A Brief, Concise History of the Bible
- Creation
- Trouble in Paradise
- The 1500 Years From Adam to Noah
- The Flood
- Abraham And The Everlasting Covenant
- From Isaac to Israel
- The Exodus
- The Wilderness Years
- The Book Of Joshua
- The Time Of The Judges
- When Kings Ruled Israel
- From the Kings To Jesus
- Jesus, The Fulfillment of Prophecy
- His Resurrection and Ours
- Food For Thought
- The Number Twelve
A woman wrote to Billy Graham, "I have never read the Bible because it is so big and it looks like it would overwhelm me, but I have often thought that I would like to learn something about it."
A young lady approached a shelf of old Bibles in a second-hand book store. She picked up one of the Bibles and thumbed through its pages; turning to her companion she asked, "Is the Sermon on the Mount in the Bible?" He shrugged and muttered, "I don't know."
A friend has often said, "I read the Bible but I don't understand it."
Hopefully, this bird's-eye view of the Bible will help. It introduces the reader to the major historical events contained in the Scriptures and includes those teachings which are the most important part of the Biblical record.
The Bible is a message from God but it is also a valuable historical document. This sentence appears in a college textbook published in 1933, "The Old Testament contains the oldest and most reliable history of the human race up to the time of Abraham" (p 19 An Outline of Ancient-Medieval & Modern History).
Abraham was born 4000 years ago. The Bible is truly an ancient book. Jeremiah who lived about 2500 years ago wrote, "Look for the old path where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16).
We must go back 6000 years to find the beginning of that "old path". Times in this study are approximate with most numbers rounded off to the nearest hundred. Biblical quotations are a blend of various translations for clarity and readability.
This is not a substitute for the Scriptures but rather an introduction to them. It is our hope that many will be encouraged to go to the Bible and get "the rest of the story".
CHAPTER 1 - CREATION
(Genesis, Chapters 1 & 2)
The Bible is a collection of books. It is the Book of books and a book of books. The first book in the Bible is Genesis. This is where the Biblical record began 6000 years ago.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." God said, "Let there be light", and there was light. God said, "Let the waters be gathered together in one place and let the dry land appear", and it was so. By his word God created everything which grows and every living thing that moves upon the earth. And God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness to have dominion over all things in the earth."
It was on the sixth day of creation that God made the first man, Adam, from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul.
Why did God say, "Let us make man in our image"? Jewish tradition teaches that the Torah (the Word of God) lived in heaven before creation, and that the words, "Let us make man", refer to God and the Torah. Akiva called the Torah "the precious instrument by which the world was created" (15:1236, 1239 Encyclopaedia Judaica).
John, a disciple of Jesus, wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God..All things were made by him...and the Word became flesh and lived among us" (John 1:1,3,14).
God's plan to create mankind in his own image has not been fully realized. In the New Testament we find these words, "Just as we now have earthly bodies like Adam's, someday we shall have heavenly bodies like Christ's" (I Corinthians 15:47-49).
As God looked over everything that he had made he saw that it was very good and on the seventh day God rested from all his labors and he set aside the seventh day as a special holy day of rest and meditation.
Adam lived in a beautiful garden called Eden which contained every necessity for life. There were two unique trees in the center of the garden: one was the tree of life (the promise of eternal life) and the other the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was told that he might eat anything in the garden except the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Should he eat of that tree he would die.
The only thing missing in Eden was a wife for Adam. God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a companion for him." Causing a deep sleep to come upon Adam God took a rib from Adam's side and from it he created Eve, who became the mother of us all.
When Adam saw Eve he said, "This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman for she was taken out of man."
In the last two verses of Genesis, Chapter 2, we read, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and embrace his wife and they shall live as one."
Now Adam and Eve were both naked and they were not ashamed - but that would change!
CHAPTER 2 - TROUBLE IN PARADISE
(Genesis, Chapter 3)
There is no record of how long the honeymoon in Eden lasted, but we do know it came to a sudden end when sin entered our world. This came about when Satan used a serpent to deceive Eve. (in Revelation 12:9 we read of that "Old serpent the Devil, and Satan who deceives the whole world").
Speaking through the serpent Satan asked Eve, "Has God said you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?" She replied, "We may eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except of the tree of knowledge. If we eat that fruit we will die." Then the serpent said, "You will not surely die, rather your knowledge will increase and you will become as gods knowing good and evil."
There are those today who say, "We do not really die, we merely experience a sudden transformation from one life to another."
With the fear of death removed and a desire to become wise, Eve went to examine the tree with its forbidden fruit. Seeing that the fruit looked good to eat she sampled it and took some to Adam who also ate of it. Their disobedience to God produced a rude awakening, innocence was replaced by guilt and fear. Suddenly they felt naked and taking fig leaves they sewed them together to cover themselves. Sensing God's presence in the garden they hid among the trees. When God called out, "Where are you?", Adam answered, "We were afraid because we were naked and we hid from you." God said, "Have you eaten of the tree that I commanded you not to eat?"
Adam's excuse was, "The woman you gave me brought some to me and I did eat of it." Eve's excuse was that the serpent had deceived her. The serpent's punishment was to crawl on its belly in the dust of the earth all its days. Eve would bear children in sorrow and live in subjection to her husband. Adam would have a life-long struggle with weeds and thistles and would provide for his family by the sweat of his brow, until he returned to the earth from which he was taken.
God had told Adam, "The day you eat of the forbidden fruit you will die." Though they did not die that day something did! We read that God made coats of skin to cover them. The animal that died to provide that covering is a type or preview of Jesus who would someday die for the sins of the world. This is how the sacrificing of animals as a sin offering to God began. It vividly portrays the fact that we need someone to die in our place. Jesus is that one.
The attempt of Adam and Eve to cover themselves and their guilt with fig leaves was a do-it-yourself religion. God alone could provide a covering for their sin. This came to be known as the atonement (the at-one-ment with God).
The sacrificing of animals as a sin offering was an act of faith, faith that the death of an innocent being in their place could make them right with God. They looked forward to the cross and we look back to the same cross. The Apostle John spoke of Jesus as "The lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).
Because of their disobedience God sent Adam and Eve from the garden, "Lest they should eat of the tree of life and live forever" (Genesis 3:22-24). The promise of eternal life was not lost; it was only postponed. In the last book of the Bible we read, "To him who overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Revelation 2:7).
The subject of eternal life will be mentioned again and again because the word "forever" is heart and soul of what the Eternal God has planned for us.
CHAPTER 3 - THE 1500 YEARS FROM ADAM TO NOAH
(Genesis, Chapters 4 - 6)
Adam and Eve's first son, Cain, was born after they were banished from the garden of Eden. He became a farmer, a tiller of the soil. Their second son, Abel, became a herdsman, a keeper of sheep and cattle. How these two sons worshipped God nearly 6000 years ago is worthy of our attention.
Abel offered a first-born lamb to God as a sin offering, which looked forward to Jesus the "first-born" Son of God (Hebrews 1:6).
Cain offered a portion of his crop as sacrifice to God. He failed to recognize the fact of sin and his need of forgiveness. He was not looking for someone to die in his place. When he realized that Abel's offering was accepted by God, while his was not, he became angry and, in a jealous rage, killed his brother.
When God asked Cain where his brother was he answered, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Obviously, Cain could not hide his sin from God. As punishment he was sent away to live in exile.
We can assume that daughters had already been born to Adam and Eve for we read that Cain had a wife. He did not go into exile alone. To marry a sister would not have presented a medical problem in those days.
Adam and Eve's third son was named Seth because God had chosen him to replace Abel, the son they had lost. Seth's name appears in that line of Adam's ascendants which leads to Jesus. (Luke 3:38).
Genesis, Chapter 5, contains a list of the descendents of Adam and Eve which spans a period of time over 1500 years. It begins this way, "This is the book of the generations of Adam since the day in which God created man in his own image and likeness."
We read that when Adam was 130 years old he fathered a son "in his own image and likeness and called him name Seth". Paul wrote, "Being descendants of Adam we all die, but through Christ we can all be made alive". (I Corinthians 15:22). During the 1500 years from Adam to Noah all of his descendants lived a very long time. One man, Methuselah, was 969 years old when he died.
By the time Noah was born nearly all the descendants of Adam had drifted away from God and we read that, "God saw that the wickedness of man was great, for every imagination of his heart was only evil continually." In his grief, God determined to destroy every living thing on earth, but "Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord: Noah walked with God."
CHAPTER 4 - THE FLOOD
(Genesis, Chapters 6 - 9)
Because Noah was a righteous man God spared him and his family, but the rest of the world was under the judgement of God. He said to Noah, "All the people of the earth have become immoral and depraved. The earth is filled with violence and I will bring a flood upon the earth to destroy them."
Noah was 500 years old when God instructed him to build a vessel called an ark that Noah, his family and many of the animals might survive. The ark was to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. It was to have three decks with each having the same floor space, 450 feet x 75 feet = 33,750 square feet for each deck, making 101,250 square feet in all. This was no small project!
Noah was 600 years old when God directed him and his family to enter the ark. Noah's 100-year long undertaking could hardly go unnoticed in a world which had never seen anything like it! The Apostle Peter refers to Noah as "a preacher of righteousness" (II Peter 2:5). God was giving the people an opportunity to repent, but Noah's 100-year sermon did not produce a single convert. The people simply did not believe in the possibility of a world-wide flood. In the New Testament we read, "By faith Noah prepared an ark that he and his family might be saved and in so doing he brought condemnation upon those who did not believe. Noah's life showed that he possessed that righteousness which comes by faith" (Hebrews 11:7).
Was there room in the ark? Noah and his family numbered eight, and of the animals only a sampling of the very young and easily managed of each species would have been taken. We can be certain that God thought of everything.
After they entered the ark, "God shut the door." The ark is a figure or type of salvation. There was only one way, one door into the ark. Jesus said, "I am the door, by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved" (John 10:9).
Once those in the ark were safe the surface of the earth was broken up violently. Water poured over the land from the depths of the sea as torrential rains fell from the heavens. The rains lasted forty days and forty nights, until at last even the mountains were covered.
The waters of the flood prevailed over the earth for 150 days. However, it would be a year before the ground was dry enough for them to leave the ark. Upon leaving the ark, the first thing Noah did was build an altar and offer up a sacrifice to God. Noah realized that he and his family needed someone to die in their place.
God promised not to send such a flood upon the earth again. He called that promise "an everlasting covenant." God said, "I do set my rainbow in the sky as a reminder of 'my covenant." Even before the flood took place, God had said to Noah, "I will establish my covenant with you." It is possible to have a covenant relationship with God. An everlasting covenant with God is the promise of everlasting life in his presence. The flood carries with it a strong warning that God will judge the earth again, but then it will be by fire.
Peter wrote, "Do not be like those who live in sin, who scornfully say, "Where is the sign of his coming." They are deluding themselves. Long ago the earth was destroyed by water, but now it is reserved for that day of God's judgement when the earth will be destroyed by fire." He adds, "God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:3-9).
Again we see the promise of everlasting life and, at the same time, a warning of judgement for those who ignore the God of their salvation.
CHAPTER 5 - ABRAHAM AND THE EVERLASTING COVENANT
In the beginning our first parents were instructed to be fruitful, to multiply and populate the world. They were to be in charge of the world and everything in it (Genesis 1:28). After the flood God repeated those instructions to Noah and his family (Genesis 9:1-7).
However, rather than spread out over the earth as God had intended, Noah's descendants remained together as one large family, all speaking the same language. They said, "Let us build a city with a tower which will reach to heaven, lest we be scattered out over the earth" (Genesis 11:1-4).
