1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

( and how to find God )
Robert Forrester
CONTENTS
v 1.0 - 15/04/07
Introduction
PART 1 - THE OLD TESTAMENT
Ch 1. Creation to the Flood, and the account of Job.
Ch 2. The Tower of Babel - then Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Ch 3. Joseph , Egypt , Moses and a talking donkey.
Ch 4. Joshua and the Judges of Israel.
Ch 5. Prophets and Kings of Israel and Judah ,before the exile.
Ch 6. The exile - Israel to Assyria and Judah to Babylon.
Ch 7. The return of the exiles.
Ch 8 . More Prophets after the exile.
PART 2 - THE NEW TESTAMENT
Ch 9. Christ and the Gospels.
Ch 10. The Apostles and the Early Church.
Ch 11. Letters.
Ch 12. What is to come.
Epilogue.
APPENDIX I - TIMELINE
APPENDIX II - TIMELINE ACCORDING TO THE BOOKS
APPENDIX III - MAPS
APPENDIX IV - REFERENCES
Introduction
Welcome to "Events of the Bible". This book is written to explain
the narrative behind the Bible - Who , When, Where etc. As we cover
events from creation to the end times, I will be expressing certain view
points . However , this book is primarily about the main events in the
Bible , rather than a commentary or exegesis. This book is not a "proof"
of the correctness of the Bible , or Christianity , but is presented from a
Christian standpoint - ie this book asserts that the Bible is the Word
of God, and that Jesus is the way to God and to fulfil our purpose in
life. Readers of this book are free to agree or disagree, but will hopefully
find it useful regardless of personal belief. However, I will be throwing
out a personal challenge at the end of the book. ( This is why the
title includes "How to find God" )
Towards the end of this book, we look at some of the imagery in the
Book of Revelation. However, its full interpretation is beyond the
scope of this book . In general, many of the images show that in the
end times , the battle between good and evil will intensify. Needless to
say, God wins this battle.
As I said earlier, at the end of the book there is an epilogue, where I
would like to share a personal word with all readers, and "throw out a
challenge". This challenge is for us not just to know about God , but to
know God personally, through Jesus.
This book will quote from the King James Bible ( also known as
the "Authorised Version" or "KJV" ) . One of its contributors ( in
translation ) was the great man of God, William Tyndale . Tyndale's
passion for ordinary people to read the Word of God and serve God
cost him his life. Note:- Slight variations in spelling occur between
different publishers' versions of the KJV.
We who have easy access to the Bible should thank God, and pray
for those in countries where Christianity and the Bible are repressed. We
hear of those who hold a torn page of the Bible - as their most treasured
possession.
As we will see, the Bible is a book about Jesus Christ, our Hope.
He is the Son of God, and wants to enter our lives as Saviour and Lord.
Hopefully this book will help us to follow Christ as Saviour, Lord and
also our best friend.
Reading this book must never be seen as an alternative to regular
Bible Reading. This book is merely a contextual reference . This book
only covers the main events of the Bible, but in doing so should outline
God's strategy and dealings with His people.
As you read this, you may find it useful to have your Bible at hand.
This is not mandatory, as Scripture references and quotations are
given throughout.
May God be glorified, as His wonderful redemptive plan through
Jesus for all mankind is revealed.
I pray that you will be blessed as you read this, and see the
many benefits of reading the Bible, and grasp its wonder.
PART 1 - THE OLD TESTAMENT
1. Creation to the Flood , and the account of Job
The first book of the Bible - Genesis, tells us that in the beginning ,
God created the Heavens and the Earth. People may ask "Who created
God ? " The answer is - no-one. We do not understand, for God's ways
are greater than our ways ( Isaiah 55 v 9 ). We know that God also
created time, laws of molecular interaction, mathematical equations etc.
As we will see later, Jesus was present at this, the dawn of time .
There is an amazing one-ness between the light which God spoke into
existence - shining in the darkness, and the light which "...... shineth
in darkness" referred to in John's Gospel ( John 1 v 5 ) . This light is
Jesus, having been with God in the beginning. Jesus, the Son of God
is very prolific in appearance or by reference in the Old Testament as
we will see later .
God also created the Angels. We know some of their names as
they appear in the Bible - Michael ( book of Jude ) , Gabriel ( in the
"Christmas Story" in Luke ) and Lucifer , who was to shortly lead a
rebellion against God, and was later known as the Devil or Satan.
Other angels joined Lucifer in his rebellion, and were also cast out
of heaven.
God created the Earth , physical structure , elements, gasses, water.
He created the Sun and the Moon , but remember that the Light
already existed before these. God created the animal kingdom, then
the creation culminates with Man . Man was created supreme, to rule
the Earth and the animals , and to enjoy a relationship with God. So
Man had a unique role in the Earth. This is one of many reasons why
Darwinian evolution is wrong. This evolution makes man a species of
Mammal , rather than a distinct being , created in the Image of God.
God placed the first man Adam in the Garden of Eden , a Paradise
which man should enjoy looking after , in a creative role , reflecting
the creative role of God in whose image he was ( and we are ) made.
God then caused the man to sleep , and as he slept , God extracted a
rib from him from which He created Eve , the Woman to be his
companion ( Gen 2 v 21-23 ) . The love and attraction between
members of the opposite sex is to be an expression of God's great
love for us. I believe it to be an expression of the heart of God .
Adam and Eve were permitted to eat from any of the trees in the
Garden , except that which was the "Knowledge of Good and Evil".
All went well , until Satan appeared in the guise of a serpent ,
twisting the Word of God originally spoken to Adam , and tempting
Eve to take the forbidden fruit. She succumbed , giving the fruit to
Adam. As a result of their sin ( which we have all inherited ) , the
earth became cursed . It would no longer be the paradise it was
created to be . Pain and disease set in , Adam would only work the
earth by the "sweat of his brow". Adam and Eve were banished from
the Garden of Eden ( Gen 3 v 23 )
Adam and Eve had two sons , Cain and Abel. Abel honoured and
obeyed God , but his brother Cain did not. Because of this, God
accepted Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's. Overcome by anger, Cain
killed Abel.
Adam and Eve had another son - Seth, who became the father of
Enosh . The subsequent six generations from Enosh produced Noah .
In his generation, Noah was the only God-fearing person. Sin
was rampant, so God decided to flood the Earth , but save Noah
and his family with two of every "unclean" animal species, seven of
all "clean" animal types and birds. ( The criteria for "clean" and
"unclean" not specified here . ) God instructed Noah to build an
Ark , giving him the dimensions. After the Ark was completed and
the animals taken in, God caused it to rain for forty days . The
resulting floods destroyed all living things on the Earth ( not in the
Ark ) , and after the rains stopped, the waters subsided. The Ark
came to rest on Mount Ararat. Afterwards, everyone disembarked,
as it was now safe to do so . ( Gen 8 v 19 )
As this book is looking at Bible events in chronological order,
we now have to jump ahead in our Bibles to the Book of Job. There
are different ideas as to exactly when Job lived, as the book does not
directly relate him to Bible characters descended from Abraham who
we read about in the next chapter. ( We know that all people are
descended from Adam and Noah, including Job ) . It is generally
accepted that Job lived after the flood, some say before Abraham .
Others say Job lived around the time of Abraham , or even after
Jacob, Abraham's grandson. ( Jacob's brother Esau who we read
about later, had a son Eliphaz. One of Eliphaz's sons was Teman ,
( Gen 36 v 15 ) , and Job's friend Eliphaz was a Temanite ( Job 2 v
11 ) . So are the "Eliphaz's" one and the same? )
However, this book will assume it is not out of place to mention
Job in this chapter, just before we come to Abraham.
The location of Uz where Job lived is also not clearly defined in
the Bible , but some people think Uz was in Jordan , or the north
western region of what is now Saudi Arabia. ( Uz is mentioned as a
descendant of Noah in Gen 10 v 23 )
Job was a God-fearing man, who knew the blessings of God on
his family , and material aspects of his life. In a conversation between
God and Satan , God commends his servant Job for his faithfulness.
Satan challenges God to bring adversary into Job's life , suggesting
that this would cause Job to turn away from God. God accepts the
challenge, and allows Satan to afflict Job through the death of his
children, loss of livestock and appearance of sores on his body.
Job remained faithful to God , despite the cynicism of his wife,
sneering that he should " .. curse God and die " ( Job 2 v 9 ) . Job
had three friends , Eliphaz , Bildad and Zophar . They came to Job
to sympathise with him in his grief . For seven days and seven nights
they stayed with Job and said nothing.
After these days had passed , Job talked about his affliction ,
and his three friends incorrectly assumed that Job's afflictions are
a result of his sin and that he should repent. Job denied this. God's
answer to Job was - "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations
of the earth ? .... " ( Job 38 v 4 ) . In Job Chapter 42 , Job
acknowledges that God is all powerful and all knowing. God then
rebukes Job's three friends . He said to Eliphaz " ... My wrath is
kindled against thee, and against thy two friends : for ye have not
spoken of me the thing that is right , as my servant Job hath ".
( Job 42 v 7 ). The three friends had to give a burnt offering to
appease God , and Job prayed for them.
God rewarded Job by restoring his material wealth twofold,
and he had another three daughters and seven sons ( as before ).
Ch 2. The Tower of Babel - then Abraham , Isaac and Jacob
The Earth was repopulated with all the descendents of Noah. At this
time , everyone spoke the same language. Some people built a tower ,
with the intention of reaching up to Heaven and ousting God. God
confused their languages, and scattered the people all over the Earth.
This tower was called "The Tower of Babel" , because God confused
their languages ( Gen 11 ) .
Noah had three sons , Shem , Ham and Japheth. Nine generations
after Shem saw the birth of Abram ( who was Shem's descendant,
later to be called "Abraham" ).
Abram heard the word of God promising to make him a great
nation. Abram married Sarah and they went to live in Canaan.
( Gen 12 v 5 ) . Abram and his nephew Lot lived together . They
both owned livestock, and herdsmen who looked after these. As
there was contention between Abram's herdsmen , and those of Lot ,
Abram and Lot made an amicable agreement that they should go
their own separate ways.
Lot went to live near Sodom , but got embroiled in a war and was
captured. Abram heard about this , and armed his servants. They
travelled to Damascus, fought Lot's captors, and won. Abram
returned home with Lot whom he had rescued, and also the "spoils"
of his war. On the way , Abram met Melchizedek , the King of
Salem " the priest of the most high God" ( Gen 14 v 18 ) . To some,
Melchizedek is seen as a physical manifestation of God - Jesus.
At this point , it would be good to mention the appearances of, or
references to Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. There are four kinds
of these 1) The Type of Christ - This is an event , or physical entity which
portrays an aspect of the redemption of Christ which is to come
in the New Testament. Examples are Noah's Ark Only those in the Ark would be saved from the flood.
Only those in Jesus can be saved from sin.
Lot's rescue Lot was in captivity - Abram set him free.
We were in captivity - slaves to sin - Jesus set us free.
Later we will come across more types of Christ - Abram
offering his son as a sacrifice, the Passover Lamb in Egypt ,
etc.
2) The Christophany ( or "Theophany" ) - This is the physical
appearance of God Himself which is Jesus ( See Col 1 v 15 ).
We have seen here Melchizedek . We will also see other
Christophanies - The Man who wrestled with Jacob ( later on
in this chapter ) , and the Fourth Man in the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel covering the exile period.
3) The Messianic Prophecy - This is an Old Testament prophecy
pointing to Jesus as the Messiah - Examples are Psalm 22
".. why hast thou forsaken me ? " , and Isaiah 53 " But he
was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities:....... " ( v 5a )
4) The Vision of Christ - We come across this when we look
at the Book of Daniel later on.
So , as we progress through the Old Testament events of the Bible , we
will periodically encounter the above references to Christ.
Going back to Abram , Melchizedek reminded Abram of God's
blessings so Abram gave a "tithe" (ten percent) of everything (possibly
his spoils of war) to Melchizedek. Abram then had a vision from God
affirming that his descendants would be numerous as the stars in the
sky. Abram believed this, and is portrayed in the Bible as a Man of
Faith. He is also seen as the Father of the Jewish nation - his
descendants, also the Kingdom of God - the believers in Jesus who
would be "grafted in" ( See Romans 11 v 17 ).
However , time passed without Sarah ( Abram's wife ) conceiving .
As she found it hard to wait in faith for God's promise of children
( descendants ), she suggested to Abram that he should become a father
through Hagar the servant girl. He agreed , and through Hagar the first
son Ishmael was born. Sarah then ill-treated Hagar and Hagar left.
God's intention was that Abram's heritage would be established
through Sarah , and He told that to Abram . God told Abram that his
name was now Abraham ( Father of many nations ) ( Gen 17 v 5 )
In the meantime , Lot had returned to Sodom where many acts of
depravity were being committed. God made clear His intention to
Abraham to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham then enters a
wonderful prayer dialogue with God - ( Gen 18 v 23-24,26,28 )
" And Abraham drew near, and said , Wilt thou also destroy the
righteous with the wicked ?
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city : wilt thou
also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that
are therein ? .......
........... And the LORD said , If I find Sodom fifty righteous
within the city , then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
............Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous :
wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five ? And he said , If I
find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. "
So Abraham initially reduces the count by steps of five to which God
agrees. Then Abraham gets braver and reduces the count by steps of
ten. At the end, God agrees to spare Sodom if ten righteous people can
be found. However, as ten righteous men could not be found, the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was to go ahead, and angels came
down to rescue Lot. As they fled , Lot's wife looked back contrary to
instructions, and turned into a pillar of salt.
When Abraham was a hundred years old, his wife Sarah gave birth
to their son Isaac. God then tested Abraham , calling him to offer his son
Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed , and set off up the mountain
with Isaac , and the wood for the fire. Isaac asked " .. where is the
lamb for a burnt offering ". Abraham answered , " ....God will
provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering ....". ( Gen 22 v 7-8 )
As Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac , an angel stopped him, and
commended him for his obedience. As Abraham looked over, he saw a
ram caught by his horns in a bush, This ram was to be the burnt offering
( sacrifice ). We see three Types of Christ here 1 - Abraham offering his son as a sacrifice God gave His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for all our sins.
2 - Abraham said, "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering ." . This proved to be correct in the provision of the
ram with its horns caught in the bush. It is possible that
Abraham could see ahead into the future , that God Himself
would provide THE Offering for all of us - Jesus Himself.
3 - The ram , caught by his horns in the bush - speaks of Jesus,
his head bearing a crown of thorns as He was about to
become our sacrifice.
God then re-iterated His promise through the angel , that Abraham's
descendents would be numerous as the stars.
Isaac grew up , and married Rebekah who Abraham's servant had
found from Abraham's home country . Rebekah was barren , and Isaac
prayed that she would conceive. God answered his prayer and Rebekah
gave birth to twins, Jacob and Esau ( Gen 25 v 21 ). Esau was born
first , and would have normally inherited the "birthright" - the blessing
of the father to his eldest son . However , his brother Jacob who was
the "supplanter" or "twister" tricked Esau out of his birthright. Esau
was the "hairy" one, and always outside hunting.
One day Esau came home after hunting . He was weary and hungry.
