26 Dec (Revelation 17)

Revelation 17

This chapter can take a long time to understand, and in addition to that, there are different opinions as to the imagery according to good scholars. I have no doubt that after we are in heaven, the imagery will make perfect sense to us, and we will marvel at how easy it should be to label and identify the images!

With that said, I will try to give the crux of the chapter, with possible identities of the images described.

v.2 As we all know, a harlot is not good, and doesn't care for purity or goodness. In fact, a harlot hates goodness, and will try to corrupt it as much as possible! Do those motives and attributes sound familiar to some fallen angel who rebelled against God? Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-19

Notice how the harlot sits on many waters...when God uses the earth or oceans in Scripture, it points us to the world, not the heavens. So we see where this harlot is coming from. She is able to seduce the kings of the earth, and they follow her in wanton drunkenness and rebellion. Typically, when drunkenness is mentioned in Scripture, or in other literature, we think of bad drunks. Sure, we all know someone in our family who was a funny drunk. But most of the time, a drunk gets rude, sloppy and even violent. This is the case here...the harlot will entice the kings of the world to fight against God and His beloved.

v.5 There isn't much to add to the writing on the forehead of the woman! She is the world religion. As we know, religion is man trying to reach God, or even be like God. True Christianity is a relationship with God...there is a big difference!

v.6 It's pretty easy to see this image...the world church that is far removed from the true Church, using government and coercion to slay the faithful of Christ. But here is a question: Why did John marvel at this? After all, a pagan Rome wouldn't have baffled him if it was persecuting the Church. In fact, at the time of John's life, Rome had taken over from the Jewish leadership of persecuting Christians worldwide.

This is where some scholars will debate, but I will offer my belief, and encourage you to study and decide what is true. To recap some history, during the Roman Empire, they were swallowing up countries and nations wholesale. With the people they enslaved, they also adopted or accepted parts of their pagan practices and beliefs. As we saw in the Dark Ages, the Roman Catholic Church had combined government with the church, leading to atrocities.

What I think John marveled at was how unrecognizable the church had become! In the last days, most "Christian" churches will be preaching different gospels, humanism, self-help and financial windfall lessons, etc. Does that sound familiar with what we see now?

v.9 So the angel tells John that this harlot is from Satan. That makes sense, but the following is where scholars again debate the meaning of the seven mountains. In a Western mind, it is common knowledge that the Vatican sits on seven hills. Many Western scholars believe that the last world religion, and thus, the Anti-Christ, will come from Rome.

Another view is slightly different. Other scholars don't argue about the Roman Empire being the home of the Anti-Christ, but they argue that he will come from the Eastern part of the Empire...that would be the Middle East! Remember Daniel 2

A third view is what I've heard Walid Shoebat teach. He teaches that when mountains are used in imagery, it represents kingdoms. He believes that seven kingdoms...Muslim kingdoms...will be the ones to wage war against God and His beloved. I can't argue with any of them, and perhaps all three views will play out in different ways or stages.

Looking at our world today, the Roman Catholic Church has repeatedly attempted to unite all world religions, while we see almost daily, the Jihadists waging war on Israel and Christianity!

We are so fortunate to live during these times! No other time in history has bible prophecy been revealed in human events as now!

15 Dec (Revelation 3)

Sardis ~ The Dead Church

The church of Sardis represents the Reformation movement, away from the Nicolaitan doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation deservedly has been praised for moving back to the Word of God, instead of the practices of men, but they fell short as well. Remember, it's never good to put your faith in a particular church, pastor or denomination...all are lead by men and prone to sin and pride.

I hope you see my point here, since I'm tough on the RCC, but I also want you to see that the Protestant Churches erred just as much.

(v.1) This describes the Protestant church then, and even today...it has the name of Christ, but is not following Christ. So many churches focus on traditions and works, that they fail to focus on fellowship with each other and especially God.

I was raised in the Lutheran Church, where Martin Luther is given the credit for starting the Reformation movement. He was a big player, but many other Catholic priests were involved in going back to the Word of God, and not the word of a pope.

Unfortunately, one of the results of the Reformation was the failure to acknowledge the Jews as God's people. Martin Luther and many other Reformists were anti-Semites, and believed that the Church replaced Israel for God's promises and blessings. This is called Replacement Theology, and not only is it completely against Scripture, but it makes God out to be a liar!