The idea of a tower reaching to heaven was obviously a false religious idea which was leading the people astray. So God intervened by changing one language into many. In their confusion unity turned to antagonism. Now being divided by language (and possibly by race) they moved away from the city and its tower, that God's purpose might be revealed (Genesis 11:5-9).
Before the flood the people had completely lost touch with God. Now God needed a man and a nation through whom he could teach the world truth and righteousness. Four hundred years after the flood God chose Abraham to be that man. This was 4000 years ago. The nation would come later.
Abram (later known as Abraham) received a call from God to leave the land of his birth and go to a land that God would show him. There he would become a great nation and through him all the nations of the earth would be blest (Genesis 11:31 - 12:4). In the New Testament we read that Abraham started out by faith, not knowing where he was to go (Hebrews 11:8).
He was not alone. With him were his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot and many servants (Genesis 12:5).
When he arrived at Sichem (Shechem) in the land of Canaan, the Lord spoke to him and said "I will give you this land" (Genesis 12:6-7). God then encouraged Abraham to travel through the land that would someday belong to him and his descendants (Genesis 13:17).
When Abraham was 90 years old, God said to him, "I will bless you with many descendants and you shall become a father of nations. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for an everlasting covenant...and I will give to you and to your descendants the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God" (Genesis 17:1-8).
The phrase, "I will be their God", implies a personal relationship with him. Racially, Abraham would be the father of one nation, Israel. Spiritually, his descendants would include people of every race and every nationality. Paul wrote, "Because Abraham believed God he was counted a righteous man, and by our faith we become children of Abraham...if we belong to Christ we are children of Abraham and heirs according to the Promise" (Galations 3:6-7, 29).
Heirs to what promise? To the promise of eternal things. It is called an "eternal inheritance" in Hebrews 9:15. The Apostle Peter wrote, "We, according to his promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth" (II Peter 3:13).
For the "everlasting" promise that God gave Abraham to become a reality, both the land and its people must endure forever. This requires a resurrection from the dead. Paul wrote, "When the last trumpet sounds the dead shall be raised and given bodies that cannot die; for this mortal must put on immortality...and when this mortal has put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying, 'Death is banished forever" (I Corinthians 15:51-55).
That Abraham understood this can be seen in his obedience to God. Abraham was told to take his only son, Isaac, to Moriah and offer him up as a sacrifice to God. When Abraham was at the point of carrying out God's command, he was shown a ram and told to offer that ram in Isaac's place (Genesis 22:1-4). In the new Testament we read, "By faith Abraham offered up Isaac believing that God was able to raise him from the dead" (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Abraham never gained possession of Canaan during his earthly life. He lived in the land of promise as in a strange country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city whose maker and builder was God (Hebrews 11:8,10). Jesus said, "Many shall come from the east and the west to be joined together with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11). Abraham will inherit the land just as God promised he would, but it will be in a world made new.
Abraham was 175 years old when he died. His obituary reads, "Abraham, a friend of God" (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23).
CHAPTER 6 - FROM ISAAC TO ISRAEL
After the death of Abraham his son Isaac became the covenant connection, the one whose descendants would lead to Jesus. The Lord appeared to him and said, "I will keep that promise which I gave Abraham because he obeyed my voice. I will multiply your descendants and give them this land, and through your seed all of the nations of the earth will be blest" (Genesis 26:3-5).
It was through his "seed", singular, that the nations of the world would be blest. In Galations 3:16 we read, "To Abraham and his seed was the promise made, not to seeds meaning many, but to that one seed which is Christ."
Isaac's son Jacob would be next in line to receive the covenant blessings. When Isaac was an old man, he said to Jacob, "May God almighty bless you with the blessings of Abraham, and give you and your descendants the land he promised Abraham" (Genesis 28:3-4).
Jacob had two significant encounters with God in which the various aspects of the covenant blessings were enumerated and promised to him.
- He and his descendants would inherit the land promised to Abraham and Isaac.
- He would be blest with many descendants.
- His descendants would become a nation and through his seed (singular) all nations of the earth would be blest.
As a special confirmation of Jacob's new covenant relationship with God, his name was changed to Israel (Genesis 28: 13,14 ; 32:28 ; 35:10-12).
More than 400 years would pass before Jacob's descendants would become a nation, but when they did that nation would bear Jacob's new name Israel. How Jacob's twelve sons would eventually become the twelve tribes of Israel, is a very important and unusual part of the Biblical record.
Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, had a dream in which he and his brothers were gathering grain, and his brothers' bundles bowed down before his. The brothers were already jealous because of a coat of many colors that Jacob had made for him. Now, hearing of his dream, they hated him!
One day as the older brothers tended their flocks some distance away, Jacob sent Joseph to see how things were going. Seeing him coming some of his brothers expressed a desire to kill him. However, Reuben, the eldest, said, "Why not put him in this pit?", thinking he could rescue him later. Removing Jacob's fancy coat they followed Reuben's suggestion.
Seeing a camel caravan of merchants on their way to Egypt, Judah said, "Rather than have his blood on our hands, let's sell him to these merchants," which they did. Then they tore up Joseph's coat and sprinkled blood on it, in the hope of making Jacob believe that a wild animal had killed Joseph. Their scheme persuaded Jacob that this was true and he mourned for Joseph, being convinced that he was dead (Genesis, Chapter 37).
Upon arriving in Egypt, the merchants sold Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guards. God was with Joseph in Egypt where he became known as an interpreter of dreams. When, Pharaoh, King of Egypt, had two dreams which his wise men could not interpret, he called for Joseph who, with God's help, was able to interpret them for him.
The dreams involved seven fat cows and seven lean cows, also seven full ears of corn and seven withered ears of corn. Joseph explained that these two dreams had one meaning. There were to be seven years of very good crops followed by seven years of famine.
Joseph suggested that Pharaoh appoint an overseer to gather up the surplus food during the seven good years, in order to feed the people during the years of famine. This so impressed Pharaoh that he put Joseph in charge of the entire project, giving him authority and honor second only to his own (Genesis, chapters 39-41).
When the first seven years had passed, the famine began just as Joseph had predicted. The famine extended into the land of Canaan where Jacob lived. Hearing that there was food to buy in Egypt he sent his sons there; only Benjamin, the youngest, remained at home (Genesis 42:1-4).
Arriving in Egypt they came before Joseph who was in charge of selling the grain. However, his brothers did not recognize him because he was dressed in royal apparel. And we read, "They bowed down before Joseph with their faces to the ground" (Genesis 41:42 ; 42:6).
Joseph, using the pretext that he suspected them of being spies, questioned them about their family. They explained that there were twelve brothers in their family, although one was dead and the youngest, Benjamin, was at home. Then Joseph forced them to return home and bring back Benjamin, to prove they were not lying to him. Joseph loved Benjamin and longed to see him. When they returned with him, Joseph was overcome with emotion and revealed himself to them. He told his brothers not to be concerned, for what they had done was used by God to preserve their family (Genesis 45:1-8).
Knowing that there would be five more years of famine, Joseph made arrangements for his entire family to come to Egypt, where they settled in the land of Goshen. Jacob was overjoyed at the news that Joseph was alive, yet he was reluctant to move. However, God appeared to him in a dream, assuring him that they would be brought back to the land of promise, and that his descendants would become a great nation (Genesis 46:2-4).
Jacob would die in Egypt and his descendants would live there for over 400 years, and then they would return to the land God had promised them (Genesis 15:13-14, Exodus 12:40, Acts 7:6).
Before Jacob's death, Joseph brought his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to see Jacob. Jacob said, "I never thought I would see you again, but now I have not only seen you, but your two sons as well, and they shall be my sons even as Reuben and Simeon are mine" (Genesis 48:5).
This proved to be a prophetic statement. Years later, when the tribe of Levi was set aside to be priests in Israel, Ephraim and Manasseh became two of the twelve tribes of Israel in place of Levi and Joseph.
As Jacob lay on his death bed, he called his sons to gather around him that he might give them his blessing. The most significant blessing was given to Judah whose descendants would lead to Jesus, "The sceptre will not depart from Judah until Shiloh comes who is the one to whom the sceptre belongs (Genesis 49:10 see Lamsa version). After Jacob finished giving each son his blessing, we read, "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel" (Genesis 49:28).
The final chapter in Genesis speaks of the deaths of both Jacob and Joseph. The first chapter of the next book, Exodus, contains an ominous development for the children of Israel, "There arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph."
CHAPTER 7 - THE EXODUS
In Exodus 1:7 we read, "The children of Israel multiplied exceedingly...and the land was filled with them." The new king feared that the growing number of Israelites in Goshen would not be loyal to the throne, and so the children of Israel became slaves in the very land that had been their deliverance during the great famine.
Despite the hardships imposed upon them by the Egyptians, their numbers continued to increase. Alarmed, Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all the baby boys born to Hebrew mothers. However, the midwives feared God and disobeyed the king's command. Then the king ordered the Egyptians themselves to throw all the newborn Hebrew sons into the Nile River (Exodus 1:16:22). The expression "Hebrew" is first mentioned in reference to Abraham in Genesis 14:13.
One mother, attempting to save her baby, made a small boat and placed her boy in it among the reads at the river's edge. As Pharaoh's daughter bathed in the Nile River, she saw the little boat and had it brought to her. When she heard him cry, she felt sorry for him, seeing that he was one of the Hebrew children.
The baby's sister seeing that Pharaoh's daughter had compassion on him, offered to find a Hebrew mother to nurse him. Pharaoh's daughter agreed, and so it was that the baby's own mother was privileged to care for her son.
When he became old enough to leave his mother, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter who named him Moses. There he grew to maturity with all the advantages of royalty (Exodus 2:1-10). God was preparing a leader for Israel.
Moses observed, with growing concern, the burdens of his people. One day seeing an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, he killed the Egyptian and hid the body. The following day he saw two Hebrews fighting and said to the offender, "Why are you hitting a friend?" The man replied, Are you going to kill me as you did that Egyptian?"
Pharaoh heard what Moses had done and wanted to kill him. But Moses escaped and went to Midian where he found refuge with Jethro, a priest in Midian, and he remained there forty years (Exodus 2:11-22). Jethro was a descendant of Keturah, Abraham's second wife. He was a godly man and a spiritual advisor to Moses (Exodus 18:8-27). God was still preparing a leader for Israel.
Meanwhile, things grew worse for his people in Egypt. God heard their cry, he saw their affliction and he remembered his promise to Abraham (Exodus 2:23-24).
One day as Moses tended Jethro's sheep, he saw a bush in flames. Drawing near to it he heard a voice speaking to him from the flames, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt. I will deliver them and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey...I will send you to Pharaoh and you shall lead my people out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:1-10). God gave Moses the message he was to deliver to the children of Israel and to Pharaoh. He assured Moses that he would be with him by signs and wonders to convince the people that God had sent him to lead them out of Egypt and to convince Pharaoh that he must let them go. When Moses argued that he was a poor speaker, his brother Aaron, an eloquent man, was sent to speak for him.
When Moses and Aaron delivered God's message to the children of Israel they rejoiced and bowed down in worship before the Lord (Exodus 4:29-31). When they relayed God's message to Pharaoh he rejected it, saying, "Who is the Lord that I should obey him?" (Exodus 5:2). Instead of letting the people go he increased their burden even more.
The next time they came to Pharaoh they warned him that God would send plagues upon Egypt if he did not let the people go. Again Pharaoh refused their plea and ignored the warning.