Jacob had cooked a stew which Esau wanted to eat. "Sell me your
birthright" Jacob demanded. Esau agreed to this. Isaac was older, and
his eyesight had deteriorated. Jacob approached Isaac, pretending to
be Esau , and received the Blessing of the Birthright from Isaac, which
was intended for Esau. On the surface , it seems as if Esau was hard
done by , but in the New Testament book of Hebrews , Esau is
referred to as a "profane person who for one morsel of meat sold his
birthright .." ( Ch. 12 v 16 ) . In the New Testament as we shall see
later , there is a letter to the Hebrews (Jewish people who became
Christians). The Hebrews are warned not to follow Esau's bad
example.
Jacob then fled , as Esau wanted to kill him for revenge. Jacob
stayed with his uncle Laban , Rebekah's brother. Jacob agreed to
to work for Laban for seven years , so he could marry Laban's
daughter Rachel . However, despite the agreement, Laban gave him
another daughter Leah. Jacob the cheat, was himself cheated.
Jacob had to work another seven years for Rachel. Jacob married
Rachel after Leah.
As Jacob left Laban , a man suddenly appeared to Jacob and
wrestled with him. Jacob held on to the man saying " ...I will not let thee go except thou bless me. " ( Gen 32 v 26 ) .The
man asked Jacob his name , then told Jacob he would be called
Israel , because he had struggled with God and with man. When Jacob
asked the man his name , the reply he got was - " Wherefore is it that
thou dost ask after my name ? ". ( Gen 32 v 29 ) . Note here the
Christophany ( referred to earlier on in this chapter ) - The man who
wrestled with Jacob was a physical manifestation of God - Jesus
Christ. The name Jesus meaning "Saviour" had not yet been revealed,
hence the question " Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my
name ? " . It is the Name of Jesus by which we are saved. ( See
Acts 4 v 12 in the New Testament section of the Bible. ) The man
knocked Jacob's thigh out of place , so that he would limp for the rest
of his life.
However, Genesis 33 tells us that Jacob and Esau were reconciled.
Jacob was father to Judah , Reuben , Gad , Asher, Joseph,
Levi, Simeon , Zebulun, Issachar ,Dan , Naphtali and Benjamin.
Ch 3. Joseph , Egypt , Moses and a talking donkey
Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons, and his favouritism was
quite apparent. Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colours. To make
things worse, Joseph told his brothers of his dreams signifying that
they would bow down to him in homage. All these things angered them.
One day in the field, Joseph came to them, and they put him into a large
hole dug in the ground. They dipped his coat ( of many colours ) into
blood, to pretend to Jacob that Joseph was killed by a wild animal.
Joseph's brothers then sold him as a slave to a party of passing
Ishmaelites. They in turn sold him to an Egyptian official of Pharaoh,
called Potiphar. After some time working for Potiphar , Joseph was
wrongly accused of indecently assaulting Potiphar's wife , and
thrown into prison.
Joseph's two cellmates were the Chief Baker and the Chief Butler.
They had incurred Pharaoh's displeasure ( details not given , but I read
elsewhere that Pharaoh may have had a stomach upset , which he
attributed to either bread or wine he had taken ). The Chief Butler had a
dream , that he had three bowls of grapes, and the birds ate them.
Joseph interpreted this dream, telling the Chief Butler he would be
released from prison in three days, and be reinstated in to his job. The
Chief Baker had a dream in that he had three baskets of loaves, from
which Pharaoh ate. Joseph's interpretation of this dream was that in
three days the Chief Baker would be executed. Note the Type of Christ
here Chief Baker - Bread - Executed Jesus, at the Last Supper took the bread , and said - " This
is my body which is given for you... " ( Luke 22 v 19 )
Chief Butler - Wine - Gets his job back - New Start Jesus , at the Last Supper took the wine , and said - " This
cup is the new testament ( Covenant ) in my blood " .
( Luke 22 v 20 )
Note also the three days to the fulfilment of Joseph's interpretation.
Jesus was in the tomb for three days, before He rose again. As Joseph
predicted, the Chief Baker and Chief Butler met their fates. Years later
Joseph was still in prison , and Pharaoh himself had a dream where
seven thin cows ate seven fat cows. When no-one was able to interpret
this dream, the Chief Butler remembered Joseph in prison who was
able to interpret dreams. Joseph was brought from prison to interpret
Pharaoh's dream. Joseph foresaw that Egypt would have a plentiful
harvest for seven years, then experience seven years of famine. He
recommended that the plentiful harvest be stored , to provide for the
following lean years. Joseph was released from prison , and promoted
so he was in charge of the stored grain. He was Pharaoh's "Right Hand
Man".
As years passed , Joseph's brothers were affected by the famine ,
and came to Egypt in the hope of buying grain. They did not recognise
Joseph before whom they had bowed down as governor of the land,
but he recognised them. In bowing down before Joseph , they were
fulfilling the interpretation of his dream whilst living with them. Now
Joseph was playing a game with them . He pretended not to know
them or understand their language , as he spoke to them via an
interpreter ( Gen 42 v 23 ) . He also accused them of spying . When
they explained that they had a younger brother ( Benjamin ) still at
home in Caanan with their father Jacob , Joseph instructed them to
return to Caanan, and bring Benjamin to Egypt. Simeon would remain
behind in Egypt as a "hostage" . Jacob was very reluctant to let
Benjamin go, and Reuben offered that his own sons be killed , if
Benjamin was to come to any harm in Egypt. When the brothers
returned with Benjamin, Joseph "framed" him with the theft of a silver
cup. As the brothers tried to leave Egypt, they were stopped and
searched, accused of stealing from Joseph's house . It was agreed ,
that the person on whom the Silver Cup was found would be Joseph's
slave. The cup was found on Benjamin , so he would have to remain
as Joseph's slave. The elder brother Judah , saw what a terrible thing it
would be for his father Jacob were that to happen. Judah therefore
offered himself as a slave in the place of Benjamin. When Joseph saw
that his brothers were contrite, he revealed his true identity. Joseph
told his brothers that their evil actions were used by God in His plan to
deliver Egypt and his family from the famine. Joseph instructed his
brothers that they go back to Canaan and bring Jacob down to Egypt.
Jacob ( also called Israel ) then had a vision from God telling him not to
be afraid to go to Egypt, because there, he would become a great
nation as part of God's promise to his grandfather Abraham. Jacob
met Pharaoh and blessed him.
" And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his
father's household with bread, according to their families. "
(Gen 47 v 12)
Joseph prophesied to his brothers that God would visit the generations
in Egypt and bring them out into their own land, as sworn to Abraham ,
Isaac and Jacob. ( Gen 50 v 24 ) .
Eventually Jacob, Joseph and his brothers passed on, and their
descendants ( the children of Israel ) grew up in Egypt. A new Pharaoh
came to reign , who was not kindly disposed towards the children of
Israel. He persecuted them , making them slaves, and wanted to kill all
the male babies. A baby born to the descendants of Joseph's brother
Levi, was hidden in the bulrushes to avoid being killed by Pharaoh's
army. This baby was found by Pharaoh's daughter and raised in her
household. His name was Moses. (We are now in the book of Exodus.)
As Moses grew up , he was aware that he was a child of Israel
( a Hebrew ). He witnessed an Egyptian ill-treating one of his fellow
Hebrews and killed the Egyptian. Moses then fled from Pharaoh who
wanted to take his life. In the desert, Moses saw a burning bush . As
he drew closer, God called him . God re-iterated the promise He made
via Joseph, that the Children of Israel would be delivered from Egypt
and their oppression. God was now answering the prayers for
deliverance made by the Children of Israel . ( Ex 2 v 23-24 , 3 v 7 ) He
was sending Moses back to Egypt to confront ( a new ) Pharaoh and
tell him to release the Children of Israel. Moses returned to Egypt, and
with his brother Aaron confronted Pharaoh - " Thus saith the LORD
God of Israel, Let my people go , that they may hold a feast unto me
in the wilderness."
(Ex 5 v 1 ) .
Despite miracles performed by Moses, and plagues, ( frogs, lice, flies,
locusts etc ) Pharaoh continued to defy God. The final plague was to
be the death of the Egyptian firstborn in each household. God's
judgement was to strike all of Egypt , because of Pharaoh's defiance of
Him. The Children of Israel had to make provision to shield themselves
from this judgement. They were to kill a lamb, roast it to eat , and
sprinkle its blood over their doorposts. The sprinkled blood on the
doorpost would enable that household to escape this Judgement. This
feast was to be commemorated as the Passover , and the Passover
Lamb is probably the most apparent Type of Christ. The Children of
Israel were saved from God's judgement , because their households
were under the blood of the Passover Lamb. Believers in Christ are
saved from God's Judgement of Sin , because they are under the blood
of Jesus. Their sins have been paid for by Jesus dying on the cross ,
shedding His blood in our place. As the Passover Lamb had to be
without blemish , so Jesus our "Lamb" is perfect. The Children of
Israel were to eat unleavened bread ( without the yeast which ferments
with the dough ) ( Ex 12 v 15 )
This judgment on Egypt was so terrible, that the Egyptians drove out
the Children of Israel, allowing them to take treasures. When the
Egyptians realised their slave labour was gone , they changed their
minds about letting the Children of Israel go. The Egyptians pursued
them on horseback. As they approached the shores of the Red Sea , God
told Moses that he had to raise his rod to part the Red Sea , enabling the
Children of Israel to cross. ( Ex 14 v 16 ) .When they were across ,
Moses lifted his hands over the sea and it came together drowning the
pursuing Egyptians. The deliverance of the Children from Egypt is
another Type of Christ. Jesus delivers us from the bondage of sin.
The passing through the Red Sea is akin to Water Baptism . This
Baptism is a public display of a person's commitment to Christ as his
Saviour and Lord . The believer through faith in Christ passes from the
kindom of death to the Kingdom of God ( life ).
As the Children of Israel passed through the wilderness , God led
them to wells of water called Elim , and provided bread from heaven,
called Manna. God also told Moses to strike the rock in Horeb , and
water would emerge , for the people to drink. Again these are Types of
Christ. He is the Bread from Heaven ( See John 6 v 31- 35 ) , and the
Provider of Living Water ( John 4 v 10-14 ) . Also when Jesus was on
the cross, He was struck with the spear ( like the rock ), and blood and
water spilled from his body .
The Children of Israel were disobedient , grumbling and complaining. Jethro, Moses' father in law, wisely suggested that Moses
appoint other leaders and judges to settle "minor" disputes and affairs
between the people, as it would be too much for Moses to handle on
his own. Moses periodically went up Mount Sinai to meet with God,
then as he came down the mountain , he would bring God's message
and commands to the people. God brought the Ten Commandments
to the people via Moses - ( Ex 20 v 1 - 17 )
" AND God spake all these words , saying ,
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the
land of Egypt , out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them : for I the
LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me;
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and
keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for
the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work :
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God : in it
thou shalt not do any work, thou , nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates:
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea , and
all that in them is , and rested the seventh day : wherefore the
LORD blessed the sabbath day , and hallowed it.
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon
the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's wife , nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor
his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's "
Through Moses, God also gave various laws about the altar for animal
sacrifices, how to look after servants, how to deal with misdemeanours,
etc. God also gave laws regarding observing certain feasts. In Ex. 23
v 20 - 21 , God tells His people to obey the Angel He has sent . If they
are obedient, they will be victorious against their adversaries and take the
Promised Land. The people affirmed their obedience and the Covenant
( agreement ) between the Children of Israel and God was instituted.
God's words were written down by Moses in the Book of the Covenant,
and the Ten Commandments were inscribed on to tablets of stone.
God instructed the Children of Israel to build the "Ark of the
Covenant" . This was to be two and a half cubits long , the width and
height to be one and a half cubits. ( A cubit is about eighteen inches ).
The Ark was to be overlayed with Gold. The Ark itself would be made
of acacia wood ( See Ex 25 v 10-22 ) . The Children of Israel were also
to make a table of acacia wood , and a golden lampstand. They were also
to build a Tabernacle, a very elaborate temple , but one they could bring
with them as they journeyed towards Canaan . The Ark of the
Covenant, the table and the lampstand would go inside the Tabernacle.
This is where the Children of Israel would meet God.
God also called Aaron and his sons to be priests, and the Children of
Israel to offer lambs as burnt offerings ( Ex . 29 v 38-39 ).
While Moses was up on the mountain , Aaron and the Children of
Israel sinned by creating a golden calf. When Moses returned , he
challenged those who were on the Lord's side to come to him. The
descendants of Levi ( as was Moses ) came to him . God through Moses
instructed those who were declared themselves on God's side to kill all
the others with the sword.
In the Book of Leviticus , God through Moses gave various Laws
concerning the grain offering, sin offering and the burnt offering etc ,
and what foods may and may not be eaten. The instruction was given to
circumcise a male child on the eighth day after its birth. Laws regarding
sexual morality , and observance of feasts and ceremonies were also
given. These include the Day of Atonement - the tenth day of the
seventh month, when the Children of Israel were to refrain from work as
in the Sabbath , and bring burnt offerings to God. The Feast of the
Tabernacles ( Lev 23 v 33-34 ) was to be for a period of seven days
commencing the fifteenth day of the seventh month - the giving of burnt
offerings.
In the book of Numbers, God instructed Moses to take a census
from all the families of the Children of Israel . They consisted of twelve
tribes, each tribe descended from Joseph and his brothers ( remember
his father Jacob was called Israel ). The twelve tribes are those of Reuben, Simeon , Judah , Issachar, Zebulun ,
Benjamin , Dan , Asher , Gad , Naphtali ,
and
Joseph - He is referred to by his sons - Ephraim , Manasseh .
Levi - This tribe was exempt from the census ,and were in
charge of the Tabernacle ( Num. 1 v 49-50 ) . Remember
that Moses was descended from Levi also.
Later on in Numbers 13 , the tribe of Levi is omitted from the listing
of tribes , and two tribes are descended from Joseph - Ephraim and
Manasseh.
The Children of Israel move on from the Wilderness of Sinai to the
Wilderness of Paran. They complained, incurring God's displeasure.
As a result of God's judgement, fire came down and burned some of
them up. God told Moses to send spies into Canaan . They were away
for forty days. When they returned, they affirmed that Canaan was a
good land, a land of milk and honey but too difficult to invade. The
inhabitants were seen to be too strong, and the places heavily fortified.
Caleb silenced the negative talk and declared that the Children of Israel
could take Canaan. ( Num 13 v 30 )
The people however, preferred to believe the bad report , that
Canaan would be impossible to take. They talked about going back to
Egypt. God's anger was aroused , and Moses had to pray for
forgiveness for the people ( ie Moses interceded for them ). They were
guilty of unbelief. Some of the Children of Israel - Korah , continued to
rebel against Moses and God. ( See Numbers 16 ) . God judged
them by allowing the earth to swallow up Korah and his associates,
others were burned by fire ( v 35 ) .
The Children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Zin , and God told
Moses that he should speak to the rock to provide water ( not strike the
rock as in Elim ). Instead of obeying God ( believing Him to provide
water through a verbal command ) , Moses twice struck the rock with
his rod. This displeased God , and Moses was not to enter the
Promised Land as a punishment for unbelief.
When the people grumbled again,God judged them by sending
fiery serpents to bite them. When some of them died , others repented
and Moses prayed for them. God told him to make a bronze serpent
and erect it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten by a serpent could look
up at the bronze serpent , and he would live ( Numb. 21 v 8 ) . This is
another Type of Christ . Indeed , Jesus referred to this in His
conversation with Nicodemus, telling him how he could be born again .