I suggest you look up Martin Luther's quotes in his books about the Jews, and how the Church has replaced Israel for God's blessings.

(v.3) Of course, as with the Catholics, the Protestants are filled with believers...it's the leadership that Jesus is rebuking.

(v.4) It all comes down to a personal relationship with Jesus, not any affiliation with any particular church that saves us.

Philadelphia ~ The Faithful Church

(v.8) The church of Philadelphia faced all the same temptations and persecution of the earlier churches, but God is commending them for keeping the faith, and for persevering.

(v.10) This is another verse that shows us that the faithful believers will be Raptured before the Tribulation comes upon the earth.

Laodicea ~ The Lukewarm Church

(v.14) Cults use this verse to say that Jesus was created, and not God Himself. What they fail to see is that the Greek word used to say "beginning" here, is Arche, where we get the word "architect" from. This word also means authority, and since Jesus created the universe, He is the authority of it as well. John 1:1

(v.16) There are many ways to approach this, for the neighboring towns had hot and cold springs that Laodicea tried to pull from, but the main focus for us is our faith. It's one thing to be an atheist or to deny Christ as our Creator...that is bad. But it's also bad to know who Jesus is, and not do anything about it...lukewarm faith.

This church is prophetic to the state of the church in the last days...apathetic and ineffective.

(v.17) We can see this being so relevant to today, for in most of the Western world, we are rich and forget to praise God for the blessings and wealth He has given us. This is why Solomon didn't want to be overly rich and think that he created his wealth, and not God. Prov 30:9

(v.19) Like a loving parent, God rebukes us to open our eyes and see the right path!

(v.20) Remember, at the beginning of these churches, Jesus was in the midst of them. Now, because the apathy has been so severe, Jesus is outside the church, knocking on the door to come in!

If we let Jesus into our lives to be the LORD of our lives, then we will one glorious day dine with Him at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Rev 19:9

14 Dec (Revelation 2)

Revelation 2

These seven churches encapsulate the seven stages of Church history. These were real churches in the day of John's writing, but they also are types of the churches to come.

Ephesus ~ The Loveless Church

(v.2) We can look at each of these churches in a personal way, as a church, and as prophecy to Church history. It seems that the people of Ephesus were great about spotting counterfeit Christians, and were holding true to the doctrines taught them by Paul and others.

(v.4) Ouch! Like Martha in Luke 10, they were obsessed with deeds and actions, where they forgot to sit and worship Him! We all have to watch out for this, for it's easy to get caught up in serving and doing the Church things, when we forget to have quiet time listening to God!

(v.5) If they can lose their lampstand, it means they aren't saved. This is how I interpret this, and it makes sense. So many people do the "Church Thing" every Sunday, but they don't have a personal relationship with Jesus. They don't have a prayer life of conversing and listening to Him, and they just keep doing what they think pleases God.

(v.6) Nicolaitans are the ruling class over the people. It seems that in the early Church, there were some who thought they should be listened to more than Jesus. Their pride got in the way of true worship.

(v.7) Here is another reason I believe these people aren't truly saved at this point, for Jesus promises to let them eat from the Tree of Life if they overcome their sins.

Smyrna ~ The Persecuted Church

Smyrna has the same base word as Myrrh, which means death. This church faced rampant persecution by the hands of the Romans, and were martyred and killed for their faith.

(v.8) Again, when did the Father (YHWH or Jehovah) die? It was the Son, and He is God!

(v.10) This must have been hard to take, knowing you were about to be put in jail and killed for your faith! However, many Christians have suffered this same fate over the centuries...even today. We are lucky in America, and we should use that fortune to be more vigilant about spreading the Good News of Christ!

Pergamos ~ The Compromising Church

This church speaks of the time in history where the Roman Catholic Church made Christianity blend with pagan practices to create unity in the Empire. So many practices by the RCC can go back to Babylon, and their acceptance of pagan practices into the church.

The word, Pergamos, in Greek, means mixed or perverted. This is what the church did...they mixed the pagan practices with Biblical Christianity, and created a mixed marriage that wasn't devoted to Christ. Remember what Paul said to those that allowed sin and pagan practices into their lives? 1 Cor 5:6

(v.13) Scholars believe that the Tower of Babel was erected in the same area as Pergamos. The start of Satanic practices was where the RCC decided to make Christianity the only religion, and worse, that the State would run it!