And so the plagues came one after another! Frogs covered the land, swarms of insects tormented them, people got boils, hail destroyed crops and what was left the locusts devoured. Still Pharaoh refused to let the people go (Exodus, chapters 7-10).
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will send one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt and after that he will drive you out! (Exodus 11:1).
While Moses was still beside the burning bush, God had said, "You shall say to Pharaoh, 'Israel is my first born son and if you refuse to let him go I will kill your first born son" (Exodus 4:22-23).
Now God was ready to carry out those words. An Angel of the Lord would pass through Egypt during the night and the first born of both man and beast would die (Exodus 11:4-5).
The Lord gave Moses and Aaron specific instructions concerning their last days in Egypt, instructions which would protect them from the one who would kill all the first born in Egypt. Each family was to take a male lamb, one without any blemish, and sprinkle the blood of the lamb around their door. God said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). This historic event became known as the "Passover". It is still celebrated each year by the Jews in memory of what God did for Israel in Egypt. In the New Testament Paul wrote, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (I Corinthians 5:7).
The lamb whose blood had been sprinkled around the doors, was to become their last meal in Egypt. They were to eat it after all their belongings were packed, and themselves fully dressed and ready for a hasty departure (Exodus 12:11).
That night the first born in every Egyptian home, including Pharaoh's, died. Soon a great cry went up over the land as the Egyptians mourned their dead. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and commanded them saying, "Take your people, their flocks and all they own, and go quickly before we all die!" (Exodus 12:29-33).
And so it was that after living in Egypt for 430 years, Jacob's family had become a multitude. There were about 600,000 men, not including women and children.
God led them with a cloud during the day and with fire by night. Just as Israel came to the wilderness by the Red Sea, Pharaoh had a change of heart. Thinking he could trap them there and take them captive, he brought his army with all his chariots of war. The children of Israel cried out in fear thinking they would die there, but Moses said to them, "Do not be afraid for you will see God's deliverance; you will never have to fear this army again" (Exodus 14:1-14).
As Moses held out his staff, the waters of the Red Sea parted and Israel walked through on dry ground. Pharaoh's army, led by his chariots, pursued them but as they reached the lowest point of the sea bed, Moses extended out his rod again from the other side, and the waters poured down over Pharaoh's army. Being heavily laden with armor and weapons of war, they all perished (Exodus 14:21-28).
As Israel looked upon the bodies of their enemies and considered the great things God had done for them, they believed in him and in his servant Moses. And they sang, "The Lord is my God...and I will exalt him...he redeemed us by his mercy and guided us by his strength...He will bring us to the place of his inheritance to live in the sanctuary he will provide, and the Lord shall reign forever and ever." (Exodus 14:30 - 15:19)
The Exodus took place about 3450 years ago. Israel was now a nation but a nation without a country.
CHAPTER 8 - THE WILDERNESS YEARS
The life of Moses can be divided into three segments; forty years in Egypt as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, forty years in Midian with Jethro and his father-in-law and forty years as the leader of Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness (Acts 7:20-36). The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy contain the record of all that transpired during "the wilderness years."
After leaving Egypt they came to Mount Sinai where God called Moses up away from the people to speak to him concerning the covenant. God sent this message to Israel, "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all the people of the world: for all the earth is mine."
Hearing these words, the people answered, "All that God has said we will do" (Exodus 19:4-8).
The little word "if" in respect to this covenant identifies it as a conditional agreement. God made unconditional promises with individuals but not with entire nations. David could say, "God has made an everlasting covenant with me" (II Samuel 23:5). But to Solomon God said, "If you or your children do not keep my commandments and turn to other gods...then I will remove Israel from the land which I have given them" (I Kings 9:4-8).
After his meeting with the elders Moses returned to the top of Mount Sinai where God gave him what are now called the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17).
- "I am the Lord your God who delivered you out of Egypt...you shall have no other gods.
- You shall not make any images or likeness of anything in earth or heaven as an object of worship.
- Be careful how you use my name. I will hold them responsible who show contempt or disrespect for my name.
- Keep the seventh day holy, a day of rest and worship.
- Honor your father and mother. God will bless those who honor their parents.
- You shall not commit murder. Do not take the law into your own hands.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet your neighbor's possessions."
The importance of these laws can be seen by the fact that they were written on "stone" tablets (Exodus 24:12); written by the "finger of God" (Exodus 31:18); not just written but "engraved" in stone (Exodus 32:16). These laws are called "the ten commandments" in Exodus 34:28. They embraced many ethical, moral and spiritual values. For Israel to enter Canaan as a functioning nation, they required all the fine details of the law spelled out in no uncertain terms. Since they were "God's people", this included just how they were to maintain their relationship with him.
The extent of the instructions that Moses received is evident by the fact that he spent two periods of forty days each on the mountain top with God (Exodus 24:18, 34:28).
It would be forty years before Israel would cross over the Jordan River to possess the land of Canaan. To sustain their spiritual life as they traveled about in the wilderness, God gave Moses the pattern for a portable tabernacle with precise instructions of how to build it and how to use it. The tribe of Levi, led by Aaron, were priests in charge of everything related to their religious ceremonies (Exodus, chapters 25-31).
The heart of the tabernacle was the ark of the testimony or the ark of the covenant. It was a chest about 3« feet long, 2¬ feet wide and 2¬ feet high. Of those things in the ark the tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments were the most important (Exodus 25:10-16).
Two angelic figures stood facing each other on the lid of the ark called the mercy seat (Ex. 25:17-20). The ark was kept behind a curtain in a place called the "most holy" (Exodus 26:33). The high priest was the only one allowed to enter the "most holy" and he entered only once a year to sprinkle the blood of a sacrifice upon the mercy seat. This was to provide an atonement for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:15,34).
When Jesus was crucified the curtain of the "most holy" (which was then in the temple) was torn from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). Now everyone has direct access to the mercy seat! In Hebrews 10:19-20 we read, "Have boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he has provided for us through the curtain, that is to say, his body and his blood which he gave for us." The Apostle John wrote, "Jesus Christ...is the atoning sacrifice...for the sins of the entire world" (I John 2:2).
The law, with its sacrifices and rituals, contained many symbols or types of Christ. Jesus said, "If you had believed Moses you would believe me for he wrote of me" (John 5:46). Even Moses was a type of Christ. God said to Moses, "I will raise up a prophet like you and I will hold those accountable who refuse to listen to him" (Deuteronomy 18:15, 19). Peter refers back to that prophesy and explains that it was a reference to Jesus (Acts 3:18-23).
Moses continued to lead the children of Israel until the time came for them to enter Canaan. The Book of Exodus ends with the completion of the tabernacle; we read that, "Moses finished the work...and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:33-38).
The next book of the law, Leviticus, ends with the words, "These are the commandment which the Lord gave Moses for Israel in Mount Sinai" (Leviticus 27:34). Next, is Numbers which ends in the same way, "These are the commandments which the Lord gave Moses for the children of Israel" (Numbers 36:13).
Deuteronomy, which is the last of those books known as "the books of Moses", ends with Moses on the top of Mount Pisgah where God gave him a vision, not only of what his natural eyes could see, but of "all the land of Gilead" and "all Naphtali" and "all the land of Judah clear to the Mediterranean Sea". God said, "I have caused thine eyes to see the land which I promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because you will not be able to go there" (Deuteronomy, chapter 34).
Moses' earthly life ended there on Mount Pisgah at the age of 120 years, about 3,400 years ago.
Moses was called "the meekest man on the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). Now a new leader, a warrior named Joshua, would lead Israel across the river Jordan. The conquest of Canaan was about to begin!
CHAPTER 9 - THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
God said to Joshua, "Moses my servant is dead, now it is up to you to lead the people over the Jordan to possess the land...you shall divide the land among them as an inheritance from their forefathers to whom the promises were given...the book of the law always on your mind, for if you follow its instructions you will succeed in all that I have commanded you to do" (Joshua 1:1-2, 5-9)
Joshua was no stranger to the land of Canaan, for he was one of the ten men chosen my Moses to spy out the land years before (Numbers, Chapters 13 & 14). Now Joshua sent two spies to check out the city of Jericho, which was their first major obstacle in their effort to possess the land. When the spies came to Jericho they were given refuge by a former prostitute named Rahab who had come to believe in Israel's God. She said to them, "The Lord your God is the God of heaven and earth. I know he is going to give you this land" (Joshua 2:9-11). God had not only revealed himself to her but also his future plans! She also told the spies that everyone was afraid of what the Israelites might do, for they had heard of their passage through the Red Sea.
When the spies returned and reported this to Joshua, he said, "Surely God has delivered the inhabitants of Canaan into our hands" (Joshua, Chapter 2).
There were seven nations in Canaan (the Hittites, the Girgashites, The Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites), each one greater and stronger than Israel. And yet Israel was commanded to destroy them and their idols (Deuteronomy 7:1-6).
God needed a holy nation to preserve and augment truth and righteousness. These nations were in direct conflict to the will and purpose of God. God said to Israel, "You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor live like them. You shall utterly overthrow them and their idols...they shall not live in your land lest they cause you to sin against me (Exodus 23:24,33).
When the time came for Israel to cross the Jordan River, God said to Joshua, "This day I will exalt you before the people that they might know that I am with you just as I was with Moses" (Joshua 3:7).
Just in case some will be tempted to imagine that this was a hot summer's day and the Jordan's flow was reduced to a trickle, the Scriptures clearly state that the Jordan River was at high water and even "overflowing its banks" (Joshua 3:15).
When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stepped into the shallow water at the river's edge, the flow of the water was cut off completely. The water upstream rose up higher and higher as the priests went forward, and then stopped at the lowest point in the river bed, which was now dry ground!
As the priests stood there in the center of the river bed, twelve men, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, picked up one stone each from the place where the priests were standing. They were to carry them to the other side of the river and were then to erect a memorial of what God had done that day. After all the people had passed over, the priests followed and the water began to flow just as it had before (Joshua 3:17; 4:1-3).
As they camped that night in Gilgal Joshua said to the people, "When your children ask you what this memorial represents, tell them that it is to remind us that Israel passed over the Jordan River on dry ground, for the Lord our God dried up the ground before us just as he did at the Red Sea. God was showing the world that he is a mighty God, the one whom we should all serve in reverent fear forever" (Joshua 4:19-24).
Israel remained at Gilgal until Jericho was taken. Under God's direction Israel's men of war led a march around the walls of Jericho. They were followed by seven priests blowing trumpets, then by others who carried the ark of the covenant. They marched around Jericho once a day for six days, and seven times the seventh day. On the final march, after the priests blew a single loud blast on their trumpets, the people gave a great shout and the walls of Jericho collapsed. Still following God's instructions the children of Israel rushed in and killed everyone in the city except Rahab and her family, because she had risked her life to protect the spies.
Eventually Rahab became the wife of Salmon and their son Boaz married a Moabite woman named Ruth (the story of Ruth became one of the books of the Bible). The names of both Rahab and Ruth appear in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew, Chapter One. They are a loud and clear witness to the fact that God forgives and accepts all those who come to him. Ruth's testimony is contained in these words spoken to her Hebrew mother-in-law, "Your people shall be my people and your God, my God" (Ruth 1:16).
Israel's easy victory over Jericho led them to assume that their next objective, the city of Ai, could be taken with only 3,000 men. However, their small army retreated in disorder after losing thirty-six men when they were caught off guard by a surprise attack by the men of Ai. There is a vast difference in having confidence in God and having confidence in one's self. "Israel did not take possession of the land by their own power, but by the hand of God" (Psalm 44:1-5).