(See John 3 v 14).
On their travels , the Children of Israel defeated the Canaanites and
the Amorites ( See Numbers 21 v 25 ) . Nearby was Moab whose king
was Balak . He was worried when he heard about the exploits of the
Children of Israel. Balak consulted Balaam, who was recognised as a
diviner , someone who operated in the supernatural . Balak wanted
Balaam to curse the Children of Israel so he might be able to defeat
them in battle. God told Balaam not to curse them as they were blessed.
Balaam then explained this to Balaak and his princes, but they pleaded
with Balaam to come . Balaam then set out towards Moab on his
donkey, but this was against God's instructions. God had said to
Balaam - " If the men come to call thee, rise up and go with them ; but
the word which I say unto thee that shalt thou do ." ( Num 22 v 20 )
Balaam had set off for Moab without waiting for the Moabites to
call on him as God had instructed . God sent an angel to block
Balaam's path. The angel was invisible to Balaam, but his donkey
saw the angel, diverted her path and sat down. Balaam did not
understand why his donkey did this, so he hit her. God caused the
donkey to speak to Balaam ( Numbers 22 v 28 - 30 ) " ....What have I
done unto thee, that thou hast smittem me these three times ?
And Balaam said unto the ass: Because thou hast mocked me :
I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
And the ass said unto Balaam, Am I not thine ass, upon which
thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day ? was I ever
wont to do so unto thee ? And he said, Nay "
After this the Angel became visible to Balaam , who then saw the
error of his ways. He eventually went to Balak , but with God's
instructions, and affirmed to Balak that he would be unable to curse
the children of Israel . Balaam prophesied that Israel would be
victorious. Later he gets killed by the Children of Israel as they defeat
the Midianites ( Num 31 v 8 ) .
In Deuteronomy , Moses called the people together, to remind them
of the Ten Commandments , and warn them not to forget God , when
they enjoy life in the "Land of Milk and Honey" . Deut 6 v 4 - 5
" Hear, O Israel : The LORD our God is one LORD :
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and
with all thy soul , and with all thy might. "
In Deut 7 , the people were told that they will conquer the other nations.
They must not make any agreement with them, but must utterly
destroy them and all their idols. God promises them victory over their
enemies, and prosperity, if they obey His commands. They were
instructed to tithe ( give a tenth ) of their produce ( Deut 14 v 22 ) , and
cancel debts every seven years ( Deut 15 v 1 ) .
The people then had a stark choice laid before them - life or death,
blessings or curses. They were urged to "Choose Life" ( Deut 30 v 19 ).
Moses pronounced that Joshua is about to become the new leader.
( Deut 31 v 23 ) Moses pronounced a final blessing on the Children of
Israel before he died on Mount Nebo in Moab. However, this is not
the last we see of him !!!
Ch 4 . Joshua and the Judges of Israel .
Moses had died , and Joshua took over as leader. The people
affirmed their allegiance to him " According as we hearkened unto
Moses in all things, so we will hearken unto thee: ... " ( Joshua 1
v 17 ) - whether Joshua thought that was good or not !! Joshua sent
out two spies to view the Promised Land which they were approaching
, especially the walled city of Jericho which they were soon to conquer.
The spies came to Jericho , where they were hidden by Rahab the
prostitute. The spies told Rahab that she and her family would be
spared when the Children of Israel invaded it. However , the family
members had to stay in her house, and hang a scarlet cord out of the
window. Here we have another Type of Christ - Rahab's house was to
provide the safe refuge for all who were inside. Similarly, those who
are "in Christ" are saved. The scarlet cord hanging out of the window
represents the blood pouring out of the side of Jesus when He was on
the cross, as the spear was thrust into His side.
The Children of Israel crossed the Jordan , and approached
Jericho. In accordance with God's instructions, they marched round
the city for six days, with their priests blowing trumpets . The next day
they marched round , and the people gave a great shout. This brought
down the walls of Jericho ( Joshua 6 v 20 ). The Children of Israel
moved in to invade, killing everyone except Rahab and her family. God
had instructed the Children of Israel not to take any of the silver or gold
for themselves but to give to the Temple.
Rahab joined the Children of Israel. From her was descended
King David who we read about later, and ultimately , Jesus.
Achan of the family of Judah disobeyed the instruction not to
take silver for himself. He did, and as a result, God did not help the
Children of Israel in their next battle . They were defeated at nearby Ai .
After the sin was uncovered, Achan was stoned to death, and God's
anger was appeased. The Children of Israel went back to Ai, and with
God now helping them, they defeated the people of Ai. They defeated
many other armies in the region, much of which came under their
control. They would however, be harassed by neighbours in Philistia,
Moab and Midian.
Joshua Chapter 9 tells us how the nearby Gibeonites tricked
the Children of Israel into making a peace treaty. The Gibeonites
approached the Children of Israel, pretending to have come from
afar. The mistake Joshua made was not to consult God. When the
Children of Israel discovered that the Gibeonites were their neighbours,
it was too late. Joshua gained some recompense, as the Gibeonites
were made to be servants to the Children of Israel ( Josh 9 v 27 ).
However the Children of Israel were obliged to fight Gibeon's
enemies, as a result of the treaty . ( Joshua 10 v 6 )
The conquered land was divided into twelve regions for the twelve
tribes of Israel Reuben, Simeon , Judah , Issachar, Zebulun ,
Benjamin ( containing the city of Jerusalem ) , Dan ,
Asher , Gad , Naphtali ,
Joseph's son - Ephraim ,
Joseph's son - Manasseh .
The family of Levi were allocated cities instead of regions .
Joshua reminded the people to remain faithful to God , he then died.
After Joshua , God raised up Judges who would help the Children
of Israel after they had sinned. (We are now into the Book of Judges.)
There was a constant cycle of disobedience, God punishing them by
delivering them to oppressors, a Judge delivering them, complacency,
then disobedience again. As a punishment for disobedience , God
allowed the Children of Israel to be oppressed by Moab . They were
eventually rescued by the Judge Ehud who killed the Moabite King ,
Eglon . After falling back into sin, the people were then oppressed by
Jabin the King of Canaan. They cried out to God. The Judge at this
time was Deborah who prophesied to Barak that he should fight the
oppressor, and he did so, defeating Jabin ( Judges 4 v 24 ) .
Israel sinned again , and God allowed the Midianites to oppress
them , by destroying their vegetation. This caused Israel to turn back
to God , crying out to Him to deliver them. God sent His angel to
Gideon to tell him he ( Gideon ) would deliver Israel from the
Midianites. As Gideon was doubtful, he put God to the test . He laid a
fleece on the ground and asked God to make the fleece wet with dew
and the ground dry , as a proof of His calling for Gideon to deliver
Israel. God did this , but Gideon still doubted. He asked God as a
second test to make the fleece dry , but the ground wet. God did this
too. Gideon was then faithful to God's calling , and defeated the
Midianites. ( Judges 7 v 25 )
After falling into sin again , Israel was delivered to the Philistines
who ruled over them. God raised up another Judge - Samson. He
was endowed with exceptional physical strength from God , but
was never to have his hair cut. During his life, his strength enabled
him to kill many of the Philistine oppressors ( Judges 15 v 14-16 )
However , he fell into sin in Gaza ( a town in Philistia ) with a
prostitute called Delilah. She persuaded Samson to reveal the secret of
his strength - his long hair. As he slept , she called on a man to cut
off his hair and he lost his physical strength. He was arrested by the
Philistines who blinded him. He was imprisoned and put to work as a
grinder.
The Philistines wanted to celebrate the capture of their adversary
Samson, and brought him to their pagan temple for show. ( The
Philistines worshipped the idol Dagon ) . As Samson's hair had grown
again , he regained his strength. He managed to position himself
between two pillars in the temple. With a push he brought down the
temple, killing himself and many Philistines inside.
" ... So the dead which he slew at his death were
more than they which he slew in his life. " ( Judges 16 v 30 ) .
The Children of Israel continued to sin. Micah from Ephraim made
an idol and had a Levite living with him who he made a priest. The
Danites ( from the family of Dan ) stole the idols and they themselves
committed the sin of idolatry. The tribe of Benjamin also sinned ,
( Judges 20 v 4-5 ) , but many in it were destroyed in Battle with the
rest of Israel ( Judges 20 v 46-48 ) .
At the time of the Judges there was a famine in Israel, and Elimelech
from Judah and his family journeyed into Moab. ( We're now in the
Book of Ruth ). His wife was Naomi and they had two sons Mahlon
and Chilion . The two sons married girls from Moab. In Moab
Elimelech and the two sons died. Naomi decided to return to Judah ,
and Ruth , the widow of Mahlon accompanied Naomi . Although
Ruth was an outsider from Moab, she found faith in God . She said
to Naomi " Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after
thee : for whither thou goest , I will go ; and where thou lodgest , I
will lodge : thy people shall be my people , and thy God my God :"
( Ruth 1 v 16 ) . Elimelech was related to a wealthy man named Boaz.
Boaz owned servants who worked in fields presumably belonging to
Boaz. The land belonging to Elimelech to which Ruth should be heir
( as she was Mahlon's widow ) was put up for sale by Naomi. Boaz
knew about Ruth and her kindness to Naomi . Boaz saw that whoever was to buy the land had to buy it from Ruth as it was her
inheritance. Boaz himself bought the land, and married Ruth. This
would raise up another family who would continue to inherit the land.
( Ruth 4 v 9 ) - " And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the
people, Ye are witnesses this day , that I have bought all that was
Elimelech's , and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand
of Naomi.
Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I
purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon this
inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his
brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day. "
Boaz , commonly known as the "Kinsman Redeemer" is another
Type of Christ . Ruth who was outside of the Covenant of the
Children of Israel, was brought into the family by Boaz ( just as
Rahab was earlier on . ) As we see later on , Jesus calls all
( including those on the "outside" ) to follow Him .
Also without Boaz , the land would have been sold outside
Elimilech's family ( as his sons had died childless ). As with Rahab ,
Ruth and Boaz would raise children from whom King David
and Jesus were descended.
Ch 5. Prophets and Kings of Israel and Judah, before the exile
The prophet Samuel was born to Elkanah and Hannah , as an
answer to prayer , after Hannah had been barren for many years.
Elkanah lived in the mountains of Ephraim .
Samuel was dedicated to do God's work , and lived with the
priest Eli. One night Samuel heard the audible voice of God. He
thought it was Eli calling . After Samuel replied to Eli a few times,
Eli soon realised that God was calling Samuel and instructed Samuel
to respond - " .. Speak LORD ; for thy servant heareth. .."
( 1 Samuel 3 v 9 ) .
God told Samuel that He would judge Eli for allowing his sons
to sin. As time progressed , Eli died and Samuel was recognised to
be a prophet in all of Israel ( 1 Sam 3 v 20 ).
Israel suffered raids from their Philistine neighbours who stole
the Ark of the Covenant. They put the Ark of the Covenant next
to a statue of their Idol, Dagon. One morning, they found Dagon's
statue fallen over, bowing before the Ark of the Covenant. They
re-erected Dagon's statue , but the next morning they found it
had fallen over again, this time with its head and hands broken off.
God then judged the Philistines by striking them with sicknesses.
The Philistines returned the Ark to Israel , hoping to avert any
further judgement from God ( 1 Sam 5 ).
Samuel was also a judge over Israel ( 1 Sam 7 v 15 ) , and his
sons also became judges when he was old ( 1 Sam 8 v 1 ). However ,
his sons were corrupt , and the people of Israel wanted Samuel to
raise up a king for them ( which they never had before ). Saul from
the tribe of Benjamin was anointed king by Samuel. Asking for a
king was seen as a sinful act , ( 1 Sam 8 v 6-7 , 10 v 19 ) but Samuel
obliged nevertheless.
Saul disobeyed God. He authorised a burnt offering without
waiting for Samuel ( 1 Sam 13 v 8 - 14 ) . He then spared King Agag
contrary to God's instructions after Israel defeated the Amalekites.
God then rejected Saul as king ( 1 Sam 16 v 1 ).
God then sent Samuel to Jesse ( who was the grandson of Ruth
and Boaz we read about earlier, so was descended from the line of
Judah ) . Samuel met Jesse and his three eldest sons . Possibly Jesse
thought that one of these was to be the next king. No - God told
Samuel that none of these were to be king . As an afterthought, Jesse
brought out the youngest son David who was tending the sheep.
When David came in , God told Samuel , " Arise , anoint him:
for this is he. " ( 1 Sam 16 v 12 ) .
The Philistines continued to make trouble for Israel. They had
a warrior called Goliath, a giant who was about nine feet high. He
challenged Israel to find a man who would fight him. David , still
only a boy then, rose to the challenge. This would appear foolhardy
to the casual observer, as in the natural realm , David would not
have stood a chance against this fighting man. David however
confessed his faith to Goliath - " .... I come to thee in the name of
the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou
has defied. " ( 1 Sam 17 v 45 ) . David used his sling ( a catapult )
with a stone to kill Goliath, then he went over to Goliath and cut
off his head ( using Goliath's sword ). The Children of Israel then
pursued and defeated the Philistines.
David was honoured in Israel, but Saul was jealous of the
success and adoration David received. Saul tried to kill David
by throwing his spear at him , but missed. However David married
Saul's daughter Michal, and forged a friendship with Saul's son
Jonathan. Saul then sent men to David's house to kill him,
but David escaped through a window ( 1 Sam 19 v 11-12 ). David
then fled from Saul. He even went to live with the Philistines for
a while, attacking the Amalekites ( 1 Sam 27 ). In the meantime ,
Samuel died, and the Philistines were getting ready to fight Israel.
Saul sinned again by contacting the dead Samuel via a medium ,
asking for help , but there was nothing Samuel could do, as God had
rejected Saul. The practice of consulting mediums is very dangerous,
and people are warned against it in the severest terms.
Samuel told Saul about his impending death. The Philistines closed
in on Saul. Three of his sons including Jonathan were killed ,and Saul
himself was injured by one of the Philistine archers. Saul killed
himself by falling on his sword, rather than be killed by the
Philistines ( 1 Sam 31 v 4 ) .
After mourning the deaths of Saul and Jonathan , David went
to Judah, where he was anointed as king ( over Judah )
( 2 Sam 2 v 4 ). Saul's other son Ishbosheth was made king over
the rest of Israel ( 2 Sam 2 v 10 ) . Israel and Judah were at war , and
Abner who was in charge of Saul's army had supported Ishbosheth .
However , after Ishbosheth accused Abner of going after a woman ,
Abner was offended and joined forces with David. Abner reunited
David with his wife Michal ( although she had married someone else
in the meantime ). Abner was then killed by Joab , who was a leader
in David's army. This was in revenge for killing his brother Asahel
in a battle earlier on. ( 2 Sam 3 v 30 ).
Ishbosheth the king of Israel was then murdered, and David
became king of all Israel. He then fought another successful battle
against the Philistines.
David then led a procession to take the Ark of the Covenant
to Jerusalem. Uzzah was one of the men driving the cart on which the
Ark was making its journey. During the journey Uzzah held on to the
Ark to keep it steady, but was struck down by God for this. At the
end of the journey, David praised God by dancing before Him,
much to the displeasure of Michal ( 2 Sam 6 v 16 ) . As she was
critical of the way David worshipped God, Michal remained childless
for the rest of her life.