(v.14) The docrine of Baalam Num 31:16 was the act of tempting God's people into sin...this is what this church did with its believers.

(v.15) Notice that Ephesus was doing the deeds of the Nicolaitans, where now it is doctrine. The Church had incorporated the pagan practices and moved away from Scripture.

Remember, once Satan lost at the cross, he tried to kill the church through persecution at the hands of the Jews and Romans. This only made the Church grow stronger! So what did Satan do? He made up the phrase, "If you can't beat them, join them!" He infiltrated the Church, and little by little, had people focus on traditions and doctrines not from Scripture, and thus, the beginning of cults were born!

Thyatira ~ The Corrupt Church

(v.18) This is the same description of Jesus as noted in Daniel 7:9, 10:6

(v.20) There is so much to research here, and I suggest you do, but in short, He is talking about the popes of the Roman Catholic Church. They used their power to seduce and enslave.

(v.22) Very scary...they aren't saved and will endure the Tribulation on earth. This doesn't mean that Catholics aren't saved...most are, but the doctrines and leaders of the RCC have a lot of explaining to do with Jesus!

(v.24) So many people follow the traditions of men, and don't know why. They think it's just what God wants. But if they read their Bible, they will see that God doesn't want us to chant or say repetitive prayers, or worse yet, pray to mortal people!

God knows who hearts are pure and seek Him, and He will lead them to Him.

12 Dec (1, 2 & 3 John)

The Apostle John wrote three letters to the Church to encourage them in their faith. Gnosticism was abundant, and God had John exhort and encourage the Church to stick to the Word of God.

1 John 1

(v.9) The blood of Christ washes away our sins...the Levites could only cover up our sins. It took the blood of God Himself to wash them away so they would be remembered no more.

1 John 2

(v.1) This is the only case of nepotism that we should embrace! Satan is accusing us daily of sins and disobeying God. But we have the Son, going to His Father, and saying, "Daddy, that one is mine for he/she knows Me." The Father will then judge us innocent, for the blood of the Most Innocent washes us clean in the eyes of the Father!

(v.15) Think about what you love in this world...material things, fame, people liking you. All those things will burn in judgment. But the love of heaven and Jesus will endure forever!

(v.22) The spirit of the antichrist has been alive since God declared He would save mankind. Satan has tried to thwart God's plan of redemption for man, and he has used evil men to do his evil work. Look at any religion or cult, and they all have one thing in common...they deny the deity of Jesus! This goes back to the work of Satan.

1 John 3

(v.1) If you spend time around other believers, we can talk about the things of God, and know what the other is talking about. If we talk about those things with unbelievers, they will be lost and not understand us. It take the work of the Holy Spirit to open up their eyes.

(v.2) I love this verse! When we are in heaven, we will see the glory and power of Christ! Unlike the disciples after Jesus was resurrected, we will understand His appearance, and even see the scars from His love on the cross for us! Rev 5:6

(v.13) The world hates us because they don't understand us, and most of all, they don't understand God!

1 John 4

(v.1) Whenever you are taught from Scripture, or experience something that feels like God is speaking to you, immediately check it with Scripture. If it doesn't contradict God's Word, then you can know that God is speaking to you.

(v.4) We all need to remember this verse when faced with seemingly insurmountable trials...if we are on God's side, what do we really have to fear?

(v.9) The more we think about what God did for us, the more we should worship Him! John 3:16

(v.15) We are not to keep silent about the love of God...we are to witness and share what God is doing in our lives!

1 John 5

(v.7) Remember this verse about the Trinity, and the deity of Jesus!

(v.14) We need to pray with our thoughts on God, not asking Him to think like us. We should spend some time of prayer just listening, and He will put thoughts and ideas in our heads that we can act upon.

2 John

We don't know for sure who the "elect lady" is whom John is addressing, but we do know that she had a big influence on many people's lives. My personal opinion, is that this may be addressed to Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus.

First of all, when Jesus was on the cross, He told John to take care of her, and for him to treat her as his own mother. John 19:27

Secondly, John warns this lady to be watchful for false prophets and people who wish to affect her. What greater thing could an unbeliever do, than have the mother of the Christ deny Him or accept doctrines that aren't Scriptural?

