship with God is not a possibility even with a water baptism. - '1 Peter 3:21-22 The like figure [Noah's Ark] whereunto even baptism doth also now save us *not the [baptism in water] putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.'

Galatians 6 - The Apostle Paul concludes his remarks and encouragement to the Christians in Galatia -- 'Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of (Christian) faith.'
'Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew [show] in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest [in hopes] they should [avoid] suffer [suffering] persecution [from fellow Jews] for the cross of Christ.' - A final note about the practice of circumcision in the early Christian Church. The Christian Jews and Christian 'Judaizers' knew and understood full well that the promises of God belong to the Jews and that circumcision was give as a sign to those who had received the promises of God. Therefore in the early Christian Church there was the understanding that if you weren't circumcised you weren't a part of the promises of God. The early Jewish Christian believers were just trying to keep things on a Biblical foundation according to the best of their Biblical understanding. It was the Apostle Paul that was called by God to go to the Gentiles and to bring the Gentiles into the primarily Jewish Christian Church and as a part of his ministry to the Gentiles the Apostle Paul was given an understanding in the doctrines of Gentile Salvation in the Christian Church. It was a part of the Ministry of the Apostle Paul to present and to clarify the doctrines pertaining to the predominantly Gentile Christian Church. - The main point that the Apostle Paul makes in regards to circumcision is that circumcision was an old physical sign but that now with the finality of the death of Jesus on the cross and the giving of the Holy Spirit the new Spiritual sign for the Christian Church for also having received of the promises of God is the Spiritual sign of the resurrection of Jesus Christ living inside of the 'born again' believer. Where circumcision was an outward appearance available to only a few the 'born again' Spiritual sign is an inward appearance and is available to everyone; male, female, Jewish, Gentile, rich, poor, young, old, sick, healthy, in prison, released from prison, in any circumstance, at any given location and during any time all are within the category of receiving the Holy Spirit and eternal life from God. Even those in the category of unbelief because unbelief itself in any given moment can be overcome by belief it's that simple, that easy and that fast that a person can receive the Holy Spirit from Jesus Christ and with it eternal Salvation life. - The Apostle Paul closes the Book of Galatians by imparting his personal blessing to them. 'Galatians 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.'

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

EPHESIANS

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians - Colossians 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans - It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter [retitled] - Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church - The letter would then be "to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus" anywhere - Essentially, three lines of truth make up this Epistle: the believer's exalted position through grace; the truth concerning the body of Christ; and a walk in accordance with that position
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians -- DATE: Ephesians was written from Rome in A.D. 64. It is the first in order of the Prison Epistles. Acts 20:1-27:44. See Scofield Note: "Acts 28:30" and was sent by Tychicus, concurrently with Colossians and Philemon. It is probable that the two greater letters had their occasion in the return of Onesimus to Philemon. Ephesians is the most impersonal of Paul's letters. Indeed the words, "to the Ephesians," are not in the best manuscripts. Col 4:16 mentions an epistle to the Laodiceans. It has been conjectured that the letter known to us as Ephesians is really the Laodicean letter. Probably it was sent to Ephesus and Laodicea without being addressed to any church. The letter would then be "to the saints and the faithful in Christ Jesus" anywhere. -- THEME: The doctrine of the Epistle confirms this view. It contains the highest church truth, but has nothing about church order. The church here is the true church, "His body," not the local church, as in Philippians, Corinthians, etc. Essentially, three lines of truth make up this Epistle: the believer's exalted position through grace; the truth concerning the body of Christ; and a walk in accordance with that position. [article link]

The book of Ephesians - A short introductory synopsis to the New Testament book of Ephesians with an outline to the book - Ephesians is a cylindrical letter {circuit letter, a memo - Attn: to everyone} - It is a treatise of a doctrinal nature to the churches in Asia Minor - Some of the better {other} Greek documents do not include the words, "at Ephesus" found in 1:1 - Paul though worked at Ephesus for nearly three years and the fact that no personal names were mentioned help to support the ideal of a cylindrical letter to the churches. This letter is perhaps the same letter sent to Ephesus by Tychicus, Ephesians 6:21-22 {Note: No letter, only a messenger (Tychicus) is mentioned in Ephesians 6:21-22} - It is suspected that Christianity first came to Ephesus with Aquila and Priscilla when Paul stopped there on his second missionary trip - Paul remained in Ephesus for three years on his third journey - Ephesus being a major center for trade ranked it up with the cities of Antioch and Alexandria - Timothy was given charge of the church in Ephesus after Paul left - Years later [just after his imprisonment on the island of Patmos about in 92 AD] the Apostle John [accompanied by Mary] set up his headquarters in Ephesus
The letter to the Ephesians is one of the prison epistles. The prison epistles consist of the Books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. These books were all written while Paul was imprisoned. As to how many times Paul was imprisoned in Rome we do not know for sure, it was at least once perhaps twice, however we do know these books were written during his imprisonment. The book of Ephesians is the first Roman imprisonment letter to the people written by Paul in 61. Paul's imprisonment for the first two years was at his own expense and he was held near the quarters of the Praetorian Guard. Ephesians is a cylindrical letter. It is a treatise of a doctrinal nature to the churches in Asia Minor. Some of the better Greek documents do not include the words, "at Ephesus" found in 1:1. Paul though worked at Ephesus for nearly three years and the fact that no personal names were mentioned help to support the ideal of a cylindrical letter to the churches. This letter is perhaps the same letter sent to Ephesus by Tychicus, Ephesians 6:21-22, "But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts." It is also possible that this is the same letter referred to as "my letter...from Laodicea found in Colossians 4:16, "And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea." -- The city of Ephesus was a commercial, religious and political center. The Great Temple of Artemis (Diana) was found there as well. It is suspected that Christianity first came to Ephesus with Aquila and Priscilla when Paul stopped there on his second missionary trip. Paul remained in Ephesus for three years on his third journey. Ephesus being a major center for trade ranked it up with the cities of Antioch and Alexandria. Timothy was given charge of the church in Ephesus after Paul left. Years later the Apostle John set up his headquarters in Ephesus. -- The topic of this book is to show God's eternal purpose and completion in Christ for the church. Paul brings into discussion in this letter the idea of predestination, Christ as the head of the body of believers, the church as the building and the body as the temple of God. The Spiritual gifts, mystery of Christ and the bride of Christ-the Church is also discussed in this letter. It can be seen also from this letter that even in prison Paul did not concern himself with his own problems instead he looked after the concerns of the people. Paul's testimony of Christ was most important to him. Paul's closing words: Ephesians 6:21-24, "But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen." [article link]

All About Turkey: The Region of Ephesus - Ephesus [in modern Turkey] maintained its importance during the [early] period of Christianity; the Apostle St. Paul arrived there during the years of 50 A.D., and [the Disciple] St. John was buried on the hill of Ayasuluk (Selcuk, near Izmir) at the beginning of the 2nd century [100 A.D.] - On Bulbul Dag (Nightingale mountain) there is the House of the Virgin [Mary] where it's believed that she passed last years of her life and passed away - She [Mary] came to Ephesus together with St. John and taken up to Panaghia Kapulu mountain to survive the Roman persecutions
Ephesus: The findings obtained in this region where the native people, namely the Lelegs and the Carians have lived since the beginning, indicate that the city is dated back to 2000 years B.C. As far as the years of 1000 are concerned, it is assumed that the Ions came to this region, led by Androckles. Ephesus was captured by the Kimmers (Cimmerians) in the 7th century B.C., by the Lydians in 560, and later in 546 B.C. by the Persians; and was rescued from the Persian domination when Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in 334 B.C. -- Lysimachos, a commander of Alexander's, had the settlement removed from the whereabouts of the Temple of Artemis to the location between the Mount of Panayir and the Mount of Bülbül, and had a wall built around the city. The city was taken by the Kingdom of Pergamon after 190 B.C., by Rome in 133 B.C., and later by Byzantium. Ephesus maintained its importance during the period of Christianity; the apostle St. Paul arrived there during the years of 50 A.D., and St. John was buried on the hill of Ayasuluk (Selcuk, near Izmir) at the beginning of the 2nd century. Ephesus lived through its third glorious period during the reign of Justinian in the middle of the 6th century A.D. At this time, the Church of St. John was built by the Byzantine emperor. -- The ruins of Ephesus, situated near Selçuk town at 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of Izmir, is a main center of archaeological interest owing to the ancient remains that still exist. When you enter through the Magnesia Gate (south gate or upper gate), you can see the State Agora (or Upper Agora). The Temple of Isis is situated at the center of the Agora, and Stoa is placed on the North side of it. The Odeion (Bouletarion or Parliament) with a capacity of 1,400 persons is placed behind it and the Prytaneion (Town Hall) where the sacred fire used to burn, is on its flank. The Baths of Varius are placed on the east side of Odeion. On the west of the Agora, the Monument of Memmius built in the 1st century BC., the fountain of Sextilius Pollio built in the year 93 A.D., and the Temple of Domitian (81-93 A.D) are placed. On the south of the Agora, the fountain of Laecanius Bassus is situated. The Curetes street starts downwards from the Temple of Memmius. The Gate of Heracles (Hercules) is placed on this avenue. After passing through this part, the fountain of Trajan built in the years 102-114 is seen on the right hand side and after this, the Temple of Hadrian appears in front of us, in all its splendid beauty (117-138 A.D). The Scholastica Baths, built in the 4th century A.D., are situated behind the Temple of Hadrian. The houses of the rich people of Ephesus which were in front of it, have been restored and opened for visits at present with special permits. -- At the corner formed by the Curetes street and the Marble Road, the House of Love (Pornaion or Brothel) is placed and the Library of Celsus, restored and reestablished in recent years, stands right in front of this. The library which had been built in the name of proconsul Gaius Celsus completed in the year 135 A.D. by his son Tiberius Giulius Aquila, is entered by way of a stairway, 21 meters (69 feet) in width and having 9 steps. The southeastern gate of the Trade Agora opens to the Library of Celsus. Emperor Augustus' slaves, Mazaeus and Mithridates, liberated by him had this gate built in the year 1st century A.D.; it comprises three sections and has been restored today. The Corinthian columns of the Stoa encircling the Trade Agora with the dimensions 110 x 110 meters (361 x 361 feet), are standing erect today. The Temple of Serapes built in the period of Antony (138-192 A.D.) is placed behind the Trade Agora. -- One of the magnificent buildings of Ephesus is the Great Theater, largest in Asia Minor, which had a capacity of more than 24.000 people and is in a rather well preserved condition. The construction had started during the Hellenistic period but it could only be completed during the time of Trajan (98-117 A.D.). St. Paul was dragged into this theater to face the crowed because of his famous letter to Ephesians, but rescued by the security corps of the city. Festivals are celebrated in this theater today. -- All the streets of Ephesus were illuminated at night with oil lamps, this shows us the richness of the city. The Port Avenue extends in front of the theater. The avenue is 11 meters (36 feet) wide and 600 meters (1970 feet) long, and it has been called Arcadian Street because it was renewed during the time of Arcadius. On the whole north side of the avenue, there are the Harbor Gymnasium, baths and the Theater Gymnasium. The avenue that passes along the front of the theater, extends towards the Stadium built during the Nero period (54-68 A.D.) and towards the Vedius Gymnasium. The Church of the Virgin Mary built at the beginning of the 4th century A.D. is situated behind the Port Gymnasium just before the exit from the lower gate (north gate). **This was also the meeting place of the 3rd Ecumenical Council [The Council of Ephesus may refer to: The First Council of Ephesus of 431 AD. The Second Council of Ephesus of 449 AD. The Third Council of Ephesus of 475 AD. - Wiki.com]. ... The House of Virgin Mary: On Bulbul Dag (Nightingale mountain) there is the House of the Virgin where it's believed that she passed last years of her life and passed away. She came to Ephesus together with St. John and taken up to Panaghia Kapulu mountain to survive the Roman persecutions. The House was destroyed by many earthquakes and not discovered until 1951 thanks to a German nun, Catherine Emmerich, who saw its location in her visions. The site is recognized as a shrine by Vatican and visited by the Popes. Today, the House of Virgin Mary is renovated by George Quatman Foundation from Ohio and serves as a small church which attracts many Christians as well as Muslims coming to pray for Her. The Mass is held here every Sunday. On the 15th August 2000 there was a great ceremony for the Assumption of the Virgin, the year which marked the two thousand years of the birth of Jesus. [article link]

Ephesians 1 - The Apostle Paul begins his generic Christian Church letter - A letter specifically designed to broadly address Church Christianity in a broad-based and uniform manner without giving special attention to specific localized Church issues as he had previously written in his letters (epistles) to the Church in Corinth -- 'Ephesians 1:2-4 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings *in Heavenly places *in Christ [Jesus]: According as He hath [eternally] chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love ...'
Ephesians 1:17-23 That the God [Father] of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the [Holy] Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him [Jesus]: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His [eternal] calling, and what the riches of the Glory of His [eternal] inheritance in the Saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward *who believe [faith], according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set [enthroned] Him at his own right hand in the Heavenly places, ***Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, *not only in this world, but also in that [new heaven, new earth (Revelation 21:1)] which is to come: And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head [authority] over all things to the [Christian] Church, *Which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. - Establishing first of all the many doctrines of Christianity including "Ephesians 1:6-7 To the praise of the Glory of His Grace, wherein He [Father] hath made us accepted in the beloved [Jesus]. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ..." and the establishment of Jesus Christ as the seated, enthroned King of the Universe the leader supreme of the eternal Christian Church.

Ephesians 2 - Christianity though composed of individuals is ultimately a group, a close personal family group - Family with one another here on earth and eternally family with one another and with God in Heaven -- 'Ephesians 2:19-22 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints, and [family] of the Household of God [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit]; And are built upon the foundation of the [N.T.] Apostles and [O.T.] Prophets, **Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone [the content of the Bible O.T. and N.T.]; In whom all the [eternal Temple] building fitly framed together groweth unto an Holy Temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an [Holy Spirit] habitation of God through the [Holy] Spirit.'
Ephesians 2:1-10 And you [Christian] hath He [Jesus] quickened [made alive], who were dead in trespasses [intentional sins] and sins [unintentional sins]; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to [Satan] the prince of the power of the air, the [evil] spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: *Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. **But God, who is rich in mercy, for **His great love wherewith **He [first] loved us, **Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved; *And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He [God] might shew the exceeding riches of His Grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace [individuality] are ye saved through faith [redemption (cross of Jesus) + salvation (resurrection life of Jesus) = our faith]; and that [grace, cross and resurrection] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus *unto good works, which God hath before ordained *that we should walk in them. - In Jesus Christ our sins are a thing of the past, dealt with and removed by God on the cross. With our sin now removed in Jesus we have eternal life and eternal freedom. Note: An important concept of Christianity is that the Second Coming of Jesus is going to be nothing like the 1st Coming of Jesus. In His first physical manifest in mankind Jesus came as a Lamb to be sacrificed for our sins both our sins against God and also our sins against our fellow mankind have all been sacrificed for and completely atoned [made right] for us by Jesus on the cross. The 2nd Coming, bodily [now a Spiritual body] manifest of Jesus will be almost the opposite of the 1st Coming of Jesus. Now Jesus will return not as a Lamb to be slaughtered again but as the Victorious Lion (Genesis 49:8-12) the Eternal King (Revelation 11:15) the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:4).

Ephesians 3 - The continued fellowship of Christianity both on earth and in Heaven -- 'Ephesians 3:9-11 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery [the Triune 3 in 1, Trinity Mystery of God], which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: **To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in Heavenly places might be known [experienced] by the Church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in [Himself] Christ Jesus our Lord ...'
Ephesians 3:12-21 In [Jesus] whom we have boldness and access [into Heaven] *with confidence by the faith of Him. Wherefore I desire that ye faint [resign] not at my [being imprisoned] tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom ***the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, That He [Jesus] would grant you, according to the riches of His Glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner [human, soul - spirit] man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts [soul - spirit] *by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height [the eternal dimensions]; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him [Jesus] that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, **Unto Him [Jesus] be Glory in the Church by Christ Jesus **throughout all ages, [eternal] **world without end. Amen. - Note: Only through Jesus Christ do we have access to Heaven and eternal life and with Jesus we do now have access to Heaven and live in eternity. Our eternity in Heaven was completed and established once, for all time and for all mankind [all who choose to receive] in Jesus Christ at His resurrection and by His sacrifice on the cross. Heaven and eternity are not future events for mankind they are continuous and contemporary events established by Jesus and 'experienced' by all Christians.

Ephesians 4 - Take special note that what we do now and how we behave as individuals has serious ramifications beyond just the initial people involved but extends on into the Assembly including both the Church group on earth and the group in Heaven -- 'Ephesians 4:23-25 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind [soul]; And that ye put on the new [born again - spiritual] man, which [comes] after God [has given it and] is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, *speak [to] every man truth [in love] with his neighbor: **for we are [an Assembly - group] members one of another [both on earth and in Heaven].'
Ephesians 4:1-16 I [Apostle Paul] therefore, the prisoner [not of Rome but] of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation [Christian duty] wherewith ye are called [invited by God to preform], With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; *Endeavouring to keep the unity of the [Holy] Spirit in the bond of peace. ***There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace [individuality] according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, When He [Jesus united Heaven and earth the past, present and the future] ascended up on high [Heaven], he led [the O.T. saved Saints from captivity (hades) into Heaven] captivity captive, and gave gifts [to the newly formed Christian Church] unto men. Now that He [Jesus] ascended [went down into 'hades' - for three days and three nights after the cross], what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended [and reconciled the past O.T. Saints] is the same also that ascended [and reconciled Heaven - God to man] up far above all [visible] heavens, that He might fill [reconcile] all things [Heaven, earth, past, present and future]. And He [Jesus] gave [gifts] some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting [completing] of the Saints, **for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying [building up] of the body of Christ: *Till we all come **in the unity [Heaven and earth] of the faith, and **of the knowledge of the Son of God [Jesus], unto a perfect [completed in Jesus Christ] man, unto the measure [eternal] of the stature [dimensions - realms] of the fullness of [Jesus] Christ: That we henceforth be no more children [immature], tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, *by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait [planning] to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him [Jesus] in all things, which is the head [overseer of the Church], even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase [maturity] of the [Church] body unto the edifying of itself in love. - The Ministry of Jesus Christ is to reconcile all the Saints [those desiring to be in a relationship with God]; past, present and future and Heaven and earth unto Himself for all eternity.

Ephesians 5 - Above everything be a follower of Jesus Christ - Only Jesus Christ has demonstrated to mankind the example that all mankind is expected to follow in achieving a godly relationship between mankind [with one another] and with God in Heaven -- 'Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God [Jesus Christ], as dear children [family members]; And walk in love, as [Jesus] Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice [on behalf of sinful man] to [the Holy] God for a sweetsmelling savour [atonement].'
Ephesians 5:8-21 For ye were [in times past] sometimes darkness, *but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: ***For the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth [unchangeable]; Proving [discerning] what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore He [Holy Spirit] saith, **Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and [Jesus] Christ shall give thee [eternal] light. See then that ye walk circumspectly [deliberatly], not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming [using it for God] the time, because the days are [still] evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the [Holy] will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit; *Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; **Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father [only] *in the [one] Name (Ephesians 4:5) of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. - Fellowship with God is truth, righteousness and holiness as revealed to us in Jesus Christ, fellowship with God is not the personal desires, counsels, and agendas of man the two are almost mutually exclusive.

Ephesians 6 - The Apostle Paul concludes his generic Church letter (memo) with the important concept of Spiritual Warfare -- 'Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord [Jesus], and in the power **of His might. Put on the whole armor *of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles [deceitful tactics] of the Devil [Satan]. For we wrestle [struggle] not against [physical] flesh and blood, but against [spiritual] principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against *spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and **having done all, *to stand [in Jesus].'
The Apostle Paul concludes the Bible's book of Ephesians: Ephesians 6:14-24 Stand therefore [in Jesus], having your loins girt about with truth [God's Word, Holy Bible], and having on the breastplate of righteousness [Jesus' Righteousness]; And your feet shod with the preparation of *the Gospel of Peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith [cross of Jesus (redemption) + resurrection life of Jesus (salvation) = our faith], **wherewith ye shall be able to quench [put out] all the fiery darts [projectiles] of the wicked. And take the helmet of Salvation [have knowledge of eternal life], and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word [Holy Bible] of God: **Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the [Holy] Spirit, and ***watching [looking for the 2nd Coming of Jesus - The Lion and the King of the Tribe Judah] thereunto with all perseverance **and supplication [prayer requests] for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the Mystery [Triune, 3 in 1, nature of God as revealed to mankind] of the Gospel, For which I am an Ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. **Grace be with all them **that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

PHILIPPIANS

Philippians: [Apostle] Paul's Joy in Christ - Philippi was Paul's pride and joy - Arms of friendship extended between Paul and the believers at Philippi that didn't exist in the other churches - None of his other letters has such abundant expressions of tender personal dedication and benevolence as this letter - Luke seems to have been their first pastor for about five years after its establishment in Acts 16
STYLE OF WRITING: This is the most personal, informal and cordial letter Paul wrote to a church. It is a thank you letter in response to a gift they have sent to Paul while he was in Rome. The reader senses the conflicts, hope, faith, determination, high purpose, deep driving passion of a man who seeks to glorify Christ in every dimension of his life. His greatest fear is to run and be disqualified. Philippians, Colossians, and Ephesians reach spiritual peaks found nowhere else in Scripture. This letter expresses joy and peace during a time of affliction and uncertain future. He hasn't received financial help from the other churches. The letter is filled with expressions of gratitude and thankfulness for their expression of love and faithfulness which he has received on several occasions. He writes his letter from the position of one who is secure in the place he occupies in the hearts of his readers. Therefore, he can share from his heart his personal convictions and his internal conflicts about the future. It is filled with joy, peace and thanksgiving. The words "joy," "rejoicing," "rejoice" are repeated many times in these short 104 verses. This is indeed written in the style of a spontaneous, loving sincere letter with general everyday moral exhortations. It is as a friend simply opens up his heart to those whom he loves. -- AUTHOR: Paul (Phil. 1:1). There is nothing in the letter, linguistic or historical, which can cause any doubt as to its authenticity. External evidence includes: Clemens Romanus, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Tertullian, Marcion's Apostolicons, and Muratorian Canon. -- PLACE OF WRITING: It was written from prison in the city of Rome (1:7, 13; 4:22). Paul refers to his imprisonment in 1:7, 13, 14; 2:17. According to Acts he was a prisoner at Philippi (16:23, Jerusalem (21:33), Caesarea (23:25) and Rome (28:16, 30, 31). Paul was in prison two years while at Caesarea, however no final decision in his case was ever expected there. He was in prison at Rome for two years, pending his appeal to Caesar. The whole tradition of the early Church pleads for Rome. Moreover, Phil. 1:13, the "praetorian guard" and Phil. 4:22, "Caesar's household," would indicate the imprisonment at Rome. The Praetorian Guard was a force of 9,000 men at the disposal of Caesar. The final decisions regarding his appeal and, indeed, his life would certainly decide for Rome. -- RECIPIENTS: was the Church at Philippi (Acts 16:11-40; 17:14; 19:22; 20:3-4; Phil. 2:19). Paul, Timothy, Silas and Dr. Luke were all a vital part of the founding of the Church at Philippi. *Luke seems to have been their first pastor for about five years after its establishment in Acts 16. Paul directs his letter to the "saints" at Philippi (1:1; cf. Rom. 1:7; I Cor. 1:2; II Cor. 1:1). [article link]

Philippi - Ancient Macedonia, Northern Greece - (Photos)
Gangitis River: Philippi apparently had only a small number of Jewish inhabitants and no synagogue. Consequently Shabbat worship was held outside the city on the Gangitis River. Here Paul met a group of women to whom he preached the gospel. Lydia, a merchant trading purple cloth, believed Paul's message and was baptized with members of her household. Subsequently Paul went and lived at her home. -- Excavations: Archaeological work has revealed a large and well-preserved forum, a theater, the alleged jail of Paul and several Byzantine churches, including one of the earliest churches known in Greece. The number of churches in the city in the Byzantine period indicate Philippi's importance to Christians at this time. A series of earthquakes apparently destroyed many of the buildings and probably contributed to the city's decline. -- Philippian Jail: This traditional place of Paul and Silas's imprisonment is of dubious authenticity, but it remembers the attack on these men and their subsequent flogging and imprisonment. In the course of the night, a violent earthquake shook the prison and the jailer feared that all might have escaped. After learning that none had fled, the Philippian jailer put his faith in Christ and was baptized with his family. [article link]