Now Joshua and the elders sought the Lord's guidance - which they should have done in the first place. God pointed out that contrary to his instructions at Jericho to put all the silver and gold into a common treasury, Achan had hidden away some of it for himself and his family. Because the act of disobedience contributed to a costly military defeat for Israel, Achan and his family were put to death.
This time Israel followed God's direction. Part of the army hid behind Ai while the rest of the army made a frontal assault then pretended to retreat, as they had before. The men of Ai came out of the city expecting another easy victory, but those hidden behind Ai entered the city and set it on fire. When the men of Ai realized their city was in flames they became completely confused and in the turmoil Israel was able to achieve a great victory.
Immediately following the battle at Ai Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mount Ebal, as Moses had instructed him to do. Joshua knew that Israel's success depended upon their relationship to God. The altar was plastered in such a way as to make it possible to write all the words of the law upon it. After offering up a sacrifice to God, Joshua read what he had written on the altar as an exhortation to the people, to remind them that they were the people of God (Deuteronomy 27:1-8; Joshua 8:30-35).
In 1982, an Israeli archeological dig on Mount Ebal uncovered a large altar that just might be the very one Joshua had constructed nearly 3,300 years ago (The Reader's Digest, September 1990, page 135).
While Israel was still in the wilderness Moses told them that after they crossed the Jordan River they were to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan and destroy their idols and their places of worship. Then they were to apportion the land to the various tribes and their families (Numbers 33:50-56).
Israel continued their efforts to posses the land throughout Joshua's life. There was one battle after another, and yet we read that when Joshua was an old man there was still much land to be possessed (Joshua 13:1).
In an attempt to complete the division of the land, Joshua sent out a group of men to travel over the area and bring back a detailed written description of it, so that a proper distribution could be accomplished (Joshua 18:1-10). We read that after the division of the land the Lord gave Israel rest from all their enemies, and that Joshua was a tired old man (Joshua 23:1).
Realizing that his end was near, Joshua called the elders together to review what God had done for them. He challenged them with these words, "Choose this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord..." And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15, 21).
CHAPTER 10 - THE TIMES OF THE JUDGES
From the death of Joshua to the anointing of Saul, the first king in Israel, there was a 450 year period of time called "the Judges" (Acts 13:20). Chapter Three of Judges lists those nations in Canaan which had not been totally removed from the land. The presence of these idol worshipping, immoral people would test the sincerity of Israel's allegiance to God. Israel's failure to remain faithful to God, when surrounded by a multitude of temptations, should be a lesson to us who live in what amounts to a modern day, world-wide city like Sodom. It did not take long for the Israelites to intermarry with these people, and to worship their gods (Judges 3:1-7).
When the various tribes had separated to occupy the land allocated to them, they lost the good moral and spiritual influence of a strong central government - one dedicated to the service of God. "There was no king in Israel in those days and everyone did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6, 21:25).
Although Israel continued to serve the Lord while the elders of Joshua's day still lived, when they died, a new generation grew up which did not know the Lord or of all that he had done for their forefathers. This new generation turned away from Israel's God and began to worship idols and "provoked the Lord to anger"..."and the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel" (Judges 2:11-15). To worship anything or anyone other than our Creator is walking on thin ice!
"Because the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, he encouraged Eglon, king of Moab, to fight against Israel, and Eglan prevailed over them. For eighteen years Israel served Eglon, king of Moab. Finally, the children of Israel cried out to the God they had forsaken and God, in his mercy, raised up a man named Enud, from the tribe of Benjamin, to deliver them. Enud, with a daggar hidden under his coat, came before King Eglon claiming to have a secret that only the king should know. When the king had sent everyone else away, Ehud said, "I have a message for you from God, " and he drove the dagger into Eglon' belly so deeply that he couldn't draw it out again. After Ehud had escaped, he called Israel to follow him, for he said, "God has delivered the Moabites into your hands...the people responded, and Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel; and Israel had peace for the next eighty years" (Joshua 3:12-30). This account illustrates what went on in Israel all during the days of the Judges.
Six times Israel drifted away from God; six times God allowed an oppressor to gain the upper hand against them. Six times they cried out for mercy, and six times God raised up a judge to deliver them.
There are limits to God's patience. God sent this message through the prophet Hosea. "Ephraim is joined (married) to their idols, leave them alone" (Hosea 4:17). Chilling words!
God had more than pity for Israel. This nation was to be the means of bringing a savior into this world, not just for Israel, but for the entire world. God continued his efforts to keep his chosen people separated from the rest of the world - separated unto himself that this purpose might be realized.
We have already considered the final verse in the book of Judges, "There was no king in Israel in those days and every one did was seemed right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). "Doing your own thing" leads to anarchy, a rejection of all authority whether it be from heaven or earth. The result is no better today than it was over 3,000 years ago.
The record of Samuel, the last of the Judges, belongs in the next chapter because he anointed the first two kings in Israel.
CHAPTER 11 - WHEN KINGS RULED ISRAEL
Our journey through Biblical time began 6,000 years ago. Samuel lived in the center of those years: 3,000 years from Adam's day and 3,000 years from our day. Samuel was more than just a judge, for we read that, "Everyone in Israel knew that Samuel was a prophet because whatever he predicted came to pass (I Samuel 3:19-20).
In his latter years Samuel appointed his sons as judges also. However, they abused their positions to make money by taking bribes. The elders in Israel came to Samuel and said, "Your sons do not walk in your ways, and you are getting along in years. Give us a king to rule over us like the other nations" (I Samuel 8:1-5).
Samuel was not happy about this, but the Lord said to him, "Grant their petition for they have not rejected you, they have rejected me that I should not reign over them" (I Samuel 8:5-22).
God revealed to Samuel that he was to anoint Saul, the son of Kish, to be the first king in Israel. Saul was a handsome man who stood head and shoulders above the average Israelite; just the type of king Israel wanted (I Samuel 9:1-2). Later, when Samuel called the people together, lots were cast by tribe and by families, until it came down to the family of Matri and, finally, to Saul. Now all Israel could see that this was God's choice. When Samuel introduced him to the people, a great shout went up, "God save the King!" (I Samuel 10:17-24).
The times of the Kings lasted over 400 years; I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, and I and II Chronicles contain the account of those years. It was then that Israel attained its highest state of glory, yet the monarchy ended in failure.
Saul reigned over Israel for forty years (Acts 13:21), but long before his reign ended God sent Samuel to anoint a new king for Israel. God said to Samuel, "I am sorry that I chose Saul to be king because he has turned back from following me" (I Samuel 15:11).
Samuel was sent to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, the father of eight sons. He was to anoint one of these sons to be the next king. Samuel was not to be swayed by his looks or his height, "For God looks at the heart" (I Samuel 16:1-7). Seven of Jesse's sons were at home, but none of these was God's choice. When the youngest son, David (who had been tending the sheep), was called home, God said to Samuel, "This is the one."
Samuel anointed David with oil (the symbol of the Holy Spirit) and "the spirit of the Lord came upon David that day", but "the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul" (I Samuel 16:10-14).
Saul, unaware of what had taken place at Jesse's house, continued to rule Israel until he died in battle. However, these were not happy years. Being often depressed, he had his servant seek out a musician hoping that music would lift his spirits. It was David, with his harp, who came to entertain Saul (I Samuel 16:14-23).
David came to national attention when the Philistines, led by the giant Goliath, came against Israel. As Saul's army took up a defensive position Goliath challenged them to send out a man to fight him. He continued to taunt them when no one came. Saul offered a huge reward to encourage someone to come forward, but with no response. When David came bringing food for his three older brothers and discovered what was going on, he volunteered. At first Saul thought David was too young, but he finally agreed. David turned down the offer of Saul's armor, instead he took his sling and stones which he used for protection while herding the sheep.
Goliath was insulted by this young man and him simple weapon, so he cursed David and David's God. David responded saying, "I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel whom you have defied." The first stone which came from David's sling hit Goliath in the forehead with such force that it knocked him unconscious. David ran forward and, taking Goliath's own sword, cut off his head. As David stood on top of Israel's enemy, Saul's army went on the attack and the Philistines retreated in disorder (I Samuel, chapter 17).
Saul was so impressed with David that he put him in charge of his men of war. However, when he heard people singing, "Saul has slain his thousands but David his ten thousands", Saul became so jealous of David that he tried to kill him (I Samuel 18:1-12). Eventually, David and 600 of his loyal followers left Israel to live among the Philistines (I Samuel 27:1-3).
After Saul's death David and his men moved to Hebron. For a time those still loyal to Saul fought against David, but finally, leaders from all the various tribes came to David at Hebron and once again David was anointed to be king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he ruled Israel forty years (II Samuel 5:1-4).
During his reign Israel's enemies were defeated and her borders enlarged and made secure. David was more than a great military leader, he was also a true man of God. His spiritual legacy is found in the Book of Psalms. Who has not found comfort in the 23rd Psalm: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want..." David had been a shepherd but came to see himself as one of God's sheep. His heavenly Shepherd would meet his every need in life or in death. David closes the 23rd Psalm with these words, "God's lovingkindness will go with me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." David understood that there was an everlasting future in store for him. In Psalm 133:3 he wrote, "...the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore." In Psalm 37:29 he said, "The righteous shall inherit the land forever."
At the heart of David's theology was the word "forever". He expected to inherit "the land" forever. When? He wrote, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with God's likeness" (Psalm 17:15). The Apostle John agrees, "When Christ appears we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (I John 3:2).
David, "the sweet psalmist of Israel" spoke for God; he said, "the spirit of the Lord spoke through me, his words were in my mouth. The Rock of Israel has made an everlasting covenant with me; he is my salvation and my hope" (II Samuel 23:1-5).
The prophet Isaiah wrote, "Listen to me, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters...incline your ear that you might know and understand. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David" (Isaiah 55:1-5).
With the majority of his enemies defeated, David retired to his place in Jerusalem. There it occurred to him that he lived in a better place than the God he served. Calling for Nathan the prophet he reminded him that God's house was still just a portable tabernacle and raised the issue of providing a royal house for the Lord (II Samuel 7:1-2).
Although David wished to build a sanctuary fit for the King of kings, God did not allow him to do it, because he had been a man of war and had shed much blood. Instead this honor would go to his son, Solomon (I Chronicles 22:6-9). Even though David could not build the temple, God gave him the pattern for it which he passed on to Solomon (I Chronicles 28:9-12). Knowing the design of the Sanctuary, David was able to gather stone, wood, nails and metals of various kinds, in preparation for the time when construction of God's house would begin (I Chronicles 22:3-5).
The Lord promised David that his son would build a house for God's name, and that David's house and David's kingdom and David's throne would stand forever (II Samuel 7:11-17). We must keep in mind that David had two sons who would build a house for God. The first one is Solomon whose throne did not endure forever, and the second is David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew opens with these words, "The book of the generations of Jesus, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Isaiah the prophet wrote, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; he will be our ruler and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He shall reign upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom with justice forever (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Years later when an angel appeared to the virgin Mary to tell her that she would have a son, the angel said, "You shall call his name Jesus; He shall be called the son of God, and the Lord will give to him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over Israel forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).
Because God's promises concerning David's sons, Solomon and Jesus, are at times interwoven, we will present parts which can only refer to Solomon, so that we can better understand what happened later to Solomon's throne and to his kingdom.
This Scripture is a report David gave to an assembly of the leaders in Israel, "God said to me, 'Solomon your son will build my house...and I will establish his kingdom forever if he will keep my commandments and my judgements" (I Chronicles 28:6-7).
Here David is speaking to Solomon, "Now my son, the Lord be with you...build the house of the Lord...you will prosper if you follow the teachings of Moses" (I Chronicles 22:11,13).