No matter who John is speaking to, he really is speaking to us as well...we need to hold onto the Truth, and be watchful for people sent by Satan to discourage us.

3 John

(v.11) People will know that Christ is in us if we stop doing the worldly things we did before we were saved. Try to spend time with other believers, who will be far less likely to try to get you to sin than your old "friends."

28 Nov (1 Tim 5-6)

1 Timothy 5

(v.1) We are to respect our elders, and to show love and compassion for other believers around the same age as ourselves. Of course, if one is acting ungodly, then Matthew 18 applies.

(v.4) We are to take care of our parents and grandparents ourselves. Our society has pushed them away, for we want to travel and not have the responsibility of caring for them in our way. Our society has gone away from God's Word, and we need to take care of our families. Of course, the church will take care of widows and older people if they don't have family nearby.

(v.8) This hits the father of the house hard! We need to provide for our family...both spiritually and financially. The wife takes care of the daily things, but the husband plans and works on the big things.

(v.19) We are to respect our church leaders. Only when we hear by multiple godly persons that a leader is acting contrary to his post, should we approach that leader. Use Matthew 18 as a model for this.

1 Timothy 6

(v.2) Support and pray for our church leaders, and don't let our pride and jealousy get in the way of the church exhorting the people.

(v.6) This is where I strive to be daily...walking with God, content in Him, and fearless of the world!

(v.8) As we approach the Christmas season, let's remind our kids that we only NEED food and clothing, along with Scripture, to live. What our kids actually WANT is another thing! We need to teach them the difference!

(v.10) Money, itself, is not evil...it's the love and obsession with it that is evil. Make sure your kids know the difference. After all, God uses money to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, and to support godly ministries all around the world!

(v.17) Being rich seems easy, but it's really a snare. When someone becomes rich, they start to think they can run their own lives. As Solomon says in Prov 30:8 that if we are rich, we become proud, and if we are dirt poor, we abandon God and try to steal our way to wealth.

9 Nov (Rom 1-2)

Paul wrote the book of Romans to the church in Rome, and addressed the Jewish believers mostly. Paul had not been to Rome yet, but he knew he would go, and ultimately die there.

Romans 1

(v.1) The name, Paul, means little one in Greek. Paul counted himself little in comparison to God, and knew that he was saved from hell by the grace of Christ. He was an apostle, which means that he was sent forth with authority from God to preach the Gospel.

(v.19) Everyone has a spirit, and that spirit seeks God. He has revealed Himself, in one way or another, to everyone. What we do from there is the most fateful decision in our lives. If we accept and seek God, He will save us and work in us. But if we push Him away, and want to be our own god, then we will die in our sins.

(v.20) You may have heard someone ask, "Does God send people who have never heard of Jesus to hell?" The answer is, "It depends." The reason it's not a simple answer, is everyone has a understanding that there was a Designer to this universe. We see examples of that daily by seeing the human body, the seasons change, the incredible beauty and complexity of life. No matter if a person is in a dense jungle and never heard of Jesus, they are faced with the same decision we all have...there must be a Designer to all this! If a person believes and accepts that, then they are saved. But if a person refuses to believe the obvious evidence of God, then they are doomed to hell...by their own choice!

(v.22) Whenever I read this verse, it makes me think of the "intellectuals" in academia and the ruling elite. They have man's wisdom, which is utterly foolish compared to God's Wisdom. It also makes me think of this verse:

The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. ~ Psalm 14:1

(v.25) So many Environmentalists have done what is described in this verse...they have come to worship the creation, instead of the Creator. Don't get me wrong, as Christians, we are to treat the earth and all God's creation well, but we are NEVER to put the creation ahead of the Creator in importance!

(v.27) Homosexuals and Heterosexuals are sinners alike. Unless we have Jesus, we are all doomed to hell in our sins. However, God ordained and blessed marriage between one man, and one woman...in order to make babies that will grow up to praise God. Homosexuality is an abomination to God, for it betrays the purpose of marriage and sex.

With that said, we Christians are to love and respect homosexuals, but we are never to tolerate or equate their lifestyle with heterosexual marriage. To tolerate is to accept, and that is sinning against God. We need to love the sinner, but hate the sin.

(v.32) President Bush rightly said that we are at war with terrorists and regimes that support them. This is the same concept as this verse...if we allow sin to be common and acceptable, then we are as guilty as the ones doing the sinning.