David continued to worship God , acknowledging His
goodness, ( See 2 Sam 7 v 18-29 ) . He continued to be successful
in battle defeating the Philistines and Moabites (amongst others) .
However, David fell into sin. On the roof of his house he saw
Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah and was attracted to her. David sent
a letter to Joab , the captain of his army instructing that Uriah should
be placed at the forefront of the battle (intending that Uriah be killed) .
This happened , and after Bathsheba mourned Uriah, David took her
to be his wife.
Of course, David's sin was not hidden from God , who sent
Nathan the prophet to confront David. It appears that David had
already had a few wives , but he was guilty of murder.
" Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee King over
Israel , and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul ; And I gave
thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom ,
and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah ; and if that had been
too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such
things.....
......... thou hast killed Uriah theHittite with the sword "
( 2 Sam 12 v 7-9 ). David then admitted his sin and repented.
Psalm 51 is a record of David's repentance - " Create in me a clean
heart, O God ; and renew a right spirit within me . " ( Ps 51 v 10 ).
God rescinded the judgement He had pronounced on David through
Nathan , but told him that his child born to Bathsheba would die. This
happened in spite of David's prayers.
Bathsheba was later to bring David a second son, called Solomon.
Solomon was to be the next king of Israel, including Judah.
David had other sons , Absalom and Ammon . Absalom set
himself up as judge over Israel , to handle disputes. Absalom gained
in popularity and set out to usurp David's authority as king. David then
fled from Jerusalem and Absalom. Absalom took control of the army ,
making Amasa the captain , instead of Joab who was with David.
David had a few thousand followers, a third who were put under
Joab's command. As David's and Absalom's armies were to fight ,
David asked Joab and the other captains to be merciful to Absalom
should he be caught. ( Earlier on, David was also merciful to Saul , as
he could have killed him as he spied Saul while on the run . ) David's
army won the battle, and as Absalom was riding through the forest, he
got caught in a tree. Joab heard about it , and despite David's request
for mercy , Joab thrust three spears through Absalom, and Joab's
armour bearers killed him.
I have pondered as to whether Absalom hanging on the tree was
another Type of Christ. There are similarities. Absalom hung on the
tree " ... taken up between the heaven and the earth " (2 Sam 18 v 9) .
Jesus hung on the cross, paying the price for our sins. He came
between heaven and earth , providing that bridge for man on earth to
have access to God who is in heaven . Both Absalom and Christ had
spears thrust through them . Despite this, there are also obvious
differences because Absalom was following his sinful ambition,
whereas Jesus was following God's plan to save us. Jesus was "....obedient unto death , even the death of the cross". ( Phil 2 v 8 ) .
David mourned for Absalom , but Joab saw it as an insult to
himself and the others who had remained loyal to David. David
returned to Jerusalem , and Joab became leader of the whole army
of Israel. Later David and his men fought and killed more Philistine
giants. One of them had six fingers on each hand and six toes on
each foot. ( 2 Sam 21 v 20 ) . David continued to acknowledge God
as his Rock and the source of his success. ( 2 Sam 22 ).
When David became old, in accordance with Bathsheba's wishes,
he pronounced that their son Solomon would be the next king.
Adonijah (one of David's other sons) tried to make himself king , but
was unsuccessful . Later on he was executed by Solomon when
Solomon became King.
King David is accredited with many of the Psalms (songs) which
we find in our Bibles . David expresses his faith and trust in God , yet
also his "ups and downs" Psalm 1 - Blessings for living God's way .
Psalm 3 - David called to God for help when up against enemies.
( possibly while on the run from Absalom )
Psalm 27 - David expresses his ultimate purpose in life - his
relationship with God - " One thing have I desired
of the LORD, that I will seek after ; that I may dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the
beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. " ( v 4 )
Psalm 42 - David is looking for God ( thirsting for Him )
Psalm 51 - David asks for forgiveness and mercy after he sinned
with Bathsheba and killing Uriah , as we read a few
moments ago.
King David died and Solomon became king in his place, over
all of Israel , including Judah ( 1 Kings 2 v 12 ) . Solomon continued
to walk with God, just as his father David did. Solomon married the
daughter of an Egyptian Pharoah and brought her to Jerusalem. God
appeared to Solomon in a dream , asking him what he would like.
Solomon asked for wisdom, and God who was pleased with that
request granted Solomon wisdom, and also riches for which he had
not asked ( 1 Kings 3 v 12-13 ).
King Solomon demonstrated his wisdom when two prostitues
came to him , both claiming to be the mother of a certain baby.
Solomon suggested that a sword be used to divide the baby into
two. The woman who protested at this was seen to be the real mother.
( 1 Kings 3 v 16-27 )
Solomon enjoyed material wealth, and built the Temple of God.
It was elaborate , described in 1 Kings chapters 6 and 7. The Ark of
the Covenant was brought into the temple. Solomon then prayed
and dedicated the Temple to God. God then appeared again to
Solomon, encouraging him and Israel to obey God , and enjoy His
blessings ( 2 Chronicles chapters 6 and 7 also tell of this ). Solomon
was also warned that if he and Israel disobeyed God, He would
punish them, and their neighbours would see their reproach.
Solomon has two or three books in the Bible ( under God's
inspiration of course ) attributed to him 1) Proverbs, - This is a collection of wise sayings - setting out
God's priciples for a good life centred upon Him " Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him , and he shall
direct thy paths." ( Prov 3 v 5-6 ) . Proverbs goes on
to emphasise the importance of honesty , humility etc.
2) Song of Solomon , ( also known as "Song of Songs" ) This is seen as one of the more difficult books of the
Bible, taking the form of an imaginary dialogue between
lovers within the Hebrew Community. This is seen to
illustrate God's love for His people.
and 3) possibly Ecclesiastes - The writer initially views life
from the perspective of the person without God. In Chapter 2 he
admits to seeking worldly pleasures - and find that they do not
satisfy. As the book progresses, the writer reveals his conclusion
that life can be enjoyed when God is at the centre.
Solomon had a visit from the Queen of Sheba ( Sheba was where
Yemen is now - the southern part of Saudi Arabia ) . The Queen of
Sheba had heard about Solomon's wealth and wisdom with which
God had blessed him. She wanted to know more, and after meeting
Solomon she became a believer in God. " And she said to the king , It was a true
report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
Howbeit I believed not thy words , until I came, and mine eyes had
seen it: and, behold the half was not told me : thy wisdom and
prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set
thee on the throne of Israel : because the LORD loved Israel for
ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice".
( 1 Kings 10 v 6-9 )
Solomon loved many of the women from Moab , Ammon,
Edom and Sidon with whom God forbade intermarriage. Because
of this, Solomon turned away from God. God judged Solomon and
told him that he would lose his kingdom, except one tribal land - Judah,
which would be given to his son Rehoboam .
God raised up people to oppose Solomon, including his servant
Jeroboam. Solomon died and Rehoboam became king after him.
Rehoboam ignored complaints from Israel about hardships they had to
endure , so they rejected Rehoboam as king and killed his servant
Adoram ( 1 Kings 12 , 2 Chron. 10 ). Rehoboam remained king over
the tribal land of Judah, and Jeroboam was accepted as King over the
remaining lands in Israel. Jeroboam turned to Idolatry and continued to
sin against God, so God judged him too.
Jeroboam died, and his son Nadab became king of Israel.
Rehoboam died, and his son Abijam became king of Judah.
The royal succession was as follows Israel - Nadab , Baasha , Elah , Zimri , Omri , Ahab .
Judah - Abijam, Asa, Jehoshaphat , Jehoram, Ahaziah.
In the meantime, God raised up, and performed miracles through
the prophet Elijah . Elijah met a poor widow, who , after a kind act
towards him, had her flour and oil supply miraculously maintained so
that she would never run out. Then the widow's son died , and through
Elijah , God brought him to life again. Elijah then went to confront King
Ahab over his idolatry and Baal worship. Elijah challenged Ahab to
gather all of Israel and the prophets of Baal on to Mount Carmel. Elijah
challenged the Children of Israel to accept the True God " And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt
ye between two opinions ? if the LORD be God , follow him:
but if Baal , then follow him. And the people answered him not
a word." (1 Kings 18 v 21 )
Then two sacrifices were erected - one for Baal , one for God.
Whoever "answereth by fire" ( 1 Kings 18 v 24 ) would be seen
to be the True God. The prophets of Baal called upon their god to
burn up their sacrifice, but nothing happened. Elijah then had his
sacrifice drenched with water. He then prayed to God to show
Himself as the True God. God sent fire to burn the sacrifice. The
Children of Israel then turned back to God, and Elijah killed the
prophets of Baal .
The drought that Elijah had prayed for now ended. King Ahab
reported the day's events to his wife Jezebel who sent a message to
Elijah declaring her intention to kill him. Elijah fled. As he was on the
run, God met him - firstly by sending food and water via an angel, then
speaking to him directly as he slept in a cave. God told Elijah that
he should anoint Elisha as the next prophet . Elijah obeyed , throwing
his mantle over Elisha who followed him. Elijah's work was not over
yet. God then called Elijah to confront King Ahab about killing Naboth
for his vineyard. Ahab then repented before God.
Elijah knew he was about to depart to heaven and he asked Elisha" Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee."
( 2 Kings 2 v 9 ) . Elisha asked that "a double portion of thy spirit
be upon me. " This was granted , the sign being that Elisha saw Elijah
being carried up to heaven.
Elisha performed miracles, just as his predecessor did. When
some youths shouted insults at him "bald-head", he cursed them in
the name of the Lord. The youths were then mauled by bears.
( 2 Kings 2 v 23-24 ) . An elderly woman had shown him hospitality.
She had never borne a son. Elisha told her that she would give birth to
a son in about a year. This happened , but in a few years the child died.
The woman sent for Elisha, through whom God raised the child back to
life. Other miracles included the healing of Naaman the leper, and the
recovery of a loose axe head by making it float on the water.
The monarchies continued as follows Israel - Ahab , Jehu , Jehoahaz , Jehoash , Jeroboam II ,
Zechariah ,Shallum, Menahem , Pekahiah,
Pekah , Hoshea , ( then the exile of Israel )
Judah - Jehoshaphat , Jehoram, Ahaziah , Joash,
Amaziah , Azariah , Uzziah , Jotham , Ahaz ,
Hezekiah, Manasseh , Amon , Josiah , Jehoahaz,
Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin , Zedekiah ( then the exile of Judah )
During the reign of Uzziah in Judah , God raised up the shepherd
boy Amos to be another prophet. Amos brought God's word of rebuke
to the surrounding nations - Gaza , Edom , Moab for their violent
conduct towards others. Amos then turned his attention to Israel
for her injustices to the poor , and failure to honour God.
" Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,
saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts. " (Amos 5 v 27)
God is however redemptive in His nature, and always looks to put
things right. To this end , Amos is able to prophesy that the Israelite
exiles will return to their homeland .
" And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they
shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and drink the wine thereof: they shall also make gardens,
and eat the fruit of them .
And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no
more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith
the LORD thy God." ( Amos 9 v 14-15 )
Around the time of Jeroboam II ( but has been subject to debate )
there lived the prophet Jonah . 2 Kings 14 v 25 talks about the
prophecy through "Jonah, the son of Ammitai " .
The book of Jonah tells us that God instructed Jonah to go
and preach to Nineveh, part of the then Assyrian Empire. The Ninevites
had sinned against God. Jonah disobeyed , and tried to escape
from God by boat, sailing from Joppa. God caused a storm to
unsettle the ship . The other sailors who were pagans called upon their
gods and were surprised that Jonah was not calling on his God.
Then the sailors drew lots to see who was to blame for the storm.
Jonah picked the "short straw". He then told the sailors about his God.
" And he said unto them , I am an Hebrew ; and I fear the LORD, the
God of heaven , which hath made the sea and the dry land. "
( Jonah 1 v 9 ) . Even though Jonah had disobeyed God , God used this
to draw the other pagan sailors to Himself . Jonah 1 v 14-16 tells us that
the sailors then acknowledged God as the true God. In accordance with
Jonah's request , they threw him overboard and the storm subsided.
God then caused a large fish ( whale - see Matt 12 v 40 below )
to swallow Jonah. He spent three days and three nights in the belly of
the whale. This is another Type of Christ . Jesus even made reference
to this Himself ( Matt 12 v 40 ) " For as Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly ; so shall the Son of man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth. " ( N.B. - "Jonah" is
spelt "Jonas" in the King James Version ) . Jonah prayed to God from
inside the fish. He confessed that "Salvation is of the LORD ."
(Jonah 2 v 9) . God then caused the fish to spit Jonah out onto dry land.
God re-iterated His command to Jonah to go to Nineveh and
preach. This time he obeyed and went to Nineveh , preaching God's
message of impending judgement. The people of Nineveh repented,
fasted and turned to God , so that He averted His judgement.
Jonah was displeased at God's mercy towards Nineveh , who
were not in Jonah's opinion worthy of it. God provided a plant to
shelter Jonah from the sun , which he was glad to sit under. Then
God caused a worm to eat the plant and cause it to wither. Jonah
was angry again , but God used this as a lesson to Jonah .
" Then said the LORD , Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which
thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow ; which came up in a
night, and perished in a night :
And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city , wherein are more
than sixscore thousand persons that connot discern between their
right hand and their left hand ; and also much cattle ? "
( Jonah 4 v 10-11 )
Going back to Israel, she herself sinned against God. God
therefore allowed the Israelites to be invaded by the Assyrians, then
taken captive to Assyria ( more about this in the next chapter ) .
Assyria was the land north of Israel , where Syria and Iraq are now.
Judah was then attacked by Sennacherib the King of Assyria.
Judah avoided total capture and exile at this stage, with King Hezekiah
giving silver and gold to Sennacherib . The King of Assyria Sennacherib urged the people of Judah to surrender to him , and
not to listen to Hezekiah or trust God to protect them . Isaiah was
prophet in Judah at this time. He prophesied that God would protect
Judah from Assyria ( 2 Kings 19 v 6- 7 ) .
Isaiah told Hezekiah that he should "put his house in order" , as he
was about to die. After Hezekiah prayed to God, his life was extended
by fifteen years. ( 2 Kings 20 v 4-6 )
Isaiah expressed God's displeasure for Judah's meaningless
sacrifices. He urged Judah to "cease to do evil" ( Isaiah 1 v 16 ) .
Isaiah foretold judgement on Judah , but also restoration. Isaiah 53
gives a Messianic Prophecy about the Suffering Servant (Jesus) who
would take the penalty of our sins - " All we like sheep have gone
astray ; we have turned every one to his own way ; and the LORD
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all . " (Isaiah 53 v 6 )
Later on, Jehoiakim became King of Judah . At this time , God
raised up Jeremiah as prophet. Jeremiah urged Israel to repent.
( Jeremiah 3 v 13-14 ) He wrote God's message on a scroll via his
servant Baruch . King Jehoiakim had the scrolls cut up and burned
( Jeremiah 36 v 23 ) . Jeremiah had new scrolls written ( 36 v 32 ).
As we see in the next chapter, God judged Jehoiakim . Jeremiah also
prophesied that God would make a New Covenant with Israel and
Judah ( Jer 31 v 31 ). This is looking ahead to Jesus.
Jeremiah was imprisoned for his troubles ( Jer. 37 v 15 ).