GODS, GOLD AND THE GLORY OF PHILIPPI - The Apostle Paul's visit to Macedonia marked the first time he set foot on European soil (Acts 16:11) - However, this was not the first time the gospel was proclaimed in Europe (Acts 2:10) - In fact, the "Macedonian call" (Acts 16:9) seems to imply that there were already believers in Macedonia that needed help in evangelizing their province - One writer commented, "Out of Macedonia, Alexander the Great once went to conquer the Eastern world but later from Macedonia the power of the gospel went to conquer the Western world of Paul's day" (Swift 1984:250) - Philippi played an important role in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul - He also had an effective and lasting ministry in the lives of the believers in the Lord Jesus in Philippi
Was Philippi Dr. Luke's Hometown? Some scholars have suggested that Dr. Luke's hometown was Philippi. This is a possibility. When one examines the pronouns in the book of Acts this observation is borne out. Up until chapter 16, Luke [Book of Acts] is writing about the work of Peter and Paul. When Paul, Silas and Timothy get to Alexandria Troas the pronouns change from "they/them" (Acts 16:7,8) to "us/we" (Acts 16:9,10). Dr. Luke escorts the group to Philippi (Acts 16:11,12). He is with them when they go to the place of prayer (Acts 16:13,16,17). When Paul and Silas leave Philippi, Dr. Luke stayed behind (Acts 17:1). Paul picks him up on his way to Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey (Acts 20:5,6). Luke appears to have stayed in Philippi for at least six years. More than likely it was because it was his home. After Paul cast the demon out of the slave girl, he and Silas were tried before the magistrates and accused of being Jewish, but Luke was not (Acts 16:19,20). Dr. Luke was a respected member of the community so they did not bring him before the magistrate. But also, Luke was a Gentile (cf. Col. 4:11,14), so the accusation of being Jewish would not have applied. This possibility will never know for certain unless an archaeologist uncovers an inscription in Philippi with Dr. Luke's name on it, although this is not outside the realm of possibility. A number of years ago an inscription was found in Corinth with the name of Erastus on it (Rom. 16:23; Acts 19:22; II Tim. 4:20). [article link]

EarlyChristianWritings.com: THE EPISTLE OF POLYCARP [Bishop of the Church at Smyrna] to the Church at Philippi - Polycarp born about 69 A.D. - died as a martyr in 155 A.D. at Smyrna - {Note: Church Fathers [Fathers in the Christian Faith] also known as Apostolic Fathers are the 2nd generation of Christians. The Apostles were those who had exclusively and personally witnessed (1 Corinthians 15:6) the resurrected Jesus Christ. The next generation of Christians (the 2nd generation) are those [like Polycarp the Bishop of the Church in Smyrna ] who did not see the resurrected Jesus but who learned from the Apostles themselves. Polycarp was a student of the Apostle John who had been a Disciple of Jesus Christ. The term "Church Fathers" is applied to the 2nd generation of Christians in the same way that the term "Father of the Faith" is applied to Abraham (Romans 4:11). Abraham is not the first generation of faith in God but he is the first generation to have faith as we have it. Prior to Abraham, during the days of Abraham's father Terah (Genesis 11:26), the sons of Noah [1st global judgment of God] were still living and previous to the days of Noah the Adam of creation was still living. If a person wanted to know about the flood or the original creation before the flood of Noah they could get an eyewitness account from one of the sons of Noah, likewise the Apostles gave eyewitness accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and having had an eyewitness experience with God in His resurrection, His global judgment flood or with God's original creation the Apostles and the ancients [those who had lived previous to the days of the flood of Noah (Job 12:12)] had a slightly different faith (John 20:29) than we have. We have a faith more similar to that of the Church Fathers than to the faith of the original Apostles.}
Polycarp and the presbyters that are with him unto the Church of God which sojourneth at Philippi; mercy unto you and peace from God Almighty and Jesus Christ our Savior be multiplied. I rejoiced with you greatly in our Lord Jesus Christ, for that ye received the followers of the true Love and escorted them on their way, as befitted you--those men encircled in saintly bonds which are the diadems of them that be truly chosen of God and our Lord; and that the steadfast root of your faith which was famed from primitive times abideth until now and beareth fruit unto our Lord Jesus Christ, who endured to face even death for our sins, whom God raised, having loosed the pangs of *Hades; on whom, **though ye saw Him not [not of the origional Apostles], ye believe with joy unutterable and full of glory; unto which joy many desire to enter in; forasmuch as ye know that it is by grace ye are saved, not of works, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ. ... I exhort you all therefore to be obedient unto the word of righteousness and to practice all endurance, which also ye saw with your own eyes in the blessed Ignatius and Zosimus and Rufus, yea and in others also who came from among yourselves, as well as in *Paul himself and the rest of the Apostles; being persuaded that all these ran not in vain but in faith and righteousness, and that they are in their due place in the presence of the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they loved not the present world, but Him that died for our sakes and was raised by God for us. Stand fast therefore in these things and follow the example of the Lord, being firm in the faith and immovable, in love of the brotherhood kindly affectioned one to another, partners with the truth, forestalling one another in the gentleness of the Lord, despising no man. ... Pray for all the saints. Pray also for kings and powers and princes and for them that persecute and hate you and for the enemies of the cross, that your fruit may be manifest among all men, that ye may be perfect in Him. Ye wrote to me, both ye yourselves and Ignatius, asking that if anyone should go to Syria he might carry thither the letters from you. And this I will do, if I get a fit opportunity, either I myself, or he whom I shall send to be ambassador on your behalf also. The letters of Ignatius which were sent to us by him, and others as many as we had by us, we send unto you, according as ye gave charge; the which are subjoined to this letter; from which ye will be able to gain great advantage. For they comprise faith and endurance and every kind of edification, which pertaineth unto our Lord. Moreover concerning Ignatius himself and those that were with him, if ye have any sure tidings, certify us. I write these things to you by Crescens, whom I commended to you recently and now commend unto you: for he hath walked blamelessly with us; and I believe also with you in like manner. But ye shall have his sister commended, when she shall come to you. Fare ye well in the Lord Jesus Christ in grace, ye and all yours. Amen. [article link]

Early Christian Church Fathers - Published documents and letters of the Early Church Fathers
The following are early church fathers and apologists [defenders of the faith] of the first and second centuries [about 55 A.D. - 199 A.D.]. The first eight or nine documents are also known as the Apostolic Fathers. The writers known as the church fathers represent the ancient orthodox church as opposed to other elements of ancient Christianity such as Gnosticism. These are the church fathers and apologists that can be read on the Early Christian Writings web site. [article link]

The Encyclical Epistle of the Church at Smyrna Concerning the Martyrdom of the Holy [Bishop] Polycarp [155 A.D] - We have written to you, brethren, as to what relates to the martyrs, and especially to the blessed Polycarp
We have written to you, brethren, as to what relates to the martyrs, and especially to the blessed Polycarp, who put an end to the persecution, having, as it were, set a seal upon it by his martyrdom. For almost all the events that happened previously [to this one], took place that the Lord might show us from above a martyrdom becoming the Gospel. For he waited to be delivered up, even as the Lord had done, that we also might become his followers, while we look not merely at what concerns ourselves but have regard also to our neighbors. For it is the part of a true and well-founded love, not only to wish one's self to be saved, but also all the brethren. ... But the most admirable Polycarp, when he first heard [that he was sought for], was in no measure disturbed, but resolved to continue in the city. However, in deference to the wish of many, he was persuaded to leave it. He departed, therefore, to a country house not far distant from the city. There he stayed with a few [friends], engaged in nothing else night and day than praying for all men, and for the Churches throughout the world, according to his usual custom. And while he was praying, a vision presented itself to him three days before he was taken; and, behold, the pillow under his head seemed to him on fire. Upon this, turning to those that were with him, he said to them prophetically, "I must be burnt alive." And when those who sought for him were at hand, he departed to another dwelling, whither his pursuers immediately came after him. And when they found him not, they seized upon two youths [that were there], one of whom, being subjected to torture, confessed. It was thus impossible that he should continue hid, since those that betrayed him were of his own household. The Irenarch then (whose office is the same as that of the Cleronomus), by name Herod, hastened to bring him into the stadium. [This all happened] that he might fulfil his special lot, being made a partaker of Christ, and that they who betrayed him might undergo the punishment of Judas himself. ... His pursuers then, along with horsemen, and taking the youth with them, went forth at supper-time on the day of the preparation with their usual weapons, as if going out against a robber. And being come about evening [to the place where he was], they found him lying down in the upper room of a certain little house, from which he might have escaped into another place; but he refused, saying, "The will of God be done." So when he heard that they were come, he went down and spake with them. And as those that were present marvelled at his age and constancy, some of them said. "Was so much effort made to capture such a venerable man?" Immediately then, in that very hour, he ordered that something to eat and drink should be set before them, as much indeed as they cared for, while he besought them to allow him an hour to pray without disturbance. And on their giving him leave, he stood and prayed, being full of the grace of God, so that he could not cease for two full hours, to the astonishment of them that heard him, insomuch that many began to repent that they had come forth against so godly and venerable an old man. ... Now, as Polycarp was entering into the stadium, there came to him a voice from heaven, saying, "Be strong, and show thyself a man, O Polycarp!" No one saw who it was that spoke to him; but those of our brethren who were present heard the voice. And as he was brought forward, the tumult became great when they heard that Polycarp was taken. And when he came near, the proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On his confessing that he was, [the proconsul] sought to persuade him to deny [Christ], saying, "Have respect to thy old age," and other similar things, according to their custom, [such as], "Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists." But Polycarp, gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude of the wicked heathen then in the stadium, and waving his hand towards them, while with groans he looked up to heaven, said, "Away with the Atheists." Then, the proconsul urging him, and saying, "Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ;" Polycarp declared, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" And when the proconsul yet again pressed him, and said, "Swear by the fortune of Caesar," he answered, "Since thou art vainly urgent that, as thou sayest, I should swear by the fortune of Caesar, and pretendest not to know who and what I am, hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn what the doctrines of Christianity are, appoint me a day, and thou shalt hear them." The proconsul replied, "Persuade the people." But Polycarp said, "To thee I have thought it right to offer an account [of my faith]; for we are taught to give all due honour (which entails no injury upon ourselves) to the powers and authorities which are ordained of God. But as for these, I do not deem them worthy of receiving any account from me." The proconsul then said to him, "I have wild beasts at hand; to these will I cast thee, except thou repent." But he answered, "Call them then, for we are not accustomed to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is evil; and it is well for me to be changed from what is evil to what is righteous." But again the proconsul said to him, "I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou despisest the wild beasts, if thou wilt not repent." But Polycarp said, "Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt." While he spoke these and many other like things, he was filled with confidence and joy, and his countenance was full of grace, so that not merely did it not fall as if troubled by the things said to him, but, on the contrary, the proconsul was astonished, and sent his herald to proclaim in the midst of the stadium thrice, "Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian." This proclamation having been made by the herald, the whole multitude both of the heathen and Jews, who dwelt at Smyrna, cried out with uncontrollable fury, and in a loud voice, "This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, and the overthrower of our gods, he who has been teaching many not to sacrifice, or to worship the gods." Speaking thus, they cried out, and besought Philip the Asiarch to let loose a lion upon Polycarp. But Philip answered that it was not lawful for him to do so, seeing the shows of wild beasts were already finished. Then it seemed good to them to cry out with one consent, that Polycarp should be burnt alive. For thus it behooved the vision which was revealed to him in regard to his pillow to be fulfilled, when, seeing it on fire as he was praying, he turned about and said prophetically to the faithful that were with him, "I must be burnt alive." When he had pronounced this amen, and so finished his prayer, those who were appointed for the purpose kindled the fire. And as the flame blazed forth in great fury, we, to whom it was given to witness it, beheld a great miracle, and have been preserved that we might report to others what then took place. For the fire, shaping itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, encompassed as by a circle the body of the martyr. And he appeared within not like flesh which is burnt, but as bread that is baked, or as gold and silver glowing in a furnace. Moreover, we perceived such a sweet odour [coming from the pile], as if frankincense or some such precious spices had been smoking there. ... At length, when those wicked men perceived that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to go near and pierce him through with a dagger. And on his doing this, there came forth a dove, and a great quantity of blood, so that the fire was extinguished; and all the people wondered that there should be such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect, of whom this most admirable Polycarp was one, having in our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the Catholic Church which is in Smyrna. Forevery word that went out of his mouth either has been or shall yet be accomplished. ... [article link]

Polycarp [Letter] to the Philippians - Estimated Range of Dating: 110-140 A.D. - Polycarp resided in Asia Minor as Bishop of Smyrna and sent an epistle to the Philippians c. 120-140 AD - Polycarp was martyred c. 155 AD
Irenaeus mentions Polycarp in Adv. Haer., III.3.4: But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles [John and possibly Paul], and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time, a man who was of much greater weight, and a more stedfast witness of truth, than Valentinus, and Marcion, and the rest of the heretics. He it was who, coming to Rome in the time of Anicetus caused many to turn away from the aforesaid heretics to the Church of God, proclaiming that he had received this one and sole truth from the apostles, that, namely, which is handed down by the Church. There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, "Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within." And Polycarp himself replied to Marcion, who met him on one occasion, and said, "Dost thou know me? "I do know thee, the first-born of Satan." Such was the horror which the apostles and their disciples had against holding even verbal communication with any corrupters of the truth; as Paul also says, "A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." There is also a very powerful Epistle of Polycarp written to the Philippians, from which those who choose to do so, and are anxious about their salvation, can learn the character of his faith, and the preaching of the truth. Then, again, the Church in Ephesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining among them permanently until the times of Trajan, is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles. ... Jerome provides the following summary in Illustrious Men 17: Polycarp disciple of the apostle John and by him ordained bishop of Smyrna was chief of all Asia, where he saw and had as teachers some of the apostles and of those who had seen the Lord. He, on account of certain questions concerning the day of the Passover, went to Rome in the time of the emperor Antoninus Pius while Anicetus ruled the church in that city. There he led back to the faith many of the believers who had been deceived through the persuasion of Marcion {i.e. water baptism saves - so they were baptized later in life, after marriage, after child birth etc. - Constantine (277-337 AD.) the first Christian Emperor of Rome and his father both believed this doctrine and both were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins at the end of their life only when on their deathbeds} and Valentinus {Gnostic Heretic - i.e. a greater god [Zoe] than God exists, Jesus-God (the Jewish, Christian God) was created by an even higher god [a god with lots of names (Lucifer, Gaia, Zoe, the Source, the Light, the Almighty, Divine Creator, Serpant, Father Satan, etc.) but usually secretly referred to as Satan or Lucifer]}, and when Marcion met him by chance and said "Do you know us" he replied, "I know the firstborn of the devil." Afterwards during the reign of Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus in the fourth persecution after Nero, in the presence of the proconsul holding court at Smyrna and all the people crying out against him in the Amphitheater, he was burned. He wrote a very valuable Epistle to the Philippians which is read to the present day in the meetings in Asia. [article link]

BasicChristian.org: Did Jesus have a wife and child? Of course Not! - Da Vinci Code Gnostic (Jesus is only human) Cults Exposed!
Network TV, the movie "The Da Vinci Code" 'SEEK THE TRUTH' {Sony Pictures - Directed by: Ron Howard, Starring: Tom Hanks, May 2006} and now The Da Vinci Code part two "Angels & Demons" (2009) are programs that will insinuate that Jesus had a secret wife, Mary Magdalene and that the two had a child while He was here on the earth. Following is some material to consider regarding this very wrong and false topic. This is a startling topic yet it is a good opportunity for us as Christians to define Christianity to others and to point out the errors of the non-Biblical approach to defining Jesus. "Any marriage prior to the Cross would mean that Jesus was marring a sinner and really teachings of an earthly marriage of Jesus are yet another false set of teachings that are attempting to do away with the need of mankind for the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and of His Glorious Resurrection and it is an attempt to deny the special relationship that Jesus has with His Bride - The Church." [article link]

Gnosticism - Hollywood's War on God: Learn how these movies are initiating the masses into a Gnostic worldview that will culminate in a "strong delusion" as the world joins Satan & the final Antichrist in their war against God (DVD - $19.95)
Hollywood's War on God is a mind-blowing, eye-popping documentary that reveals how satanic forces are using Hollywood's most memorable movies and most popular actors to propagate an ancient lie in fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Learn how these movies are initiating the masses into a Gnostic worldview that will culminate in a "strong delusion" as the world joins Satan & the final Antichrist in their war on God. Such titles include Ron Howard & Tom Hanks "The Da Vinci Code"; Keanu Reeves "The Matrix" and "Constantine"; Brad Pitt's "Fight Club"; Jim Carrey's "Truman Show"; Toby McQuire's "Pleasantville"; Arnold Swarzenegger's "Total Recall"; Johnny Depp's "From Hell"; Shawn Connery's "League of Extraordinary Gentleman"; J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter"; Harrison Ford's "Bladerunner"; Tom Cruise's "Vanilla Sky," "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Minority Report" and many others. [article link]

Philippians 1 - The Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Church at Philippi a Church fellowship that had become one of his main delights and joys in the Lord -- 'Philippians 1:1-6 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the Saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops [Bible teaching Church leaders, pastors, Sunday school teachers, etc.] and deacons [non-teaching servants, ushers, preparing communion, etc.]: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, *For your fellowship in the Gospel *from the first day until now; **Being confident of this very thing, *that He [God] which hath begun a good work *in you *will perform [complete] it until the day [2nd Coming] of Jesus Christ'
Philippians 1:19-30 For I know that this [Paul's humiliation at being arrested and jailed] shall turn to my salvation [wellbeing, Christian growth] through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so **now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. **For to me to live is Christ, *and to die is gain [to gain Heaven and eternity with Jesus]. But if I live [on] in the flesh, this [Christian work] is the fruit of my labour [meaning of Paul's existence]: yet what I shall choose [death and eternal life in Heaven or continued Christian work and growth] I wot not [know not - still undecided]. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart [into Heaven], and to be with [Jesus] Christ; which [being in Heaven] is far better {Paul had already experienced being in Heaven}: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel; *And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token [evidence] of perdition [lost salvation], *but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, *but also to suffer for His sake [as Jesus was rejected by the world]; Having the same [rejected by the world] conflict *which ye saw in me, and now hear to [continue to] be in me. - Paul talks about the continued conflict that remains in the Christian. The Christian desire to begin life with Jesus in Heaven and also the desire to remain here on earth to do good and to continue to grow and mature in the Christian faith. Paul also talks about the conflicting notion of suffering persecution as a Christian. If becoming a Christian means suffering and rejection then why become a Christian and why would God allow it to happen and it's because while on earth we are conformed into fellowship with Jesus and in the 1st Coming of Jesus He was rejected, persecuted and suffered.

Philippians 2 - Paul explains that though circumstances are difficult for him at the moment a knowledge of their continued Christian growth and maturity would bring a joy to Paul that would help to make his present difficulties less difficult -- 'Philippians 2:1-5 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. *Look not every man on his own things, *but every man also on the things of others. *Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus'
Philippians 2:6-18 ***[Jesus] Who, being [originally] in the form of God, thought it not robbery [taking away from God] to be equal with God [Jesus as God is equal to God]: **But made Himself of no reputation [temporarily removed His status as Gog], and took upon Him the form of a servant [became a human], and was made in the [human] likeness of men: And being found in [physical] fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God [Father] also hath highly exalted Him, *and given Him a Name which is above every name: ***That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth [in Hades]; **And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation [wellbeing in Jesus, Christian growth, maturity] with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings [complaining] and disputings [arguing]: That ye may be blameless and harmless, *the Sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, **among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the [Gospel] Word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain [empty], neither laboured in vain. Yea, **and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of [give his life in service for] your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me. - The main theme of the letter to the Philippians is Christian growth and maturity and above all Paul wants them to continue to grow and mature in their Christian faith to the point that their lives are no longer selfish and that they no longer live life for themselves temporarily here on earth but now live their life eternally for Jesus in Heaven.

Philippians 3 - Paul is serious that this physical life is an opportunity to fellowship with Jesus in His sufferings and in His persecutions and that to know and experience the suffering of Jesus is to fellowship with Jesus -- 'Philippians 3:8-11 Yea doubtless, and I count all [accomplishments] things [in this life] but loss *for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, *not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, *the righteousness which is of God by faith: ***That I may know Him [Jesus], *and the power of His resurrection, *and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; [so that] If [since] by any means I might attain unto the [Holy, eternal] resurrection of the dead.'
Philippians 3:12-21 Not as though I had already attained [eternal life], either were already perfect [completed in Jesus Christ]: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend [obtain] that [eternal life salvation] for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. *Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended [eternal life]: **but this one thing I do, forgetting those [uncertain] things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those [certain Salvation] things which are before [yet future], **I press [continue] toward the mark for the prize of the [Heavenly] High Calling of God in Christ Jesus. *Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [complete in Jesus Christ], be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto [with what Christian knowledge] we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, **who mind earthly things. **For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: [Jesus] *Who shall change our vile [physical] body, that [being predestined to the image of the resurrected Jesus (Romans 8:29)] it [our physical body] may be fashioned like unto His glorious [eternal, spiritual] body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. - Keep in mind that eternal life is something that is completed at the Throne, Bema Seat Judgment of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) after our own individual death and resurrection and is not obtained specifically here on earth. - Note: The Apostle Paul was briefly in Heaven and possibly having doubts about his own ministry (Galatians 2:2) and his own standing with God [apart from the laws of Moses] the Apostle Paul appears to have witnessed in Heaven a Bema Seat Judgment take place. "2 Corinthians 12:4 How that he [Apostle Paul] was caught up into paradise [Heaven, Throne of God], *and heard unspeakable [Bema Seat Judgment] words, which it is **not **lawful [illegal] for a man to utter [repeat]." It's possible that Paul was able to witness a Bema Seat Judgment [or Judgments] and apparently all went well for the Christians and Paul realized that the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ being the finalization 'acceptance' of individual Christianity is a reward for the Christian [those in Jesus Christ] and not a condemnation.