Romans 2

(v.3) We are to discern and discriminate in our decisions in life, but only God condemns and judges the guilty. It is our job to love and encourage those lost in sin, and try to show them the love of Christ.

(v.11) God doesn't love anyone or any group of people more than another. The Jews are God's chosen people, only in the sense that He chose to reveal Himself to the world through them. They are not any more holy, righteous or good than the rest of mankind. With that said, they are His chosen people, and they deserve respect and our support. Gen 12:3

(v.24) God is tough on the Jews, for by their disobedience and idolatry has caused the Gentiles through time to resist God and call Him names by their terrible ambassadorship. This is why the Third Commandment is so important...people are watching us who are called His.

18 Oct (Acts 12)

Acts 12

(v.2) Satan was working through Herod, and he killed one of the Sons of Thunder, which was James, the brother of John. The persecution of the church was already at hand, but now we are seeing the persecution of the leaders. All of them will ultimately be killed, except for John.

(v.5) It is so important for us to pray for those who are persecuted in the name of Christ. We in America get some persecution, but it's nothing compared to what believers in China, Africa and other places in the world endure. We may be ridiculed or have some rights denied us, but in many places in the world today, worshiping God is a matter of life and death.

A great website to see more about this is called Voice of the Martyrs:

http://www.persecution.com/

(v.14) If God has plans for you, He will make sure that evil will not keep us from doing His will. Peter found this out first hand!

I love how the woman who heard Peter's voice got so excited, she forgot to let him in, and ran to tell the others! My daughters do that when we have company come over...they jump up and down and yell in jubilation, but they forget to open the door!

(v.17) Notice that Peter tells the people to tell James what happened to him. This is not the James that was killed by Herod...he was the brother of John. The James that Peter is speaking of is the half brother of Jesus...he and Jude didn't believe in Jesus while He was alive, but after His resurrection, they believed. James is the pastor or head of the Church in Jerusalem. This is a big problem for the Roman Catholic Church, for if Peter was the first pope, then why did Peter defer to James as the leader?

(v.22) Blasphemy is equating anything with God, and it's worse when someone equates themselves to be God! We see that God doesn't take that lightly, and if we look over history, for the men who proclaimed to be God on earth, were all fated to terrible ends before it was over. (Re: Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, etc.) It all goes back to pride.

4 Sep (Matthew 19)

The Gospels: Holiness and Purity

Matthew 19

(v.6) God does not like divorce. He doesn't list divorce as one of the abominations, but marriage was the first institution He established...one man with one woman.

This can lead us to discuss marriage, homosexuality and divorce with our kids, depending upon their ages.

One thing is clear by what Jesus is saying, is that God never established men and women to divorce, but He allowed it to keep the Jews in their infancy of a nation going.

(v.14) Jesus loves children, and despite what some churches and cults teach, a child who dies is not destined to hell if he or she wasn't baptized. There is a time in life where a child becomes a young adult, and is accountable for themselves. Usually, this age is around 13. Up until then, if a child dies, they are in heaven with the LORD, waiting for us to join them.

(v.21) Jesus knew that this young rich man's god was his wealth and power...he needed to give that up in order to be saved. God doesn't want nor deserve any other things to be above Him!

(v.26) I try to stress to our kids that whatever their situation, all things are possible if we are trusting and walking with God!

19 Aug (Matt 6)

The Gospels: Practicing Righteousness

Matthew 6

(v.1) We are not supposed to tithe and show off what we give to God...that is between Him and ourselves. Besides, a person who wishes to have others know how much he/she gave, is only doing it for themselves...not for the worship of God.

In verses 9-13, we see the prayer that Jesus told His disciples to pray. It is often called the Lord's Prayer, but it's not the prayer of our LORD, it's a template for us to think on all the things of God in prayer.

The REAL LORD's Prayer is in John 17

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name

~ I teach my kids to pray TO the Father, IN THE NAME of Jesus. The Father is to be worshiped and hallowed or respected.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

~ This alludes to the two comings of Christ...He will come again and restore the earth to it's rightful owner (Jesus), and the whole creation will be like it was when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden.

We are also to be mindful that our desires are often not good for us, so we are to trust in Him, to lead us and guide our lives the way He wants us to live for Him.