Ch 6. The exile - Israel to Assyria and Judah to Babylon
The Children of Israel were carried away captive to Assyria
( 2 Kings 17 v 23 ) .
Jehoiakim was king of Judah, and he sinned against God, so
God allowed Judah to be oppressed by King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon. He brought his army to Jerusalem to besiege it. He burned
many buildings in Jerusalem , and carried the inhabitants of Judah
captive to Babylon. This is also recorded in 2 Chronicles 36 .
Among the captives of Judah, God raised up Ezekiel as a prophet.
He was living in Chaldea , in the Babylonian empire . He had visions ,
and spoke God's word to the Children of Israel and Judah. They had
provoked God to anger. God was judging Judah ( Ezekiel 8 v 17-28 )
and Israel ( Ezekiel 11 v 5- 10 ) but will bring back the exiles
( Ezekiel 11 v 17-18 ) .
Ezekiel was led by God's Spirit through whom he had visions.
In one vision, Ezekiel saw himself in a valley of dry bones - signifying
the House of Israel. Ezekiel was to prophesy to the dry bones , and
when he did , they came to life ( Ezekiel Ch 37 ) .
Another prophet was raised up out of Judah's captives - Daniel.
He, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were chosen to be servants of
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. God gave to Daniel special wisdom
and knowledge , so that he could interpret dreams. Nebuchadnezzar
had a dream which only Daniel could interpret. This dream was of a
statue consisting of Gold, Silver , Bronze , iron and clay. Daniel also
knew what the dream was, without being told. In the dream , a stone
struck the statue and broke it. The interpretation was that man would set
up his own kingdoms, but they would all fall. God was setting up His
Kingdom which would never fall. At this, Nebuchadnezzar
acknowledged God as the "God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a
revealer of secrets " ( Daniel 2 v 47 ). Daniel and his friends Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah ( now called Shadrach , Meshach and Abed-nego
respectively ) were promoted in the King's heirarchy of servants.
Daniel also had the name Belteshazzar given to him .
Sadly, Nebuchadnezzar forgot about God and made a golden idol.
He commanded that all Babylon's inhabitants should bow down and
worship it, when they heard the music . Shadrach , Meshach and
Abed-nego refused to do so and were brought before the king. ( The
scripture does not mention Daniel at this time ) . King Nebuchadnezzar
threatened to throw Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego into the fiery
furnace. In their reply they honoured God - " If it be so , our God
whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,
and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee O King , that we will not serve
thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. "
(Daniel 3 v 17-18)
True to his threat , Nebuchadnezzar filled with rage had the furnace
heated seven times more than normal , and his men tied up Shadrach ,
Meshach and Abed-nego ready to throw them into the furnace. The
furnace was so hot , that the men holding Shadrach , Meshach and
Abed-nego were burned by the flames . Shadrach , Meshach and
Abed-nego fell into the furnace.
If you remember what we said earlier on in the book, the
Christophany is the physical appearance of Christ in the Old Testament.
We came across two earlier - Melchizedek who appeared to Abraham
( while he was still called Abram ) and the Man who wrestled with
Jacob. The next Christophany appears right here in the fiery furnace.
King Nebuchadnezzar had a surprise as he looked in . He said to his
officials, " Did we not cast three men, bound into the midst of the
fire ? They answered and said unto the king, True , O king.
He answered and said, Lo , I see four men loose , walking in the
midst of the fire, and they have no hurt ; and the form of the fourth
is like the Son of God. " ( Daniel 3 v 24-25 )
Shadrach , Meshach and Abed-nego emerged from the furnace
intact , and Nebuchadnezzar praised God again , and commended
Shadrach , Meshach and Abed-nego for their faithfulness to God.
Shadrach , Meshach and Abed-nego were promoted again.
Nebuchadnezzar has another dream , about a beautiful tree with
lots of fruit, but it is cut down ( Daniel 4 v 13-17 ) . Again, Daniel was
the only person able to interpret the dream. Its meaning was that God
is going to judge Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel urged him to turn from
his sin . However, pride led Nebuchadnezzar to see himself as supreme
(although he should have known better after his previous encounters
with God). Nebuchadnezzar was driven out of his palace and went to
live in the fields. After God's judgement at the end of Chapter 4 ,
Nebuchadnezzar again acknowledges God as supreme.
Nebuchadnezzar's son Belshazzar became king in his place.
Belshazzar did not acknowledge God , but worshipped idols. He was
giving a feast for his officials, when a hand appeared , and wrote on
the wall . Daniel was the only person who could interpret the
writing . It said that Belshazzar was not acknowledging God, therefore
he would be deposed, and his kingdom given to the Medes and the
Persians. This took place that very night, and Darius the Mede became
king. ( Again Belshazzar should have known better, because he was
aware of what happened to his father - (Daniel 5 v 18-22) )
Daniel was now an official in the Kingdom , and his colleagues
became envious of him. To cause trouble for him, they persuaded King
Darius to pass a decree forbidding prayer ( petitioning ) to anyone
except the King. Whosoever broke this law was to be cast into the
lion's den. When they found Daniel praying, they reported him to King
Darius, who reluctantly had to put Daniel into the lion's den. King
Darius affirmed to Daniel " Thy God whom thou servest continually,
he will deliver thee ." ( Daniel 6 v 16 ) . This proved to be so, for the
next morning Daniel was unharmed, reporting that God had sent His
angel to close the lion's mouths.
King Darius then sent Daniel's accusers to the lion's den,
with their families , where they were all destroyed by the lions. King
Darius then made a new decree - " ... That in every dominion of my
kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel ; for he is the
living God , and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall
not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. "
( Dan. 6 v 26 ) . ( N.B. above word "stedfast" spelled this way in KJV )
The Book of Daniel then moves away from the Narrative, and
focusses on visions and prophecies. The visions are similar in some
ways to those given to John in the Book of Revelation. Daniel 7 v 7
talks about a Ten Horned Creature . Revelation 12 v 3 talks about a red
dragon with seven heads and ten horns. Daniel 7 v 9 talks about the
"Ancient of Days" . He had a garment "white as snow", and his hair
was like wool. Revelation 1 v 14 talks of Jesus' hair "white like wool" .
Daniel had a Vision of Christ ( reference type 4 as looked at earlier ) .
However, it gets a bit more complicated , because Daniel also sees
"one like the Son of man" ( Daniel 7 v 13 ) who comes to the
"Ancient of Days " . This "Son of Man" has " an everlasting
dominion ...and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."
( Daniel 7 v 14 ) . Daniel had further visions - a Ten Horned
creature ( Daniel 7 v 19-20 compare Revelation 12 v 3 ) , a Ram
( Daniel 8 v 3 ) , whose two horns , signifying the Mede and Persian
Empires, were broken by a Goat, representing the Greek Empire.
( Dan 8 v 5-7 , 20-21 ) .
Daniel then prays for his people the Jews, acknowledging that
they have sinned against God. He asked God for forgiveness.
Later Daniel saw the archangel Gabriel and another " .. clothed in
linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz ; "
( Daniel 10 v 5 ) . This other man confirmed that Daniel's prayer had
been heard, but he and archangel Michael had been in contention with
" the prince of the kingdom of Perisa .." who " withstood me one
and twenty days " ( Dan 10 v 13 ) .
Daniel then receives visions of the King of the North, and King
of the South, who go to war with each other. Daniel then prophesies
about end times, and the coming judgment resulting in "everlasting
life" or "everlasting contempt" ( Dan 12 v 2 ).
So at this time , the Jews are living in what was Babylon ,but
now the Persian Empire . In one town Shushan , the Jew Mordecai
lived . He was originally descended from the Benjamites , but his
great grandfather Kish had been brought into Babylon with
Jerusalem's people ( Esther 2 v 6 ) . Mordecai had a cousin called
Esther who had no parents, so he brought her up . As she found
favour with King Ahasuerus ( also known as Xerxes ), she became
Queen. Mordecai became aware of an assassination attempt on the
king, and warned him via Queen Esther. The attempt was foiled and
the perpetrators executed. ( Esther 2 v 21-23 )
Esther and Mordecai had an arch enemy Haman, who wanted to
kill all the Jews. Haman had been promoted, and was a high ranking
official . Haman managed to persuade King Ahasuerus to write an
irrevocable decree that all the Jews should be killed. ( King Ahasuerus
was not aware of Queen Esther's Jewish background. ) Haman had
also built a gallows on which he wanted to hang Mordecai.
Mordecai told Esther of the King's decree against the Jews. She
invited the King and Haman to a feast . At the feast, Queen Esther
told the King of her concerns for her people the Jews who were all
to be killed . In the meantime , the King became aware that it was
Mordecai who originally warned Queen Esther about the attempt on
his life. King Ahasuerus wanted to honour Mordecai for this.
King Ahasuerus then heard about the gallows Haman had built for
Mordecai, so ordered that Haman be hanged on those gallows
himself.
King Ahasuerus then authorised a second decree written by
Mordecai ( Esther 8 v 8-10 ) . This was for the Jews to arm
themselves against anyone who would seek to destroy them .
( Esther 8 v 11 ). This happened , the Jews were victorious over their
enemies ( Esther 9 v 1 ) and Mordecai was made second in command
after the King ( Esther 10 v 3 ).
In Shushan, the Jew Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King
Artaxerxes. He had heard about Jerusalem laid waste, its walls
destroyed and gates burned with fire ( Neh. 1 v 3 ) . The news had
left him sad, and appearing so in the presence of the King was an
offence which could be punishable by death . Nehemiah then
prayed , acknowledging that his people the Jews had sinned. He also
asked for mercy for when he had to enter the King's presence looking
despondent. The king asked Nehemiah why he was sad . Nehemiah
explained his concern for Jerusalem , asking permission to go there
so he could rebuild the walls. This was granted, and Nehemiah went
to Jerusalem , and also became a governor of Judah ( Neh 5 v 14 ).
He ensured a system of fairness , rebuking those officials who would
exploit others ( Neh. 5 v 7 ) . Despite much opposition through
intimidation and trickery , Nehemiah led a working party to repair the
wall . He prayed for God's help which resulted in God's protection,
and success in the wall's restoration.
Ch 7. The return of the exiles.
The Persian Empire then had a king - Cyrus , who acknowledged
God , and heard God's command for him to return the captive Jews
to Jerusalem ( Ezra Chapters 1 and 2 ) . The Temple in Jerusalem was
rebuilt , and dedicated to God ( Ezra 6 v 15-16 ) . Ezra was a scribe
( ie Jewish Teacher who possibly wrote copies of the Scriptures ) ,
who returned to Jerusalem , and sought to encourage the Jews to
observe God's Laws. ( Ezra 7 v 6 , 10 ) . After Nehemiah's working
party had completed the wall, Ezra read the Law of Moses to the
exiles who had returned to Jerusalem in the meantime ( Neh. Ch 8 ) .
Nehemiah dedicated the restored wall to God , and the Covenant
was reaffirmed, after the Jews confessed their sins ( Neh. Ch 9 ) .
The Jews had been in exile for about a hundred and sixty years.
The Jews had intermarried with those outside of the faith
( Ezra Ch. 9 ). Ezra prayed for forgiveness for his people and urged
them to put away their non-Jewish wives ( Ezra 9 v 5-15 , 10v11 ) .
The people responded positively ( Ezra 10 v 18-19 ).
Ch 8 . More Prophets after the exile
The prophet Joel spoke to the Jews referring to the plague of
locusts which had troubled them. It would appear that they had sinned
against God again, and this was His judgement on them. Joel urged
the people to turn to God with weeping and fasting ( Joel 2 v 12 ) .
God then promises His blessings in the future . " And I will restore to
you the years that the locust hath eaten ..... " . ( Joel 2 v 25 ).
" .. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh ....." .( Joel 2 v 28 )
The prophet Malachi brought God's rebuke to the Jews
for their unclean sacrifices ( Mal. 1 v 7 ) which had insulted God,
and their exploitation of others ( Mal. 3 v 5 ) . God reminded His
people that He does not change ( Mal. 3 v 6 ), and rebukes them for
failing to pay their tithes. (A tithe is one tenth of one's income/
produce) . He challenges His people to "Bring ye all the tithes into
the storehouse ...." and see God " .. pour you out a blessing ...."
( Mal 3 v 10 ) .
In Malachi 4 v 5, God promises to send "Elijah the Prophet"
( commonly thought to symbolise John the Baptist ) . There was now
to be a period of about 400 years where no Prophetic word was given
by God to His people ( or recorded in the Scriptures as such ) . John
the Baptist was the pointer to Jesus as His contemporary. Although
we read about John the Baptist in the New Testament Gospels , he
was regarded as the last of the Old Testament prophets. This was
because the invitation to follow Jesus ( ie New Testament ) was only
given as Jesus started His ministry.
PART 2 - THE NEW TESTAMENT
Ch 9. Christ and the Gospels
Four separate accounts of Jesus are given in the Bible Matthew, Mark , Luke and John ( the four Gospels ).
In the meantime, the Romans had invaded Israel, incorporating
it into their province "Judaea".
Matthew Ch. 1 lists the descendants ( "Royal Line" ) from
Abraham, including the Kings of Judah. As we read the list, we see
the names Hezekiah , Josiah , etc.. Matthew 1 also lists those
descendants during and after the exile. This list ends with another
Joseph who was engaged to Mary. During the engagement the Holy
Spirit came upon Mary, a virgin by whom she became pregnant.
Joseph did not understand that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
Joseph suspected other reasons, and sought to end the engagement.
Then an angel appeared to him in a dream , explaining that he should
go ahead and marry Mary , as her pregnancy was by the Holy Spirit
( Matt. 1 v 20 ) .The child born was to be called "Jesus" meaning
"Saviour" , because " ..he shall save his people from their sins. "
( Matt 1 v 21 )
Mary had a cousin called Elizabeth who was married to
Zacharias the priest . Unlike Mary , they were old and had no children.
Zacharias was in the temple when he saw the Angel Gabriel who told
him that Elizabeth would give birth. However, Zacharias was
sceptical, and the angel told him that because of his unbelief , he
would be unable to speak until the child was born. The child was
John the Baptist . ( See Luke 1 v 5-21 )
In the meantime Joseph and the pregnant Mary had to go to
Bethlehem to register for a Census ordered by the Roman Emperor
Caesar Augustus. They were unable to find accommodation, except
for a stable at the back of an inn. In a manger ( a horse trough ) , Mary
gave birth to Jesus. As this happened , an angel appeared to shepherds
telling them of the good news of Jesus' birth. They were invited to go
to Bethlehem to see for themselves, the Baby Jesus ( Luke 2 v 8-20 ).
A revelation was also given to the Magi ( Wise Men ) from the East .
They had been led to Bethlehem by a star, and wanted to see Jesus so
they could worship Him. ( Matt 2 v 1 - 11 ). They brought gifts Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh . ( Frakincense and Myrrh are aromatic
plant extracts, the former of which is burned for its aroma ) .
King Herod also wanted to know where Jesus was, so he could
kill Him. The wise men returned home, avoiding Herod, having been
warned to do so in a dream. Filled with rage, Herod sought to kill all
boys two years old and under in Bethlehem. In the meantime, Joseph,
Mary and the baby Jesus fled to Egypt out of Herod's reach until
Herod died. They returned to Judaea (Israel) , and settled in a city
called Nazareth in the region of Gallilee .