Philippians 4 - The Apostle Paul explains that eternal life our names written in the "Book of Life" is what is at stake in Christian Fellowship -- 'Philippians 4:1-3 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, **my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord [Jesus Christ], my dearly beloved. I beseech [request] [the two Christian women] Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they [try to get along and stop causing so much strife and drama within the fellowship] be of the same mind in the Lord. And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women [Euodias, and Syntyche] which labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers, **whose names are in the Book of Life [and if not removed (Revelation 3:5) will pass the Bema Seat Judgment of Jesus Christ].'
The Apostle Paul concludes the Bibles' Book of Philippians: Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. *Be careful for nothing; but in everything *by prayer and supplication [request to God] with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And ***the peace of God, which passeth all [physical] understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ***Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, **think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. ... Philippians 4:20-23 Now **unto God [Jesus Christ] **and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household [this letter is thought to be written while Paul is under house arrest in Rome while he is guarded by Roman guards]. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

COLOSSIANS

Background on Colossians: As far as we know Paul never visited Colossae, at least not at the time he wrote this epistle; he had only "heard" about the church at Colossae (1:4, 9; 2:1) - {Note: The book of Colossians is an extraordinary book of the Bible often the favorite book of the Bible for many Christians. The book of Colossians is unique in that the Apostle Paul was writing to a city that he had not yet been to, a city that had not had any Apostle visit it [unlike Rome where many Christians from Jerusalem and even Peter might have visited there before Paul]. The book of Colossians is considered Paul's opening evangelical statement of what the Apostle might have said to people in any given city who gathered to hear his first public appearance and presentation of the Gospel in places that previously had little or no exposure to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.}
As far as we know Paul never visited Colossae, at least not at the time he wrote this epistle; he had only "heard" about the church at Colossae (1:4, 9; 2:1). Nevertheless, it was a product of his ministry and beautifully illustrates his commitment to impart his vision of reaching others with the powerful message of the gospel. That this is so is illustrated in the following ways. First, Paul spent three years ministering the word in Ephesus from the lecture room of the School of Tyrannus. It was during this time all of Asia heard the Word (cf. Acts. 19:8-10, 26; & 20:31). Ephesus had three great attractions that brought people into the city from all parts of Asia. It was a seaport town, a center of commerce, and, with the temple of Diana, it was also a center for idol worship. Second, while on a visit to Ephesus, a young man from Colossae named Epaphras evidently heard the gospel from Paul and was converted. It appears that he was not only saved, but that he was trained and prepared by Paul to go back and plant a church in his hometown of Colossae (1:7; 4:12). The story of the establishment of the church at Colossae illustrates an important truth. "God does not always need an apostle, or a 'full-time Christian worker' to get a ministry established. Nor does He need elaborate buildings and extensive organizations." Through Paul's vision for training others for ministry, God took two men and sent them out to reach and build others in Christ in at least three cities of the Lycus Valley. ... The Scope of Colossians: Colossians presents the all-supremacy, the all-sufficiency, the uniqueness, and the fullness of the person and work of Jesus Christ as the God-man Savior, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and the total solution for man's needs both for time and eternity. It is a cosmic book, presenting the cosmic Christ: the Creator/Sustainer who is also the one and only Redeemer/Reconciler of the universe. One of my former and beloved Greek professors at Dallas Seminary, Dr. S. Lewis Johnson, had the following excellent summary of the importance of this epistle. In the first of a series of articles entitled "Studies in the Epistle to the Colossians" he wrote: "Without doubt Colossae was the least important church to which any epistle of St. Paul is addressed." So wrote Bishop Lightfoot some years ago in one of the finest commentaries on New Testament literature. Colosse had been "a great city of Phrygia," but it was in the afternoon of its influence and importance when Paul wrote the house-church there. And yet the message to Colosse, so bright with the light of the apostle's highest Christology, has become amazingly relevant in the middle of the twentieth century. With the sudden and startling intrusion of the space age and its astrophysics, nuclear power, missiles and rockets, the church of Jesus Christ has been forced to relate its Lord and Master to the ultimate frontiers. Colossians, which presents Him as the architect and sustainer of the universe, as well as the reconciler of all things, both earthly and heavenly, provides the church with the material it may and must use. Suddenly the epistle to the little flock in the declining city has become perhaps the most contemporary book in the New Testament library. -- The usefulness of Colossians, however, is not a recent phenomenon. The epistle is no late-blooming flower, although its grandeur and brilliance may strike one's eyes with increasing force in the present time. The Christology and the ethics of the letter are important for all time. It has always furnished a proper antidote to humanly devised schemes of salvation. As A. M. Hunter puts it; "To all who would 'improve' Christianity by admixing it with spiritualism or Sabbatarianism or occultism or any such extra, it utters its warning: 'What Christ is and has done for us is enough for salvation. We need no extra mediators, or taboos, or ascetics. To piece out the gospel with the rags and tatters of alien cults is not to enrich but to corrupt it.'" [article link]

Background on Colossians (Part 2): Because of the rising tide of human philosophies confronting us today, no New Testament book speaks with more relevancy than does the epistle to the Colossians - Increasingly our generation wants to take religion out of the realm of rational discourse and relegate it to the area of personal preferences and opinions. If there are thirty-one flavors of ice cream, why can we not have similar variety in religions? - Thus, Colossians is a book that speaks to our cosmic age and to this New Age movement
Introductory Remarks: Because of the rising tide of human philosophies confronting us today, no New Testament book speaks with more relevancy than does the epistle to the Colossians. Not only do we live in an atomic and space age, but in the most technologically advanced age of all time. As in the past, this is a day where, duped by the age-old lie of Satan, man still continues to believe in himself and his ability to solve his problems apart from God as He is revealed in Scripture. Through one avenue or another, man continues to offer his own manmade solutions for the ills of society whether in the form of secular humanism or religious syncretism. But it appears many are becoming discontented over the futility of materialism and somewhat dissatisfied with the idea that life is but a cosmic accident. As a result, many are turning to the New Age movement that has been growing by leaps and bounds. This new movement claims we stand at the brink of an entirely new age of human achievement and potential, one that will unify the world and bring an end to war and an end to hunger through a redistribution of the world's resources and population control. It will lead to the conservation of the earth's environment, result in genuine equality among all races and religions and between men and women, and provide a global ethic that will unite the human family. But at the center of this movement is a religious syncretism that rejects the biblical revelation of God as revealed in Christ. According to this movement, Christ is only one of many religious leaders or influences that man may turn to because there are other ways that are equally valid. -- Increasingly our generation wants to take religion out of the realm of rational discourse and relegate it to the area of personal preferences and opinions. If there are thirty-one flavors of ice cream, why can we not have similar variety in religions? The gods of the New Age Movement are always tolerant of sexual preferences, feminism, and hedonistic pleasures at almost any cost. Why shouldn't we each choose a religion that is compatible with our private values? In order to have a meaningful faith, it must agree with our deeply held beliefs. What works for you might not work for me. Thus, Colossians is a book that speaks to our cosmic age and to this New Age movement. But let us not miss the fact that this movement has its source in the occult (though hidden under new names) and in Eastern religions that go all the way back to the beginnings of history with the fall of man. The New Age movement is not new; it is the most recent repeat of the second oldest religion, the spirituality of the serpent. Its impulse is foreign to none of us. The appeal is ancient indeed; its rudiments were seductively sold to our first parents in the garden. Human pride was tickled, and it jumped. The New Age movement promotes a belief in monism. Monism is the belief that all is one, that everything is interrelated, interdependent, and interpenetrating. It promotes the hideous idea that humanity, nature, and God are not separate from each other, but are one. As an illustration, Groothius also points out that John Randolph Price is a New Age writer who teaches that everyone should affirm, "I and the Father are one, and all the Father has is mine. In truth I am the Christ of God," and that he "tars as 'anti-Christ' those under-evolved, ignorant ones who deny 'the divinity of all men' (pantheism)." As evident from this statement by Price, pantheism is at the heart of the New Age movement. It teaches that "all is God." But their God is not a personal being; he is an impersonal energy, a force or consciousness. Out of this naturally comes another idea. Since all is one and all is God, we too are gods. The goal of the New Age movement is to awaken us to the god who sleeps within us, to teach us to live like the gods we are. The bait on this pagan hook is Satan's great delusion from the Garden of Eden, the promise of godhood. -- Secular humanism taught that "man is the measure of all things." Now, because of this promise of godhood for men, the New Age movement says with man all things are possible. The New Age worldview is what could be called "a cosmic humanism." But as mentioned, the ideas of the New Age movement are not new. It merely repeats Satan's age-old lie in a new age using euphemisms or new names to hide and remove old associations and stigmas. As will be shown, the heresy confronting the Colossians had certain similarities to the New Age movement of our day. Colossians is God's polemic and rebuttal to many kinds of delusions and heresies, but it is especially relevant to what we see happening in the world today. [article link]

Colossians 1 - The Apostle Paul begins his letter to a Church stating what he would say to them if he could visit them -- 'Colossians 1:3-6 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, *praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, **For the hope which is laid up **for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the Word of the Truth of the Gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and ***bringeth forth fruit [evidence], as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the Grace of God in Truth'
Colossians 1:7-23 As ye also learned of Epaphras [a native of Colossae who on a visit to Ephesus was saved and taught Christianity by Paul, he then returned to Colossae and began the Church there] our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the [Holy] Spirit. *For this cause [their Christian love] we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire *that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding; *That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, *which hath made us meet to be partakers of **the **inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son [Jesus]: In [Jesus] whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image [same Spiritual substance] of the invisible God, the firstborn [receives the double inheritance, Jews (Exodus 4:22-23) and Christians (Hebrews 12:23)] of every creature: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, *visible [physical] and invisible [spiritual], whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him [Jesus], and for Him: And He is [pre-existent] before all things, and by Him all things consist [exist, remain]. *And He is the head [authority] of the [Christian] body, the church: who is the beginning, *the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him [Jesus] should all fullness dwell; ***And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him ***to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled In the body of His flesh through death, *to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight [at the Bema Seat Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10)]: *If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the Hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; - Paul begins his message with the basics a need for faithfulness Jesus Christ, redemption and reconciliation to God only through the blood of Jesus and of the headship and authority of Jesus Christ over His Christian Church.

Colossians 2 - Paul then talks about the importance of not being deceived by the 'enticing words' [false religions, false science, empty philosophies] of man -- 'Colossians 2:1-5 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of *the [3 in 1] Mystery of God [Holy Spirit], and of *the Father, and of *[Jesus] Christ; ***In whom [Holy Spirit, Father, Jesus Christ] are hid **all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile [deceive] you with enticing [i.e. Gnostic] words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the Spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in [Jesus] Christ.'
Colossians 2:6-19 As ye have therefore received *Christ Jesus the Lord [authority], so walk ye in Him [Jesus]: Rooted [anchored] and built up in Him, and stablished [established] in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving. **Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. ***And ye are complete in Him [Jesus], which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are [spiritually] circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: **Buried with Him in [spiritual] baptism, **wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened [made alive] together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses [sins]; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, ***nailing it to His cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, **He made a shew of them openly [in the resurrection], triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you [religiously, physically] in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: **Which are a shadow [O.T. example] of [New Testament] things to come; but the body [content of the Holy Bible] is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head [Jesus Christ], from which all the Christian Church] body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. - Paul gives more cautions and warnings that individual Christians are to be careful and not to get trapped into religious practices or into the preferences and spectacles of men as they do not foster a true Spiritual relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3 - The importance of living a new spiritual; heavenly, godly life, a maturing Christian life centered in the Holy Bible and focused on Jesus Christ -- 'Colossians 3:1-10 If ye then be risen [resurrection] with [Jesus] Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth [enthroned] on the right hand of God. **Set your affection on things above, **not on things on the earth. For ye are dead [to this world], and your [new] life is [Heaven] hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear [2nd Coming], then shall ye also appear with Him in Glory. Mortify [put to death] therefore *your members [worldly, desires, urges] which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old [sin] man with his deeds; And have put on the new [Spiritual] man, which is **renewed in [Biblical] knowledge after the image [spiritual substance] of Him [God] that created him [a new Spiritual person]:'
Colossians 3:12-17 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. ... Colossians 3:23-25 *And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily [with eternal significance], as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. - Everyone is to keep a holy perspective and an eternal purpose even while in this current physical life.

Colossians 4 - The Apostle Paul concludes his letter, a letter written to group of people that he will most likely not meet until after they have been gathered together and are a part of the great Congregation in Heaven -- 'Colossians 4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch [look for the 2nd Coming of Jesus] in the same [prayerful manner] with thanksgiving' ... 'Colossians 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward them [non-Christian] that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace [hospitable], seasoned with salt [giving people a taste of Christianity, eternity], that ye may know how ye ought to answer [having ourselves a graceful attitude towards God and giving every person a desire for Christian spiritual things] every man.'
Paul concludes the Bible's book of Colossians: Colossians 4:15-18 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the Church which is in his house. **And when this epistle (letter) is read among you, ***cause [make it happen] that it [this letter] be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans; **and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea [probably know known as the Book of Ephesians]. **And say to Archippus, **Take heed to the Ministry **which thou hast received in the Lord, **that thou [continue] fulfill it. The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds [imprisonment]. Grace be with you. Amen. -Note: The letters of the New Testament [and all of the Bible but specifically the N.T. epistles] are meant to be read out loud in the gathered Churches. This ancient practice of reading Paul's letters [and all the letters of the N.T.] to the Church fellowship seems to have been neglected by the modern Church and it is a practice that we are commanded to do. Having one person or several people slowly read an epistle to the congregation should be a standard Church practice even today.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

1 THESSALONIANS

1 Thessalonians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary - The Thessalonian epistles were written to the church at Thessalonica - It was a church under persecution, but also a church that had a dynamic testimony and that had grown through the persecution - Significantly, in every chapter of 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle sought to comfort and motivate with the truth of the Lord's sure return
The Thessalonian epistles were written to the church at Thessalonica. It was a church under persecution, but also a church that had a dynamic testimony and that had grown through the persecution. Significantly, in every chapter of 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle sought to comfort and motivate with the truth of the Lord's sure return. As we study these books, therefore, we need to grapple with how the return of the Lord for the body of Christ should impact us and how it should not affect us, for as we will see, some had made a wrong application of the Lord's imminent return. ... Thessalonica was originally named Therma because of the many hot springs in the surrounding area, but in 315 B.C. it was renamed Thessalonica after the half-sister of Alexander the Great. It later became known as Salonika and today it is called Thessaloniki. It is one of the few cities that still exists today from New Testament times and has a booming population of 300,000. The city was conquered by Rome in 168 B.C., and was made the capitol of the entire providence of Macedonia. When Paul made his journey to the city, it boasted a population of 200,000 consisting mostly of Greeks though there was a large Roman population with a strong Jewish minority. ... To preach and teach the Word to a dying and lost world is never really an issue in the will of God, but exactly when and where (time and place) is an issue in keeping with God's preparation of the soil of human hearts. As Christians, we are all called to be a part of promoting the spread of the glorious truths of the Word, but where, when, and how are important matters that need to be discerned in the will of God for each individual believer. Thus, the birth of the church at Thessalonica was the result of both God's leading and the attentive ears of Paul and his missionary team. -- Having arrived at Somothrace in Macedonia, the missionary team moved on through Neopolis to Philippi, a leading city of Macedonia and a Roman colony. There Lydia, whose heart God had opened for the gospel, and her household were led to the Christ with a church being established in her home. After some days of ministry there, Paul and Silas were arrested on false charges, beaten, and thrown into jail. Following a miraculous deliverance by the Lord, the Philippian jailer and his household were also led to the Savior (Acts 16:19-40). These circumstances forced the missionaries to leave Philippi. So after encouraging the new believers, the missionary team left the city (though Luke may have stayed behind temporarily) and journeyed on through Amphipolis and Appollonia to the important city of Thessalonica. [article link]

Background of 1st Thessalonians - Thessalonica was a major city in northern Greece. Situated on the main east-west highway of the Roman Empire, it was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia and very loyal to Rome. It survives to this day, now known as Salonika - Paul planted this church on his second missionary journey about 50 AD - Upon hearing Timothy's report, he [Paul] writes this letter from Corinth to encourage, instruct and equip them in their relationships with Christ - This means that 1 Thessalonians is one of the earliest documents of the New Testament-preceded only by Galatians and James [and probably the Gospel of Matthew and the extra-biblical book 'The Didache'] - It is also one of the most personal
Paul planted this church on his second missionary journey about 50 AD. After Paul and Silas had, during the Apostle's second missionary journey, left Philippi, they proceeded to Thessalonica. Luke, one of Paul's mission band, concisely records what happened in Acts 17:1-15. The signal success of Paul's apostolate among Jews, proselytes, and Hellenes together with the conversion of "not a few noble ladies," aroused the Jews to a fury of envy; they gathered together a mob of idlers from the agora and set the whole city in tumult; they beset the home of Jason, found the Apostle away, dragged his host to the tribunal of the politarchs and charged him with harboring traitors, men who set Jesus up as king in place of Caesar. That night the brethren made good the escape of their teacher to Berea. There the Gospel of Paul met with a much more enthusiastic reception than that accorded to it by the synagogue of Thessalonica. The Jews of that city drove Paul to Berea and there, too, stirred up the mob against him. Concerned for their spiritual welfare, he sent Timothy back to check on them. Upon hearing Timothy's report, he writes this letter from Corinth to encourage, instruct and equip them in their relationships with Christ. This means that 1 Thessalonians is one of the earliest documents of the New Testament-preceded only by Galatians and James. It is also one of the most personal. [article link]

1 Thessalonians 1 - The Apostle Paul begins his first of two letters of encouragement to a highly persecuted Christian Church a Church that was nearly wiped out do to the severe nature of the deadly persecutions it endured -- '1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 We give thanks to God *always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.'
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they [Thessalonian converts] themselves shew [by their endurance in the faith] of [unto] us what manner of entering in [influence] we had unto you, and ***how ye turned to God from idols ***to serve the ***living and true God; And to wait for [2nd Coming of] His Son [Jesus] from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus [Christ], which delivered us from the wrath to come. - The Christians, many of them new converts, in Thessalonica are commended for their faith and endurance in very difficult circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 2 - The Christians in Thessalonica were able to grasp and discern that the Words of comfort are from God and that the violent persecutions were from Satan -- '1 Thessalonians 2:11-13 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto His [eternal] Kingdom and Glory. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God *which ye heard [from] of us,*** ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, **the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe [lit. faith - belief is the verb form of the noun faith].'
1 Thessalonians 2:14 For ye, brethren, became followers of the Churches of God which in Judaea [Israel - Jerusalem] are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own [violent persecutors] countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and **they [violent persecutors] please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be Saved, to fill up their sins always: **for the wrath is come upon them [violent persecutors] to the uttermost. But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire. Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; **but Satan hindered us {Satan is actively at work in all regions of the world opposing all aspects of true Christianity}. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing [personal fellowship among believers until the return of Jesus]? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his [2nd] coming [lit. presence - parousia G3952]? For ye are our glory and joy. - The violent opposition waged against the Christians is of the realm and influences of Satan and not at all of God.

1 Thessalonians 3 - The misery and even death of persecution does not make void the fact that we are even now alive in Jesus Christ -- '1 Thessalonians 3:8-10 For **now we live [even in persecution], if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect [complete] that which is lacking in your faith [knowledge of the Ministry, the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ]?'
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Now God Himself [Holy Spirit] and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way [path back] unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. - We Christians regardless of circumstances or the amount of persecution are to remain "unblameable in holiness before God" because we are accountable to God more than we are accountable to our fellow man.

1 Thessalonians 4 - Living in times of crisis and persecution is not a time to relinquish immorality and holiness towards God -- '1 Thessalonians 4:1-4 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received (Acts 15:20) of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound [in holiness] more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification [holiness], that ye should abstain from fornication: **That every one of you [individually] should know how to possess his [own body] vessel in sanctification and honor [to God]'
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [deceased Christians], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For **if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the [2nd] coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep {from already being in the presence of God}. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the Trump [call] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first {already in the presence of God}: **Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (Acts 3:21): and so shall we [living and deceased] ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. - Note: This verse is particularly in reference to Christians who have died in martyrdom and by other causes and indicates that those who die before the 2nd Coming of Jesus will instantly be in the presence of Jesus and will not need to wait for us to enter into Heaven but already being there will reunite with those who are alive at the actual 2nd Coming of Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5 - A continued separation and distinction is made between the holiness and conduct of Christians and the rebellion and disobedience of non-Christians -- '1 Thessalonians 5:5-8 Ye [You] are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch [for the 2nd Coming of Jesus] and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. **But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of [our individual] salvation.'
The Apostle Paul closes the Bible's first of two letters to the Church in Thessalonica: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-28 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. **Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And ***the very God of Peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole *spirit and *soul and *body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He [God] that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with an holy [embrace] kiss. **I charge you by the Lord **that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

2 THESSALONIANS

2 Thessalonians - They thought that they were already in 'the day of the Lord' just preceding Christ's [2nd Coming] return - This doctrinal problem caused a practical issue - Some of the members, *convinced that the end was near, had given up their jobs, and were living in idleness waiting for the Lord - They were spending their time spreading their views and living off of others - So Paul had to write to them and straighten them out
The main reason for Paul writing a second letter to the Thessalonians was to bring encouragement to discouraged Christians. Between the time of the writing of the two letters a new problem had arisen. Apparently some believers had caused concern with regard to their relation to 'the day of the Lord.' They thought that they were already in 'the day of the Lord' just preceding Christ's return. They said that this seemed to be confirmed by their persecutions. So they looked for the immediate return of Christ. Paul wrote them 'not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by work, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.' (2 Thessalonians 2:2) The Thessalonians were concerned that they would fall victim to the day of Judgment. This doctrinal problem caused a practical issue. Some of the members convinced that the end was near, had given up their jobs, and were living in idleness waiting for the Lord. They were spending their time spreading their views and living off of others. So Paul had to write to them and straighten them out. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). This is the shortest of Paul's letters to the churches. Only the letter to Titus and the little note to Philemon are shorter. It is really a letter of prayer containing four prayers and one request. He seals the letter with his own hand to prevent the Churches from being misled by letters claiming to be his. [article link]

Persecution in the Early Church - In the face of persecution, many Christians chose to die before they would deny their Lord [Jesus Christ] - Those who did so came to be called martyrs, which means "witnesses"
The Roman Empire was generally quite tolerant in its treatment of other religions. The imperial policy was generally one of incorporation - the local gods of a newly conquered area were simply added to the Roman pantheon and often given Roman names. Even the Jews, with their one god, were generally tolerated. So why the persecution of Christians? In order to understand the Roman distrust of Christianity, one must understand the Roman view of religion. For the Romans, religion was first and foremost a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to the state - a religious attitude the Romans called pietas, or piety. Cicero wrote that if piety in the Roman sense were to disappear, social unity and justice would perish along with it. The early Roman writers viewed Christianity not as another kind of pietas, piety, but as a superstitio, "superstition." Pliny, a Roman governor writing circa 110 AD, called Christianity a "superstition taken to extravagant lengths." Similarly, the Roman historian Tacitus called it "a deadly superstition," and the historian Suetonius called Christians "a class of persons given to a new and mischievous superstition." In this context, the word "superstition" has a slightly different connotation than it has today: for the Romans, it designated something foreign and different - in a negative sense. Religious beliefs were valid only in so far as it could be shown to be old and in line with ancient customs; new and innovative teachings were regarded with distrust. The Roman distaste for Christianity, then, arose in large part from its sense that it was bad for society. ... Two Christian Responses: The Glory of Martyrdom and Apologetics - "Though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but, the more such things happen, the more do others in larger numbers become faithful." -- Justin Martyr In the face of persecution, many Christians chose to die before they would deny their Lord. Those who did so came to be called martyrs, which means "witnesses." The second-century theologian Tertullian had converted to Christianity based in part on his wonder at Christians' faithfulness in the face of martyrdom and it clearly had a similar effect on others as well. It was Tertullian who famously declared, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Indeed, persecution seemed to have a dramatic effect on Christianity's numbers, but not in the direction intended by the persecutors. -- A second response of the church to Roman persecution was to write apologies, or defenses, of the Christian faith. The bishops and leaders who wrote these defenses are known as the Apologists. Writing especially in the 2nd century AD, the Apologists' primary goal was to defend Christianity against pagan accusations and misconceptions in an effort to stop the persecution. Thus they often addressed their works to Roman emperors. The Apologists explained, for example, that the Christian "love feast" did not involve cannibalism or orgies as many thought, but was a sacred meal of bread and wine in honor of Christ's death. -- The Apologists also sought to show that Christianity was equal or even superior to pagan religion and philosophy, and good for the Roman state. They pointed out that Christianity was just as old as Greek thought, having originated in the ancient religion of the Hebrews. They asked their readers to compare the ethical behavior of Christians and pagans. They explained that although they were not willing to sacrifice to him as a god, Christians prayed for the emperor's welfare regularly. [article link]

2 Thessalonians 1 - The Apostle Paul begins his second and final letter to the heavily persecuted and heavily martyred Church in Thessalonica -- '2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure'
2 Thessalonians 1:7-12 And to you who are troubled rest with us [in Jesus Christ], when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty Angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel [of Peace] of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence [being separated from the presence of God - eternal damnation] of the Lord, and from the Glory of His power; When He shall come to be glorified in His Saints, and to be admired in all them that believe because our testimony among you was believed in that day. **Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and **the work of faith with power: That the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be Glorified in you, and ye in Him [Jesus], according to the Grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. - Paul gives the very important admonishment that vengeance does not belong to mankind bit it belongs to Jesus Christ to be administered in the prescribed time, place and manner at the choice of Jesus Christ. But that glory for mankind in Jesus Christ does belong to mankind. The opportunity of mankind for peace and eternal glory in Jesus Christ, yes. The responsibility of man for vengeance, judgment and destruction on his fellow man, no.

2 Thessalonians 2 - To see people doing good and following God in peace during times of strife and evil is a sight and an event to be thankful for and to give thanks both to the people of peace and to God the author of peace and love -- '2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation [wellbeing] through sanctification [being set apart to God] of the [Holy] Spirit and Belief of the Truth: Whereunto He [God] called [invited] you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. **Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions [prayer, fellowship, Bible study, communion, baptism, etc.] which ye have been taught, whether by Word [Holy Bible], or our epistle [letter].'
2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 For the mystery of iniquity [sin] doth already work: only He [God - Holy Spirit] who now letteth [restrains evil] will let [evil reign (Revelation 6:1)], until He [Holy Spirit allows evil to reign unhindered] be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming [presence]: Even him [Antichrist], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; *because they received not the love [and peace] of the truth, that they might be saved [eternal salvation]. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie [that violence is of God]: That they all [violent] might be damned who believed not the truth [of peace, rest and trust in God], but had pleasure in unrighteousness [and violence]. - God is currently restraining sin and evil from having complete reign upon the earth however during the Tribulation times of Revelation sin will have fewer restrictions and mankind will be allowed to commit more of the evil desires of an evil heart and mind. The Seven Seals of Revelation are seven restraints on evil that are each individually broken and removed as evil is given free reign for a time upon the earth.