Give us this day our daily bread

~ God is our Provider, and He will give us all we need in life. Much like the Jews in the Wilderness who were fed by God with manna...they never went hungry.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

~ Only if we have forgiving hearts, can God truly forgive our sins. If we are saved, then we have a new heart that is loving and forgiving. Sure, we will have moments of hate and selfishness, but we won't let our lives be driven by hate and resentment.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

~ God doesn't tempt us, for He can't. But He does allow Satan to tempt us, and God pleads with us to rely on His strength, and His Word, to keep us away from falling into temptation for evil.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

~ It's all about Him, and the glory and praise goes to Him!

(v.16) Like tithing and giving, we shouldn't proclaim our fasting times as well. We shouldn't seem weak and hurting because we're fasting. In fact, when I have fasted, I have found that God strengthens me, and I don't feel weak. Appearing weak to others only is a ploy to tell them you're fasting!

(v.21) If we seek the approval of mankind, then that's as much as we'll get here on earth. But if we seek God's approval and blessings, then He will deliver and prepare wonderful rewards in heaven for us! It's an easy choice!!!

You cannot serve God and mammon.

~ Mammon is money, and if we place riches and material things as important in our lives, then we aren't following God. There is a phrase that is often misquoted that most of us have heard:

Money is the root of all evil...but the Scripture says the LOVE of money is the root of evil. 1 Timothy 6:10

That is a big difference! God blesses some of us with money, and it's up to us to use that money for His purposes, by donating and supporting ministries that do God's work.

(v.33) If we lay our troubles at the foot of the cross, and let Jesus take care of them, then we won't worry and stress ourselves out. It all comes down to the fact of whether we trust God or not.

9 Jul (Daniel 3)

Daniel 3

(v.1) The root of Nebby's pride may have been from a revolt in 596 B.C. so he made this image to require the people to decide who's side they're on. About 20 years have passed since Nebby had Daniel interpret his dream...time allows us to forget God and what we should hold onto.

(v.13) Jews were forbidden to bow before any image in Exo 20:4, Lev 26:1 and Deu 16:22

(v.15) I point out to my kids that Nebby liked Daniel and his three friends, so he gave them a second chance...they were favored in his eyes. Also, notice what Nebby says here:

And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?

Remember this for later in the chapter, for Nebby himself will answer his own question!

(v.18) This is key to the Christian faith...God can get us out of any situation...it just depends upon His purposes and His will, to determine whether we are spared or not. It's hard for all of us to understand sometimes, especially kids, when someone who is faithful is hurt or killed. We as parents need to focus on the goodness of God, and that He sees the big picture...someone may be touched eternally towards salvation by the misfortune of a faithful saint.

(v.25) I suggest you take time to explain a few key elements to this verse:

~ The fire only burned the ropes that bound them...God's eternal fire frees those who are His

~ Take a quick look at Rev 7 where God seals or protects the 144,000 Jews...remember that Daniel is a type of the Church, and he is absent (like the Rapture of the Church after Rev 3) and God will protect His elect during the Tribulation (like Daniel's three friends who are a type of Israel).

~ There was a fourth person there...Jesus Himself! Even Nebby sees that this "man" was like the Son of God...that's because He is!!!

(v.27) As in Rev 7 there are the faithful Jews who are sealed and protected from harm in order to fulfill God's purposes. Daniel's friends are symbolic of Israel in the last days...those that are sealed by God will be free to preach the Gospel and fear nothing.

One thing you can ask your kids, is where is Daniel at this time? He is never mentioned in this chapter.

If we understand the last days, then the model fits...Daniel represents the Church that has been raptured, while God seals the faithful Jews during the time of the Great Tribulation. God has removed His Church from the scene, and goes back to focus on the redemption of Israel.

27 June (Ezekiel 5-8)

Ezekiel 5

(v.2) First of all, in that time and that culture, a man who shaved his beard was very rare. Ezekiel must have looked weird to most people!

God's imagery here is prophetic...one third of the people will die in the fire and siege of Jerusalem. Another third will die by the sword, and the last third will be taken away from the land and scattered.

(v.7) Not only were the people of Israel blessed to have God reveal Himself to them, but they were blessed to have Him care for them as their Father. One would think that they would at least have some respect and gratitude, but they were more wicked than the pagan people all around them!