Not much is said about the childhood of Jesus, except in Luke
Chapter 2 when Mary, Joseph and Jesus who was twelve went to
Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. When Mary and Joseph started their
homeward journey, Jesus stayed behind in the temple debating issues
with the Jewish teachers. He amazed them by His understanding.
Mary and Joseph became anxious, when they discovered that Jesus
was not with the travelling party , and they returned to Jerusalem to
find Him. They asked him why He had caused this anxiety , He
replied, " .. How is it that ye sought me ? wist ye not that I must be
about my Father's business ? " ( Luke 2 v 49 ) . Jesus then returned
home to Nazareth with His parents and grew up in obedience to them.
( Luke 2 v 51 ).
Jesus was about thirty when He started His ministry . Luke 3 v 21
tells us how Jesus was baptised in water by John the Baptist . After
this, the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus . God then commended Jesus
with a voice from Heaven , " Thou art my beloved Son ; in thee I am
well pleased. " ( Luke 3 v 22 ) . He was then led out into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Despite being hungry and
thirsty, He quoted the Scriptures to resist the devil , and the devil
departed.
Jesus returned from the wilderness , and started His ministry. He
chose His twelve disciples [ Matthew 4v18-21, 10 v1-4 ]
Simon
( also called Peter )
Andrew
( brother of Peter )
James
( son of Zebedee )
John
( brother of James )
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas
Matthew
( the publican - tax collector )
James
( son of Alphaeus )
Lebbaeus
( surname was Thaddaeus )
Simon
( the Canaanite )
Judas
( Iscariot , who betrayed Jesus )
[ Luke 6 v 14 ]
Simon
Andrew
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Matthew
Thomas
James
Simon
Judas
Judas Iscariot
( also called Peter )
( brother of Peter )
( Son of Alphaeus )
( Zelotes )
( Brother of James )
( the traitor )
As individuals assumed multiple names, we must assume that
Lebbaeus Thaddaeus ( Matthew ) is also known as Judas ( Brother of
James ) in Luke.
Jesus' life and ministry involved -
* His Teachings Matthew chapters 5 - 7 recount the Beatitudes , " Blessed
are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted . " ( Matt 5 v 4 ).
Matthew 6 contains what is often called "The Lord's Prayer" , but
some have suggested that this name is inappropriate , as Jesus
would never have to ask for forgiveness. This is the prayer that
Jesus taught His followers ( us ) to pray. Jesus also taught about
right living - caring for others , treating them as we ourselves
would like to be treated.
Jesus also taught us that the way to be saved is by believing
in Him - He taught that He is the only way to Heaven .
" Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life : no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me. " ( John 14 v 6 )
Jesus spoke to the Jewish religious leader Nicodemus and told
him - " ... Except a man be born again , he cannot see the
kingdom of God " . ( John 3 v 3 ) . Nicodemus was puzzled at the
idea of being "born again ". Jesus helped Nicodemus , telling him
how a person can be born again - " For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotton Son, that whosover believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life " ( John 3 v 16 ).
If you want to be born again , believe in Jesus . By His Spirit
He will make you "born again . " ( More about this in the Epilogue
at the end of this book. )
Jesus' teachings also focussed on future events - His impending
death and resurrection. Jesus also taught that He was to return to
His Father , but He would send the Holy Spirit to help the
disciples ( and now us ) to live His way. He also used parables
( stories ) to illustrate His points.
Jesus also taught that one day He would return to the earth.
This will be a time of judgement . Those who have died will
rise again to stand before Him . Jesus will divide us all into two
groups, those who followed Him ,and those who rejected Him
( Matt 25 v 31-46 ).
Matthew 25 recounts some of Jesus' parables . One was about
the "Wise and Foolish Virgins" - some who were ready for Jesus
to return ( the wise ), and some who were not ready ( the foolish ).
There was another parable relating to "talents" ( measures of
currency - but can refer to anything which God gives us to use ).
God expects us to use what He has given us, for the good of
others.
* His Miracles and Healings
Among the first of Jesus' miracles was turning water into wine
at a wedding in Cana in Galilee. The account of this is given in
John Ch 2. Other miracles are recorded in Mark chapters 6 and 8,
the feeding of five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, then
the feeding of four thousand with seven loaves and a few fish .
Mark 6 v 34 talks about Jesus' compassion for people, which
underpinned His Ministry. Jesus thought about others, not Himself.
Matthew 8 v 16 talks about Jesus' healings and His casting out of
devils - " When the even was come, they brought unto him many
that were possessed with devils : and he cast out the spirits with his
word, and healed all that were sick: "
John 11 tells us about Lazarus who had been dead four days.
Jesus spoke to Martha, one of Lazarus's sisters . " .... I am the
resurrection, and the life : he that believeth in me , though he were
dead, yet shall he live:
And whoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this ? " ( John 11 v 25 - 26 )
Jesus went over to the tomb where Lazarus was buried .
" And when he ( Jesus ) thus had spoken , he cried with a
loud voice , Lazarus come forth.
And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with
grave-clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin.
Jesus saith unto them, Loose him and let him go. "
( John 11 v 43-44 )
* Confrontation with the Scribes and Pharisees
Jesus didn't look for confrontation with the Scribes and Pharisees
( the Jewish religious leaders ), but His lifestyle and teachings brought
Him into this conflict.
Matt. 9 v 2 - Jesus forgave sins which only God could do,
but the Scribes couldn't see that Jesus was God the
Son. ( The forgiveness here is making right before
God, rather than the forgiveness we have for one
another - ie no grudges. )
Matt. 9 v 10-12 - Jesus offended the Pharisees by befriending
"sinners" . The Pharisees didn't realise that a) Jesus came to save sinners .
b) Everyone is a sinner anyway.
John 2 v 13 - " And the Jews' passover was at hand, and
Jesus went up to Jerusalem , And found in the
temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and
the changers of money sitting:
And when he had made a scourge of small
cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the
sheep , and the oxen; and poured out the changers'
money, and overthrew the tables ;
And said unto them that sold doves, Take
these things hence ; make not my Father's house an
house of merchandise. "
Matt. 21 v 23 - " And when he was come into the temple,
the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto
him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority
doest thou these things ? and who gave thee this
authority ? "
Matt 23 - Jesus preached against the Pharisees They wanted to impress people , rather than help them.
If you remember further back in this book after Moses died
and was buried - I said that this was not the last we see of him . In
Matt. 17 v 1-5 , Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain top with
Jesus. Jesus' face then shone and His clothes became white. This
is known as the "Transfiguration" .
Jesus went with His disciples to Jerusalem. He knew that this
was the place where He would die on the cross , as a sacrifice for
our sins.
Matt. 26 tells how the Chief Priests and the Scribes plotted to
kill Jesus . Judas who was one of Jesus' disciples turned traitor and
met with the Jewish Leaders, agreeing to betray Jesus for thirty
pieces of silver.
This was the time of the Jewish Passover, when the Children of
Israel remembered the Passover Feast of the Lamb . They would
remember the blood of the lamb which was sprinked over the door
lintels , to avoid the judgement which was to be meted out to the
Egyptians ( Exodus 12 v 13 ) . They would remember how God
delivered them from Egypt.
Jesus ate the Passover feast with His disciples. During this feast
He told them that one of them would betray Him . Matt 26 v 21 " And as they did eat , he said , Verily I say unto you , that one of you
shall betray me. "
Jesus then instituted the Lord's Supper ( or Communion ) .
" And as they were eating , Jesus took bread , and blessed it , and
brake it , and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat ; this is my
body.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them,
saying, Drink ye all of it ;
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many
for the remission of sins.
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the
vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
kingdom. " Matt. 26 v 26-29 .
Sometime during the evening, Judas left the company as he went
out to betray Jesus ( John 13 v 26-30 ).
Jesus went with His remaining disciples to the Garden of
Gethsemane. He wanted His disciples to watch and pray with Him ,
but they kept falling asleep. Jesus prayed on His own , asking " .....let
this cup ( his forthcoming suffering on the cross ) pass from me :
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. " - Matt. 26 v 39
After Jesus had prayed the third time , Judas appeared with a mob
armed with clubs. They arrested Jesus , and led Him away to face
trial by the High Priest . The disciples then ran away . As Jesus was
on trial , the High Priest questioned Him .
".... I adjure thee by the living God , that thou tell us whether
thou be the Christ , the Son of God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto
you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand
of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. " - Matt. 26 v 63- 64
After this , Jesus was accused of blasphemy - The outcome " ... He is guilty of death . " - Matt. 26 v 66
Jesus was then subjected to mockery, spitting and physical
violence. The disciple Peter followed Jesus at a distance as He was
taken to the Roman authorities , but when questioned about his
allegiance to Jesus, he denied it three times. Jesus had predicted
Peter's denials earlier on.
* Jesus dying on the cross to save us
Matthew 27 tells us that Judas felt remorse, confessing to
the chief priests - " .. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the
innocent blood " ( v 4 ) . " What is that to us ? ... " was their reply .
Judas then threw down the pieces of silver and went and hanged
himself. In the meantime, Jesus was handed over to the Roman
governor, Pontius Pilate . Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, but to
appease the Jews shouting for Jesus' death, he sentenced Him to
be crucified. The Roman soldiers then beat Jesus and put a scarlet
robe and a crown of thorns on Him . This was part of their
mockery. They shouted - " Hail , King of the Jews !" Matt 27 v 29 .
After this, they led Jesus out to be crucified .
When Jesus was on the cross , the mockery continued " He saved others ; himself he cannot save " - Matt 27 v 42 . Of
course , there is a wonderful truth within that mockery . Jesus had
to sacrifice Himself in order to save us - but this was an act He
performed out of His love for each one of us. He took the
punishment for our sins upon Himself. This was foreseen by the
prophet Isaiah, ( Isaiah 53 v 6 as we saw earlier ).Two bandits were
also crucified with Jesus . One of the bandits said to Jesus - " Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom . " Jesus
replied - " ... To day shalt thou be with me in paradise . "
( Luke 23 v 42,43 - N.B. King James writes it "To Day", instead of
"Today") . After Jesus died , the curtain in the Temple
( which signified man's separation from God ) was miraculously
torn in two. The Roman Centurion standing by said ".. Truly this
was the Son of God " Matt 27 v 54 .
Jesus was then taken off the cross and put in a tomb
covered by a large stone.
* Jesus risen from the dead
After three days , Mary Madgalene came to the tomb , to anoint
the body of Jesus with spices. She found the tomb open, and
no body inside. Instead , there was an angel who said " Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here : for he is risen , as he said . Come , see the place
where the Lord lay. " Matt 28 v 5-6 .
Yes , the risen Jesus was to appear to the disciples while they
were in a locked room for fear of the Jews ( John 20 v 19 ) and
His mother Mary ( John 20 v 16 ) . He then appeared to "Doubting
Thomas" who proclaimed - " My Lord and my God " (John 20 v 28)
Jesus then gave His disciples the Great Commission, which is
recorded in Matthew 28 v 18-20 - " ...All power is given unto me
in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son , and of the Holy Ghost :
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you : and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
ed of the world . Amen. " ( N.B KJV spells it "alway" )
John's Gospel gives a personal word to each one of us, and
this chapter of the book will close here, giving John the last word.
He gives us the "why" - God wants us all to be followers of Jesus.
" ... And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his
disciples, which are not written in this book: ( Book of John )
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing ye might have life
through his name. " John 20 v 30-31 .
Ch 10. The Apostles and the Early Church
The book of Acts , written by Luke continues the story of
the disciples , just after Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus was sharing
some final encouragements with His followers just before He was
to be carried up to Heaven to be seated at God's Right Hand.
The disciples were to carry on Jesus' work , by the power of His
Spirit. Jesus is speaking to His disciples in Acts 1 v 8 , " But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judaea ,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. "
Jesus was then taken up to heaven, and the disciples looked on.
Two angels appeared and spoke to them - " Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
him go into heaven. " Acts 1 v 11.
Matthias was then chosen to be Judas' replacement , so the
twelve disciples would carry on as twelve apostles . These may be
thought of as "founder members" of the Christian Church . "Church"
in this context means "all Christians" , rather than a building.
During the Jewish feast of Pentecost , the apostles were together
in an upper room. Acts Chapter two tells how the Holy Spirit came
upon them , and they spoke with other tongues ( languages ) . They
came out into the street , where there were Jewish people who had
come to Jerusalem for the feast , from other countries. They
marvelled when they heard the wonders of God proclaimed in their
own languages. Some people accused the apostles of being drunk.
This gave the Apostle Peter an opportunity to preach . He started by
explaining that it was not alcohol , but the Spirit of God which they
were experiencing. Peter preached about Jesus , that He was
crucified, but God exalted Him to be " .. both Lord and Christ ".
Acts 2 v 36 . Peter's onlookers were convicted of sin and their need
to get right with God . They asked what they had to do to be saved.
In v 38 Peter told them to " .. Repent and be baptised " ( ie turn to
Jesus ). About three thousand people did this ( becoming Christians ).
This was the start of the Christian Church . Acts 2 tells us how they
continued in the Christian faith - meeting in homes, praying,
listening to the Apostles' teachings and meeting each other's needs .
The Church grew as more people became believers.
Peter continued preaching, and healing. He and John were
arrested for preaching , but told the priests they had to obey God
rather than man ( this is applicable where there is a conflict between
what man wants and what God wants ) . ( See Acts 4 v 19 ) .
Acts Chapter 5 tells how Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold land
to raise money for the Apostles ( to meet needs in the Church ) . They
kept back some of the money , but pretended to give the whole
amount. Peter knew about this because of special knowledge given to
him by God. He proclaimed that Ananias had lied to the Holy Spirit.
Ananias then fell down dead . Sapphira was complicit in the deception
and suffered the same fate .
Another believer ( not one of the Apostles ) was Stephen. He was
a great man of God who preached and was used by God in miracles.
When he was seized by the Jewish people , he preached to them and
rebuked them for persecuting the prophets of old. The Jews then
stoned Stephen to death and he became the first Christian martyr.
One of the Jewish Pharisees who persecuted the Christian Church ,
approving of Stephen's murder was Saul . He was on a mission to
organise further arrests of Christians. While on the Damascus road,
he had a "blinding lights" conversion, where he was confronted by
Jesus. Acts Chapter 9 , verses 3-6 tell the story - "And as he
journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined
round him a light from heaven : And he fell to the earth, and heard
a voice saying unto him, Saul , Saul , why persecutest thou me ?
And he said , Who art thou Lord ? And the Lord said, I am Jesus
whom thou persecutest :it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said , Lord what wilt thou have
me to do ? And the Lord said unto him, Arise , and go into the city,
and it shall be told thee what thou must do . "
Saul was now blinded, and had to be led by his companions. Later
on God instructed Ananias ( a believer , but not the one married to
Sapphira ) to lay hands on Saul that he may receive his sight back.
As this happened , Saul - now a Christian ( believer ) was filled with
the Holy Spirit and was baptised in water. Acts 9 v 23-25 tell how
Saul was now persecuted by the Jews who wanted to kill him.
Peter in the meantime had a vision about food being lowered on a
cloth. He would have called this food unclean ( not "kosher" by
Jewish criteria ) , but in the vision he was told not to call unclean
what God has cleansed. This was to signify that the Gospel was not
only for the Jews , but the Gentiles ( non-Jews ) also. At the same
time there was a God-fearing Roman Centurion called Cornelius.