2 Thessalonians 3 - The Apostle Paul concludes his letter confirming that Jesus Christ is Peace and Love and that Jesus will keep us from committing evil if we will trust our lives and our circumstances unto Jesus - But that Satan is death and destruction and to follow Satan is to receive eternal death and permanent destruction -- '2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the Word [peace and love] of the Lord may have free course, and be Glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable [violent] and wicked men [who follow Satan]: for all men have not faith. But the Lord [Jesus] is faithful [peace and love], who shall stablish [establish] you, and keep you from {doing} evil.'
The Apostle Paul concludes the Bible's book of 2nd Thessalonians with a reminder that Jesus Christ is "the Lord of Peace." - 2 Thessalonians 3:13-17 But ye, brethren, **be not weary in well doing. And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that [violent] man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. **Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother. ***Now the Lord of Peace Himself [Jesus Christ] give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO

1 TIMOTHY

Historical Background To Paul's Pastoral Epistles [1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy and Titus] - Paul's First and Second Letters to Timothy and his Letter to Titus have been called "Pastoral Letters" since the eighteenth century (1700's) - [Though] Thomas Aquinas [born (in Sicily Italy) 1225 AD; died 7 March 1274 AD - wiki.com] had given this name to Paul's First Letter to Timothy already in the thirteenth century (1200's) - These letters are called "Pastoral Letters" because in them Paul reveals his concern for the future of the church and its ministry - In them he addresses a wide range of issues pertaining to the life and ministry of the church - He instructs his co-workers Timothy and Titus to provide the churches with qualified pastors and lay leaders - Paul informs them what are the qualifications of those servants in the church - He instructs them in the worship life of the church - He teaches them how to care for the souls in their congregation men and women, young and old, rich and poor - Paul urges them repeatedly to be on their guard against false doctrine and to teach the Word of God faithfully as well as to exhibit a godly life - He [Apostle Paul] anticipated that his martyrdom was near, as he stated in 2 Timothy 4:6 - According to Christian tradition Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome around 67 to 68 A.D. - It is therefore thought that Paul wrote his Second Letter to Timothy shortly before his death in A.D. 67 - {Note: 2nd Timothy was probably written within days of Pauls' execution (as soon as he received news [either from Jesus or from Rome] that he was to be executed) possibly even written within the last hours of his life.}
The Historical Background To The Pastoral Letters: Paul's three pastoral letters, unlike his other ten letters, do not blend into the historical framework of Paul's missionary journey's recorded in the Book Of Acts. The Book of Acts concludes with Paul's first imprisonment in Rome prior to the time he wrote his three pastoral letters. Thus the order of events in Paul's life and ministry, as well as the dates of those events, from the time of his release from his first imprisonment in Rome to the time of his second imprisonment in Rome and his execution remain uncertain. -- Upon his release from his first imprisonment Paul appears to have revisited the churches in Asia Minor (in what is now the country of Turkey) and in Macedonia (the northern Roman province in what is now Greece). Paul had intended to do this (cf. Philemon 22; Philippians 2:24). It seems he traveled southeast from Rome to the island of Crete. There he left Titus to organize the church and to have pastors appointed (cf. Titus 1:5). He then possibly set sail and traveled northeast to Ephesus on the west coast of Asia Minor. He left Timothy in Ephesus to take charge of the affairs of the church there. From Ephesus he traveled west to Macedonia, where he revisited Philippi, In Philippi it is thought he wrote his First Letter to Timothy and his Letter to Titus in the fall of A.D. 63. -- It appears that Paul may have then spent the winter in Nicopolis where Titus was to join him after being relieved in Crete by Artemas or Tychicus (cf. Titus 3:12). The Nicopolis Paul referred to is thought to be the city in the Roman province of Epirus, which was located on the western coast of what is now Greece by the Ionian Sea. There is the possibility that in the spring of A.D. 64 Paul traveled to Spain to do mission work, as he had hoped to do (cf. Romans 15:23,24). Some scholars have thought that if Paul did indeed go to Spain, he did so immediately upon his release from imprisonment in Rome in A.D. 61-62. There is no scriptural evidence to verify that Paul did journey to Spain. The Letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians, however, which was written in A.D. 96, states Paul did travel to Spain. If Paul did go to Spain around the spring of A.D. 64 and remained there to A.D. 65, he would have been there at the time of the burning of Rome, a fiery tragedy that Nero blamed on the Christians and used as an excuse to begin persecuting them. -- In his Second Letter to Timothy Paul wrote that he had been to Troas (cf. 2 Timothy 4:13) and to Corinth in southern Greece and to Miletus in Asia Minor (cf. 2 Timothy 4:20). If Paul did go to Spain in the spring of A.D. 64, then it appears he made a second trip to the East after his release before his second imprisonment in Rome. Where and when Paul was arrested is unknown. In any case, he was again imprisoned in Rome. During his second imprisonment he was treated harshly, unlike the better treatment he had received during his first imprisonment when he was held under house arrest in his own rented quarters. In 2 Timothy 2:9 Paul wrote that he was chained up like a criminal. He anticipated that his martyrdom was near, as he stated in 2 Timothy 4:6. According to Christian tradition Paul suffered martyrdom in Rome around A.D. 67 to 68. It is therefore thought that Paul wrote his Second Letter to Timothy shortly before his death in A.D. 67. [article link]

1 Timothy 1 - 1st Timothy is the Apostle Paul's letter to a struggling Minister - Since all ministry is a struggle in one sense or another the letter is generally referred to as the main Pastoral epistle -- '1 Timothy 1:1-4 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment [command] of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia [Greece], *that thou mightest charge some *that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: [and] so do [accomplish the task of teaching pure Biblical doctrine].'
1 Timothy 1:15-20 **This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation [acceptance], that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief [foremost]. Howbeit for this cause [salvation] I [Paul] obtained mercy, that in me first [who originally persecuted the Christian Church] Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting. -- {Doxology begins} ***Now unto the King [Jesus] eternal, immortal, invisible, ***the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen {Doxology ends}. This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. - The Apostle Paul continues to define priorities and to set goals for the Pastors of the Church particularly the goals of keeping salvation, mercy, forgiveness faith and the eternal glory of God as the main focal and attention points for the ministry.

Doxology General Information: A doxology is a short prayer or hymn of praise that extols the glory and majesty of God. Well known doxologies include the Glory to God (Gloria Patri {Latin}), the Glory Be (Gloria in Excelsis {Latin}), the Holy, Holy, Holy (Sanctus {Latin}), and the Hebrew word Alleluia, which means "praise the Lord" Some verses of hymns, such as Thomas Ken's "Praise God from whom all blessings flow," are also called doxologies
Doxology Advanced Information: The term, which is derived from the Greek doxa (glory), denotes an ascription of praise to the three persons of the Blessed Trinity. In its commonest form, known as the Gloria Patri or "Lesser Doxology," it is rendered: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen." Its use at the end of the Psalms, as directed, e.g., in the Book of Common Prayer, dates from the fourth century. It is thus a symbol of the duty of Christianizing the Psalms and serves at the same time "to connect the Unity of the Godhead as known to the Jews with the Trinity as known to Christians" (Tutorial Prayer Book, p. 101). The so - called Greater Doxology is the Gloria in Excelsis, "Glory be to God on high." On account of its opening words, taken directly from Luke 2:14, it is sometimes known as the Angelic Hymn. This doxology is of Greek origin (fourth century) and was used at first as a morning canticle. Later it became incorporated into the Latin Mass, where it occupied a place at the beginning of the service. In the English Communion Service of 1552 the Reformers transferred the hymn to the end of the office, no doubt in accordance with the usage at the first (Passover, Last Supper) Eucharist [Holy Communion]: "When they had sung an hymn, they went out" (Matt. 26:30). In this position it forms a fitting conclusion to the Christian sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. It is now generally agreed that the doxology ["For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen" was added to the Catholic Mass in 1970 as part of the liturgical reforms that sought to make the Mass more ecumenical by adding or embracing prayers and forms recognized by the Protestants. While often attributed to the Protestants, this doxology actually has its roots in the Christian writing of the "Didache" of the first century. It's link to Protestantism is through Martin Luther, who emphasized it. - Answers.com] at the end of the Lord's Prayer is not part of the original text of Matt. 6:9 - 13. It may be regarded as an ancient liturgical addition to the prayer, which was adopted by the Greek church but not by the [Roman Catholic] Latin [until 1970]. ~ F Colquhoun (Elwell Evangelical Dictionary) [article link]

1 TIMOTHY - The recurrence of doxologies (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15,16; 2 Timothy 4:18) as from one living perpetually in the presence of God, to whom the language of adoration was as his natural speech
1 & 2 Timothy, Epistles by Paul -- The Epistles to Timothy and Titus are called the Pastoral Epistles, because they are principally devoted to directions about the work of the pastor of a church. The First Epistle was probably written from Macedonia, A.D. 65, in the interval between St. Paul's first and second imprisonments at Rome. The absence of any local reference but that in (1 Timothy 1:3) suggests Macedonia or some neighboring district. In some MSS. and versions Laodicea is named in the inscription as the place from which it was sent. The Second Epistle appears to have been written A.D. 67 or 68, and in all probability at Rome. --The following are the characteristic features of these epistles:-- (1) The ever-deepening sense in St. Paul's heart of the divine mercy of which he was the object, as shown in the insertion of the "mercy" in the salutations of both epistles, and in the "obtained mercy" of (1 Timothy 1:13) (2) The greater abruptness of the Second Epistle. From first to last there is no plan, no treatment of subjects carefully thought out. All speaks of strong overflowing emotion memories of the past, anxieties about the future. (3) The absence, as compared with St. Paul other epistles, of Old Testament references. This may connect itself with the fact just noticed, that these epistles are not argumentative, possibly also with the request for the "books and parchments" which had been left behind. (2 Timothy 4:13) (4) The conspicuous position of the "faithful sayings" as taking the place occupied in other epistles by the Old Testament Scriptures. The way in which these are cited as authoritative, the variety of subjects which they cover, suggests the thought that in them we have specimens of the prophecies of the apostolic Church which had most impressed themselves on the mind of the apostle and of the disciples generally. (1 Corinthians 14:1) ... shows how deep a reverence he was likely to feel for spiritual utterances. In (1 Timothy 4:1) we have a distinct reference to them. (5) The tendency of the apostle's mind to dwell more on the universality of the redemptive work of Christ, (1 Timothy 2:3-6; 4:10) and his strong desire that all the teaching of his disciples should be "sound." (6) The importance attached by him to the practical details of administration. The gathered experience of a long life had taught him that the life and wellbeing of the Church required these for its safeguards. (7) The recurrence of doxologies, (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15,16; 2 Timothy 4:18) as from one living perpetually in the presence of God, to whom the language of adoration was as his natural speech. [Smith's Bible Dictionary] [article link]

1 Timothy 2 - Christian conduct and social responsibility is addressed -- '1 Timothy 2:1-4 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.'
1 Timothy 2:5-8 *For there is one God, *and one mediator *between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an Apostle, I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not; a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity [accordance with fact (and) reality - Dictionary.com]. I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. - Now the Apostle Paul mentions how the parishioners [worshipers] in Church attendance, both the men and the women, should behave.

1 Timothy 3 - The qualifications for Church-fellowship overseers and leaders is given -- '1 Timothy 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a Bishop [Church overseers], he desireth a good work. A Bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife [no polygamy; this is not about divorce it is about the Church representing the one bride of Jesus Christ], vigilant, sober, of good behavior, *given to hospitality, *apt to teach [a Bishop is able to teach sound Bible doctrine (i.e. Sunday school) while a Deacon is a Church servant who does not yet regularly teach Bible studies]; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre [unclean money]; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous [desirous of worldly items] ...'
1 Timothy 3:8-13 Likewise must the Deacons (Church servants) be grave [lit. have dignity], not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; *Holding the [Trinity - Triune] Mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. *And let these [Christian servants] also *first be proved [discerned of]; *then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Let the Deacons be the husbands of one wife [no polygamy is allowed in the Christian Church], ruling their [own] children and their own houses well. **For they that have used the office of a Deacon well **purchase [eternally] to themselves a good degree [Christian maturity], and great boldness [Christian strength] in the faith which is in Christ Jesus. ... 1 Timothy 3:15-16 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest *know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth. ***And without controversy great is the [Trinity - Triune] Mystery of godliness: God [Jesus] was manifest in the flesh [Matthew 1:23], justified in the Spirit [John 1:32], seen of angels [Luke 2:10-11], preached unto the Gentiles [Mark 8:1], believed on in the world [Luke 9:20, Mark 15:39], received up into Glory [Acts 1:9]. - Qualification to serve the Christian community continues to be faithfulness to God, to His word [the Bible] and to His people [Christians].

1 Timothy 4 - The Apostle Paul forewarns the body of Christ of advanced problems that will occur within the Christian Church in the later years of the Christian Church era just prior to the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ -- '1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the [Holy] Spirit speaketh expressly [emphatically], that in the latter times [end of the Church era] some [Christians] shall depart from the [Christian] faith, giving heed [attention] to seducing spirits [i.e. the various 'New Age' movements], and doctrines of devils [i.e. Ecumenicalism - reducing Christianity and making all religions equal and one]; Speaking lies in hypocrisy [two-facedness]; having their conscience [godly discernment] seared [hardened] with a hot [active] iron ...' - Note: Iron Biblically generally denotes a strong force often a demonic stronghold (Psalms 107:10) the 'hot iron' mentioned is possibly the result of a demonic deception and influence in the life of a once faithful Christian.
1 Timothy 4:6-16 If thou put the brethren [fellow Christians] in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good [faithful] minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the Words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. *For bodily exercise profiteth little [eternally - because our physical body does not resurrect (Genesis 3:19), we receive a new body (1 Corinthians 15:53)]: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that [eternal] which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. ***For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, **who is the Savior of all men [all are eligible to believe and be saved], *specially [actually saving] of those that [do] believe. These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, **give attendance *to [publically] reading [the Bible in Church], to exhortation [encouragement], to doctrine [Bible concepts]. Neglect not the [spiritual] gift that is in thee [as a born again Christian], which was given [explained] thee by *prophecy [forth telling, explaining spiritual things], with the laying on of the hands [guidance, fellowship] of the presbytery [Church elders, overseers]. Meditate [contemplate] upon these [Heavenly] things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear [manifest] to all (Romans 8:19). Take heed [attention] *unto thyself, *and unto the [Biblical] doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save [lit. safety - Sozo, G4982] thyself, and them that hear thee. - As the critical End Times and 2nd Coming events of Jesus Christ draw near to mankind the bourdon and necessity of Christian Church leadership to remain faithful to God, to Christian doctrine and to one another greatly increases.

1 Timothy 5 - Christian fellowship and relationships are defined in terms not as strangers to one another, but as Christian family with one another - This includes all Christians even the people we haven't met or don't yet personally know -- '1 Timothy 5:1-2 Rebuke [harshly correct] not an elder [older man], but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as [equal] brethren; The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, *with all purity. Honor widows that are widows indeed.'
1 Timothy 5:17-22 Let the [Church] elders *that rule well be counted worthy of double honor [physical and spiritual], especially they who labor in the Word and Doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn [in the O.T. a work animal was allowed to eat of the field and from their labor]. And, The [Christian] laborer is worthy of his reward. **Against an [Church] elder receive not an [single] accusation, but before two or three witnesses [consider the matter]. Them that sin rebuke [in love] before all, that others also may fear. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect Angels [angels appointed by God to observe and overseeing Christian fellowship], that thou observe these things **without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Lay hands [become yoked] suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: **keep thyself pure [holy]. - Note "Them that sin rebuke before all" is applicable if the rebuke is done in love, in an appropriate way and in an appropriate place. At times a pastor would do it [a public rebuke] in an attempt to gain more power and authority to himself over the congregation or as an opportunity to openly criticize a fellow Christian and often even a legitimate matter would create gossip and scandal within the Church fellowship so there are many parameters to an open and public rebuke and wisely it is seldom done though the opportunity of public rebuke exists for a reason within the Christian Church.

1 Timothy 6 - The Apostle Paul briefly touches on Christian employment and then concludes his first letter to Timothy by again emphasizing Christian conduct and service to God -- '1 Timothy 6:1-2 Let as many servants [workers] as are under the yoke [employed] count their own masters [bosses] worthy of all honor, that the Name of God and His Doctrine be not blasphemed. And they [workers] that have believing [Christian] masters [bosses], let them not despise them [i.e. if a non-Christian gets a promotion or a raise and not the Christian], because they are brethren; but *rather do them service [good work], because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the [eternal] benefit. These things teach and exhort.'
The Bible's book of 1st Timothy concludes: 1 Timothy 6:11-21 But thou, O [Christian] man of God, flee these [immoral] things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. **Fight the good fight of faith, ***lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called [invited], and hast professed a **good profession [publically professing Jesus Christ] before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth [makes alive] all things, and before Christ Jesus, ***who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession [Jesus confessed to Pontius Pilate that He is the Messiah (Mark 15:2)]; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing [2nd Coming] of our Lord Jesus Christ: -- {Doxology begins} Which in His times He shall shew [reveal Himself], [Jesus] who is the Blessed and only Potentate [supreme power], the King of kings, and Lord of lords; ***Who [Jesus] only hath immortality, dwelling in the light [of the Throne of God the Father] which no man can approach unto [the Throne of God the Father]; [the Father] whom no man hath seen, nor can see [because of our sinful nature]: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen {Doxology ends}. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, **that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good [eternal] foundation against the [heavenly] time to come, *that they may lay hold [grasp the meaning] on eternal life. O [Pastor] Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing [Christians] have erred [gotten off course] concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO

2 TIMOTHY

Second Epistle to Timothy - The Second Epistle of Paul to Timothy, usually referred to simply as Second Timothy and often written 2 Timothy, is one of the three Pastoral Epistles, traditionally attributed to Saint Paul, and is part of the New Testament - [The Apostle] Paul [in prison again] clearly anticipates his being put to death and realities beyond in his valedictory found in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
Content: In his letter, Paul urges Timothy to not have a "spirit of timidity" and to "not be ashamed to testify about our Lord" (1:7-8). He also entreats Timothy to come to him before winter, and to bring Mark with him (cf. Philippians 2:22). He was anticipating that "the time of his departure was at hand" (4:6), and he exhorts his "son Timothy" to all diligence and steadfastness in the face of false teachings, with advice about combating them with reference to the teachings of the past, and to patience under persecution (1:6-15), and to a faithful discharge of all the duties of his office (4:1-5), with all the solemnity of one who was about to appear before the Judge of the quick and the dead. Paul clearly anticipates his being put to death and realities beyond in his valedictory found in 2 Timothy 4:6-8: "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 2 Timothy contains one of Paul's Christological Hymns in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. (King James Version) [article link]

A Tale of Two Cities - A Tale of Two Cities (1859) originally a novel by Charles Dickens [1812 - 1870] - Movie 1935 B&W Version {Best version} - An immortal story... A brilliant cast... An unforgettable film of the French Revolution - The most dramatic love story in the history (since the Bible) of literature! - [Spoiler Alert: The lead character Sydney Carton (a 'carton' - a is cheap container holding within it a more valuable content i.e. the human spirit and soul) offers himself up (2 Timothy 4:6-8) to be poured out as a drink offering.] (DVD)
Plot Summary for A Tale of Two Cities (1935 Version): An elaborate adaptation of Dickens' classic tale of the French Revolution. Dissipated lawyer Sydney Carton defends emigre Charles Darnay from charges of spying against England. He becomes enamored of Darnay's fiancée, Lucie Manette, and agrees to help her save Darnay from the guillotine when he is captured by Revolutionaries in Paris. Written by Marg Baskin. - A disreputable barrister finds redemption through the most unlikely of friendships and in the process provides for himself salvation of a kind. Written by Carl Schultz. - Plot Summary for A Tale of Two Cities (1958 version): British barrister Sydney Carton lives an insubstantial and unhappy life. He falls under the spell of Lucie Manette, but Lucie marries Charles Darnay. When Darnay goes to Paris to rescue an imprisoned family retainer, he becomes entangled in the snares of the brutal French Revolution and is himself jailed and condemned to the guillotine. But Sydney Carton, in love with a woman he cannot have, comes up with a daring plan to save her husband. Written by Jim Beaver. [article link]

MOVIE - Dickens: A Tale Of Two Cities 1939 [parts 1-15] (YouTube)
Movie Based on Charles Dickens' novel of the French Revolution produced by David O. Selznick with Ronald Coleman. [article link]

2 Timothy 1 - The Apostle Paul's final letter - Paul starts out his last letter with his consistent business as usual approach - Then sprinkled throughout and nearing the end (2 Timothy 4:6 ) Paul suddenly reveals something that is heavy on his heart, that he knows he is close to being called home to Heaven - The Apostle Paul then just as quickly returns to his business as usual format and closes out his last epistle -- '2 Timothy 1:7-12 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner [Paul's later and final imprisonment]: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called [invited] us with an holy calling, *not according to our works, **but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But [the plans and purposes of God] is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath *abolished death, and *hath brought life and *immortality to light through the Gospel [His cross and resurrection]: Whereunto I am appointed a Preacher, and an Apostle, and a Teacher of the Gentiles. For the which [Gospel] cause I also suffer these [persecution] things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: ***for I know [Jesus] whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that [human soul and spirit] which I have committed unto Him against that day [of eternal judgment].' - {1. The Apostle Paul seemed to know from God that he was going to be offered as an acceptable sacrifice offering but Paul had been spared so many times (i.e. Acts 27:42-43) and he might not have been exactly sure of the moment. 2. The Apostle Paul desperately wanted the Christian Church to continue on and to function normally even after his departure. Paul wanted Timothy to not give up and go home but to still conduct Church business in Rome and elsewhere whether or not Paul was still alive and still in need of his clothing and materials that he had requested Timothy bring to him at prison in Rome.}
2 Timothy 1:13-18 Hold fast the form of sound Words [from the Bible], which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing [Christian ministry] which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. **This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. *The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. - The Apostle Paul continues what would become his last letter with a slightly more personal tone and reveals that once again most of the Christians who were with Paul had abandoned him in another desperate hour of need and persecution.

2 Timothy 2 - Paul reiterates the necessity of applying and generously appropriating the grace of Jesus Christ into the individual efforts of day to day ministry - In other words don't be too hard on yourself in ministry but instead keep Jesus Christ in focus and trust that God is working daily in all events unto His ultimate Glory -- '2 Timothy 2:1-3 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me [openly] among many witnesses, the same [doctrines] commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness [hardship], as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.'
2 Timothy 2:8-13 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David [Tribe of Judah] was raised [resurrection] from the dead according to [as also taught in] my gospel [preaching]: Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the Word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal Glory. **It is a faithful saying: For *if we be dead with Him, *we shall also live with Him: *If we suffer, *we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us: If we believe not, yet He [exists] abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself. - Note: The reality is that the 1st Coming of Jesus Christ was to accomplish His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection on our behalf and Jesus did completely accomplish His 1st Coming in order to remove sin from the world. It is therefore imperative that we suffer in the same world that Jesus suffered in and was rejected in if we desire to identify with Jesus to the point of then living and reigning in the new world after the 2nd Coming Kingdom reign of Jesus Christ. - Also Note: the verse "if we deny Him, He also will deny us" if we deny Jesus after knowing all that He did for us He will deny us and not Himself and the verse goes on to say "yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself" Jesus will continue to exist and continue to reign and rule whether or not we approve. Jesus Christ is not the figment of someone's imagination and just because we can remove Him from our mind it does not mean that we can remove Jesus Christ from reality.