This is the Lord speaking to Solomon, "If you will walk in my ways to keep my commandments as David your father walked, I will give you a long and good life" (I Kings 3:14).
Again the Lord said to Solomon, "If you will walk in my ways and keep my commandments then I will perform my words which I promised David" (I Kings 6:11-12).
After Solomon had finished building the temple, God spoke to him once more saying, "If you will walk as David your father walked...then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever...but if you turn from following me...and go serve other gods, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them" (I Kings 9:4-7).
In spite of God's many warnings, Solomon did not keep the laws of that covenant which God had made with Israel. He took wives from other nations, wives which worshipped idols. "When he was old his wives turned away his heart to other gods. His heart was not perfect towards God as David his father...and he built places of worship for those false gods...and the Lord was angry with Solomon" (I Kings 11:1-11).
Because of Solomon's sin, God said to him, "I will surely tear the kingdom away from you, except for one tribe, but not in your days out of respect for David your father" (I Kings 11:11-13).
The prophet Ahijah came to Jeroboam, an important man in Solomon's kingdom. Taking Jeroboam's coat he tore it into twelve pieces. Handing Jeroboam ten of the pieces he said, "God is going to take the kingdom away from Solomon and give ten of the tribes to you, leaving only one for Solomon, that David my servant may always have a light for me in Jerusalem where I have chosen to exalt my name...and if you will walk in my ways as David my servant did, I will give Israel to you" (I Kings 11:28-38).
After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam began to reign. Jeroboam, leading a delegation came to Rehoboam with a request to reduce the burdens that Solomon had put upon them, and, if he would do so, they promised to be his loyal subjects. Instead, he vowed to increase their burdens even more. This decision would bring Ahijah's prophecy to pass. The ten tribes broke away from Rehoboam and Jeroboam became their king, leaving only one tribe, Judah, to Rehoboam. Actually, this one tribe consisted of both Judah and Benjamin. When the land was divided among the tribes, Jerusalem lay within the borders of Benjamin. However, Benjamin was a small weak tribe and while the Canaanites were still holding Jerusalem, it was Judah who took Jerusalem (Judges 1:8). Gradually, Judah and Benjamin came to be called one tribe.
The ten tribes, whose first king was Jeroboam, are called Israel, the House of Israel, and the Kingdom of Israel. The one tribe is called Judah, the House of Judah and the Kingdom of Judah. We must keep this in mind when reading those parts of the Old Testament which come after the division of the kingdom. They became two kingdoms even though racially they were still one nation. The prophet Hosea reveals that someday the children of Israel and the children of Judah will be united under one leader, an obvious reference to Jesus, the Messiah. This "great day" is yet to come and it will not be brought about by any weapons of war (Hosea 1:7-11).
Jeroboam's kingdom had been promised God's help "if" they walked in David's ways, but that kingdom, the kingdom of Israel, lasted only a little over two hundred years. From Jeroboam to Hosea there were nineteen different kings in Israel. We read that "in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria...carried Israel away...for the children of Israel had left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made themselves idols and worshipped the stars...and offered up their own children as sacrifices to their false gods. Therefore the Lord was angry with Israel and removed them from his sight" (II Kings 17:6-18). These are often referred to as "the ten lost tribes of Israel."
The Kingdom of Judah continued on for another 130 years after the demise of the ten tribes. From Rehoboam to Zedekiah twenty different kings ruled Judah. Manasseh, the fourteenth king, was by far the worst. We read that he did according to all the abominable practices of the nations around them, building alters to the sun and the moon and the stars. He even set an idol in the very sanctuary of the God of Israel. Manasseh seduced Judah to do more evil than those nations which God had destroyed. Therefore the Lord God of Israel said, "I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that those who hear of it will be amazed...I will wipe Jerusalem like one wipes a dish...and I will cast off the remnant of my people" (II Kings 21:1-14).
Even though a later king, Joshiah, did much to bring the people back to God, the Lord was still angry with Judah because of the sins of Manasseh. And the Lord said, "I will remove Judah...as I did Israel (II Kings 23:26-27).
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was the instrument God used to carry out his word. This was accomplished in two stages. During the reign of Jehoiachin, the nineteenth king in Judah, Nebuchadnezzar came and took Jehoiachin, the royal family and much treasure back to Babylon. He also led away 10,000 people, leaving only the poorest sort of people in the land.
Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah as king in Jehoichin's place. After reigning eleven years he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and, once again the king of Babylon came against Jerusalem. After the city fell and royal family was taken captive, Zedediah was forced to watch as his sons were slain; then his eyes were put out and he was led in chains to Babylon.
The temple, along with all the best houses in Jerusalem, was destroyed and burned. The walls of Jerusalem were broken down. All of the gold, silver and brass articles of the temple were taken as booty to Babylon. "So Judah was carried away out from their land" (II Kings, Chapters 24 & 25).
The prophet Ezekiel, one of the exiles in Babylon, wrote, "Remove the diadem, take off the crown for this shall be no more until the One comes to whom it belongs" (Ezekiel 21:26,27).
The days of the kings had ended; the day of the King was yet to come. Five hundred years would pass before the appearance of that One to whom the crown belonged. But before he would be arrayed in royal splendor, he would be called upon to wear a crown of thorns.
CHAPTER 12 - FROM THE KINGS TO JESUS
No book of the Bible contains a complete record of the 500 plus years from the kings to Jesus. To trace the historical record of those years, we must use Biblical prophecy, secular history, and a book not found in every Bible. We will begin with the Book of Daniel.
Daniel was one of those taken captive to Babylon. Like Joseph before him, Daniel would become a ruler in a foreign kingdom. And also like Joseph, he gained his position because of his interpretation of the King's dream. The dream was important because it was a prophecy of the next 500 years.
Nebuchadnezzar could not recall his dream and when his astrologers and fortune tellers could not reveal it to him, he turned to Daniel. After prayer and fasting, Daniel said to the king, "There is a God in heaven who is a revealer of mysteries. Through your dream God is showing you what shall come to pass" (Daniel 2:26-29).
The king's dream consisted of a great figure in the form of a man. Its head was of gold, its breast and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were of iron and its feet and toes were a mixture of iron and clay.
The interpretation of his dream revealed a series of large kingdoms, beginning with his own. Today we know the names of those kingdoms. The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. His would be replaced by the Medio-Persian empire represented by the breast and arms of silver. Next would come the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great, a powerful kingdom represented by the belly and thighs of bronze. The legs of iron represented the Roman Empire whose legions marched in all directions from Rome. It would be Roman soldiers who crowned Israel's King with a crown of thorns.
What kingdom the feet and toes of iron and clay represent was debatable. However, one thing is certain; they, like the rest of the world kingdoms represented by Nebuchadnezzar's dream, will suffer the same fate. They will all be replaced by a greater and more powerful kingdom, the kingdom of God. In his dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a great stone, uncut by human hands, crush the entire image into dust which the wind blew away. This was to demonstrate to Nebuchadnezzar and all future generations that God's kingdom will replace every kingdom in this world (Daniel 2:31-45).
Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed with Daniel that he gave him an important position in his kingdom. But the day came when Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon, and we read that Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus (Daniel 6:28).
Daniel, a devoted student of the teachings of his forefathers, found that Jerusalem was to lie in ruins for seventy years, and then the exiles in Babylon would be allowed to return home to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple (Jeremiah 25:11,12 ; 29:10). As Daniel fasted and prayed about this, he had a vision in which he learned of a much greater period of time - seven times seventy or 490 years. The 490 years were to begin when the seventy years were complete and after a decree was given allowing the exiles to return home (Daniel 9:25-27).
About two hundred years before Daniel's time, the prophet Isaiah had been given the name of the one who would give the decree at the end of the seventy years. "Cyrus, my shepherd, will accomplish my purpose saying, 'Rebuild Jerusalem and the temple'...and the Lord says to his anointed one, Cyrus...'I have called you by name even though you do not know me" (Isaiah 44:28 - 45:1-4). Daniel was familiar with Isaiah's prophecy and he know Cyrus; surely he would have acquainted him with this prophecy. We believe that he did.
Josephus, a Jewish historian, who lived about A.D.70, wrote that Cyrus did "read" from Isaiah and that he returned what Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XI, Chap,I, secs. 2&3).
The decree which Cyrus proclaimed throughout his kingdom shows that he was aware of Isaiah's prophecy and of Jeremiah 25:11,12. It reads, "The Lord God of heaven has directed me to build his house in Jerusalem. Those of his people who live among us, go to Jerusalem and build the house of the Lord God of Israel. Those of you who remain should give a freewill offering of gold and silver to do your part in this work" (Ezra 1:1-5).
This decree signaled the beginning of the 490 year count down to the coming of Israel's Messiah. The Scriptures speak of this time as 70 weeks or 70 sevens; in other words, 70 x 7 which is 490. Historical events assure us that these are years. Some Bibles, such as "The Living Bible", simplify matters by using 490 years rather than 70 weeks, and for good reason; so shall we. The 490 years are divided into three periods of time: 49 years, 434 years, and seven years. The 49 years cover the period of time when Jerusalem and the temple were being rebuilt. This is recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The 434 years follow the 49 and conclude with the anointing of Jesus. (From the issuing of the decree to restore Jerusalem until the Anointed One is 49 years plus 434 years. Compare Daniel 9:25, The Living Bible.) This leaves the seven years unaccounted for; some teach that they were fulfilled by the ministry of Jesus and others see them in the future. The important thing is that Jesus, the Anointed One, arrived on the scene just as Daniel prophesied.
The 49 years and the Book of Nehemiah both end with a prayer. Elias Bickerman wrote, "The sacred history of the Chosen People ends chronologically with Nehemiah's prayer: 'Remember us, O God, for good" (From Ezra to the Last of the Maccabees, page 3). "Sacred history" for the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament of the Protestant Bible both end with that prayer.
The index for the Old Testament in the Protestant Bible lists 23 books after Nehemiah. Those books were written by men who lived between the time of Samuel the prophet, and the death of Nehemiah. Not one of those books was written after the book of Nehemiah.
During the final 434 years to Christ, there were no prophets in Israel. We must turn to other historical records to complete the chronology of those years.
Although the people of Judea were permitted to restore the worship of God and to live by his laws, they were still a part of the Medio-Persian Empire. When Alexander the Great displaced that empire, Judea became a part of his kingdom. Alexander reigned only 12 years and then his kingdom was divided among his generals.
After many years of struggle among the various rulers in the Middle East, Antiocus Epiphanes became a ruler over a large area which included Judea. We will turn to the First Book of Maccabees to discover what he did in Jerusalem during his reign.
Although Maccabees is a part of the Catholic Bible which Protestants have rejected, it is a valuable historical record; for there we find a fulfillment of Daniel 11:31, "Orders would be given to discontinue all the sacrifices in the temple and the abomination of desolation (an idol) would be set up in the temple."
Antiocus began his reign of terror by sending out an official order that everyone in his kingdom should relinquish their own laws and live by his! He specifically singled out Judea, ordering them to stop offering sacrifices in the temple, and forbidding them to honor the Sabbath or celebrate other Jewish religious festivals. He also ordered that altars and temples be built where pigs and other animals which were unclean (by Jewish law) were to be sacrificed. He set up the "abominable idol of desolation" on the altar of God. The books of the Law were burned and those who continued to observe the Law of God came under the sentence of death (I Maccabees 1:43-60).