Cornelius also had a vision , to send his servants bring Peter over to
where he stayed. This Cornelius did , and Peter came over and
preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his friends. They all became
believers , receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. They
were subsequently baptised in water.
Saul ( who is referred to as Paul from Acts 13 v 9 onwards )
worked with fellow believer Barnabus to spread the Gospel.
Acts 13 tells how Paul preached the Gospel to the Jews who rejected
it. Paul declared that the Gospel had to be preached to the Jews first,
but since they rejected it , Paul would turn to the Gentiles with the
Gospel message ( Acts 13 v 46 ) . Acts 13 v 48 tell how some of the
Gentiles came to believe, and were glad to hear the Gospel.
God also performed miracles through Paul. Acts 14 v 10 tells how
he healed a cripple. Later on , as verse 19 tells us , Paul was stoned by
the Jews who thought they had killed him, but he survived. Paul and
Peter also argued with the Jews, stating that salvation was solely by
faith in Jesus, and not by the Jewish circumcision.
Paul and Barnabus had a disagreement over another co-worker John
Mark. Barnabus wanted John Mark to accompany him and Paul as
they visited different cities. Paul questioned Mark's suitability as he
had let them down on a previous occasion. Because of the
disagreement, Paul and Barnabus parted company. Barnabus set off
to Cyprus with John Mark , and Paul to Syria and Cilicia with Silas.
Acts 16 tells how Paul meets another disciple Timothy, then has a
vision where a man from Macedonia ( Greece and area to its north )
beckons him to come over and help the Macedonians. Paul and Silas
then set off on their first missionary journey. They journeyed through
Troas, Samothraca, Neapolis and came to Philippi ( the main city of
Macedonia ) . God used Paul to speak to Lydia who became a
believer and was baptised. Acts 16 then tells how Paul met a fortune
teller and cast an evil spirit out of her.
"And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel
possessed with a spirit of divination met us , which brought her
masters much gain by soothsaying :
The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are
the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of
salvation.
And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned
and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to
come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone,
they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace
unto the rulers, " (Acts 16 v 16 - 19)
Paul and Silas were then thrown into prison. In the prison , they
sang praises to God and there was an earthquake , destroying the
prison. Paul and Silas were then free. When the jailer arrived on the
scene, he saw Paul and Silas , and fell on his knees trembling. He
asked " ... Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? " ( Acts 16 v 30 )
He was told " ... Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ , and thou shalt
be saved, and thy house. " ( Acts 16 v 31 ) . This he did and was
baptised.
Paul with Silas then journeyed through Amphipolis, Apollonia ,
Thessalonica, Berea and then on to Athens, preaching as he went.
There Paul debated with their philosophers. Paul saw objects of idol
worship , then an inscription "To the Unknown God" . Paul preached
to the people, acknowledging that they were religious. Paul referred
to this inscription , saying he would declare this God to them . Paul
told them that God made all things, and we should seek Him. He
commands everyone to repent, as He has set a time when He will
call everyone to account. Some people were sceptical , but others
became believers.
Paul then journeyed from Athens to Corinth, and he also worked
as a tentmaker. He continued to preach Jesus to the Jews and Greeks.
Paul was with Silas and Timothy , a church leader from Macedonia.
God also encouraged Paul in a vision ( Acts 18 v 9 ) to carry on
preaching. Paul's journey then took him to Syria and Ephesus .
( This is a town in what is now western Turkey. Its ruins can still be
seen today ).
In Corinth, Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. He outlines
the Gospel message - man has turned away from God , but can be
saved though faith in Jesus ( Romans Chapters 2 and 3 ) . Paul
encourages the Romans in Chapter 8 , that the Holy Spirit is inside
each one of them who believes, helping them to live God's way. In
Chapters 9 - 11, Paul expresses his grief that his fellow Jews have
rejected the Gospel, but explains that God uses their rejection to offer
salvation to the Gentiles. Paul mentions his intention to visit Rome ,
not realising that he will do so as a prisoner.
In Ephesus , Paul met some disciples . They were believers but
had only experienced the baptism of John the Baptist ( Jesus'
forerunner ) . They had not understood the Baptism in the Name of
Jesus, and the gift of the Holy Spirit given to believers. Paul preached
Jesus to them . They were subsequently baptised in the Name of
Jesus, and the Holy Spirit came upon them . They then spoke in
tongues and prophesied ( Acts 19 v 6 ) .
God continued to use Paul in miraculous healings. He returned to
Macedonia and Greece, then Troas ( back in Turkey ) . As Paul
preached in Troas , a young man called Eutychus fell asleep and
fell from a high building on to the ground where he died. Paul then
raised him back to life ( Acts 20 v 12 ) .
Chapter 11 - The Letters
Whilst in Philippi, Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthian
Church. He rebuked them for the divisions and rivalries within their
fellowship . When taking communion, they were not focussing on
Jesus - they were self indulgent . Paul told them that some of them
had suffered physical ailments and death as a result of incurring God's
discipline. ( 1 Cor. 11 v 30 )
Paul went on to explain the benefits of the Gifts of the Spirit -
Speaking in Tongues , Prophecy , Healing etc. He went on to say
that Love is the greatest thing - without love we are nothing
( 1 Cor. Ch. 13 ). Another problem Paul had to deal with was the
reluctance of some Corinthians to believe in the Resurrection of
Christ. Paul explains that the Resurrection is paramount to our faith,
and hope of forgiveness of sins, but reassures them that " ...now is Christ risen from the dead ... " ( 1 Cor 15 v 20 )
Paul felt led to go back to Jerusalem , even though he knew that
he would be arrested and persecuted. In Acts 21 v 13 , Paul affirms
that he is prepared for this "... for the name of the Lord Jesus ." .
Back in Jerusalem, Paul was seized by the crowds , then taken
prisoner by the Roman commander. While in captivity , Paul was
still able to preach and tell people how he met Jesus. Paul also
appeared before the Jewish council, telling them of his Jewish
background, as he was a Pharisee (a member of a strict Jewish sect).
Paul then appeared before Felix the Roman Governor , then his
successor Festus, then King Agrippa . Paul told Agrippa how he
met Jesus, after which Agrippa replied, " ... Almost thou persuadest
me to be a Christian . " ( Acts 26 v 28 )
Paul was to travel to Rome to appear before Ceasar to appeal
against his captivity. He was put on a ship with other prisoners.
They endured a stormy voyage and so decided to eject items off the
ship to make it lighter. ( Acts 27 v 18 ). The ship then ran aground at
Malta, to where Paul and the other prisoners either swam or landed
on rafts.
Acts 28 v 8-9 tells us that Paul prayed for the sick in Malta, and
they were healed. After three months , Paul and the other prisoners
continued their journey to Rome on another ship . In Rome , Paul
was placed under the custody of a Roman soldier, but managed to
speak to a company of Jewish people there and declare his
innocence. Paul had lodgings in Rome , probably under house
arrest , but people were able to visit him and listen to him preach
about Jesus . Some of his visitors became Christians. The book
of Acts ends by telling us that Paul lived in his rented house for two
years , where he told others about Jesus.
In Rome, Paul wrote more letters . He wrote to the Christians
in Galatia ( now Central Turkey ) . This writing is known as Paul's
Letter to the Galatians . Some of the Galatians had succumbed to
false teaching- thinking that one had to obey the Jewish laws to be
saved . Paul sought to correct this . Gal 2 v 21 says " ..... : for if righteousness come by the law , then Christ
is dead in vain " , and in Gal 5 v 6 , Paul reminds the Galatians
" For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor
uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." In Galatians 5,
Paul encourages his readers that the Holy Spirit works in us to
produce His fruit - Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness,
goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self control.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians . He reminded them that they
were all once "dead in tresspasses and sins" ( Ephesians 2 v 1 ).
However, God saved us by His Grace , not by our own goodness.
Paul then encourages the Ephesians to get rid of their old sinful
ways, and live God's way - to be filled with His Spirit, and put on
God's armour - Belt of Truth , Breastplate of Righteousness, Helmet
of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit - The Word of God
( Ephesians 6 v 13-17 ) .
The Philippians also received a letter from Paul . He reminded
them of Jesus' example - " Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God :
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself ,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name :
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow , of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. " ( Phil. 2 v 6-11 )
To the Colossians , Paul wrote about the Deity of Christ ( that He
is God the Son ) - " image of the invisible God " ( Col 1 v 15 ) .
Paul reminds us here that Jesus is Head of the Church. We all need
to stop sinning, "put on love " and know God's peace in our
hearts. Paul encourages the believers to submit to others as
appropriate - children to parents, wives to husbands, servants to
masters etc.
Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians. He commended them
for their faith which showed itself in actions, also acknowledging
that it was God who led them to faith . Paul encourages them to live
pure and moral lives. Paul then focussus on the end times, when
Jesus comes back and those who have died are resurrected. In Paul's
second letter to the Thessalonians he talks about the grim fate for
those who reject Jesus ( Hell ) ( See 2 Thess 1 v 8-9 ) . In Chapter
three Paul warns his audience that hard work is to be commended
and laziness shunned. ( N.B. - Paul's letters to the Thessalonians
were written from Athens, according to a footnote in the King James
Version. With the letters, we are mainly following their sequence in
the New Testament, rather than their chronological order, as with the
main narrative in the Bible. )
Paul also wrote letters to his friend Timothy who was a church
leader . These letters give instruction for Godly discipline and order
in the church - no false doctrine , church leaders should be men ,
the criteria for being a church leader - godly living etc. Paul gave
similar instruction to fellow believer Titus . ( See 1 Timothy
Ch 3 , and Titus 1 v 5-9 ) .
Paul's friend Philemon was a fellow believer . Philemon owned
a slave called Onesimus who ran away . Through Paul's ministry
Onesimus became a Christian ( Philemon v 10 ) , and Paul wrote
this letter to Philemon, commending Onesimus and sending him
back. He asks Philemon to show favour to Onesimus , who is
now a Brother in Christ ( Philemon 16 ).
Philemon is followed by the Letter to the Hebrews - the Jewish
people who had come to accept Christ as their Messiah and Saviour.
The King James Version attributes the Letter to Hebrews to the
Apostle Paul, but its authorship has been a matter of some debate.
Heb 13 v 24 suggests that it was written from Italy (where Paul was).
Hebrews asserts the Supremacy of Jesus - greater than the angels ,
greater than Moses, yet He took our sins. The Old Jewish Priesthood
where sins were temporarily covered up is compared with Jesus our
High Priest who completely removes our sins. The writer to Hebrews
reminds his readers that Jesus' sacrifice is so much better and
permanent than the Jewish animal sacrifices.
Heb 10 v 3-4 " But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance
again made of sins every year.
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins".
Heb 10 v 10 - "By the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
The Hebrews are also warned of the dangers of turning away
from the faith. As we saw earlier, Isaac's son Esau was cited in
Hebrews as an example not to follow , as he sold his birthright.
( Heb 12 v 16 )
Hebrews Ch 11 talks about the importance of faith, without
which it is impossible to please God. Ch 11 lists the men of faith
throughout the Old Testament , and what their faith caused them to
do Abel ( Adam's son ) - offered a better sacrifice than Cain.
Noah
- built the Ark and survived the flood.
Abraham
- offered Isaac on the alter
Moses
- identified with his Hebrew brothers
rather than Pharaoh's family.
( and more )
The Hebrews in Chapter 12 are encouraged to look to Jesus " .. the author and finisher of our faith " ( Heb 12 v 2 )
Other followers of Jesus wrote letters which are identified as part
of the Canon of Scripture (the accepted Word of God - The Bible) .
One of these was James . It is thought that this James was the (half)
brother of Jesus, along with Jude whose letter we will be reviewing
shortly. James' letter gives direct instructions as to how to live the
Christian Life * See problems as a means to increasing your faith.
* Help the needy.
* Watch your tongue
* Don't show favouritism .
* Be humble
* Don't boast about tomorrow. * See the power of prayer
As we know , a person is saved by faith in Jesus and not good
deeds ( works ), but James in Chapter 2 v 14-20 tells us that if the
faith is genuine , there will be works to prove this.
The Apostle Peter also wrote letters. Peter starts his first letter by
reminding his readers that they are Born Again (Born of God), and
God will keep them by His Power . Peter then gives instructions for
appropriate Christian living * No malice or evil talk
* Desire God's Word.
* Submit to your masters and the authorities.
* Wives submit to husbands
* Be humble
Peter's second letter warns about false teachers and the dangers of
turning away from Jesus, when we know deep down what He has
done for each one of us. Peter then warns us that people will
ridicule the idea of Jesus returning to the earth, but in the end this
will happen , and the Earth will be burned up . Peter's letter ends by
encouraging us to "..grow in grace... " ( 2 Pet 3 v 18 )
The Apostle John wrote three letters to believers which are
also incorporated into the Canon of Scripture . John starts off by
laying foundations Jesus is the "Word of Life" who existed from the very beginning.
Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. John reminds
the believers that they are Children of God , and need to "walk
in the light" ( 1 John 1 v 7 ) . We are encouraged to keep God's
commandments and love one another. John's second letter warns us
to watch out for deceivers who deny that Jesus is the Son of God,
and God the Son. Jude in his letter, also re-iterates the warning
about wicked people who can lead others astray. Jude encourages
us, that as we are faithful to God, He is able to keep us in the faith.
Ch 12. What is to come .
The letter of Jude is followed by the Book of Revelation , the last
book in the Bible. This book is referred to as a "prophecy"
( Rev 1 v 3 ) and was written by John . John was exiled on the
Greek island of Patmos ( near the Turkish coast ) for his faith.
Whilst in exile, John had the vision where Jesus told him to
write down what he would see ( Rev 1 v 11 ) . When Jesus appears
to John, He reminds John ( and us ) about Himself ( Rev 1 v 5-8 ) * He is the "Firstborn from the dead".
* He loved us and washed us from sin with His blood.
* He made us kings and priests.
* He is coming back .
* He is the Alpha and the Omega ( the first and the last ) .
Jesus has messages for seven churches which John has to write
down To the church at Ephesus ( Rev 2 ) Jesus said they did good things, but had "lost their first love".
To the church at Smyrna Persecution is coming , but they should remain faithful .
To the church at PergamosThey had been faithful to Christ despite persecution, but were
accepting the false doctrine of Balaam ( the wayward
"prophet" who was rebuked by his donkey ) , and immorality.
To the church at ThyatiraThey have worked hard , but Jesus was displeased that they
have accepted the false prophetess Jezebel who was leading
people into sinful ways.
To the church at SardisThey had a reputation for being a lively church , but were dead
( ie - not displaying the life of God ) .They had to be watchful,
rather than complacent.
To the church at PhiladelphiaJesus had "opened a door" to them ( of opportunity ) , because
they had remained faithful, despite being weak.
To the church at LaodiceaThey were a "lukewarm" church and reminded Jesus of
lukewarm water which He would only want to spit out. Jesus
warns the church to repent , and invites individuals there to enter
into a personal relationship with Him. Rev 3 v 20 " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock : if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup
with him, and he with me. "
This verse can also apply to people believing in Jesus, but
lacking a wholehearted commitment to Him .
John's revelation then continued with a vision ( Rev Ch 4 ) of "a door
open in heaven ". He saw a throne with "One" ( God ) sat on it . It was
surrounded by twenty four Elders seated round Him. There was also a
crystal sea and four living creatures resembling a lion , a calf , a man
and a flying eagle. The four living creatures and the Elders worshipped
God who was sitting on the throne.