(v.8) God is patient, but He is also just. He pleaded with Israel and Judah to come back to Him, but they would not. So, just like those we know today that reject Him, they will have judgment come upon them for their own decision.

Ezekiel 6

(v.3) All the pagan people would put their pagan altars on the tops of hills, so everyone could see them. This was a great offense to God, and we do that today with our wicked billboards and big screens at ballgames that profess things of this world.

The only One who should be lifted high is Jesus!!!

(v.8) God always leaves a remnant, so His plan of redemption could be fulfilled. With all of Satan's attempts to wipe out the Jews over the centuries, there was always a remnant who survived and later flourished.

Ezekiel 7

(v.3) God is speaking of the last days here, where those who rejected Him will be judged according to the Law, and their own sins. We who gave our lives to Christ will be judged, but only for rewards...not to damnation.

(v.27) As the Apostle Paul tells us in Rom 7:7 we only are aware of sin because of the Law. Until Christ died for us, we were all doomed to hell by our sinful natures. However, since the blood of the Lamb of God washes away our sins, we won't be judged by the Law, but forgiven by our faith!

Ezekiel 8

(v.12) It seems silly that people could actually think that God couldn't see their sins, but we do this every day ourselves! We may not think He can't see them, but we do them without thinking of Him seeing them. What I mean is, we sin because we think we're good people, when EVERY SIN is an offense to God. We will be more like Christ if we stop and think of Him looking directly at us when we're about to sin...that would stop us in our tracks!

(v.14) Tammuz is the son of Nimrod and Semiramis, and the prototype of the Antichrist. As John describes Nimrod in Rev 6:8 who is the first and the last satanic world leader who will bring death and destruction to the world.

Do a study on Semiramis and Tammuz, and your skin will crawl, seeing the Babylonian pagan practices that have been adopted by the Catholic Church and other denominations. Don't trust me...look for yourself. In order for us to understand Revelation, we need to know the Old Testament first!

12 May (2 Kings 8-10)

2nd Kings 8

(v.2) I find this famine to be like the one in Gen 41 in the dream of Joseph. Seven is the number representing completion in Hebrew culture, and I like to stress to my kids to see the whole Bible as one book...not a compilation of many books. Here we have many different authors who say the same things, and use the same typology. That can only be because there is One Author...the Holy Spirit!!!

(v.6) Just like in Gen 41, the Jews are restored and saved after the famine!

(v.19) We have another reference to the Davidic Covenant...God's promise to David, that his descendants will always rule over Israel. However, only One will rule in the end...Yeshua...Jesus!

2nd Kings 9

(v.20) This is a good Bible reference to say when someone is driving their car in an unsafe way...tell them they are like Jehu! At the very least, they will slow down to know what you mean!

(v.26) Isn't it fitting that the son of Ahab had his corpse thrown on the land of Naboth...the land taken by blood? God doesn't forget the evil things we do, but we can have them washed away by the blood of His Son. All we have to do is repent and accept Christ into our lives.

(v.35) I tell my kids that evil will one day be repaid. Jezebel saw this, and all who deny Christ will regret their pride and foolish ideas of being their own gods on earth!

2nd Kings 10

One thing that strikes me about this chapter, is that God is using a king of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to exact His justice...even upon the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Jehu was following God's Word here, since he cites the words of Elijah and his prophecies.

Ahab and Jezebel are symbolic of evil...God is showing us that He will destroy evil in the Day of the Lord...when Jesus returns. There are patterns and types all throughout the Bible that help us understand the big picture if we study them.

(v.28) Jehu is a type of Christ here...he destroys the evil doers, and also destroys the evil worship places.

(v.29) Jehu is NOT at type of Christ here, because his actions were only political...not spiritual. Jehu only did these things for power, not to serve the LORD, but only for himself. Only God knows the heart, and we need to be discerning of those in the pulpit who seem Scriptural in politics, but fail to be Scriptural in spirit.

If we are following God, our heart will lead us...not our pride. Jehu is a great example of looking holy and righteous on the outside by his actions, but we see that in his heart, he wasn't a real believer in the LORD.

8 May (2 Kings 1-3)

2nd Kings 1

(v.2) Baal-Zebub should be familiar to us...it is often associated with Satan. It is, since this god was the Lord of the Flies! This culture worshipped flies of all things!