2 Timothy 3 - The Apostle Paul seems to have been given a unique understanding of the events and condition of the 'Last Days' of the Christian Church -- '2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the Last Days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection [a seared conscience], trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a [societal] form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.'
2 Timothy 3:10-17 But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra [Timothy's hometown]; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and *all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. *But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, *deceiving, **and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures [Holy Bible], **which are able to make thee wise unto salvation *through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. - Note: The continuing and widening contrast between the Christian and the non-Christian just like in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 24:1-10) where eventually the figs (people) were either really good, pleasant and desirous in the sight of God or the figs were really bad and unpleasing to God but there were no in between figs. - Also Note: The "deceiving, and being deceived" is really the rails that ungodliness runs on. First a person has to deceive themselves before they can deceive others and this deception applies in the spirit realm as well. Satan first deceived himself (Isaiah 14:13) then he deceived 1/3 of the angels (Revelation 12:4) into rebelling with him and now besides the fallen angelic realm there is also the lesser demonic realm and Satan has seemingly a separate deception for the demonic real. Meaning that there are multiple layers of deception taking place [throughout multiple realms] in order to deceive the fallen angelic realm, the separate demonic realm and also to deceive mankind. Seemingly at one moment angelic [Antichrist] deception is occurring within the human realm, then demonic [violence] deception, then human [there is no God and no spirit realm] deception and then back to fallen angelic deception as mankind is continually being witnessed against by the various competing and interlocking deceptions.

2 Timothy 4 - The Apostle Paul's final admonishment to his fellow Christian brothers and co-laborers with him in the faith of Jesus Christ -- '2 Timothy 4:1-5 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick [living] and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; Preach the Word [Bible]; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come [End Times] when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth [of Jesus Christ], and shall be turned unto fables [i.e. The Da Vinci Code]. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist [spread the Gospel], make full proof of [confirm with God] thy ministry.'
The Bible's book of 2nd Timothy concludes: 2 Timothy 4:6-22 For I am now [mentally and physically] ready to be offered [as an acceptable sacrifice to God], **and {bombshell announcement!} the time of my departure is at hand. **I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: **Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that [Bema east Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)] day: **and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His [presence and] appearing. {Paul then immediately returns to business as usual for the Christian Church} Do thy diligence [continue on] to come shortly unto me [there is the slight chance at another stay of execution]: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. *Only Luke is with me {it seems that Luke might have penned this letter for Paul as Paul was vigorously chained at this time and could probably only dictate briefly to Luke}. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. **And [continuing the ministry] Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloke [cloak] that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments [scrolls]. Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: Of whom be thou ware [wise about] also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. **At my first answer [trial] no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding **the Lord stood with me, **and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: **and I was delivered [from the previous imprisonment] out of the mouth of the lion [the circus or the Colosseum (Amphitheatre in Rome)]. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and **will preserve me unto His heavenly Kingdom: ***to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Salute Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick. Do thy diligence to come before winter. Eubulus greeteth thee, and Pudens, and Linus, and Claudia, and all the brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. - Note: Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts was with Paul at the time of the letter (2nd Timothy) and probably until the end and it seems that Paul and Luke decided to gloss over the death of Paul [and later Peter] and treat it as just one of the many Christian deaths that were occurring at the time. It's possible Paul and Luke also thought it might be detrimental to Timothy, Titus and to many of the young ministers if they suddenly found out that Paul had been executed and most of all they certainly did not want the death of Paul to be written into the scriptures where it might even slightly compete with the Biblical message of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It seems that 2nd Timothy ends very much the same way that the Book of Acts intentionally ends with the topic of Christian doctrine [and not specific martyrdoms] being discussed between the Jews and Christians creating the emphasis of the Christian message and of the a continuation of the same Christian work that so many faithful Saints had given so much to in building on the original foundation laid by Jesus Christ.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO

TITUS

Background of Titus - Paul wrote this letter to Titus, a young [Gentile] pastor, who faced the unenviable assignment of setting things in order in the church at Crete - Crete is the largest island in the Mediterranean - The inhabitants of Crete had an evil reputation, a fact witnessed not only by Paul, but also by others - Their lying was famous, so much so that 'to act the Cretan' was a synonym for 'to play the liar' - Their morals were low and the wine of Crete was famous, drunkenness was everywhere - The low standard of morality among the Cretans had doubtless had an adverse influence on the lives of the believers
It appears that the chief problem in Crete came from false teachers, mainly, Jewish, 'of the circumcision' who are described by Paul as 'unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers'. (Titus 1:10) They were teaching 'Jewish fables' (Titus 1:14) and introducing 'foolish questionings, and genealogies, and strifes, and fightings about the law' (Titus 3:9). Occasion: Paul wrote this letter to Titus, a young pastor, who faced the unenviable assignment of setting things in order in the church at Crete. It seems that the immediate reason for the writing of Titus was the forthcoming visit of Apollos and Zenas to Crete. (Titus 3:13) Paul took the opportunity to write to Titus. He was prompted to write because of his personal observation of conditions on Crete and his realization that Titus would need the encouragement and authorization which the letter would give him. ... Paul also writes advising him to appoint elders, men of proven spiritual character in their homes and businesses, to oversee the work of the church. But elders are not the only individuals in the church who are required to stand tall spiritually. Men and women, young and old, have their vital functions to fulfill in the church if they are to be living examples of the doctrine they claim to believe. Throughout this letter to Titus, Paul stresses the necessary practical outworking of salvation in the daily lives of the elders and congregation alike. [article link]

Titus 1 - The Apostle Paul's letter to Titus an accomplished Gentile Pastor - Where the much beloved Timothy was having abundant problems in his ministry, in his health and probable even problems sleeping at night - The Pastor Titus was seeing a lot of success in his ministries - Titus also occasionally traveled with Paul (Galatians 2:1) and went with Paul and Barnabas on an earlier visit to Jerusalem - Titus was sent to the Church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 7:6) and very much helped stabilize the situation - Titus was then pastoring in the extremely difficult neighborhood of the Island of Crete -- 'Titus 1:5 For this cause left I [Paul] thee in Crete, that thou [Titus] shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee'
Titus 1:10-16 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching [pseudo Jewish-Christian] things which they ought not, for filthy [money] lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to [false] Jewish [Kabbalistic] fables, *and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. ***Unto the pure ***all things are pure: **but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is **nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; *but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate [irresponsible]. - Note: Titus and Luke were among the first of the successful Gentile Church Pastors and Titus as an early Gentile apparently was a particular target of rogue Jewish practitioners. The type of Judaism that Paul seems to be addressing was a non-traditional 'Jewish fable' [i.e. Kabbalistic] type of doctrine that was being packaged and sold to some unsuspecting Gentiles by some less than devout Jews. - Also Note: One of the greatest Christian verses in the entire Bible "Unto the pure all things are pure ..." this verse is a great reminder as we try to be pure and holy while we live our lives before God.

Titus 2 - Paul points out the simple fact that the manner and way that the Pastor speaks and teaches in his local fellowship is the direction that the Church is going to go in -- 'Titus 2: 1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine ...'
Titus 2:11-15 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation *hath appeared to all men, *Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, **in this present world; ***Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, *zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. - The Apostle Paul reiterates and confirms much of what Pastor Titus is already doing and accomplishing in his ministry in and among his fellow Gentiles.

Titus 3 - The Apostle Paul reminds Titus to instruct his congregation to live constantly in an eternal, heavenly perspective -- 'Titus 3:1-7 Put them [congregation] in mind to be subject to principalities [lit. highest powers - God] and powers [lit. freedoms], to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. **For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. ***But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us *abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; That being justified by His grace, ***we should be made heirs [inheritors] according to the hope of eternal life.'
The Bible's book of Titus concludes: Titus 3:8-15 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. *A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject; **Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself. When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter. Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them. And let ours [fellow Christians] also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful. All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO

PHILEMON

Philemon: Introduction - Even though this letter is a brief, personal note to a friend, it shows up in the early canon lists (Marcion's [Cannon of 144 A.D.] and the Muratorian [Cannon 170-200 A.D.]) - Further, the ancient church never doubted its authenticity
Epistle - Place of Origin: The traditional view that this letter was written while Paul was in a Roman prison has been assailed from two corners: some claim Ephesus is a better starting point, others suggest Caesarea. Before deciding on this issue, it must first be recognized that, on the assumption of authenticity, where Paul was when he wrote Ephesians is where he was when he wrote Colossians and Philemon. This can be seen by several pieces of evidence: the commendation of Tychicus, as the bearer of the letter, found in exactly the same form in both Eph 6:21-22 and Col 4:7-8, surely indicates that he was sent with both epistles at the same time; the strong verbal overlap between Colossians and Ephesians must, if authentic, indicate that the two were written at the same time; Colossians is inseparable from Philemon3-that is, they must both have been sent at the same time. Hence, all three letters were written and sent at the same time. Consequently, if there is anything in either Colossians or Philemon which helps to narrow down where Paul was imprisoned at the time of writing, such would equally apply to Ephesians. ... Occasion and Purpose: As we have discussed at length in our introductions to Ephesians and Colossians, Onesimus apparently ran away from Philemon, his pockets lined with his owner's money, and headed for Rome. He may have stumbled across Epaphroditus, who was also en route to Rome; if so, Epaphroditus may have urged him to seek out Paul in order to gain advice. While with Paul, Onesimus became a Christian (v. 10), and proved himself "useful" (a word-play on his name) to Paul. The apostle wrote this letter to Philemon, asking Philemon to reinstate Onesimus-this time as a "dear brother" (v. 16), rather than as a slave. Although Paul could command Philemon to do so, he urges him instead, hoping that Philemon will be willing without coercion. Further, to show his sincerity, Paul vows to pay back whatever Onesimus owes (vv. 18-19). [article link]

PHILEMON Background: Onesimus who was probably a domestic slave of Philemon's and had run away, stole some money from Philemon (vs. 18) to afford the getaway - We need to remember that slavery was an accepted institution in the Roman Empire - Romans and Greeks brought multitudes of slaves (old and young) home from their wars, and the buying and selling of slaves was a part of their daily life
Apparently Onesimus fled across Asia, across the Aegean Sea and the Adriatic Sea to Rome. At Rome he was under the influence of Paul, was saved, and later returned to Colosse [Colossians 4:9 - note: Paul never visited Colosse himself]. Onesimus quickly grew in grace and endeared himself to Paul (vs. 11, 12) proving so serviceable to Paul that he would have gladly detained him in Rome (vs. 13) but Paul realized he belonged to Philemon so the Apostle took the opportunity to send him back with Tychicus, bearing the Colossian epistle and the private note to Philemon. -- The Letter: Paul's letter to Philemon was written to be the mediation between Onesimus and his outraged master. Terrible punishment was sanctioned by Roman law for such offenses; even the death penalty. A slave was absolutely at his master's mercy; for the smallest offense he might be scourged, mutilated, crucified, thrown to wild beasts, etc. But Philemon was a Christian, and therefore, when Paul writes this letter he appeals to his Christian character. [article link]

Philemon - Thru the Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee - Christianity does not do away our duties to others, but directs [us] to the right doing of them (Mp3)
Christianity does not do away our duties to others, but directs to the right doing of them. True penitents will be open in owning their faults, as doubtless Onesimus had been to Paul, upon his being awakened and brought to repentance; especially in cases of injury done to others. The communion of saints does not destroy distinction of property. This passage is an instance of that being imputed to one, which is contracted by another; and of one becoming answerable for another, by a voluntary engagement, that he might be freed from the punishment due to his crimes, according to the doctrine that Christ of his own will bore the punishment of our sins, that we might receive the reward of his righteousness. Philemon was Paul's son in the faith, yet he entreated him as a brother. Onesimus was a poor slave, yet Paul besought for him as if seeking some great thing for himself. Christians should do what may give joy to the hearts of one another. From the world they expect trouble; they should find comfort and joy in one another. When any of our mercies are taken away, our trust and hope must be in God. We must diligently use the means, and if no other should be at hand, abound in prayer. Yet, though prayer prevails, it does not merit the things obtained. And if Christians do not meet on earth, still the grace of the Lord Jesus will be with their spirits, and they will soon meet before the throne to join forever in admiring the riches of redeeming love. The example of Onesimus may encourage the vilest sinners to return to God, but it is shamefully prevented, if any are made bold thereby to persist in evil courses. Are not many taken away in their sins, while others become more hardened? Resist not present convictions, lest they return no more. [article link]

Philemon 1 - Philemon - The Apostle Paul's personal letter to a friend a successful businessman [from Colossae] whom Paul had met probably in Ephesus [Paul never made it to Colossae] - Philemon had a slave that ran away [and probably stole something] from Philemon and Paul asked Philemon to receive the slave Onesimus back, not as a runaway slave as he had been but now as a free brother in Jesus Christ to both Paul and Philemon - It's not recorded but Church tradition is that Philemon did receive Onesimus back and did grant him his freedom -- 'Philemon 1:15-16 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever; Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?'
The Bible's book of Philemon concludes: Philemon 1:17 If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. *If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, **put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. There salute thee Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus; Marcus [Mark], Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas [Luke], my fellow laborers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE

HEBREWS

Introduction: The Book of Hebrews - The Book of Hebrews is probably the main content from the Apostle Paul's Synagogue visiting ministry [Acts 17:2] - Acts 9:15 'for he [Paul] is a chosen vessel unto Me (Jesus), to bear My Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the [Jews] Children of Israel' - The Apostle Peter mentions Paul's Book of Hebrews in 2 Peter 3:15-16 'our beloved brother [Apostle] Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written [Book of Hebrews] unto you; as also in all his [other] epistles' - The Book of Hebrews is unsigned and undelivered most likely indicating that Paul wrote it himself while in Jerusalem and that Paul personally gave it to the Church in Jerusalem
The Book of Hebrews from the earliest times of the Christian Church has been attributed to the Apostle Paul without any previous controversy. It has only been in more recent times that scholars have attempted to remove the Apostle Paul from his writing. The Apostle Peter had read Paul's Book of Hebrews and mentions it along with his other epistles in one of Peter's writings. - '2 Peter 3:15-16 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation [Hebrews 2:10]; even as our beloved brother [Apostle] Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written [Book of Hebrews] unto you; As also in all his [other] epistles ...' - The original proclamation by God for the Apostle Paul is in Acts 9:15 'But the Lord said unto him [Ananias], Go thy way: for he [Paul] is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My Name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the Children of Israel' the Apostle Paul is to reach with his ministry; Gentiles, Kings, and Jews. Paul starts out his ministry reasoning with Jews on every Sabbath (Saturday) in the Synagogues as was his custom [Acts 17:2]. - In short on a visit to Jerusalem [Acts 21:17] the Apostle Paul was entangled in Christian Jewish customs and Temple rituals and it was in attempting to appease the Christian Church leaders in Jerusalem that the Apostle Paul was talked in to joining in on a Temple vow with some other Christians. The Apostle Paul went to the Temple in Jerusalem with the other Jewish Christians and was spotted by some of the Jews who had been outside of Jerusalem and were in opposition to his preaching. A riot ensued and the Apostle Paul was ultimately arrested by the Roman guards and held in confinement in the Roman 'castle' dungeon probably the same place where John the Baptist had early been confined by Herod. While in confinement it's most likely that the Apostle Paul figured that his long intended letter to the Hebrews in Jerusalem was in order and Paul wrote down in a sense the same message that he had been reasoning with all along with all the Jews in every synagogue he entered. Probably the Book of Hebrews is the main content of the Apostle Paul's synagogue visits. Unlike the Book of Romans the Book of Hebrews is undelivered and unlike the Book of Galatians the Book of Hebrews is unsigned because likely the Book of Hebrews was written in Jerusalem [while confined in the castle] and was not delivered by messenger but was given from the hand of Paul into the hands of Peter or possibly via the nephew of Paul [Acts 23:16 'Paul's sister's son'] into the hands of Peter and to the rest of the Christian Church in Jerusalem.

Perpetual Bible Study - Book of Hebrews: Background - The writer of Hebrews [Apostle Paul] understood this - It not would do for him to present the gospel merely as an alternative to Judaism; he had to clearly demonstrate the superiority of Christ - And that is the key - Hebrews is a book of comparisons, but it is not Judaism compared to Christianity, but Judaism compared to Christ - He is the difference - He is greater than angels, He is the [High] Priest after the order of Melchizedek, He is the perfect sacrifice, and so on
It is always useful to recall that Christianity did not originate "in a vacuum", so to speak. The gospel was first preached in Jerusalem, to a culture with a deeply entrenched religion and deep-seated beliefs. The religion and the culture were inextricably linked; it is not for nothing that the word "Jew" can equally describe a person's ethnicity or a person's religious affiliation. The two were practically synonymous in N.T. times. - Thus Jews in the first century had a very difficult decision to make when presented with the gospel. There are those who tried to bring Judaic ways into the church; these attempts were addressed at Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 15. (It is a sad footnote of history that the legalizers eventually got their way, and many churches today essentially practice old-time Judaism with a Christian veneer.) But many others were faced with an either/or choice; reject the gospel and maintain your old ways as a Jew, or take the step of faith and accepting Christ, regardless of the consequences to your previous cultural standing. Let it not be said that this was a casual choice for anyone. - The writer of Hebrews understood this. It not would do for him to present the gospel merely as an alternative to Judaism; he had to clearly demonstrate the superiority of Christ. And that is the key. Hebrews is a book of comparisons, but it is not Judaism compared to Christianity, but Judaism compared to Christ. He is the difference. He is greater than angels, He is the priest after the order of Melchizedek, He is the perfect sacrifice, and so on. - The key phrase to me in the book of Hebrews is "a new and living way" (Heb. 10:20). That is what the gospel is. The O.T. rituals and observances were useful as patterns and shadows of things to come, but they could never meet the real needs of the Jewish people, or indeed of anyone. There is real life, eternal life, in the gospel. [article link]

Hebrews 1 - The Apostle Paul's Trilogy of Systematic Theology to the Nations [Romans, Galatians, Hebrews] - The Book of Hebrews is to give the Hebrew, Jewish Nation a perspective of their past, present and future glory with God in Jesus Christ the risen Savior, Messiah - 'Hebrews 1:8-9 But unto the Son He (Father) saith, *Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness [the cross] is the sceptre [rule] of Thy Kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy [Father] God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy [human] fellows.'
Hebrews 1:1-4 God, who at sundry times [in history] and in divers manners spake in time past unto the [Jewish] fathers by the Prophets, Hath in these *last days {after the cross it's the last days until the second coming} spoken unto us by His Son (Jesus), whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds [physical and spiritual realms]; Who being the brightness [equal in Glory] of His [Father God's] Glory, and the express image [exact representation] of His [Father God's] person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself [carried His cross] purged our sins, [resurrected and] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High; Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.' - The Apostle Paul immediately sets out the Divinity and the Superiority of Jesus Christ even over the angels. Paul notes that Jesus is both the creator and the inheritor of all things. Then Paul presents a reminder that the present universe is going to vanish and concluding that Jesus Christ as the creator, inheritor and redeemer of the Universe is not just an improved version of Judaism but is the ultimate consummation of the plan of God given throughout the ages to all mankind and to miss out on the plans of Jesus Christ is to miss out on the one and only plan available to mankind. Note: It is important to know that Jesus is currently seated at the right hand of the Father in Majesty on High. Any thought or notion of the previously rejected Jesus is an ancient aberration of human history as Jesus is currently reigning and ruling in Authority, Splendor, Majesty and Glory while all heaven rejoices at the presence of Jesus Christ. -- Also Note: A clarification technically Daniels' 70th Week [Last Days] began on the day of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem [Palm Saturday or Palm Sunday depending on how you figure it] so about six days, Saturday Triumphal Entry through the Thursday crucifixion, of Daniel's 70th week have happened. With the crucifixion the 70th week came to a temporary halt until the fullness of the Gentiles [Acts 15:17] can be brought in. - 'Daniel 9:20-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Jews] and upon thy Holy City [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision [Law] and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy (Jesus). Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah (Jesus) the Prince shall be seven weeks [seven Jewish decades 49 years - these weeks were the Jewish decade of seven years the Levitical decade seventh year of release], and threescore and two weeks [62 Jewish decades 434 years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks [the 434 years] shall Messiah be cut off [crucifixion], but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And He [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [the 70th and final week regarding Jerusalem]: and in the midst of the week at [3½ years] he [Antichrist] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [in the rebuilt Temple] to cease, and for the overspreading [saturation] of abominations [evil] he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation [end of the Book of Revelation], and that determined shall be poured [vial (measured) judgments of Revelation 16:1] upon the desolate.'

Hebrews 2 - The Apostle Paul continues to build his case and lay the ground work that in Christianity there is something going on that is bigger than Judaism and in fact Christianity in the risen Jesus Christ is encompassing both heaven and earth and both our mortal and eternal existence - 'Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the Children [God's Children] are partakers of flesh and blood, He (Jesus) also Himself likewise took part of the same [flesh and blood]; that through death He might destroy him [Satan and sin] that had the power of death, that is, the Devil; *And deliver them who through fear of death [fear of dying] were all their lifetime subject to [phobia of death] bondage.'
Hebrews 2:8-13 Thou [Father God] hast put all things in subjection [authority] under His feet (Soul) [foot or feet can also can represent the soul in the Bible]. For in that He (Jesus) put all in subjection [at the cross] under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all [earthly societal, political] things put under Him. But we (Christians) see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, Crowned with Glory and Honour; that He by the grace [individuality] of God should taste death [separation from God] forevery man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many Sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect (complete) [even though God suffers and grieves in every wrong that is committed against every human some might think that God does not see or has not suffered as humans have so God also took on our physical form and suffered physically as we have suffered just so we could know for certain that God having willingly suffered with us physically is also more than willing and able to bring us into His presence and into a deep intimate relationship with Himself] through sufferings. For both He that sanctifieth [cleanses] and they who are sanctified [cleansed by Jesus] are all of one body]: for which cause He (Jesus) is not ashamed to call them [Christians] brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto My brethren, in the midst of the Church [Heavenly Congregation including Angels] will I sing praise unto thee. - All things are in "subjection" to Jesus Christ. Note: It's important to keep in mind that when the Bible talks about the "world" it is talking more about the world social and political system and not so much about the physical earth itself. Technically the world "social political" system was redeemed [brought back into the presence and authority of God] but the earth itself has never been out of God's possession [Psalms 50:12]. Besides the physical earth is going to pass away [Hebrews 1:11] so it would not need redeeming. In the beginning Dominion (authority) over the earth [Genesis 1:26] was given to Adam and Eve but possession of the earth as an inheritance from God was never given to them so not possessing the physical earth they did not lose it to Satan. One of the first mentions, besides the Book of Psalms of humans inheriting the earth is during Jesus' Sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5:5] and Jesus explains that "the meek shall inherit the earth" [the new earth]. Satan in not in possession of the earth and never having been Satan has always been a trespasser on the earth though he does have some ability to deceive and he did before the cross of Jesus have more power and authority over the decisions, politics and social structure of mankind. The powers of Satan have been broken for the Christian by Jesus on the cross. Satan is deceiving mankind into thinking that he has some form of real power, authority or ownership however he has only a short Antichrist kingdom that God will give to him and it will last only a short seven years [3 ½ in apparent secret leadership and 3 ½ in outright leadership]. Also note that Satan not having any substantial kingdom on earth is completely without any kind of kingdom or authority in hell. When finally confined in hell Satan is another inhabitant in hell no more and no less.

Hebrews 3 - The Apostle Paul continues to explain the Divinity of Jesus Christ in that Jesus' authority, creation abilities and congregation [gathering] spans both heaven [Angels and Saints] and the earth [humans, all things] unlike the great human endeavors - Even the accomplishments of Moses are limited and were only performed here on earth -- 'Hebrews 3:1-2 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the *Apostle and *High Priest of our (Christian) profession, *Christ Jesus; Who was faithful [in Heaven and on earth, all things] to Him [Father God] that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house [Nation of Israel].' - 'Hebrews 1:6 And again, when He (Father) bringeth in the firstbegotten (Jesus) into the world, He saith, And let all the Angels of God worship Him (Jesus).'
'Hebrews 3:4-6 Forevery house [establishment, Nation] is builded by some man [laws of Moses]; but He that built all things [physical and spiritual realms] is God (Jesus). And Moses verily was faithful in all his house [Nation of Israel], *as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; *But Christ as a Son over His own house [Heaven and earth]; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.' - 'Hebrews 2:10 For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.' - 'Hebrews 1:10 And, Thou, Lord (Jesus), in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands' - 'Hebrews 1:1-2 God, ... Hath in these last days spoken unto us [all humans] by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds [physical and spiritual realms];' - The superiority of Jesus Christ over Moses extends beyond the fact that Moses was a servant of God and that Jesus is the Son of God it also extends into the realms of their dominion. Moses served during the beginning and development of the Nation of Israel [Israel went into Egypt as a family (70 people) and upon their delivery from Egypt (some 200 years later) they left as a Nation (approx. 2.5 million people) the Nation of Israel]. Moses oversaw the beginning and building of the Nation of Israel however Joshua (Jesus) led them into the Promise Land and established them there. Jesus, God from Heaven has completed us in all things. Jesus created us and sustains our life, Jesus redeemed our soul back to Himself and has given to us of His eternal Spiritual life, Jesus has gone back into Heaven to prepare a place for us. The accomplishments of Moses and any human for that matter are so inconsequential when compared to the accomplishments of Jesus Christ that humans and also Angels shouldn't even be compared to Jesus.