Mattathias, a priest, and his sons refused to obey the king. Mattathias spoke out loudly and publicly saying that even though all the nations of the world obeyed the king, he and his sons would continue to obey the laws of God. He had barely finished speaking when a Jew came to one of the kings' altars nearby, and offered up a sacrifice. Filled with rage, Mattathias killed him and tore down the altar. Crying out in a loud voice he said, "Everyone of you that is ready to live by our laws, follow me!" And leaving behind all that they owned, they fled to the mountains for refuge (I Maccabees 2:19-28).
And so a conflict began between those faithful to God and those who obeyed the king. During this time Mattathias died and his son Judas Maccabeus became the leader of those fighting against Antiochus. Judas encouraged his followers saying, "It makes no difference to God in heaven whether we are a great multitude or a small company, for victory in battle comes from His strength, not our own" (I Maccabees 3:18,19).
God was with Judas, giving his army victory in a battle in which 800 enemy soldiers were killed. This defeat made Antiochus realize that he needed a larger army. Lacking the funds to hire more soldiers, he took half of his army to Persia hoping to force the Persians into sharing their wealth with him.
Meanwhile, Judas attacked the part of the king's army left behind, causing them to withdraw into a defensive position. This gave Judas and his men an opportunity to repair the temple. In order to thoroughly cleanse the temple, they even replaced all the stones of the alter which had been defiled. After the temple was completely restored they held a dedication feast which lasted eight days (I Maccabees 4:36-58).
However, the war between Judas and Antiochus was not finished. As Judas pushed his enemies further back from Jerusalem, Antiochus was trying to capture a city in Persia that contained much silver and gold. But he failed in this and, disheartened, he turned back toward Babylon. Upon hearing that Judas had put to flight the other part of his army, he was stricken with fear and became sick with grief and remorse. Calling his friends to him, he said, "I know that I was wrong in what I did in Jerusalem, and this is why things have gone against me." Giving his crown and ring to his son, Philip, he died (I Maccabees 6:1-16).
Still the fighting continued. After one victory the best that could be said was, "The land of Judea had rest for a short time" (I Maccabees 7:50).
Hearing of a new power in the west, Judas sent emissaries to Rome, hoping to make an alliance with them. This was accomplished; the gist of the treaty was that should the Romans be attacked, the Jews would help them, and vice versa (I Maccabees 8:1-29).
Yet the wars continued. We read that after Judas was killed in battle, "There was great tribulation in Israel, such as was not since the days began when there were no more prophets in Israel" (I Maccabees 9:1-27).
The descendants of Mattathias continued to lead the Jews in their struggle to avoid domination by the Greeks until about sixty years before Christ, when the Romans, under Pompey, conquered Jerusalem.
Elias Bickerman, writing about the Maccabean years, said, "The descendant of David, the promised Messiah, would one day crush their enemies, but not by earthly means as the Maccabees wrongly thought they could do, but by the hand of God" (From Ezra to the Last of the Maccabees, p. 177).
With Judea not a part of the Roman Empire, most of Daniel's vision was fulfilled. Gone was Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold; gone were the Medes and Persians, the breast and arms of silver; gone were the Greeks, the belly and thighs of bronze. As far as our Biblical chronology is concerned the legs of iron, the Romans, were now in power. Historically, they, too, are gone. Whatever one's view of what the feet and toes of iron mixed with clay represent, we know that a Stone uncut by human hands will crush every kingdom and establish a Kingdom which will stand forever (Daniel 2:31-35).
Jesus, that "Stone" is the subject of the next chapter.
CHAPTER 13 - JESUS, THE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY
Having traveled 4,000 years through Biblical time, we come to a new era. Prophecies, hundreds and even thousands of years old, were now ready to be fulfilled. The Lord had said to Moses, "I will raise up a prophet like you from among your people, and I will put my words in his mouth and whoever will not listen to him will be held accountable to me" (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).
Peter's version of that prophecy is found in Acts 3:23, "everyone who refuses to listen to that Prophet will be cut off from among the people" (one version has "utterly destroyed"
.There are many prophecies which positively identify Jesus as that Prophet.
- He would be born of a Virgin -
"A Virgin shall conceive and bear a son who shall be called Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel (or Emmanuel) means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23).
When an angel revealed to Mary that she would give birth to a son, she asked, "How is that possible? I am a virgin." the angel explained that God's life-giving power would cause her to conceive, for, "With God nothing is impossible" (Luke 1:30-37).
Mary and Joseph were already engaged to be married. When Joseph learned that Mary was with child, he considered breaking their engagement secretly to avoid embarrassment. However, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, telling him to take Mary for his wife because her conception was of God. Mary would have a son and they were to call his name Jesus, for he would save the people from their sins. Joseph followed the angel's instructions and took Mary to be his wife. But she remained a virgin until her son was born and they called his name Jesus (Matthew 1-18:25).
- He would be born in Bethlehem -
The following Scripture is copied verbatim from a translation of The Jewish Publication Society of America, 5722-1962; (Micah 5:1).
"But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, Out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2 in Christian Bibles).
Now Mary and Joseph did not live in Bethlehem, they lived about seventy miles north in Nazareth. However, when Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken of everyone in his kingdom, which included all Judea, Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem where Joseph, a descendant of David, was required to register (Bethlehem is often called "the city of David" since David was born there, and Jesus, David's greater Son, would also be born there). When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, they found that the inns were already full and they were forced to take refuge in a barn, and this was where Israel's future King, Jesus was born. We read that when Jesus was born Mary wrapped him in a soft blanket and laid him in the manger (Luke 2:1-7).
- He would come out of Egypt -
"Out of Egypt have I called my son" (Hosea 11:1). This unlikely prophecy was given about 800 years before the birth of Jesus.
Several students of prophecy came from the East asking, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews...for we have come to worship him." Herod, ruler over Judea, heard about this and calling in Jewish religious leaders, asked them where the Messiah was to be born. They replied, "In Bethlehem."
Herod told the men from the East to go to Bethlehem and when they had found the One they were seeking, to come tell him, so that he might worship him too. However, God warned these men to bypass Jerusalem and Herod on their way back home. When Herod realized that his ploy had failed, he ordered that all the baby boys under two years old in the area be killed. But God warned Joseph in a dream to take his family to Egypt. After Herod's death, Joseph was told to bring the child and his mother home, for those who sought to kill Jesus were dead. God did indeed call his Son out of Egypt! (Matthew 2:1-23).
We know very little of Jesus' life until he was about thirty years old when he came seeking baptism from his cousin John, who was baptizing in the Jordan River (Luke 3:23). It was at Jesus' baptism that Daniel's prophecy concerning the anointing of the Most High was fulfilled (Daniel 9:24).
"As Jesus came up out of the water the Spirit of God came down upon him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:13-17).
Long before, when Samuel anointed David to be king, he used oil, which represented the Spirit of God. David's greater Son, Jesus, was anointed by that Spirit, not by man nor in a symbolic way. All that the tabernacle, the temple, the priests and the sacrifices represented, Jesus has either fulfilled or will yet fulfill. They were types and shadows, He is the real thing!
Soon after his baptism Jesus went to the synagogue and taking the book of Isaiah, he read from Isaiah 61:1., "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the gospel, the good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to open the eyes of the blind, and to bring liberty to the oppressed...With every eye upon him, Jesus said, 'Today this prophecy has been fulfilled" (Luke 4:16-21).
After his anointing, Jesus was ready to begin his public ministry of preaching, teaching and healing. He called out twelve men to be his disciples, his students, whom he would prepare to continue his ministry after his death, resurrection and ascension into the heavens. These same men would then be called apostles, sent ones, or messengers. We find their names listed in Matthew 10:1-4).
The disciples were with Jesus during most of the three years of his earthly ministry. They heard him preach the Sermon on the Mount, they saw him heal the sick; and were with him in a small boat caught in a dangerous storm when he caused the storm to cease with the words, "Peace, be still."
Three of them were with him on a mountain top when Jesus was transformed into the image of his future glory (Matthew 17:1-9). Peter could say, "We have not followed clever tales, for we were eyewitnesses of his glory...when we were with him on that holy mountain" (II Peter 1:16-18).
John wrote, "We not only saw him and heard him, we touched him and that which we saw and heard we are passing on to you that you might also have a part in our fellowship with him" (I John 1:1-3).
The first four books of the New Testament ("the Gospels") contain the Biblical record of Jesus from his birth to his death and resurrection. They bear the names of the persons who wrote them. Of the twelve disciples two left us a record of that time, Matthew and John. The Book of Mark was written by a close companion of Peter (who was one of the twelve). Mark, or Marcus, recorded what he had learned from the disciple Peter. Peter refers to Marcus as his son in I Peter 5:13.
The Gospel of Luke was written for a friend, Theophilus. "Having received my information from those who were eyewitnesses in the beginning, I thought it good to pass it on to you that you might know the certainty of those things which you have been taught" (Luke 1:1-4).
The entire New Testament was written either by those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus and his ministry, or by those who had a close relationship with the eyewitnesses.
"These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name" (John 20:31).
Jesus taught many things; one study Bible lists nearly 500 subjects beginning with every letter of the alphabet except Q and X! Rather than review all that Jesus taught, we encourage the reader to visit a Christian bookstore where a good assortment of Bible study helps can be found.
The word "authority" is prominent in the teachings of Jesus. Matthew reports that, "People were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority" (Matthew 7:29). Those who saw him cast out demons "were amazed and said to each other, 'What new teaching is this? For with authority he commands unclean spirits and they obey him!" (Mark 1:27).
One day as Jesus was in the temple the chief priests, the scribes and the elders asked him, "By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you the authority?"
After his resurrection Jesus said to his disciples, "All power is given me in heaven and in earth. Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them all things that I have commanded you. Remember, I will be with you to the very end" (Matthew 28:18-20).
His resurrection from the dead was the seal of his authority. His resurrection was also a guarantee of our resurrection.
Jesus spoke of his mission this way, "I am the bread of life, those who come to me shall never hunger, and the one who believes in me shall never thirst...And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone that believes on the Son, might have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:35,40).
We can see Jesus' concern for our situation in this life by his healing of the sick and the miracle of the five loaves and two fish by which he fed a multitude (Matthew 14:14-21). However in the previous quotation we see that the bottom line was the resurrection from the dead.
When Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus at night, Jesus said to him, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God...except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God...that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit...you must be born again" (John 3:1-8).
On July 24, 1991, the Seattle Post Intelligencer carried a column written by Susan Paynter; her headline read, "A Shopping Institution is Born Again". She called the project, "The resurrection of a sixty-six year-old shopping institution that many thought was dead." She linked the term "born again" to "resurrection".
The words "born again" as Jesus used them can refer both to a spiritual resurrection in which one comes alive by a spiritual rebirth, and to the future resurrection of the dead. Both are necessary!
Going back to what Jesus said to Nicodemus we find that we cannot "see" or "enter" the kingdom of God unless we are "born again". Jesus said, "You must be born again". The Apostle Paul wrote," Flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God...the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised...for this corruption must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Corinthians 15:50-55).
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he shall sit on the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations... then shall the King say to those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:31-34). When will we "see" and "enter" that Kingdom? When Jesus comes in power and glory.
In Colossians 1:18, Jesus is called the firstborn from the dead. This is a reference to his resurrection. We must be born again spiritually in this life in order to be born once more by resurrection into that heavenly kingdom he has prepared for those who trust in him.
The resurrection was the hope of God's people in ages past. Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac, in obedience to God, because he believed in a future resurrection (Hebrews 11:19). The Book of Job contains a wonderful testimony of the hope of those who lived so long ago,
"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were inscribed in the book! Oh, that with an iron pen they were engraved on a rock and sealed with lead forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last He will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has thus been destroyed, then, out of my flesh I shall see God; whom I myself shall see; whom my own eyes shall behold, and not another (Job 19:23-27, the Berkeley Version).