God was holding a scroll with seven seals . No-one was deemed
worthy to break the seals and read the scrolls, except He who was
referred to as the "Lion of Judah" and the "Root of David" - ie Jesus.
Then Jesus is seen as a "Lamb" . As He took the scrolls, the four
living creatures and twenty four elders sang His praises - Rev 5 v 9 " And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof : for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation : "
Then thousands of angels joined in the praise.
As the seals were opened, each depicted violence and tribulation First seal - Shows a rider on a white horse with a crown and
a bow. He was a conqueror.
Second seal - Shows a rider on a red horse , depicting much
killing on the earth.
Third Seal - Shows a rider on a black horse , depicting scarcity
on the earth.
Fourth Seal - Shows a rider on a pale horse , depicting more
death from starvation and violence.
Fifth Seal - Shows the Christian Martyrs . They were each given
a white robe. This depicts their reward and honour,
also the white depicts the forgiveness of sins brought
about by their faith in Christ.
Sixth Seal - Shows a great earthquake , the sun became black
and the moon "became as blood" ( Rev 6 v 12 ) .
It also shows people fleeing in fear as the Judgement
of Jesus ( referred to as the "Lamb" ) approaches.
Then the symbolic one Hundred and Forty Four
Thousand are seen , representing twelve thousand
in each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Then an innumerable multitude are seen
representing the redeemed of all nations, dressed
in white robes and praising God. ( Rev 7 v 9-10 ).
Rev 7 v 17 talks about how " .... God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes . "
Seventh Seal - This shows that there was silence in heaven for
half an hour. Then there was incense which came
with the prayers of all saints. There were then seven
angels, each with a trumpet. As each of the trumpets
sounds , further images of tribulation and destruction
are revealed First Trumpet - Hail and fire , so that a third of
of trees and all grass is burned.
Second Trumpet - A burning mountain is cast into
the sea , a third of which turns
into blood.
Third Trumpet - A star ( Wormwood ) falls on
the rivers which become bitter.
Fourth Trumpet - A third of the Sun , Moon and
stars were struck , reducing the
light given to the earth.
Fifth Trumpet - There appeared a bottomless pit
with smoke.
Sixth Trumpet - Four angels appeared, to kill a
third of mankind on the earth.
Sin - Idolatry and Sorcery
continued.
Before the Seventh Trumpet is blown, another angel
appeared with a book which John took and was commanded to eat,
then prophesy ( Rev 10 v 9,11 ) . The angel then talked about
Two Olive Trees, Two Witnesses and Two Lampstands. The two
Witnesses will prophesy , before being killed by a beast coming out
of the bottomless pit. They will then be raised back to life .
( Rev 11 v 11 ) . There is then an earthquake, killing seven thousand
people, but the remainder will be frightened, and acknowledge God.
Seventh Trumpet - This shows people in Heaven,
including twenty four elders
worshipping God.
Chapter 12 continues the revelation with a woman having a crown
of twelve stars. She is about to give birth, when there appears a red
dragon having seven heads - each with a crown, and ten horns.
The woman gives birth to a child who is caught up to be with God.
There is then a war in Heaven , where the Angel Michael and other
angels fight against the dragon. Then the dragon was cast out of
Heaven . In v 9 , the dragon is named as the Devil and Satan.
Chapter 13 talks about a beast who rises out of the sea. This
beast has seven heads and ten horns. He is followed by another
beast who emerges from the land. The second beast deceives
people on the earth, so that they follow him . ( One interpretation is
that Christians , those people who have given their lives to Jesus
do not succumb to the beast's deception . Another interpretation
is that the Christians are lifted from the Earth before the beast
unleashes his tyrannical control over the Earth. ) Then people will
have to bear the mark of the beast , if they wish to buy or sell
anything. The mark is the number 666 ( See v 17-18 ).
Chapter 14 reveals the "Lamb" ( Jesus ) with the one hundred and
forty four thousand , singing "a new song". These are the people who
have remained faithful to Christ and maintaining His purity. There are
then three angels who sing about fearing God , His victory over
Babylon ( signifying sin ) and that anyone bearing the mark of the
beast is to be judged and punished.
Chapter 15 talks about those people who have followed Christ
and resisted the evil pull of Satan . They are enjoying their reward
in Heaven ( "The Sea of Glass" ) . Meanwhile, there are seven angels,
each of whom has a bowl out of which judgement ( God's wrath )
is to be poured out on the Earth First Bowl - Sores appeared on the men bearing the mark
of the beast.
Second Bowl - Sea turned to blood, killing the creatures in it.
Third Bowl - Rivers turned to blood.
Fourth Bowl - Men scorched with fire, and continue to
rebel against God.
Fifth Bowl - Darkness
Sixth Bowl - River Euphrates dries up, and the devils
gather together for the Battle of Armageddon.
Seventh Bowl - Thunder, Earthquakes and large hailstones.
In Chapter 17, the "Ten Horned Creature" ( the beast ) reappears.
His seven heads signify seven mountains and seven kings. The ten
horns signify ten kings who have not yet received their kingdoms.
There is a woman sitting on the beast. She has a name on her
forehead " MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH . "
This signifies the Nations, uniting to fight against the Lamb ( Jesus ) ,
but are easily beaten.
Chapter 18 resounds with an angel declaring God's victory over
Satan's dominion and sin ( signified by "Babylon" ) . All the "riches"
owned by Babylon are reduced to nothing.
In Chapter 19, the celebration continues where the multitude
praise God for His Salvation in Jesus and His victory in battle over
Satan's evil empire. Ch 19 v 2 - " For true and righteous are his
judgments: for he hath judged the great whore , which did corrupt
the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his
servants at her hand . " Verse 9 looks forward to the special union
there will be between Christ and all those who believe in Him . This
takes place as a Marriage , where those believers enjoy the "Marriage
Supper".
There is then the vision of the "Rider on the White Horse".
Possibly this is different to the rider mentioned earlier on when the
first seal was opened. We are told that he has a robe dipped in blood
and has the name - "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS ".
This is Jesus of course , who also has the name "The Word of God".
Having defeated the sinful kingdoms under Satan's influence, Jesus
Fights directly with Satan and his legions. He captures the beast
and the false prophet. The Beast and the False Prophet are then
thrown into a lake of Fire and Brimstone.
Chapter 20 continues the theme depicting the demise of
Satan and his dominions. Satan is himself chained up by an angel
and imprisoned in a "bottomless pit" for a thousand years. Those
who have been martyred for the faith during the reign of the beast
are resurrected and rewarded. After the thousand years , more people
are resurrected , and Satan is let loose from his prison . He returns
to Earth to deceive nations and mobilise them to turn against God.
Those fighting against God are devoured by fire which descends from
heaven . Satan himself is thrown into the Lake of Fire, to join the
Beast and the False Prophet. They will be punished for eternity .
( v 9-10 ).
The "White Throne" of Judgement appears, and all mankind
is judged. A book called "The Book of Life " is opened. All those
who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord have their names
in the Book of Life. Any person whose name is not in the Book of
Life is thrown into the Lake of Fire. ( See the Epilogue at the end of
this book to see how we ensure our names are in the Book of Life ) .
Chapter 21 reveals " a new heaven and a new earth " ( v1 ) ,
as the original heaven and earth had gone ( 20 v 11 ) . This is a
place where there will be no more sorrow , crying or pain. This place
has a city called the "New Jerusalem" - "Having the glory of God:
and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper
stone, clear as crystal ;
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the
gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the
names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel :
On the east three gates ; on the north three gates ; on the south
three gates ; and on the west three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. " ( v 11-14 )
The description of the city continues, describing its construction
which encompasses precious stones, jasper, sapphire, chalcedony,
and many more. The streets are of Gold. There is no need for the Sun
or Moon because Jesus provides all the light. It is never night. This is
the place for those people whose names are in the Book of Life.
This place ( which we refer to as "Heaven" ) also has a river of
water of life and a tree of life which bears twelve different fruits. This
is described in Chapter 22.
Chapter 22 brings a warning to those who would add or take
away words from this revealed prophetic word in Revelation. It
is generally taken to mean the whole of the Bible , that those who
tamper with it face God's judgement ( see v 18-19 ) .
So , as Revelation draws to a close in verses 20 -21 , let us end
this Chapter with these " He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.
Amen. Even so , come Lord Jesus .
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. "
Epilogue
Thank you for reading this book and following the "Events of the
Bible" . I trust you will agree that these events point to an all powerful
God , and bring Him Glory. God is infinitely wise and powerful , but
also loving and caring. He has proved this by sending His Son Jesus to
die in our place and to take the punishment for all our sins.
In the previous chapter, we saw that it was important to ensure our
names are in the "Book of Life". This is the same as "Becoming a
Christian", and being "Born Again" which we looked at earlier in John
Chapter 3. ( This is in Chapter 9 of this book . )
To be "Born Again" and have your name in the "Book of Life",
do the following ( A-B-C-D ) A = Admit that you have sinned against God. Admit that you need
His forgiveness through Jesus dying in your place, taking your
punishment. This also involves turning away from sin.
B = Believe that Jesus died in your place, took your punishment and
is risen again.
C = Count the cost of following Jesus - He must be in charge of your
life as your Lord, for as long as you live. Accept that others
may ridicule you if you openly follow Jesus . ( He expects us
to be "visible" Christians ) .
D = Do - say the prayer , to accept Jesus as your own Saviour and
Lord. You may use this prayer - make sure you mean it.
Lord Jesus , I know I am a sinner , but I want to turn from my
sin and live your way.
Thank you that you died in my place and took my punishment.
Please be my Saviour to forgive my sins.
Please by my Lord to control my life as I give it to you.
I love you and want to serve you for ever . Amen.
If you have said this prayer and meant it, you have given your life to
Jesus, and are now saved as a result. You are now Born Again, and your
name is in the Book of Life. You need to continue to follow Jesus.
Following Jesus means * Praying to Him,
* Reading your Bible,
* Helping others and telling them about Jesus,
* Attending, and being committed to a good church.
For more information ,
* Contact me, or the person who gave you this book .
* Make contact with a local church - see ( on the internet ) http://www.findachurch.co.uk
* See my other book "Introduction to Christianity" on the
internet http://www.winterhill1.freeserve.co.uk/resources/intro.pdf .
* Also, see my Bible Study for new Christians on the internet http://www.winterhill1.freeserve.co.uk/resources/new-christian.pdf
The Bible is a special book - God's Word. Before reading it , we
should pray that God will speak to us through it, by His Holy Spirit.
Then we should read quietly, concentrating on the Scripture verses,
and listening (with our hearts) for God to speak to us.
I trust that the Bible will continue to provide you with encouragement
as you find Jesus to be the answer to life's issues.
Bless You,
Robert
APPENDIX I - TIMELINE
These are estimated/ approximate times - Thanks to the "Bible
Mapbook" and the "New Bible Atlas" ( See reference section ).
CREATION
4000 BC
FLOOD
2300 BC
ABRAHAM/ JOB
2000 BC
JOSEPH
1870 BC
EXODUS FROM EGYPT
1440 BC
BEGINNING OF JUDGES' RULE
1400 BC
END OF JUDGES' RULE
1000 BC
SAMUEL AND KING DAVID
1000 BC
DEATH OF SOLOMON
930 BC
ELIJAH/ ELISHA
870 BC
JONAH
788 BC
ISAIAH
740 BC
ISRAEL EXILED TO ASSYRIA
722 BC
JEREMIAH
628 BC
BABYLONIAN EMPIRE TAKES OVER ASSYRIAN
612 BC
JERUSALEM FALLS/
JUDAH EXILED INTO BABYLON
587 BC
PERSIAN EMPIRE TAKES OVER BABYLONIAN
539 BC
NEHEMIAH IN JERUSALEM
445 BC
EZRA LEADS EXILES HOME
428 BC
PROPHETS JOEL AND MALACHI
around 400 BC
ROMANS RULE JUDAEA PROVINCE
63 BC
JESUS STARTS HIS MINISTRY
30 AD
JESUS CRUCIFIED/RESURRECTED
33 AD
SAUL CONVERTED ( BECOMES PAUL )
34 AD
PAUL IN GALATIA ( TURKEY )
46 AD
PAUL IN GREECE
48 AD
PAUL IMPRISONED IN CAESAREA
60 AD
PAUL IN ROME
62 AD
JOHN'S REVELATION
65AD/ 95AD?
APPENDIX II - TIMELINE ACCORDING TO BOOKS
The books 1 and 2 Chronicles cover most of the Old Testament
period , from Adam to the exile.
CREATION
GENESIS
FLOOD
GENESIS
ABRAHAM/ JOB
GENESIS,
JOB
JOSEPH
GENESIS
EXODUS FROM EGYPT
EXODUS
JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS
EX. LEV .,
NUM,DEUT
CONQUEST OF CANAAN
JOSHUA
JUDGES RULE
JUDGES
RUTH
SAMUEL AND KING DAVID
1, 2 SAM.
1 KINGS
PSALMS
KING SOLOMON
1 KINGS
PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES ? ,
SONG OF SOLOMON
KINGS RULE IN ISRAEL , JUDAH
1, 2 KINGS
ISAIAH, JEREMIAH , HOSEA , AMOS ,
MICAH, ZEPHANIAH,
ELIJAH/ ELISHA
1, 2 KINGS
JONAH
2 KINGS
JONAH
ISRAEL EXILED TO ASSYRIA
2 KINGS
JERUSALEM FALLS
2 KINGS
JUDAH EXILED INTO BABYLON
2 KINGS
LAMENTATIONS
PERSIAN EMPIRE TAKES OVER BABYLONIAN
DURING THE EXILE
DANIEL
DANIEL, EZEKIEL,
ESTHER, ZECHARIAH
NEHEMIAH IN JERUSALEM
NEHEMIAH
EZRA LEADS THE EXILES HOME
EZRA
AFTER THE EXILE
EZRA
JOEL, MALACHI
ROMANS RULE JUDAEA PROVINCE
MATTHEW MARK LUKE JOHN
JESUS BORN
MATTHEW MARK LUKE JOHN
JESUS STARTS HIS MINISTRY
MATTHEW MARK LUKE JOHN
JESUS CRUCIFIED
MATTHEW MARK LUKE JOHN
SAUL CONVERTED ( BECOMES PAUL )
PAUL'S MISSIONARY JOURNEYS
ACTS
ACTS
1,2 CORINTHIANS
THESSALONIANS
1 TIMOTHY
APOSTLE PETER'S MINISTRY
ACTS
1,2 PETER
PAUL IMPRISONED IN CAESAREA
ACTS
PAUL A PRISONER IN ROME
GALATIANS
EPHESIANS
PHILIPPIANS
COLOSSIANS
2 TIMOTHY
JOHN HAS REVELATION
REVELATION
APPENDIX III - MAPS
( See over )
APPENDIX IV - REFERENCES
1. "Bible Mapbook" - Simon Jenkins - Lion Publishing
2.
"New Bible Atlas" - IVP - Lion Publishing
Internet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com
http://www.findachurch.co.uk
http://www.winterhill1.freeserve.co.uk/resources/intro.pdf .
http://www.winterhill1.freeserve.co.uk/resources/new-christian.pdf
This book is on-line http://www.winterhill1.freeserve.co.uk/resources/events.pdf
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