Hebrews 4 - Having established that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is both in Heaven and on earth and that it lasts for all eternity - The Apostle Paul now directs people to actually make sure that we enter into the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ - The way to know that we have entered into His Kingdom is that we have ceased from our works and have entered into a personal relationship of trust and rest with God -- 'Hebrews 4:1 Let us (Christians) therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His [eternal] rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.'
Hebrews 4:9-12 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His. Let us labour [make sure] therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall [in the wilderness] after the same example of unbelief. For the Word of God is quick [alive], and powerful [transforming], and sharper [makes a bigger difference] than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit [with spiritual implications], and of the joints and marrow [with physical implications], and is a Discerner [Judge] of the thoughts and intents of the heart. - The Kingdom of God is inherited based on our trusting and resting in the finished and completed works [cross, resurrection] of Jesus Christ. When we enter into God's rest provided only through Jesus Christ we have then entered into a personal relationship with God. Much of our personal relationship with God is going to involve our Prayer to God and our hearing from God in reading His Bible 'the Word of God'. When we read the Bible it should Judge us, lead us, guide us and direct us into a closer and more intimate relationship with God provided that our relationship with God is based on the trust and rest provided by the accomplished, finished and completed works of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 5 - Having made certain that we have entered into the right Kingdom the Kingdom of Jesus Christ the Kingdom of security and rest and that we have not been deceived into some kingdom of works, strife, envy and worry - the Apostle Paul will now goes into a long discussion about the Priesthood of Jesus' Divine Priestley Kingdom -- 'Hebrews 5:10 [Jesus] Called of God an High Priest after the order of Melchisedec (Melchizedek).'
'Hebrews 5:8-10 Though He (Jesus) were a Son, yet learned He [human] obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect [complete from heaven and also physically on earth], He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him; Called of God an High Priest [along with the Holy Spirit and Father God as each is the High Priest having access to themselves] after the [eternal] order of Melchisedec.' - Jesus is the Melchizedek High Priest encompassing and administrating both Heaven and earth for all eternity. It is necessary to show that Jesus is Divine from Heaven to have authority in Heaven but then the amazing component in Jesus' Kingdom of human Christianity is that God stepped down from heaven and became a human entering into our likeness, enduring what we endure He is completely able to relate to us from our level making Jesus complete (perfect) to be the High Priest in both Heaven and on earth. The Apostle Paul is instructing that where the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood was earthly based and physical and therefore limited in existence [only for the Jewish Nation], extent [the atonement had to be repeated yearly] and duration [the Levitical Priesthood ceased when Jesus was on the cross with the tearing of the Temple veil (Matthew 27:51)]. However the perfect, complete eternal Melchizedek Priesthood is sufficient for both in Heaven and on earth encompassing both the Angelic realm and the Human realm in the one Divine mediation authority of Jesus Christ. -- 'Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in Heaven.'

Hebrews 6 - The Apostle Paul is instructing the Jewish segment of the Christian Church that their redemption in Judaism once combined with the Salvation of Christianity is permanent and that for anyone Jew or Gentile to reject Jesus Christ after having experienced eternal Salvation is to forfeit salvation and receive eternal damnation - 'Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those [Jews or Gentiles] who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the [eternal] world to come, If they shall fall away [reject God], to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.' -- The Hebrews/Jews are redeemed by God but the difference between Jewish redemption and Christian salvation is immense. - The Jews are a part of the full plans of Jesus to the extent that Jesus came as a Jew and is Jewish. Jesus is not a Gentile.
'Hebrews 6:13 For when God made Promise to Abraham, because He could Swear [Promise] by no greater, He Sware [witnessed] by Himself,' - Rejecting God: A relationship with God is an individual decision. God has already made it clear even to the point of going to the cross that He is available for a relationship with all mankind through Jesus Christ. For a Gentile to reject Jesus is a personal spiritual decision that they have to make for themselves. Jesus has not rejected anyone therefore regardless of our human inabilities and actions while a person is alive and on this earth there remains a relationship with God in Jesus Christ. - The Patience of God: Patience is a Divine attribute it is not a human attribute therefore we cannot subscribe our limited knowledge of human patience to the Patience of God. God is Patient and Compassionate with all of mankind sinner and saint our so called sinful thought, desires, lies and covenants even with death and hell are lies [misrepresentations of God] and as lies they do not stand either for some form of good or for any form of evil because God does not acknowledge them they simple do not existence in any form with God. What is in existence with God is Zion and the one True plan of God in Jesus Christ. - 'Isaiah 28:15-18 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay *in Zion for a foundation a stone (Jesus Christ), a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: *he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. *And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.'

Hebrews 7 - If Melchizedek where human it would be a redundant Aaronic Priesthood but Melchizedek is not human He is eternal and Spiritual and therefore not a redundant human Priesthood - Melchizedek is superior to even Abraham - Abraham was blessed by God yet Melchizedek blessed Abraham - Jacob then having the blessing of Abraham from God blessed the Pharaoh of Egypt [Genesis 47:7] - Its simply not possible that Abraham would have received the blessing of a human after having received the blessings of God - Abraham did receive the blessing from Melchizedek -- 'Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchisedec [Melchizedek], King of Salem [Peace], Priest of [from God, of God] the Most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;'
'Hebrews 7:3-4 [Melchizedek] Without father [no earthy father], without mother [no earthly mother, at least at that time or more likely Melchizedek was an appearance of the Holy Spirit], without descent [preexistent], having neither beginning of days [eternal], nor end of [spiritual] life [everlasting]; *but made [manifested] like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this *man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.' - The entire concept of the Book of Hebrews and in fact all of Christianity is that God became a 'man' a human Priest in order to officiate a sacrifice on behalf of all mankind to God. The Sacrifice that Jesus performed was the Atonement sacrifice a sacrifice that amends the offenses of one party against another party. Mankind has offended God, God has not offended mankind nor Himself. God is not offering Atonement to mankind [God has not sinned against mankind] it is mankind that has sinned against God and is offering Atonement to God it is then up to God to either accept or reject the atonement offering and in Jesus Christ God has accepted the Atonement offering for all mankind for all eternity. If Jesus did not become a 'man' a human then the sacrifice of Jesus would be Atonement from God to God however the way between God has never been blocked. Had Jesus taken on the appearance of an Angel [Hebrews 2:16] then the atonement and accompanying redemption would have been for Satan and the fallen angels and it would have excluded mankind. Jesus became a 'man' in order to offer to God to Atone for mankind all mankind. Satan and the fallen angels/demons are excluded from the Atonement and redemption of man to God. There is no provision for the sin of fallen angels or the demonic realm. The Atonement is a onetime access atonement either the way to God is Atoned [open] for mankind or it is closed to all mankind there are not hundreds or thousands or millions of individual atoning sacrifices from mankind to God and there are not any Atoning sacrifices offered from God to man because God has in no way offended mankind. Atonement is a 'man' offering to God to repair a broken relationship and once the sacrifice is acceptable to God the relationship is repaired and the way to God is now open in the acceptable Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 8 - The Levitical Priesthood offered limited atonement in that the sacrifices they offered to God were limited to the Nation of Israel however the Atonement of Jesus Christ is unlimited because it was offered on behalf of all mankind and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross being an acceptable Atoning sacrifice to God has opened the way to God and access to God is now available to all mankind through the Atonement blood of Jesus Christ -- 'Hebrews 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.'
'Hebrews 8:1-10 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum [summary]: We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens; A minister of the [Heavenly] sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. Forevery High Priest is ordained [given authority] to offer gifts and sacrifices [to God]: wherefore it is of necessity that this man [Jesus] have somewhat also to offer. For if He were on earth, He (Jesus) should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests [Levitical] that offer gifts according to the law [of Moses]: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith He [God from Mt. Sinai], that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount. But now hath He (Jesus) obtained a more excellent [eternal, Heavenly] ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant [New Testament], which was established upon better promises [crucifixion and resurrection life of Jesus]. For if that first covenant [O.T.] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them [followers of the O.T.], He saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord when I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their [Jewish] fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those [O.T.] days, saith the Lord; I will put My Laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a [Spiritual] people:' - Note: The Levitical/Aaronic Priesthood represented the Old Testament but with the New Testament encompassing Heaven and earth the new eternal Melchizedek Priesthood supersedes the old priesthood and is now the only Priesthood in existence to enable mankind to enter into the presence and into a relationship with the Holy God.

Hebrews 9 - The Apostle Paul is now saying that in Jesus Christ Spiritual access into the once restricted Holiest presence of God is now available to all mankind -- 'Hebrews 9:1 Then verily the first covenant [Old Testament] had also ordinances *of divine service, *and a worldly sanctuary.' - 'Hebrews 9:8 The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest [available], while as the first tabernacle [and later the Temple in Jerusalem] was yet standing [with the veil blocking the way keeping mankind apart from the Holiest presence of God]:' - Now! - 'Hebrews 10:19-20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest [presence of God] by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living [spiritual] way, which He hath consecrated [made available] for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh' {into His Spirit realm that is now available to all mankind}
Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once [one eternal sacrifice] offered [to God] to bear the sins of many [all who receive]; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time *without [regard to] sin [but] unto salvation [healing]. - There will be no reference to sin on the second coming of Jesus Christ. The sin of mankind was dealt with entirely on the first visit of Jesus with His death on the cross. There is no future work for removing sin and when Jesus returns the existence of any sin will have to immediately depart from His presence. At His return Jesus will to set up His 1,000 year righteous Kingdom reign here on earth.

Hebrews 10 - The Old Testament and the physical Levitical Priesthood that accompanied it have been permanently removed by the completed work of the first coming of Jesus Christ - The New Covenant with its eternal Spiritual Melchizedek Priesthood has now been permanently established "once for all" in the shed blood and eternal bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ -- 'Hebrews 10:5-10 Wherefore when He cometh [incarnate] into the world, He saith, [Levitical] Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a [physical] body hast Thou [Holy Spirit] prepared Me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I (Jesus), Lo, I come in the volume [pages] of the Book (Bible Scrolls) it is written of Me, to do thy will, O [Father] God. Above when He said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first [Old Testament], that He may establish the second [New Testament]. *By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.'
'Hebrews 10:16-25 This is the [New] Covenant that I [God] will make with them after those [O.T.] days, saith the Lord, I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these [sins] is, there is no more [need for] offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living [Spiritual] way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; And having an [Melchizedek] High Priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [by the blood sacrifice of Jesus] from an evil conscience, and our [Spiritual] bodies washed with pure water [Holy Bible]. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He (Jesus) is faithful that promised [to enter us into Heaven]; And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the (Church) assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting [encouraging] one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day [Second Coming] approaching.' - With our sins removed by the sacrifice of Jesus and now having received the eternal Holy Spirit inside of us we are completely equipped for all things Spiritual. Having confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and by receiving His Holy Spirit we now have everything necessary for living a complete, full and successful eternal Spiritual life with God and with our fellow Christian brethren.

Hebrews 11 - The Apostle Paul writes what is now known has the Bible's 'Hall of Faith' in Hebrews Chapter 11 - 'Hebrews 11:16 But now they [men and women of faith] desire a better country, that is, an Heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city [a home in Heaven].'
'Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' - 'John 20:25-29 The other disciples therefore said unto him (Thomas), We have seen the [Resurrected] Lord. But he (Thomas) said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, *I will not believe [in the resurrection of Jesus Christ to eternal life]. And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came [the Resurrected] Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He (Jesus) to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and *be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto Him, *My [Resurrected] Lord and my [Living, eternal life giving] God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed [in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ]: *blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed [in the sinless eternal life giving resurrection of Jesus Christ].' Faith in the Bible is singular: There is only one type of faith and that is that God is the creator of and giver of Life both physical life and eternal spiritual life. - Along with the one type of faith that of life over death there is only one faith and that is in the Resurrection Life of Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ includes His Divine nature via His Virgin Birth, His sinless life, His Atoning blood sacrifice on the cross, His Resurrection of eternal life and His freely giving of His eternal Spirit Life. - 'Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;' - 'Colossians 2:27 ... [the Resurrected Jesus] Christ in you, the hope of glory:'

Hebrews 12 - The Apostle Paul now encourages every Christian to have an eternal perspective and Heavenly focus of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ - Having an eternal Heavenly focus we are to live our lives in a holy Heavenly manner -- 'Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus *the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy [our Salvation] that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is [Resurrected] set down at the right hand of the throne of God.'
'Hebrews 12:22-29 But ye (Christians) are come unto mount Sion [Mt. Zion], and unto the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of Angels, *To the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn (Jesus Christ), which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect [completed with the Spirit life of Jesus], And to Jesus the [Melchizedek High Priest] mediator of the New Covenant, and to the [sinless] blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not Him [Holy Spirit] that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth [at Mt. Sinai], much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also Heaven [Book of Revelation]. And this Word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are [human] made, that those things which cannot be shaken [eternal Kingdom of Jesus] may remain. Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a [judge and administrator] consuming fire.' - We are directed to have an eternal heavenly focus. The world and all that exists in it is once again going to be shaken [Book of Revelation] and all the false gods and false ideologies of demons and of mankind will crumble to the ground only the New Testament Kingdom of Jesus Christ will remain. Therefore it is with great hope that we look to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ the only Kingdom that is capable of lasting and enduring for all eternity.

Hebrews 13 - The Apostle Paul concludes the Bible's Book of Hebrews -- 'Hebrews 13:20-21 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant [New Testament], Make you perfect [complete] in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be Glory forever and ever. Amen.'
'Hebrews 13:1-2 Let brotherly (Christian) love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained [interacted with] Angels unawares [unknowingly].' - Angels are 'ministering spirits' [Hebrews :14] in fact all of Heaven [Hebrews 12:1] is very aware and interested in the events of mankind on earth particularly in the witnessing and ministry in the Name of Jesus Christ. Anytime anyone is preaching, witnessing or ministering [helping, serving] in the Name of Jesus Christ the residents of Heaven are aware and are even intimately involved. The holy Angeles as members of God's Kingdom are always present when ministry is being performed (it is their ministry as well) and on occasion we might encounter the visible or discernable presence of a holy Angel or Angels. Angels are present when ministry and witnessing are taking place here on earth and likewise the Holy Spirit of God is of course always present and in fact all of heaven declares the Glory of God. When we enter into the plan of Salvation from God and participate in God's plan of Salvation by doing His ministry work and in spreading His Gospel we are a direct participant in the Kingdom of God and we join in with the other participants in God's Kingdom of Heaven being accomplished here on earth. - After the Apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Hebrews 13:21 he then apparently receives some Christian visitors [probably while he was incarcerated in Jerusalem] from Italy who inform Paul that Timothy has been released from jail. Paul has his visitors read his letter and apparently they found it to be a little on the tough love side. The Apostle Paul then adds a four verse addendum starting with requesting the readers to bear with his short tough message and he also tells of the news and of greetings delivered to him and to all the Church from the Christians in Italy. The completed letter is probably then handed directly to his fellow Jewish Christians and to the Church leaders in Jerusalem.

Cowboys and Angels (2000) - Written and Directed by Gregory C. Haynes - [warning - skip the DVD previews] (Movie - DVD)
User Comments : What a nice surprise to see Mia Kirshner in a movie where she doesn't take off her clothes or kiss other girls or look anorexic... I think Mia is an amazing actress, and I was surprised by this movie. It's one of those that you see in the video store and say, "I've never heard of that - wonder if it would be worth my time." It's certainly not the best movie I've ever seen, but it was refreshing to watch a love story where the characters didn't have to have sex on their first date to know they were compatible. I liked the story. The angel bit was a little strange, but who hasn't wondered if there are angels among us? This was my introduction to Adam Trese, and I found his character likable and believable. I was annoyed with Radha Mitchell. She kept getting in the way. I suppose she was included so that the movie would be called more than just "Cowboys." Because that might be lame. Anyway, a refreshing change from what Hollywood believes love is all about. Three cheers for Greg Haynes for tackling this project. [article link]

DebbieSchlussel.com: Happy 'Jewish' New Year! - Tonight (Friday), at sundown, Rosh HaShanah-the Jewish New Year-begins - One of the two most important Jewish holidays the other is Yom Kippur, it marks the beginning of the Jewish "Ten Days of Repentance" [Rosh HaShanah (New Year) until the 'Day of Atonemet' Yom Kippur] {Having just finished studying the book of Hebrews its good timing in that at sundown (8/18/2009) it is the start of the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah and ten days of Jewish observances that concludes with the feast of Yom Kippur the 'Day of Atonement' - We pray God's blessing, peace and prosperity for the Nation of Israel and for all the Jews throughout the world who are in blessed observance of their Holy Feast Days.}
On the holiday, we traditionally eat apples with honey (and other items with honey) to signify that we seek a new year that is as sweet as that uber-sweet combination. (My favorite apples, BTW, are McIntosh.) The holiday ends at nightfall on Sunday Night. During two days of intense prayer at synagogue, we hear the blowing of a ram's horn (called a "shofar"), which makes several different kinds of sounds we are required to hear. ... To all of my Jewish readers and friends, Shanah Tovah u'Metukah KeTapuach B'Dvash-May You Have a Good New Year, As Sweet as an Apple with Honey. Thanks to all of my readers who sent me e-mails and i- and e-cards wishing me a Happy New Year. Right Back at Ya! I hope you have a happy and healthy new year. [DS] -- {Having just finished studying the Bible's Book of Hebrews it's good to know that as the Jews celebrate Yom Kippur that there will be no blood from bulls or goats this year and that animal blood is no longer necessary [Hebrews 8:8] since during the Jerusalem Passover with Jesus Christ He instituted the New Testament for the 'House of Israel'. A few days earlier with His triumphal enter into Jerusalem Jesus presented Himself as the Messiah to the world, He was not universally received as the Messiah however it's irrelevant whether or not mankind acknowledges the institutions of God pertaining to whether or not the edicts of God go into effect. Jesus is the Messiah reigning and ruling from Heaven whether mankind accepts it or not and just as important the New Testament for the Nation of Israel has been instituted whether it has been accepted or not. - It's hard to understand that the New Covent is strictly Jewish as it was initiated by Jesus during the Jerusalem Passover while Gentiles were excluded by God from the Passover even that very night. In the Gospel of John [John 12:20] we learn that at least two Greeks came to Jesus' disciples to see Jesus. Gentiles were in Jerusalem the very day of the New Testament Passover and were there to 'worship' at the Feast and wanted to see Jesus however they were sent away until after the cross and resurrection of Jesus. The cross and resurrection of Jesus is the only way that we Gentiles have access to Jesus. The New Testament is the covenant between God and Israel it is actually the Jews that are under the New Testament as Christians we enter into the New Covenant that was previously promised to Israel [Jeremiah 31:31] that has been enacted and given to Israel and it has been instituted and is in effect for the House of Israel.} [article link]

THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF

JAMES

An Overview Of The Book Of James - These factors suggest that the date of writing could have been possibly around A.D. 45 - Such a date makes the Letter of James the first book and letter of the New Testament to have been written
It appears that the letter was written during the early period of the Jewish Christian Church. The letter was written to Jewish Christians who had been scattered among the nations. They were most likely scattered by the persecution of Jewish Christians that erupted in Jerusalem in connection with the stoning of Stephen in the early A.D. 30's (cf. Acts 7:58-8:2). Since the letter was written to Jewish Christians, and it does not include statements directed to Gentile Christians, it was probably written before the influx of Gentiles began, such as began to occur during Paul's first missionary journey, which has been dated as A.D. 46-48. With the influx of Gentile Christians into the church the Judaistic Controversy arose, which was settled by the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem in A.D. 49-50. The letter makes no reference to the troubles and strife that arose with the influx of the Gentiles. Nor does it state that the Jewish Christians should not trouble the Gentile Christians over observing the laws of Moses and especially the rite of circumcision. These factors suggest that the date of writing could have been possibly around A.D. 45. Such a date makes the Letter of James the first book and letter of the New Testament to have been written. ... Already in A.D. 44 James the brother of the Lord was the recognized leader of the church in Jerusalem. Shortly after the apostle John's brother James was put to death by King Herod Agrippa, and immediately after an angel released Peter from prison to save him from the same martyrdom, Peter instructed those in the house of Mary to report his release to "James and the brothers", meaning the members of the church of Jerusalem (cf. Acts 12:17). In A.D. 49-50 James was clearly the leader of the church of Jerusalem and a recognized authority within the Apostolic Council. He voiced the final decision of the council that the Gentiles should not be troubled about having to follow the laws of Moses, especially with regard to circumcision, in order to be saved (cf. Acts 15:3-21). As a result of James' decree the apostles, elders, and church of Jerusalem then sent a letter to the churches to uphold that they were saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus (cf. Acts 15:11,22-29). In his Letter to the Galatians, written about A.D. 52, Paul put James on a level of importance equal with that of the apostles (cf. Galatians 1:19), and stated that James together with Peter and John were the "reputed pillars" of the church in Jerusalem (cf. Galatians 2:9). James was such an influential person within the church of Jerusalem that Paul referred to Jewish Christians from Jerusalem as "certain men (who) came from James" (cf. Galatians 2:12). At the end of his third missionary journey when Paul brought the collection from the churches for the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, he reported to James with the collection (cf. Acts 21:17,18). James was so widely recognized in the early apostolic church that Jesus' brother Judas (cf. Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) introduced himself in his Letter of Jude as "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James" (Jude 1). [article link]

Bible Study Notes James Introduction Part I by Dr. Richard J. Krejcir - James is a book about the application of our faith and the importance to learn and grow in Christ - That way, we can grow in faith and maturity so we can apply our Christian character and conduct in how we (relate) to others!
During the time of James, the church was at a crossroads of ending its "honeymoon" period of being ignored by the religious leaders, so they were growing and feeling comfortable and good. They were still a part of Judaism and had not split off from their roots. Now, they are being singled out and picked on. The persecutions were just starting; the two other Jameses in the New Testament had been martyred, Steven had been stoned to death, and many were leaving the faith because of fear. The Church was also starting to deal with the human, sinful nature of gossip, strife, carnality, slander, doctrinal arguments and power plays, so their faith was becoming useless and unproductive-the themes we still have with us today. The self-filled life and the focus on the will of ourselves was overtaking fulfillment in Him and seeking God's Will (John 1:16; 3:30; Eph. 1:23; 3:19; 4:13; Col. 1:19; Col. 1:25). James seeks to write an extolment of Christ and an encouragement to the saints to look to Christ in faith and not to their circumstances. Thus, we will then be able to live a righteous life and be a meaningful Christian. [article link]

Background of James - whose epistle (letter) is said to be the first of the epistles called Catholic (Universal) - The book of James was not widely circulated and accepted by the early church - The church applied the rule that unless a book was apostolic it could not be canonical [placed in the Bible]
The book of James was not widely circulated and accepted by the early church. The church applied the rule that unless a book was apostolic it could not be canonical. The Muratorian Canon, which dates from 175 A.D. fails to list the epistle of James. The church fathers rarely make reference to it. After describing the martyrdom of James, Eusebius says 'such is the story of James, whose epistle is said to be the first of the epistles called Catholic. It is to be observed that its authenticity is denied, since few of the ancients quote it, as is also the case with the epistle called Jude's...nevertheless we know that these letters have been used publicly with the rest in most churches.' The Council of Carthage recognized the epistle of James as part of scripture in 397 A.D. It is interesting that the east recognized the epistle sooner than the west. During the Reformation Erasmus doubted whether James the brother of Jesus wrote the letter. Martin Luther was slow to accept it because it taught little about Christ, was not apostolic, stresses law instead of gospel, and opposes Paul on the doctrine of faith and works. Luther said 'I cannot put the letter among the chief books, though I would not thereby prevent anyone from putting him where he pleases and estimating him as he pleases; for there are many good sayings in it.' He placed it without a number at the end of his New Testament. William Tyndale also placed it as the last book in his translation. However subsequent English translations have placed it in its present spot. [article link]

James 1 - James a servant (bond slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ - Jude also uses the introduction of 'bond slave' - James and Jude were full brothers and half-brothers to Jesus Christ - Both James and Jude became believers after the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ their half-brother - While Peter was the first leader of the Church James being a half-brother of Jesus became the de facto first leader of the Church in Jerusalem and as leader James dealt with the many and divers problems and relationships of the early Church - 'James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God [Jesus] and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction [need], and to keep himself unspotted [pure] from the world'
The book of James is probably the first Christian New Testament document written even before the Gospel of Matthew: The book of James is considered by most historians to be the first Christian document written or to be among the first Christian documents written. Written prior to the council in Jerusalem in 49 A.D. an impromptu council of early Church leaders and Apostles that was headed up by James after the Apostle Paul and Barnabas returned from their first missionary trip having converted and brought Gentile believers into the primarily Jewish Christian Church. The 49 A.D. council in Jerusalem was needed to determine the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers and particularly whether or not the Gentiles would have to be circumcised and follow Jewish customs in order to become Christians. The council determined that faith alone in Jesus would be sufficient to have Gentiles enter into full fellowship in the Christian Church. The book of James is a simple book focusing primarily on relationships between individual persons and among groups of people while a relationship with God is then expressed out of relationships with each other. The book of James seems simple in language [though very advanced in application] because the relationships in that time were more simple not because Christianity was simple or started out simple. Christianity did not grow, change, evolve or even mature. Christianity is completely embodied in the one person of Jesus Christ; all of His doctrines, teachings, prophecies and applications were delivered at one time in one life by the one person Jesus Christ. Though communion, baptism, End Times, Second Coming and other doctrines will be discussed in more depth in other Church writings it does not mean that they didn't exist or weren't practiced from the start at the Christian Church in Jerusalem. -- 'James 1:2 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty [grace], and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.'