David's hope was identical to that expressed in the Book of Job. He wrote, "I will behold your face, O God, in righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake, with your likeness" (Psalm 17:15). The Apostle John's words echo those of David, "When he shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (I John 3:2).
The very first mention in the Bible of the human race is found in these works, "Let us make man in our image and likeness" (Genesis 1:26). Those words have not yet been fully realized; but they will be when we are in His presence. Jesus said, "the Son of man will send his angels to gather out of his kingdom all those who live in sin...then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of God" (Matthew 13:41,43).
In the living Bible we read, "Just as each of us now has a body like Adam's, so we shall someday have a body like Christ's" (I Corinthians 15:49). The best way to cope with our present existence is to have the assurance of that hope which can be found in Jesus alone. Self confidence, self esteem or positive thinking should not become a substitute for confidence in God and in his promises to us. Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16.33). Speaking of "great tribulation" Jesus said, "When you see these things, look up, lift up your heads; for your deliverance is near" (Luke 21:28).
Paul wrote, "We are greatly comforted by our confidence in that hope which lies before us, for that hope is an anchor for the soul" (Hebrews 6:18,19). In his letter to Titus, Paul mentions our hope three times: "the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised many years ago"; "that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of God our Savior"; and, "being made righteous by his grace, we become heirs to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 1:2; 2:13; 3:7).
The promise of resurrection and the hope of eternal life are one and the same. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes 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" (John 3:16,17).
Our hope of the future could become a reality only by the death of the Son of God. Paul wrote, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself" (II Corinthians 5:19).
Let us now examine prophecies and their fulfillment concerning his death.
"A close friend that I trusted, one who has eaten bread at my table, has betrayed me" (Psalm 41:9). That friend was Judas Iscariot one of the twelve disciples. (John 13:18-30).
"They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver" (Zechariah 11:12). "Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests and asked 'What will you give me if I deliver Jesus to you?' They said, 'Thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew 26:14-15).
After the "Last Supper" Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus prayed in great agony as he looked forward to his crucifixion. As they left the garden, Judas came leading those who desired to take Jesus into custody. Judas had told them that the one he would kiss was Jesus. Going up to Jesus, Judas said, "Hail, Master, and kissed him" (Matthew 26:47-50).
Later, when Judas realized that Jesus was condemned to die, he tried to return the money but was refused. Throwing the money into the temple, Judas went and hanged himself (Matthew 27:1-5).
- The Passover was a prophecy -
As the Israelites were about to be delivered from Egypt, each family was to kill a lamb (one without any defects), taking care not to break any of its bones. Its blood was to be sprinkled around the doors of their homes because the Angel of Death was going to kill all the firstborn sons in Egypt that night, and God said, "When I see the blood I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13,46).
The most unusual instruction regarding the lamb was that none of its bones should be broken. In Psalm 34:20 we read, "Not one of his bones was broken." It was their custom to break the legs of those being crucified to make certain they died before sunset. Finding Jesus dead they did not break his legs, instead they drove a spear through his side, fulfilling yet another prophecy. "They shall look upon me whom they pierced..." (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:31-37).
Israel continued to reenact the Passover each year in memory of their deliverance from Egypt. The final passover that Jesus celebrated with his disciples was "The Last Supper" which he would eat with them before his crucifixion. His crucifixion fulfillment all that the Passover implied.
We read that Jesus took bread, broke it in pieces, and gave some to each of his disciples. He said, "This is my body which is broken for you." Taking a cup of the fruit of the vine, he offered it to his disciples saying, "This is my blood which is shed for you" (Matthew 26:26-29). Luke tells us that Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19).
Paul wrote, "When you eat the break and drink the cup you are keeping alive the memory of his death until that day when he will return" (I Corinthians 11:26).
- Isaiah, Chapter 53 -
(Written 800 years before Christ)
We shall give only a few samples from this remarkable Chapter which so clearly looked forward to the death of Jesus:
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief...He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquity...and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord has laid upon him the sin of us all...He was brought as a lamb to be slaughtered...He was slain for the sins of his people...and he made intercession for the transgressor."
As Jesus hung on the cross he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
"He was despised and rejected of men." As Jesus was brought before a council of the chief priests and elders, they asked him, "Are you the Messiah?" Jesus said, "One day you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of God, coming in the clouds of heaven." Hearing this they decided that he must die. Then they spit in his face and struck him...and after blindfolding him they slapped him and mocked him saying, "If you are the Christ, prophesy and tell us who hit you" (Matthew 26:63-68; Luke 22:64).
When they brought Jesus before Pilate, the governor of Judea, he asked them, "What shall I do with Jesus, which is called Christ', and they all said, 'Let him be crucified." When Pilate could find no good reason to crucify Jesus, he took a pan of water and washed his hands saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just man." All the people said, "His blood upon us and upon our children." Pilate had Jesus whipped then turned him over to the Roman soldiers who stripped him and clothed him with a scarlet robe; and they put a scepter in his hand and placed a crown of thorns on his head, and kneeling down they mocked him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" After dressing him again in his own clothes they led him away to be crucified. (Matthew 27:11-31).
It would be well for us to remember that it was because of our sins that Jesus was nailed to the cross. Paul wrote, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one...For we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10,23).
Jesus was taken to Golgotha where he was crucified between two thieves. "He would be numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12). As he hung there on the cross the soldiers cast lots for his clothing. "They divided my garments among them, they cast lots for my clothing" (Psalm 22:17-18).
In Biblical times daylight hours were divided into three parts: the third hour was about 9 A.M., the sixth hour, 12 noon, and the ninth hour about 3 P.M. Sunset would be the beginning of a new day.
We read that on the day Jesus died darkness covered the land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour when Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These very words were written many years before in one of David's prophetic songs (Psalm 22:1). A short time later Jesus cried out, "It is finished", and releasing his spirit, he died (Matthew 27:45-50, John 19:28-30).
In one of his discourses Jesus had said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep...therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life...no one takes my life from me. I have the power to lay down my life and to take it back again. This is what the Father told me to do" (John 10:11, 17-18).
When Jesus died there was an earthquake and the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38). This signified that everyone has direct access to God. Before this only the high priest could enter into the most holy place. Once each year the high priest would pass the veil into the Holy of holies to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat. This was to make an atonement for his own sins and for the sins of the people (Hebrews 9:3,7). The continual need to offer sacrifices for sin demonstrated that a perfect sacrifice was not yet available; but now Christ has come to offer up himself "once" for all and for all time (Hebrews 9:26,28; 10:10).
"Be bold, therefore, to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say through his body which was given for us" (Hebrews 10:19-20).
When Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man who was a follower of Jesus, persuaded Pilate to allow him to take the body of Jesus and place it in his own tomb. Nicodemus, a prominent Jew who had also become a follower of Jesus, helped. Joseph wrapped Jesus' body in linen cloth with spices of various kinds, and together they placed his body in the tomb (Matthew 27:57-60; John 19:38-42).
Jesus had told his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the chief priests and elders; and that he would be killed but he would rise from the dead on the third day (Matthew 16:31, 20:17-19; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22, 18:31-33).
The chief priests and elders had heard of this and, going to Pilate, they said, "The deceiver prophesied that on the third day he would rise again. Therefore, command that a guard be placed at his sepulchre lest his disciples steal away his body and say to the people that he has risen". Pilate agreed and allowed them to place a seal on the stone which blocked the entrance to the tomb and to station guards around it (Matthew 27:62-66).
Judge Washington's tomb (which stands next to George Washington's on Mount Vernon) has this quotation on its door, "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25). For Jesus to be "the resurrection and the life" he must rise from the dead, and he did!
The resurrection will be the main topic in the next and final chapter.
CHAPTER 14 - HIS RESURRECTION AND OURS
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all end their accounts with the resurrection of Jesus. Excerpts from each of these will show what transpired on that day when Jesus rose from the dead.
Early on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were on their way taking spices to anoint the body of Jesus. They were concerned about finding someone to roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre (Mark 16:1-3).
Just before they arrived there was an earthquake as an angel descended from heaven and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. The appearance of this heavenly being so frightened the guards that they fell to the ground and lay as dead men (Matthew 28:2-4).
The women who came with their spices were obviously confused and frightened, for the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, I know why you have come, but the one you seek is not here for he is risen. Come, see where the Lord lay, and go quickly to tell his disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead and they shall see him in Galilee" (Matthew 28:5-8).
When Mary Magdalene found Peter and John she said to them, "They have taken the Lord away and we do not know where he is." The two disciples ran to see for themselves. Entering the tomb they saw the linen cloth which had been used to wrap his body and the cloth which had covered his face folded and set apart. Uncertain about what to do, they returned to their homes. They did not yet understand the Scriptures which signify that he must rise from the dead (John 20:1-10).
Mary Magdalene had followed Peter and John back to the sepulchre and, after they left, she remained there weeping in great sorrow. Stooping over she looked into the tomb and saw two angels sitting where Jesus had been. They asked her why she was crying and she replied, "they have taken away my Lord and I don't know where he is." Turning around she saw Jesus but did now recognize him through her tears. Jesus also asked her why she was crying. Believing him to be the gardener, she said, "If you know where they have taken Jesus, please tell me where he is." Then Jesus said, "Mary." Upon hearing the voice she loved speaking her name, she realized it was Jesus (John 20:11-16).
When Mary went to tell the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he was alive, they did not believe her.(Mark 16:13).
The same day two men walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus were joined by Jesus but they did not recognize who he was. When Jesus asked them why they were so sad, they said, "Are you a stranger here? Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet that we believed was the one who should deliver Israel, was condemned to die by the chief priests and our rulers, and he has been crucified. We were astonished to hear that certain women had been to the tomb and found it empty. They claimed they saw angels who told them that Jesus is alive. Others went to see for themselves and the tomb was empty, but they did not see him. Then Jesus said, "Why do you find it so difficult to believe all that the prophets have spoken?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained those Scriptures which spoke of him.
As they arrived in Emmaus they invited Jesus in, still not knowing who he was. As they broke bread together Jesus blest it and passed it to them. "Then their eyes were opened and they knew that it was Jesus." At that moment he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us as he taught us the Scriptures?"
In that very hour they returned to Jerusalem to tell his disciples what had taken place (Luke 24:13-33). Mark reports that when these two told their story, the disciples did not believe it! (Mark 16:13,14).
Meanwhile, several of the guards, who had stood watch by the tomb, reported to the chief priests all that had happened. After counseling with the elders the chief priests gave the soldiers a lot of money, telling them to spread the word around that while they slept Jesus' disciples had stolen the body of Jesus (Matthew 28:11-15).
Because of the events of that day the disciples gathered together behind closed doors for fear of what the chief priests and elders might do. Suddenly, Jesus was standing in their midst saying, "Peace be to you", and he showed them the nail prints in his hands and the spear wound in his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord" (John 20:19-20).
One of the disciples, Thomas, was not present at this encounter. When the rest told him of the news he said, "Until I see his hands and his side, I will not believe." Eight days later the disciples were all assembled together (again, behind closed doors) when Jesus appeared among them saying, "Peace be to you." Turning to Thomas he said, "Here, touch my hands and my side and be not faithless but believing." Then Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God." Jesus said, "Because you have seen me you have believed. Blessed are those who having not seen me, yet have believed" (John 20:26-29).