Experts Say Burial Box for 'Brother of Jesus' is a Forgery - The 20-inch long ossuary, which was common in Jewish burial ceremonies in the first centuries B.C. and A.D., has an inscription in the Aramaic language that reads, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" - But after a lengthy investigation, the Antiquities Authority of Israel said it found overwhelming evidence that the [Aramaic] inscription was a fake produced in modern times - "The bottom line is that every single scholar who examined this came to the conclusion that the inscription was not authentic; it was done recently by a very skillful artist" {Any use of the Aramaic language on an ancient Jewish artifact is almost a sure indication that the item was tampered with or is an outright forgery. The Biblical languages are Hebrew and Greek with the early commentaries being written in the Roman Latin language. Introducing Aramaic into the Biblical languages is a direct attempt to introduce forged documents and objects into Church history in order to rewrite and manipulate Church history.}
JERUSALEM, June 19 - Israel's archaeological experts declared today that an ancient limestone burial box, which bears an inscription suggesting it held the remains of Jesus' brother James, is a modern forgery. When the existence of the burial box, or ossuary, was announced last October, it stirred great excitement as potentially the earliest historical artifact linked to Jesus. But after a lengthy investigation, the Antiquities Authority of Israel said it found overwhelming evidence that the inscription was a fake produced in modern times. "The bottom line is that every single scholar who examined this came to the conclusion that the inscription was not authentic; it was done recently by a very skillful artist," said Dr. Gideon Avni, director of excavations and surveys for the Antiquities Authority and one of 14 experts who took part in the investigation. ... The 20-inch long ossuary, which was common in Jewish burial ceremonies in the first centuries B.C. and A.D., has an inscription in the Aramaic language that reads, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." The New Testament on several occasions says that Jesus had a brother named James, who became a leader of a Christian community in Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus. James was executed by stoning in A.D. 63, according to the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. At the time, it was a common Jewish practice to place the body in a burial cave for about a year. When only the bones remained, they were then placed in a small ossuary. Only a small number of the burial boxes were inscribed, and they usually belonged to prominent people. It is not clear whether the early Christians followed the same burial ceremonies as the Jews. The most convincing evidence of fraud was the lack of the stone's patina, the natural fossilized sheen, in the indentations where the inscription was made, the Antiquities Authority said. The scholars concluded that the ossuary itself was an original dating back some 2,000 years, while the writing is of a much more recent vintage, though they could not pinpoint the date. The inscription had been partially filled in with modern materials including dirt, carbon and small flecks of gold in an attempt to make it look ancient, the officials said. "The lab reports found that these specific materials don't exist in the Jerusalem area," Mr. Dorfman said. Also, the latter part of the inscription, which refers to Jesus, is in a separate style of writing, the Antiquities Authority said. Scholars have been debating the authenticity since the ossuary became public last October, and some leading experts said they believed it was genuine. ... But some Israeli authorities expressed suspicions from the beginning based on the shadowy ways in which the ossuary and the tablet came to public notice. Mr. Golan, who is in his early 50's, initially attempted to conceal his identity and connection to the artifacts. When he was eventually questioned by authorities, he said he bought the ossuary from an antiquities dealer in Jerusalem's Old City in the mid-1970's, but did not know the name of the seller or the place where it was excavated. Israel's antiquities laws say that any item excavated since 1978 belongs to the state. Despite efforts to regulate antiquities, the legal, gray and black markets all do brisk business, according to officials. [article link]

James 2 - James continues to provide his godly wisdom and council to the early Church - James instruct Christians to honor everyone equally regardless of status or class in society - 'James 2:1-4 My brethren (Christians), have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, with respect [veneration] of persons. ... Are ye not then partial [societal segmentation] in yourselves, and are become judges of evil [class superiority] thoughts?'
Godly faith will bring forth godly intentions and actions in the individual first and then to the group as a whole: 'James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble [but do nothing about their knowledge of God in a godly manner].' - The book of James is a letter of encouragement to Christians for individual Christians to gain in Christian growth and maturity. Christian growth is about personal; individual, meaningful, spiritual growth. Meaningful mature Christian growth is developed in the individual human soul and it is a maturity that can only take place on an individual level. The Christian maturity has to be individual because the circumstances, locations and timing needed in order for God to accomplish the growth and maturity are somewhat unique to each individual. The Christian growth process has to be individual for the individual to grow but it also has to be individual in order to accomplish the ultimate growth in an individual meaningful relationship with God. - In accomplishing individual growth and maturity then group growth and maturity can take place but if there are no mature individuals in the group then the group cannot necessarily function on a mature level however with a few or even only one mature individual in a group the group can function in a mature way. James in seeking to create a greater group maturity is giving general guidelines to individuals for individual godly Christian growth and not a strict pattern of events for groups to follow. It is then through the individual growth and godliness, in the individual first, that ultimately the Christian Church group as a whole will grow and mature.

James 3 - We are urged to take control of our tongue when we speak to others - and when we do speak to speak words of blessing and words of edification not words of accusations -- 'James 3:8-10 But the tongue can no man tame [you have to first tame your soul in order to tame your tongue]; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith [with our mouth] bless we God, even the Father; and therewith [our same mouth] curse we men, which are made after the similitude [image] of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.'
God's wisdom brings peace to our soul: 'James 3:13-18 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth [God is alive and in our midst]. This [bitter] wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. *But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated [accepted], full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.' - The wisdom that comes from God leads us to peace. We have been at war with God in our lifestyle but God is offering to us His Peace. The peace we receive from God that allows us to be at peace with God and ourselves also allows us to live at peace with one another.

James 4 - James continues to exhort Christians to adhere to the higher calling in Christianity by separating themselves from the conduct of the world -- 'James 4:7-8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh [close] to God, and He will draw nigh [close] to you.'
'James 4:8-8 Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded [be single minded towards God]. Be afflicted [cautious], and mourn [critical self-examination], and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning [an inward perspective], and your joy to heaviness [reality]. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.' - James makes certain the Biblical precept that the contrived ways of the world are not the ways of God. This precept was true in the Old Covenant, it has been true since creation and it remains true today during the New Covenant Christian Church era that God is concerned with the treatment and wellbeing of all humans. To get lost in our own pleasures and in our own wellbeing is not what God has intended for Christianity. God has it in mind that Christians will seek after the desires and intentions of God and in doing so Christians can make a small difference here and there in the world. A small difference that in the mind of the world is minimal but possibly a difference that in the eyes of God is eternal.

James 5 - James concludes his remarks and exhortations to the Christian Church with an emphases on the need for individuals to pray with and for one another - and really just to encourage, assist and to cooperate with one another - to keep focused on the return of Jesus all the while remaining diligent in godly pursuits - and to be patient in all things particularly in illnesses, persecutions and any type sufferings -- 'James 5:7-8 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish [establish] your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.'
'James 5:15-20 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up [God always hears our spiritual prayers no matter what our physical condition is]; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him [all who ask God for forgiveness at any time will receive it]. Confess your faults [be real] one to another, and pray [intercede] one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias (Elijah) was a man [just like us] subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed [1 Kings 17:1] earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again [1 Kings 18:45], and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren (Christian), if any of you do err from the truth [Jesus is God], and one convert [redirection, remind] him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.' - Note: James is making some final statements and generalizations. He repeatedly makes the point that the social, financial and physical status of an individual does not represent the spiritual status of an individual. If or when someone is ill for any kind of reason that God will still hear their prayer and forgive their sins and "the Lord shall raise him up" make them well or bring them into heaven according to their appointed time regardless of their social standing, finances or physical condition. - James goes on to point put the need to assist one another in keeping each other on the path to God. The Christian walk when done properly is a walk of mutual support. Christianity is not a go it alone hope for the best situation. We know who God is and we do know most of what God requires from us. [Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang [support] all the law and the prophets.] When a person can remind, redirect [convert] a fellow Christian and orientate them again to the cross and living resurrection of Jesus Christ then there is a multitude of sin being covered. Covered in the sense that sins are forgiven and removed by the blood of Jesus and covered in the sense that sins that were potentially going to be committed are now not going to be committed because of the change in direction and the renewed commitment and conformity to the ways of God.

THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF

1 PETER

Book of 1st Peter - Introduction and Background Information - Date of Writing somewhere around AD 62-64 [by Peter in Rome] {note: The cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the start of His Christian Church was in 32 A.D. counting His birth as year 0 A.D. [33 A.D. otherwise] -- The Apostle Paul was martyred about 64-65 A.D. in Rome -- Peter was martyred about 67 A.D. also in Rome -- Caesar Nero (*was the fifth, and last Roman Emperor (and also the most wicked) of the Julio-Claudian dynasty) reigned in Rome from 13 October, AD 54 - 9 June, AD 68 -- later the 2nd Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by Rome in 70 A.D. (Titus Flavius Vespasianus (Vespasian) was the Emperor in Rome [69-79 AD] -- his son Roman General Titus Flavius Vespasianus (Titus) oversaw the destruction of Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple {this generation, Matthew 23:36} in 70 A.D. and was later briefly Emperor of Rome himself [79-81 A.D.]) - wiki.com} - Clearly, this was a horrific time for the early Christian church - Themes: There are generally speaking five themes that permeate this text: Hope, Suffering, *Holiness, Humility, Submission
This period is, in all likelihood, the first official persecution of Christians by Rome. The madman Nero was the Emperor of Rome at this time. This was the time period of The Great Fire of Rome where Nero supposedly played his fiddle while Rome burned. Roman historian Tacitus describes the scene this way: "Neither human resources, nor imperial generosity, nor appeasement of the gods, eliminated the sinister suspicion that the fire had been deliberately started. To stop the rumor, Nero, made scapegoats--and punished with every refinement the notoriously depraved Christians (as they were popularly called). Their originator, Christ, had been executed in Tiberius' reign by the Procurator of Judaea, Pontius Pilatus (who was actually a Praefectus, not a Procurator). But in spite of this temporary setback, the deadly superstition had broken out again, not just in Judaea (where the mischief had started) but even in Rome. All degraded and shameful practices collect and flourish in the capital. First, Nero had the self-admitted Christians arrested. Then, on their information, large numbers of others were condemned--not so much for starting fires as because of their hatred for the human race. Their deaths were made amusing. Dressed in wild animals' skins, they were torn to pieces by dogs, or crucified, or made into torches to be set on fire after dark as illumination.... Despite their guilt as Christians, and the ruthless punishment it deserved, the victims were pitied. For it was felt that they were being sacrificed to one man's brutality rather than to the national interest." -- Clearly, this was a horrific time for the early Christian church. Themes: There are generally speaking five themes that permeate this text: Hope, Suffering, Holiness, Humility [and] Submission. It serves us well to understand the historical backdrop to this text. The church was under unspeakable persecution. Let's keep this in mind as we journey together the God-breathed doctrines and life-applications from the Apostle Peter. [article link]

Studies in 1 Peter - A Call to Holiness - "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as He which hath called [invited] you is Holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written (Leviticus 11:44), Be ye holy; for I am Holy" [1 Peter 1:14-16 KJV] - "But ye are a chosen generation [peer group], a Royal Priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; *that ye should shew forth the Praises of Him who hath called [invited] you out of darkness into His marvellous light" [1 Peter 2:9 KJV]
Introduction: The word "holy," in contemporary thinking, is closely akin to the term "nerd" which our children use. Holiness is not thought of as a virtue but as a vice. How insulting to be thought of as "holy" by your peers. Even in the church, holiness is becoming rare. Only recently I heard a well-known evangelist speak of holiness as something which the church in America has lost. How comfortable we are to add God to our lives with little or no change necessary on our part. Such is not the message of the true gospel or the teaching of the Scriptures on the spiritual life. The Old Testament prophets, along with John the Baptist and then Jesus, called for a radical change for those who would trust and obey God. "Repent" was an indispensable word to those who proclaimed the Word of God in truth. To repent means to change not only our thinking but our actions. When we are saved, we are saved from our heathen desires and practices and called to live a life of holiness. This call to holiness comes very early in Peter's first epistle in chapter 1:14-16 and continues to be stressed throughout his epistle. The belief and behavior of holiness of which Peter speaks comes neither naturally (through our flesh) nor easily. Peter did not find it natural or easy either. While the concept of holiness is frequently taught in the Old Testament, Judaism (especially the scribes and Pharisees) distorted it until it became something entirely different. To many, the scribes and Pharisees, who saw themselves as holy, were the epitome of holiness. How shocking Jesus' words must have been to those who first heard them: "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). True holiness was not what the scribes and Pharisees or Peter thought it was. The message Peter shares with us in his first epistle came to him with great difficulty. In fact, only after the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord did Peter understand true holiness. ... A Basic Definition of Holiness: To be holy is the opposite of being "common" or "profane." God is holy in that He is utterly different and distinct from His creation. His people must also be distinct, separate from the heathen attitudes and actions which characterized them as unbelievers. The translation of 1 Peter 2:9 by the King James Version conveys this idea of "separateness:" [article link]

1 Peter 1: 22-2:3 Spiritual Dynamics of Holiness - When Peter tells us: "Be holy in everything you do" he is simply saying: "Live every aspect of your lives the way God designed you to live" - God has created us in His image, and therefore our lives have a high purpose-to demonstrate His character (His love, righteousness, justice, etc.) in this world - *To live otherwise is to profane my life, to misrepresent God's character **and to damage myself and others
Introduction: As Mark pointed out last week, this section of 1 Peter is about holiness (read 1:15). "Holiness" has negative connotations in our culture ("holy roller;" "holier than thou"), so we tend to avoid it (and use a more relevant synonym like "sanctification!"). Actually, the biblical meaning of holiness is intensely positive. Holiness means fulfilling the special purpose for which something or someone was designed. Holiness presumes a designer [creator]. Holiness not only brings fulfillment to the holy thing or person-it also brings health and beauty into the world, and it brings honor to its designer/owner. Conversely, to use something or someone in an unholy way is to make it profane. ... When Peter tells us: "Be holy in everything you do," he is simply saying: "Live every aspect of your lives the way God designed you to live." God has created us in his image, and therefore our lives have a high purpose-to demonstrate his character (his love, righteousness, justice, etc.) in this world. To live otherwise is to profane my life-to misrepresent God's character and to damage myself and others. ... Holiness begins with a new birth: The first thing Peter emphasizes is that holiness begins with a new birth. Everything he says about holiness in this passage is rooted in the assumption that his audience has "been born again" (1:23). To be born again means to be {born again spiritually, become a child of God - adoption as sons and daughters comes later after the (2 Corinthians 5:6-10) judgment in Heaven} adopted into God's family, to be made his son or Daughter. Why must holiness begin with {spiritual birth} adoption? Because adoption provides the foundation for the rest of your development. {Note: If you are waiting for an adoption (in heaven) to begin to become holy it will be too late because holiness begins with becoming a (born again) child of God [here on earth] and then holiness in a sense is completed and mostly finished at the adoption in Heaven. - Also Note: I think we have discovered something about modern Christianity and that is that all the leaders, teachers and pastors all want to ignore the (2 Corinthians 5:6-10) Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ that is needed in the life of every believer for God's final and ultimate approval of the believer. Skipping over being a child of God and wanting instead to immediately claim the Adoption as Sons and Daughters attempting to prematurely receive the advanced privileges and blessings that go along with the adoption and Sonship. -- Consider This: If Jesus Christ were to manifest [being God] before our very eyes and at the same moment Elijah, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and the Angels Michael and Gabriel and even the evil entities Apollyon, Abaddon and Satan himself also materialized before our eyes as deceiving messengers of light would you be able recognize and immediately be able to pick out your Father God in Jesus Christ from among the group? No! Because we have never seen Jesus visually [face to face] in His Glory and therefore having not seen Jesus [and being unable to identify who He is] we remain a "children of God" it is a child that might not be able to recognize their father [earthy or heavenly] by sight but it is a Son having met his father that can identify their father by sight [the other option from 'born again' into the family as a Child of God and later the 'Adoption' {inheritance} as an approved of Son (Sonship) or Daughter, becoming a living heir of the Kingdom of God or else that of a spiritual 'bastard' a child or an adult who has not yet met or is unable to identify their Heavenly Father]. For the Christian we will see Jesus face to face in Heaven and having met Jesus face to face [brother to brother and Father to Son or Daughter] and after becoming adopted by God [Father, Son and Holy Spirit] in Heaven we as Sons and Daughters will know who our Father is. But in the meantime being a child we have to be very careful because Satan is indeed passing himself off as our Father and having not seen our Father (because we are only children) we can be deceived if we look to the advanced giftings that Satan is going to present in order to entice people to accept sonship in Satan. -- We will be able to cover more of this very important topic in the Bible's book of Job. -- Lastly: In ancient Rome, Greece and also in Israel if a person [regardless of age] went into their fathers house and saw the keys to the chariot (or car) sitting on the counter as a child of the family [regardless of age - they might even be living on their own] they would have to wait for the parent and ask permission from the parent to use the chariot. However if the person were a Son [in status and authority] (having received the adoption - very literal in Roman customs) within the family that person could help themselves to the vehicle because they know their father and their father knows them and trusts them and they are going to be faithful to use the vehicle in accordance with the father's desires. The son is probably not going to be reckless and wreck the vehicle or damage property possibly injuring or even killing himself. Instead the son will use the vehicle in a way that will assist the family overall and will return the vehicle in good condition, fueled and ready to go again because the Son knows the Father and is in agreement with the Father! However with the child [regardless of age] who knows what kind of a 'wild child' event might happen and therefore a good Father would more closely supervise and initiate more authority over the child until the child can grow and mature [through a relationship in knowing who the Father is] into a faithful Son or Daughter.} [article link]

1 Peter 1 - The Apostle Peter the Apostle of Holiness - The first order of Holiness is to understand that while we are alive in our fleshly body in the physical world that we live holiness generally at the level of a Child of God in need of God's constant presence and supervision -- '1 Peter 1:1-5 Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect [called for a purpose - i.e. Evangelist] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the [Holy] Spirit, *unto obedience *and sprinkling of ***the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope ***by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, **reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith [in the completed works of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ] unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.'
1 Peter 1:9-17 Receiving the end [lit. final, completed, end result, outcome - Telos, G5056] of your faith [as a child], even the salvation {Adoption} of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [individuality - individual relationship with God] that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings [1st Coming] of Christ, and the Glory [2nd Coming] that should follow. ... As obedient *children [Teknon, G5043], not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as He which hath called you is Holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written (Leviticus 11:44), Be ye holy; for I am Holy. -- 1 Peter 1:18-23 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things [i.e. money], as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious Blood of [Jesus] Christ, as of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the [beginning] foundation of the world, but was manifest [revealed] in these last times for you, Who by Him [Jesus] do [we] believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave Him Glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the Truth [Bible] through the [Holy] Spirit unto **unfeigned love of the brethren [fellow Christians], see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: ***Being ***born again, not of [perishable] corruptible seed, but of [eternal] incorruptible [Spirit], by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. - Note: The eternal Holiness that Peter is speaking of first involves the Blood of Jesus Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit and of our being 'born again' by faith through the eternal Blood and the Holy Spirit in order to become children of God. It is only through having the born again Spirit image of God within us and by being in the actual spiritual presence of God that the Holiness of God then becomes our holiness.

1 Peter 2 - Holiness derives from being in the presence of God [prayer, Bible study, fellowship, service to God] 'the milk of the Word' as a Child of God and then Christian maturity derives from holiness [maturity does not lead to holiness (acceptability and a closer relationship with God), holiness (intimate fellowship with God) leads a Child of God to maturity and eventually into Sonship] -- '1 Peter 2:1-3 Wherefore laying aside all malice [mischievous], and all guile [bitterness], and hypocrisies [self-promotion], and envies, and all evil speakings, *As newborn babes (Matthew 18:3), desire the sincere milk of the Word (Bible), that ye may grow [mature] thereby: If so be **ye have tasted [fellowshipped with God] that the Lord [Jesus Christ] is gracious.'
1 Peter 2:4-12 To whom coming [unto Jesus Christ], as unto a living (Temple) stone, disallowed [rejected] indeed of men, *but chosen of God, and *precious, **Ye [fellow Christians] also, as lively (Temple) stones, are built up [together as the body of Christ comprising] a Spiritual House [Heavenly Temple], an Holy Priesthood [having direct access to God], to offer up *spiritual sacrifices [praise, thanks, worship], acceptable to God by [being through] Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture (Isaiah 28:16), Behold, I lay in Sion (Mt. Zion - Temple Mount in Jerusalem) a chief corner stone {the cornerstone anchors the location and sets the direction of the building}, elect (chosen for a reason), precious: and he that believeth on Him [Jesus Christ] **shall not be confounded [disappointed]. Unto you therefore which believe He [Jesus] is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and **a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the Word (Bible), being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed [lit. placed aside - served their desires]. ***But ye [Christians] are a Chosen Generation [peer group], a Royal Priesthood [brotherhood with Jesus the King of the Tribe of Judah and the High Priest of the order of Melchizedek], an Holy Nation [assembly], a peculiar people; **that ye should shew forth the praises of Him [Jesus Christ] who hath called [invited] you out of darkness into His marvellous [eternal] light: Which [but] in time past [Gentiles] were not a people, but [Christians] are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy [knowledge of God], but now have obtained mercy [knowledge of God]. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation [God's presence]. - Note: This amazing verse proclaims that each individual Christian [while on earth] through the experiencing of trials and tribulations on earth is being shaped and matured by life itself [a relationship with God] in order to be a part of and to belong as a living stone in an eternal Spirit Temple being built and crafted for all eternity by God.

BasicChristian.org: The Royal Priesthood - The High Calling of each Christian - Now that we are Christians and in a relationship with God there is still the question of how do we as people approach and interact with the Holy God?
In the Old Testament there are three groups of people who knowingly interacted with God these three distinct groups are the Priests, the Prophets, and the Citizens of God's Kingly Rule and Authority. • The office of Priest is interaction with God in the act of man offering to God. • The office of Prophet is interaction with God in the act of man receiving from God. • The office and position of Citizen or Subject of the King is interaction with God, the Eternal King, in the act of man having placed his life under the Authority and Rule of God the True King. Are these just Old Testament Practices or do these offices still have merit for us today in the New Testament Church? And if so, how do they work? [article link]

1 Peter 3 - The Apostle Peter admonishes all Christians to have a Heavenly, eternal perspective -- '1 Peter 3:8-9 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as [Christian] brethren, be pitiful [compassionate], be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise [contrary to the ways of the world instead be a] blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should [as Sons and Daughters] inherit a [living, eternal] blessing.'
1 Peter 3:10-18 For he that will love life [lit. eternal spirit life - Zoe, G2222 - (not physical life - Bios {Biology}, G979)], and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. **For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and ***His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good [being in God's Divine protection]? But and [then] if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and **be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; ***But sanctify the Lord God [Jesus Christ] in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. **For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer [as Jesus Christ did] for well doing, than for evil [criminal] doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might [remove sin and] bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive] by the [Holy] Spirit ... - Note: The two and only two options of mankind [and as the verse goes on to explain the same two options equally had applied to the Angelic realm]. The first option (desired by God) is fellowship with God as a Child of God [as a Son of God for Angels] the second option (not intended by God) is to be at enmity with God.