Following that last meeting with Jesus, the Apostle John wrote, "Many things happened which are not written in this book, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you might have life through his name" (John 20:30-31).
Luke, who wrote one of the Gospels, produced for his friend Theophilus another treatise called "The Acts of the Apostles." His record of the ascension and of the early days of Christianity is a very significant part of the scriptures. Luke wrote, "Jesus revealed himself to be alive after his crucifixion with many infallible proofs, being seen of his followers for a period of forty days, during which he spoke of things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3).
One of the first lessons that Jesus' followers had to learn was that the Kingdom was not Israel's private property. Jesus, in one of his kingdom parables, had given them a clue; the field in that parable represented the world, and the good seed represented the children of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
Israel's separation from the other nations had been necessary to bring into the world a savior. Now that wall which separated Jew and Gentile must be torn down. Jesus said, "Other sheep have I which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd" (John 10:16).
Several years would pass before the disciples understood that these "other sheep" were anyone and everyone who was not a Jew. John wrote, "He came to his own (the Jews) and his own received him not. But as many are received him (Jews or Gentiles), to them he gave the right to become the sons of God, even to those who believe in his name" (John 1:11-12).
John also wrote what is perhaps the best known verse in the Bible, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
John and the rest of his disciples had much to learn before they acquired a world view. Jesus told his disciples, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14).
Jesus said, "Repentance and remission of sins shall be preached in my name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:46-48). His final words to his disciples were, "You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all governor, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world" (Acts 1:7-8).
After he had spoken these words, Jesus was taken up and a cloud carried him from their sight. Then two angels appeared and said, "Why do you stand looking up? For this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall come again, even as you have seen him go" (Acts 1:9-11).
The first thing the disciples undertook after the ascension of Jesus was to provide a replacement for Judas. Jesus had explained to his disciples that when he would sit on his throne in the Kingdom, the disciples would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). From these words the disciples realized the importance of keeping their number at twelve.
Peter led the discussion which resulted in Matthias being selected to replace Judas. He quoted from Psalm 109:8 which reads, "Let his days be few; and let another take his office." Using these words as a Scriptural foundation, Peter said, "We must choose someone who has been with us since the beginning, to be ordained with us as a witness of Christ's resurrection" (Acts 1:15-26).
Jesus had promised them that they would receive power which would enable them to witness for him in an effective way. He instructed them to remain in Jerusalem until they were "endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).
About ten days after the ascension of Jesus, the twelve apostles and approximately 120 others, including his mother, were together celebrating the Festival of Pentecost which was a harvest festival - the feast of harvest, the first fruits of their labor (Exodus 23:16). It was on that very appropriate day that the sound of wind suddenly filled the house where they were gathered, and tongues of fire appeared upon their heads as they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. A great many people had come from all over the Roman Empire, and were now amazed to hear these Galileans speak the wonderful words of God in their languages (Acts 2:1-13). Some of them thought these Jews were drunk.
Peter, in a loud voice, explained that this was the work of the Holy Spirit spoken of by the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29). Then Peter went on to preach his very first sermon in which 3,000 people were converted! (Acts 2:14-41).
Jesus had said to his disciples, "The one who believes in me shall do the works that I do, and greater" (John 14:12). Now the disciples were equipped to fulfill the words of Jesus. As Peter and John entered the temple, a man who had been lame from birth, asked alms of them. Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk" (Acts 3:1-11). The healing of this man drew a large crowd, giving Peter another opportunity to preach.
By this time some 5,000 people had become believers in Jesus. When the chief priests heard what was going on, they called the disciples to give an account of themselves. After being commanded to stop what they were doing, or face the consequences, they were allowed to leave (Acts 4:17-21).
Following this ominous development the believers all prayed together, "...Lord, you know the threats that have been given; help your servants to speak the word boldly. Stretch out your hands that signs and wonders might be done in the name of Jesus." When they had prayed the place was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the words of God with boldness...and with great power the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of Jesus" (Acts 4:29-31).
The subject of the resurrection, both His and ours is referred to nearly one hundred times in the New Testament alone. Here are several examples of the teachings of the apostles concerning the resurrection:
"They killed the Prince of life but God raised him from the dead, and we are witnesses of what took place" (Acts 3:15).
"And when they had fulfilled all that which was written of him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a sepulchre, but God raised him from the dead" (Acts 13:29-30).
"If you will confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
"We have received the hope of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (I Peter 1:3).
His resurrection is the prelude to our own:
"If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, he will also quicken your mortal bodies" (Romans 8:11).
"Jesus is the head of the church, the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18).
"Christ has risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of those who sleep (in death)" (I Corinthians 15:20).
We encourage everyone to read I Corinthians, Chapter 15. Paul's discourse on the resurrection, all by itself, is worth the price of any Bible. He wrote, "Those who have no hope beyond this life are to be pitied" (I Corinthians 15:19).
He also wrote, "In my opinion, whatever we go through in this life now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own" (Romans 8:18-19 Phillips translation).
God gave the Apostle John many visions of the future. He saw a time when ," God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
Newspapers are filled with stories of sorrow and pain; but Isaiah wrote, "I create a new heaven and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind" (Isaiah 65:17).
The glorious future which God has planned for us is beyond imagination; "Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, nor has it entered into the hearts and thoughts of man, what God has prepared for them who love him" (I Corinthians 2:9).
Paul goes on to say that God has revealed these things to us by his Spirit, yet he also wrote, "Now we see only a dim reflection of what shall be, but things will be made clear when we see him face to face" (I Corinthians 13:12).
Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled, if you believe in God believe also in me...I will go and prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am there you may be also...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except by me" (John 14:1-6).
The cross of Jesus Christ is a bridge which reaches from earth to heaven. One's only hope of being a part of that glorious resurrection future is to cross that bridge. Paul wrote, "Jesus is the only mediator between us and God" (I Timothy 2:5). If he is the only way then there is no other way!
Do we all need to come to Jesus to receive the forgiveness of sins?
John wrote, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:8-9).
Could one be so great a sinner that it would be impossible to receive forgiveness?
God answered this question through a man named Saul. We first read of Saul when he was involved in the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:51-60). Speaking of that time, he said, "I did many things contrary to the name of Jesus. I put many of his followers in prison and when they were condemned to die, I was one of those who cast a vote against them" (Acts 26:9-11).
One day, as he was traveling to Damascus to round up more believers, a bright light shone around him, and he fell to the ground. A voice from heaven said, "Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Saul answered, "Who are you?" The voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:1-5). This experience led to Saul's conversion.
A tremendous change took place in Saul's life; even his name was changed. Now he was known as Paul. Writing of all this he said, "This is the truth, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. I obtained mercy that Jesus Christ might use me as a pattern of forgiveness that others might believe in him for eternal life" (I Timothy 1:15,16).
A modern day example of God's grace is found in Chaplain Ray's book," God's Prison Gang". Tex Watson was a member of the Charles Manson gang who were responsible for the Tate Mansion murders. Beside killing that family, they killed a ranch hand, Shorty Shea, and cut up his body and buried it. Tex came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior in prison. He said, "Since coming to the Lord, I'm mentally and physically free. A fellow prisoner said to me, 'You're never going to get out of prison.' I told him, 'The Lord has already got me out of prison and set me free!" (pp 31-42).
Jesus told a parable which illustrates God's willingness to receive those who come to him. "A certain man had two sons; the younger son asked his father for his share of the estate. So the man divided his property and his money between his sons. The younger son traveled to a far country where he squandered his inheritance on sinful pleasures. In dire need, he accepted a job feeding pigs. Soon he realized that the pigs had more to eat than he did! And being very hungry, he recalled how well fed his father's servants were. He decided to go to his father and say, "I have sinned against God and against you, and I am not worthy to be called your son. Let me be one of your servants."
However, when he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming, and ran to meet him. With joy and compassion, he embraced him and kissed him. Before his son could complete what he had planned to say, the father turned to his servants and said, "Bring him a change of clothes and prepare a feast. Let us eat and rejoice, for this my son who was dead, is alive again. He was lost and now he is found" (Luke 15:11-24).
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus wants us to know that our Heavenly Father is waiting with open arms to receive us.
CHAPTER 15 - Food for Thought
What about the divisions which separate Christians one from another? The scientific community came to a conclusion that might be worth considering. The question was, is matter made up of waves or particles? This issue was resolved by the realization that both are right! They said, "We can, if we choose, imagine ourselves living in a universe of waves, a universe of particles, or as one facetious scientist has phrased it, a universe of 'wavicles" (The Universe and Dr. Einstein, page 31).
Most scientists would agree that they still have much to learn. So have we. The words of an old hymn say it very well, "We'll understand it better, by and by." Perhaps just a little more knowledge might show Christian antagonists that they are both right - or both wrong!
Paul wrote, "Our understanding is not complete, therefore what we teach is less than perfect, but when the day of perfection arrives, our knowledge will be correct in every detail" (I Corinthians 13:9,10).
Jesus called them "hypocrites" who are more concerned about the tiny speck in their brother or sister's eye, while they ignore the huge piece of wood in their own (Matthew 7:3-5). Put another way, we are hypocrites if we show more concern for the light error in our fellow Christian's point of view, and disregard our own very serious mistakes.
Let us "forgive one another as Jesus has forgiven us" (Ephesians 4:30-32), and "love one another as he has loved us" (John 13:34,35).
"Do nothing through strife or self glorification, but in humility let us each regard the other better than ourselves" (Philippians 2:3).
"Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and have all knowledge...unless I have love, I am nothing" (I Corinthians 13:2).
CHAPTER 16 - The Number Twelve
Jacob was the father of twelve sons whose descendents became the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 49:1-28). The Encyclopaedia Judaica, published in Jerusalem in 1972, explains that the number twelve was so important to maintain that when the tribe of Levi was set apart for the priesthood, Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manassah, replaced both Levi and Joseph, in order to keep the number of tribes at twelve. It also points out that multiples of that number (the twenty-four classes of priests, the forty-eight Levitical cities and the 24,000 men who served David) were equally important.
It was no coincidence that Jesus chose twelve disciples and promised them that they would sit on twelve thrones judging Israel in the Kingdom (Matthew 19:27-28). After Judas betrayed Jesus and then hanged himself, the disciples chose Matthias to replace Judas in order to keep their number at twelve (Acts 1:15-26).
The Apostle John's vision in Revelation emphasizes the importance of the number twelve and multiples of that number. There are twenty-four elders who worship around the throne of the One who lives forever and ever (Revelation 4:10,11), 144,000 made up of 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8, 14:1), and Revelation, Chapter 21, presents a look into the future where those whom the number twelve represent all join together in one magnificent city "having the glory of God" (verses 10,11).
I John saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first earth had passed away (verse 1). And I saw the Holy city coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. A voice from heaven said, "The tabernacle of God is with men...they shall be his people...and he will be their God" (verses 2,3). An angel said, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife"...and he showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending from heaven, having the glory of God (verses 9-11). The city had twelve gates upon which were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve foundations upon which were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (versus 12-14)...I saw no temple for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city had no need of the sun, or of the moon, for the glory of God and of the Lamb was its light. The nations of those which are saved shall walk in its light. The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it...its gates will never be closed, but no one will enter this city except those whose names are recorded in the Lamb's book of life (versus 22-27).
Abraham lived as a "stranger" on this earth, for he "looked for a city..whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:8-10).
"And all the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion, crowned with everlasting joy; for sorrow and mourning shall flee away" (Isaiah 51:11).
"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!'
Let everyone who hears this also say, 'Come!'
And let him who thirsts come.
And whosoever wills, let him take the water of life freely"
(Revelation 22:17).
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