1 Peter 4 - The Apostle Peter reveals that the Christian Church is an intermixed, interdependent group of individuals - Comprised of all the individuals in attendance [and in prayer] and it is certainly not just the efforts and accomplishments of one highly visible person or of a few notable people -- '1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the [spiritual] gift [i.e. administration, servant, teacher, leader, visionary, etc.], even so minister the same [use your own (God given) gift - don't try to imitate the gifts of others] one to another, **as good stewards of the manifold grace [individuality given to us] of God. If any man speak [to a group or to another person], let him speak as the oracles [pages of the Bible] of God; if any man minister [servant], let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: ***that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be Praise and Dominion forever and ever. Amen.'
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the House of God: and if it first begin at us [Christians], what shall the end be of them [non-believers] that obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved [only by the works of Jesus Christ through His cross and His resurrection], where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear [there is no place but the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ to appear for salvation]? Wherefore let them [Christians] that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. - Note: The judgment of God actually begins with the Children of God in the 'House of God' and then later [the Book of Revelation] everyone and even the entire earth is ultimately judged by God.

1 Peter 5 - The Apostle Peter warns the Pastors not to neglect their temporary assignment as a faithful shepherd to a part of the flock of God -- '1 Peter 5:1-4 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and ***a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker [Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17:1-2] of the Glory [of Jesus] that shall be revealed: *Feed [read the Bible to] the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords [owners] over God's heritage, but being [servant] ensamples [examples] to the flock. And when [Jesus Christ] the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away.'
The Bible's book of 1 Peter concludes: 1 Peter 5:6-14 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: **Casting all your care upon Him; for ***He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil [Satan, Lucifer], as a roaring [boasting] lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are [alive] in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal Glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect [complete], stablish [establish], strengthen, settle you. To Him [Jesus Christ] be Glory and *Dominion [governmental authority - i.e. federal authority] forever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The Church that is at *Babylon [probably Rome], elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. - Note: It's probably Rome that Peter is referring to in that he is saying that the previous captivity and spiritual warfare of old Babylon has only shifted and is now in the new location of Rome and is just as fierce as ever in waging a multi fronted [physical, emotional, spiritual] assault against the Children of God.

THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF

2 PETER

Epistle of 2nd Peter - 2nd Peter was written somewhere around 67 AD, shortly before Peter's martyrdom in Rome
2nd Peter was written somewhere around 67 AD, shortly before Peter's martyrdom in Rome. It is [one of] the most controversial book of the New Testament because a wide variety of scholars deny its authenticity [Jude is also very controversial and easily the Book of Revelation is the most controversial book in the N.T. and probably the whole Bible for that matter]. There is no real mention of it before the early 3rd century [200's] and Origen {of Alexandria, Egypt} (185~254 A.D.), who accepted it, while admitting that others did not. Ultimately, Christians can rely on the epistle as a matter of faith, for in a biblical worldview it is unthinkable that God could not protect the Scriptures sufficiently to avoid a spurious epistle's inclusion. - [Note: 2nd Peter probably didn't get circulated as much as 1st Peter, the letters of Paul and some of the other N.T. letters did - the book of Jude was not a widely circulated letter. - Also Note: the lesser circulated epistles; Philemon, II John, and III John all missed out on some early N.T. Bible canonization -- i.e. Didymus the blind {of Alexandria, Egypt} (A.D. 313~398 A.D.) who was a celebrated head of the catechetical school at Alexandria {Egypt} - Source: http://www.ntcanon.org/Didymus.shtml] [article link]

Background of Second Peter - The theme of 2 Peter is summarized by the word 'knowledge' which occurs twelve times in the [short] letter - In a letter which fights false teaching, the greatest weapon is a knowledge of the truth
Occasion: There was persecution from the outside of the church as well as false teachers within the church. Peter grounds his hearers in the authoritative word of God given not by the will of man but by the Holy Spirit. Armed with the word of God these believers were to refute the false teachers. Peter in his later years writes to the churches of Asia Minor and warns, encourages and instructs them in light of Christ's second coming. The readers must consider the second coming of Christ as an historic fulfillment of the progress of God's plan and not simply another crystal ball by which men could know the future for personal and selfish gain. [article link]

2 Peter 1 - Where 1st Peter was written more with Christian conduct, holiness and maturity in view the second letter, 2nd Peter was written more with Christian endurance and the eventual End Times in view -- '2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power [supernatural, the resurrection power - Dunamis, G1411] and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but [as Disciples and Apostles] were eyewitnesses of His majesty.'
2 Peter 1:16-21 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but **were eyewitnesses [to actual events] of His majesty. For He [Jesus] received from God the Father Honor and Glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ***And this voice which came from Heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the Holy Mount [the Mount of Transfiguration, Matthew 17:1-2]. ***We have also a ***more sure word of Prophecy [O.T. and N.T. both containing 1st Coming (i.e. Simeon in Luke 2:26) and 2nd Coming prophecies (i.e. Jude 1:14)]; ***whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the Day Star arise [the early morning resurrection of Jesus Christ] in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation [from the prophet]. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake *as they were moved by the Holy [Spirit] Ghost. - Note: Prophecy came not as an idea or as an inkling from men but as the deliberate (Epignosis, G1922 - strong, experiential, deliberate Knowledge from God above). The prophecies in the Bible were written without private interpretations from the prophets themselves but the Bible itself including the prophecies are for our own individual private interpretations. We are all free in the presence and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to interpret the 'Living Scriptures' [2 Timothy 1:10, 2 Timothy 3:16] and apply them to our own individual lives as Jesus the 'Daylight Star' arises in our own heart to guide us into His decisions regarding His Kingdom the eternal Kingdom of God.

2 Peter 2 - The Apostle Peter points out that the Christian Church is always going to have to contend with false doctrines and false teachers just as the Jews themselves had to contend with false prophets in their midst -- '2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were false prophets also among the people [in O.T. times], even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily [privately, secretly, behind closed doors] shall bring in damnable heresies, *even denying the Lord [Jesus] that bought them [paid with His blood for our sins], and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom The Way of Truth [Christianity] shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise [selling blessings or ministry items] of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.'
2 Peter 2:18-21 For when they [merchandisers] speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. **While they promise them [followers] liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: ***for of whom a man is overcome, ***of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge [knowledge from above, Epignosis, G1922] of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the [lost salvation] latter end is worse with them than the [unsaved] beginning. **For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the Holy Commandment [love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40)] delivered unto them. - Note: To turn from God is to reject Salvation. Peter is alluding to the fact that often people first turn away from God subtly, being allured away by even slightly turning towards other people [often they end up being unscrupulous people], ministries, events or items and then having been lured away from Jesus being gradually overcome having lost focus of the Truth of Jesus Christ. The safety of our soul is in Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ alone so we do need to be diligent and faithful to keep the Truth and Light of Jesus Christ always shining brightly before us.

2 Peter 3 - The Apostle Peter begins to close his second and last epistle with a warning that eventually the earth is going to be judged again and at the Command of God all physical things will perish in a 'fervent heat' -- '2 Peter 3:1-5 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the Holy Prophets, and of the Commandment [love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40)] of us the Apostles of the Lord and Savior [Jesus Christ]: Knowing this first, that **there shall come in the Last Days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His [return, 2nd] coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant [the earth has not continued unchanged but has had radical changes (flood of Noah) and will continue in the Book of Revelation to have more radical changes] of, that by the [Command] Word of God the heavens [skies] were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water ...' {Note: The original earth of creation was flooded in the flood of Noah by the Command judgment of *water from God - now the earth is currently being judged this time by the *blood and cross of Jesus Christ and with the Testimony of the Holy *Spirit (1 John 5:6-9) - and finally for those who reject the water and the blood and the Holy Spirit the earth will again be judged a final time by judgment and destruction in *fire.}
The Bible's book of 2nd Peter concludes: 2 Peter 3:6 Whereby the world that then was [before Noah], being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store [by the blood of Jesus Christ], reserved unto fire against the day of [final] judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. *The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; *but is longsuffering to us-ward, **not willing that any should perish, ***but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works [of man] that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these [physical] things shall be dissolved, ***what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, ***Looking for and hasting [keeping busy] unto the coming of the Day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat [coming judgment of fire]? Nevertheless *we, according to His promise, **look for new heavens and a new earth, ***wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. ... 2 Peter 3:17-18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. *But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF

1 JOHN

History of John the Disciple of Jesus
To learn the history of John, the disciple of Jesus, we begin with his life before he met Jesus. John, his brother James, Peter, and Andrew were all partners in the fishing business before they became disciples of Jesus. John was the son of Zebedee who was also a fisherman in Galilee. John's mother's name was Salome and some say that Salome was the sister of Jesus' mother, Mary. John owned a home in Jerusalem. Shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD, John moved to Ephesus. John pastored a church in Ephesus. He communicated with other churches in the area as stated in the book of Revelation. He advised and counseled many people who would later become believers in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. By order of the Roman Emperor, Domitian, John was exiled to the island, Patmos. Domitian ordered his exile because he saw John as a threat to his rule. However, his popularity and influence in the Christian community continued through correspondence with all the churches. John wrote the book of Revelation during his exile. When he was released from exile, he returned to Ephesus. John founded and built churches all through Asia until he was old, and died the sixty-eighth year after our Lord's passion, peacefully in Ephesus. During his life, John wrote the book of John and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd book of John and the book of Revelation. Near the end of his life, it is said that he constantly repeated the phrase, "Little children, love one another!" He did that because he believed it was the Lord's most important commandment. [article link]

1st John - **Let us Love One Another - Because God's children have experienced such love, the command that comes to them to love each other is not the "ought" of external compulsion but the "ought" of internal constraint (Bruce 1970:109) - So strong is John's confidence that the Christian community will fulfill this command that he writes that mutual Christian love manifests the presence and action of the invisible God (v. 12; Smalley 1984:246) - When he writes no one has ever seen God, he calls to mind the same statement in the Gospel of John (1:18) - *In both cases, he is not trying to tell us what God is like but how God is known - And God is known not only in the revelation that comes to us in Jesus (Jn 1:18) but also by the manifestation of our love for each other (1 Jn 4:12) [in and through Jesus Christ]
Let Us Love One Another: One of the best-known works of Western art is surely that section of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which depicts God reaching down to touch Adam's fingertip and give him life. So well known is this portion of Michelangelo's monumental work that it appears not merely in art histories and coffee-table display books, but is also used and caricatured in advertising and political cartoons. Only the most jaded of tourists can fail to marvel when gazing up at the mural, so laboriously and painstakingly painted, so powerful in its depiction of the life-giving power of God. We stop, study, appraise and admire. What a masterpiece! What an artist! -- In this section of the epistle, John writes, This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world (v. 9). We might be tempted to exclaim, What a masterpiece! What an artist! But "The Sending of the Son" is not simply the title of a painting that we study, admire and appreciate. Michelangelo's painting has power not just because of its artistic merits, but because we can virtually feel the life that flows from God's hand to Adam. Even so, John writes not just that God showed his love among us but that he did so by sending the Son into the world that we might live through him. God's life-giving love, then, is the theme of this passage. As John develops this theme, he makes three important points: God is the source of all love (4:7-8); God models what genuine love is (4:9-10); and God commands us to love each other (4:11-12). We move from the assertion that God is love to the command that we are to love each other. Indeed, the whole point of the passage is to trace the relationship between God's love and human love, and to show how human love flows from God's own love. The Source of Love (4:7-8). -- In exploring the relationship between God's love for us and our love for each other, the Elder makes two statements: love comes from God (v. 7), and God is love (v. 8). The second statement is more far-reaching than the first. To comprehend the sweeping character of the statement God is love, substitute the name of anyone you know--your mother, pastor, friend, a well-known Christian or hero of the faith or even yourself--for "God." Few are the people we would describe simply with the word love. Mom may be the most loving person you have known. She may have shown you what mature, self-giving, genuine love is like. But no matter how full, rich and steadfast her love, the statement "Mom is loving," can never be changed into "Mom is love." For love does not characterize her as it characterizes God. Because God is love, love comes from God. God is the source of love. Like the electricity running through electrical wires, love comes from God to us, then flows through us to others in the community. When John exhorts his readers, let us love one another, he is encouraging them to allow God's love to flow through them. For because God is love, love must characterize those who claim to be born of God or to know God (v. 7; 3:10, 14; 4:20-21). Those who claim to be doing the will of God and reflecting God's activity in the world will be known by the love they manifest for God and for each other. This was what Jesus told his dis ciples (Jn 13:35). ... First, just as God's love was manifested in the sending of the Son, so John expects that we will demonstrate love in action to others (compare 3:16-18). Christians will live out their love in kindness, generosity and service to others. But, second, the Elder's argument moves quickly beyond the example that God's love provides for us to an examination of its active and redeeming character (vv. 9-10). God has loved us in a way that has given us life. The atoning death of Jesus provides the means by which believers come into a life-giving realm where love is received and expressed (John 3:16). We do not simply gaze at the painting on the wall; we are touched by the hand of God and given life-giving love. And, third, because life and love come from God, it is God's activity and not our own behavior and efforts that defines the essence of love. The Command to Love (4:11-12). Because God's children have experienced such love, the command that comes to them to love each other is not the "ought" of external compulsion but the "ought" of internal constraint (Bruce 1970:109). On its own, the commandment cannot provide the incentive or the power to fulfill it, and this might foster either discouragement or indifference. But those who are in touch with the very source of love, who have been shown what love is and who are the recipients of a great and healing love, can receive the commandment with hope and joy. For they are not commanded to do something that is alien to their experience or beyond their ability to learn and to do. So strong is John's confidence that the Christian community will fulfill this command that he writes that mutual Christian love manifests the presence and action of the invisible God (v. 12; Smalley 1984:246). When he writes no one has ever seen God, he calls to mind the same statement in the Gospel of John (1:18). In both cases, he is not trying to tell us what God is like but how God is known. And God is known not only in the revelation that comes to us in Jesus (John 1:18) but also by the manifestation of our love for each other (1 Jn 4:12). The love of believers makes evident and concrete the activity of God among them. In fact, when the Elder writes that this is how [God's] love is made complete, he means that it reaches its intended goal when it flows from God, through us, to our fellow believers. The love with which God loved us must in turn be extended to the fellowship of believers. In short, God not only gives us the command to love but has also modeled for us what true love is, just as Jesus modeled love for his disciples when he washed their feet before his death (Johnn 13:1-17). Love that does not express itself concretely and in service to others is not love (1 Jn 3:16-18). But even more, God also empowers us to love. By confession of the Son whom God has sent, we are born of God and come to know God, who is love (v. 7); we are given life (v. 9); our sins are forgiven (v. 10). We come into the realm of life and love, in which we are given life and are empowered to extend the same kind of life-giving love to others. We come to know the source of love. [article link]

Background of First John - Only in John among the biblical writers does the word 'antichrist' occur - It is mentioned in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3 and 2 John 7 - Anti means ['instead of,' replacement - replacement chirst (savior) - not Jesus Christ but a replacement - antichrist either as self or eventually Antichrist as Satan in the body of a human] 'one who takes the place of, or opposes or stands against' - The essence of the antichrist essentially is a denial of the incarnation and deity of Christ - This means the destruction of the redemptive work of Christ, which was the basis for the destruction [works] of Satan himself - Without the work of Christ, Satan would continue in his evil ways - However **the cross [of Jesus Christ] puts an end to antichrist and all his plans [and abilities of entrapping and enslaving mankind]
Occasion: John writes near the end of the first century to define and defend the nature of the person of Christ against heretical teachings affecting the early church. The name given to the heresy which John addressed was Gnosticism from the Greek word for 'knowledge'. Gnosticism taught that only the spiritual was good and matter was evil. Thus for the Gnostics the goal of salvation was to free oneself from the material world through physical denial. Only a preoccupation with spiritual matters was good. Salvation was found in a mystical knowledge of the secret mysteries of this path of salvation. This view was a direct attack on the person and work of Christ. If matter was evil then Jesus could not become a physical man and so the incarnation was denied by the Gnostics. Jesus in his humanity was only a shadow. He only seemed to be Jesus but was not really there, therefore no one really died on the cross making the work of Christ null and void. This view of the person of Christ is called Docetism from the Greek word meaning 'to seem to be'. John also writes to deal with an enemy of the gospel called Cerinthus. While Cerinthus is not mentioned in the book of 1 John he is known to John from tradition. Irenaus an early church father tells the story that Polycarp a disciple of John used to tell. 'There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerintus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, Let us fly, lest even the bath - house fall down, because Cerintus, the enemy of the truth, is within.' -- John sets forth the deity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Message: The theme is best described in John's own words in 1 John 5:13 'These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.' John proceeds to give a check list of standards by which one can gage their spiritual health. Has all known sin been confessed to God? Is there obedience to God's word? Is there demonstrated love for the brethren? [article link]

1 John 1 - John the beloved Disciple and Apostle of Jesus Christ begins his first of three letters (epistles) - The first letter is to the general Church at large then his next letter is to a specific Church fellowship while his third letter is to an individual -- '1 John 1:1-4 That [Jesus Christ] which was from the beginning, which *we have heard, which *we have seen with our eyes, which *we [Apostles] have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; For the life was manifested [Virgin Birth], and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that **eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested [Resurrection] unto us; That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, ***that ye also may have fellowship with us [Christian Apostles]: and truly **our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.'
1 John 1:5-10 This then is the Message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the Truth: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, **we have fellowship one with another, and **the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us ***from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth [of the cross and resurrection] is not in us. If we confess [agree with God] our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us [with a new eternal life] from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. - Note: The Gospel of John, the Book of Revelation and the his three epistles (letters) were all written very late [around 90 A.D.] in the life of the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ yet the "Message" of Jesus Christ is the one and only central theme in all the writings of the Apostle John.

1 John 2 - The Disciple and Apostle John writes of the works accomplished and completed in Jesus Christ for the Salvation of the entire world -- '1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation (full payment) for our sins: and *not for ours only, **but also for the sins of the whole world.' {Note: Everyone who chooses to be forgiven of their sin and to enter into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ will be accepted by God into a personal relationship with God.}
The Disciple John explains how we are to know if we are in God and how we are to know if others are in God as well: 1 John 2:3-17 And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments [Love God and love one another]. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected [completed]: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him **ought himself also so to walk, even as He Walked. Brethren, I write no new Commandment unto you, but an old Commandment which ye had from the beginning. The Old Commandment is the Word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a New [insight] Commandment I write unto you, which thing is true *in Him and *in you: ***because the darkness is past, and the True [Resurrection] Light now shineth. He that saith He is in the [eternal resurrection] light, and hateth his brother, is in [spiritual] darkness even until now. **He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. I write unto you, little children, **because your sins are forgiven you for His Name's sake [so God can fellowship with and among us]. I write unto you, fathers [faithful, tested Christians], because ye have known Him [Jesus] that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men [those strong in the Christian faith], because ye have overcome [Satan] the wicked one. I write unto you, little children [those new in the Christian faith], because *ye *have *known [God] the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and **the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome [Satan] the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the **world [system], the *lust of the flesh, and the *lust of the eyes, and the *pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world [system]. And the world [system first then 1,000 years later the earth itself] passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever [eternally]. Little children, it is the Last Time [the last time (age) mankind will have to experience and endure separation from God]: and as ye have heard that *Antichrist [Satan manifested] shall come, even now are there many antichrists [self-saviors]; whereby we know that it is the Last Time [continuing into the 7th Kingdom]. They [some] went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us [Christians]: but they went out, **that they might be made *manifest [visible] that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction [anointing] from the Holy One [Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit], and ye know all things [eternally]. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. **Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist [self-savior], that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: but **he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide [remain] in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And *this is the promise that He hath promised us, even **eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them [false teachers] that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same [Holy Spirit] anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him [Jesus Christ]. And now, little children, abide in Him [Jesus Christ]; that, when He shall appear [2nd Coming], we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If ye know that He is Righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.

1 John 3 - The Disciple John explains that our partaking in the Love that has been and is manifested in Jesus Christ reaches its ultimate conclusion in our eternal life in Jesus Christ -- '1 John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [lit. children] of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons [lit. children] of God [see also - Romans 8:14, Sons of God], and it doth not yet appear what we shall be [in the resurrection]: but we know that, when He shall appear [2nd Coming], we shall be [bodily] like Him [Jesus Christ]; for we shall [bodily] see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope [eternal life] in him purifieth himself, even as He [Jesus Christ] is pure.'
The Disciple John explains that God is far greater than our own uncertain heart, fears and worries and that to trust in Jesus Christ with our life is to receive a full eternal life from Jesus Christ: 1 John 3:4-24 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that He [Jesus Christ] was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen [lit. perceive - Horao, G3708] Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the Devil [Lucifer, Lucifer]; for the Devil sinneth from the beginning [of mankind]. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works [strength] of the Devil. Whosoever is born [again] of God doth not commit sin [separation from God]; for His seed [Holy Spirit] remaineth in him: and he cannot [separate from God] sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the Devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew [Abel] his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and [Abel] his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto [eternal] life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer [like Cain]: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. **For if our heart [thoughts] condemn us, ***God is greater than our heart [thoughts and imaginations], and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him [as we have need], because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He [Jesus Christ] gave us Commandment. And he that keepeth His Commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, **by the [Holy] Spirit which He hath given us.

1 John 4 - The Disciple John warns everyone about the deceiving, manipulating and evil spirits that are out to destroy mankind and that often the evil spirits work directly through mankind -- '1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets [evil spirits] are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the [Holy] Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth [agrees in word and actions] that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not [in word and lifestyle] that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; **and even now already is it in the world.'
The Apostle John declares our certain victory over our own sin and this world in the love and faithfulness of Jesus Christ: 1 John 4:4-21 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them [false teachers]: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. **Hereby know we the *Spirit of Truth, and the *spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born [again] of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was *manifested the Love of God toward us, because that ***God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him [Jesus Christ]. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us [first], and sent His Son to be the propitiation [full payment] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen [the complete Divine fullness of] God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. And **we have seen [God in Jesus] and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess [agree with God] that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. **God is love [commitment]; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect [complete], **that we may have boldness **in the day of judgment: because as He is [holy and righteous], so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him [God], because He first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this Commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. - Note: God is Love therefore we are to love one another. The Love of God is an attribute of God and it is one of the many attributes and characteristics of God; including God's Love and also His faithfulness, His Righteousness, His Justice and His eternal life being.

1 John 5 - The Disciple John explains that our victory over our sin and this world leads to fellowship - Fellowship both with our fellow mankind and our personal fellowship with God -- '1 John 5:1-5 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ [Savior] is born of God: and every one that loveth Him [Father God] that begat loveth Him [Jesus Christ] also that is begotten of Him [Father God]. By this we know that we love the Children of God, when we love God, and keep His Commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments: and His Commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born [again] of God overcometh the world: **and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even **our faith [belief in the finished work of Jesus; Creation, Cross, Resurrection]. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?'
The Bible's book of 1 John concludes with another declaration that the Christian does already have eternal life in Jesus Christ: 1 John 5:6-21 This is He [Jesus Christ] that came by [physical] water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the [Holy] Spirit that beareth witness, because the [Holy] Spirit is Truth. ***For there are three [Tri-unity] that bear record in heaven, the *Father, the Word [Jeus Christ], and the Holy [Spirit] Ghost: **and these three are one [Tri-unity]. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit [(living - breathing, John 3:5) Jesus physically manifested], and the [physical] water {Virgin birth, Baptism John 1:31, death on the cross (water and blood)}, and the [physical] blood, John 19:34 {stories, myths, legends and ghosts go not breath and bleed human blood (water and blood)}: and these three [the physical manifestation] agree in one [that Jesus came in human physical flesh]. If we receive the witness of men [good], [but] the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath Testified of His Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. **He [human] that hath the Son [Jesus Christ] hath [eternal] life; and he that hath not [Jesus Christ] the Son of God hath not [eternal] life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name [Jesus Christ] of the Son of God; **that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the Name [Jesus Christ] of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask [in prayer] anything according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him [God hears our prayers and answers them according to His will in our life]. If any man see his brother sin a sin [ordinary unrighteous sin] which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death [unbelief, rejection of Jesus Christ]: I do not say that he [intercessor] shall pray for it [intercessory cannot override the unbelief of the human will]. *All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born [again - with faith/belief] of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not [eternally]. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him [Father] that is True, and we are in Him that is True, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the True God, and *eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF

2 JOHN