(v.10) Again, God works through Elijah, and brings fire down from heaven to consume the enemy fighters. God would show His approval of things by sending fire down from heaven. Most often, it was for sacrifices to Him, but in this case, it was to protect His anointed.

2nd Kings 2

(v.2) Elisha's response to Elijah reminds me of Ruth's to Naomi...they wouldn't be separated from the one they follow.

(v.9) Elisha asked that God would work twice as many miracles through him as He did with Elijah...this came true!

(v.11) Elijah was raptured as was Enoch. These are examples for us to believe in when talking about the rapture of the Church. Also, many scholars believe that the two witnesses that were with Jesus in Matt 17:3 were Moses and Elijah. This makes sense, since Moses represented the Law, and Elijah represented the Prophets. Also, we see two unnamed witnesses in Rev 11 that have the powers that God gave them.

2nd Kings 3

(v.11) Jehoshaphat was wise...inquire of the LORD before doing any important or critical tasks!

(v.22) These battles mirror what God tells us will happen in the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation makes complete sense if we know our Old Testament. I suggest you review Joshua and these kings books, and you'll see what God is telling us in Revelation.

3 May (1 Kings 18)

1st Kings 18

(v.19) This is the great scene where Elijah stacks up the only true God, with 850 pagan priests and their gods! God loves those odds!

(v.21) Elijah tells the people to make a choice...either follow God, or the pagan gods of this world. We are all faced with that decision, and even daily, we can follow God in our actions, or Satan and his worldly lusts.

(v.27) This is a case where God lets Elijah mock the priests. I teach my kids that our worldly gods will fade and fail us, but the true living God, Jesus, will always be with us!

(v.31) Here we see Hebrew numerology again...Elijah uses 12 stones, which symbolizes the 12 sons of Jacob. We also know them as the 12 Tribes of Israel. I remind my kids that if we do our worship according to things in the Bible, God is more likely to hear and bless us.

(v.34) Elijah uses another powerful number in Hebrew culture...the number 3 means redemption. I remind my kids that Jesus spent three days in the grave, and redeemed us when He rose again!

(v.36) Here we see that God told Elijah to do all this, and God blessed Elijah for his courage and faith.

(v.44) We learn another good lesson here...keep praying! God's timing is not our timing, so we should keep praying for things that we ask of Him. Also, Elijah uses another important number in Hebrew culture...the number seven means completion. If you read in Revelation, the number seven is all over the place, mainly because that book completes God's work. Also, God rested on the seventh day in His creation...it was complete!

1 May (1 Kings 16)

1st Kings 16

(v.12) As we read these accounts of the kings of Israel, we see greed and blasphemy as the common traits. I remind my kids, that these kings came into being kings, by birth or by killing the king himself. Not one of them, except Jeroboam, was called to be king by God. This is what God warned Israel about way back when they wanted Saul to be their king...that men would rule with an iron fist, and not serve them.

(v.25) Not only did Omri do evil like his fathers did, but he did WORSE! That is an accomplishment of evil!

(v.29) It seems that each king wants to out-do their predecessors by doing even more evil.

(v.31) Ahab marries Jezebel, and we will learn how evil she is in the coming chapters, and she's also referenced in Rev 2:20-21

(v.32) The pagan god, Baal, will be prevalent in the rest of the Bible. It is satanic, and the cause of many to reject God.

Apr 30 (1 Kings 15)

1st Kings 15

(v.3) We are going to see this happen a lot with the kings of the Southern Kingdom, Judah. I take this time to remind my kids that the Northern Kingdom is called Israel, and the Southern Kingdom is called Judah. The Northern Kingdom went immediately into idolatry and paganism, and God had the Assyrians conquer them first. Judah, at least, had some good kings to go with most of the bad ones, and they lasted longer. But eventually, as we shall see, God used Babylon to conquer them and bring them to repentance.

(v.11) We will see a pattern here...the kings that followed God will rule longer than the ones who didn't. Asa was a good king, and I make sure to point out his good qualities to my kids.

(v.14) This may not be info you share with young kids, but the "high places" were always places where the pagan altars were set. In fact, most of them were phallic in their appearance! Think of the worst of the porn industry, and you have an idea of what these pagan practices were like.

(v.29) We see God's prophecy come to fruition here...all of Jeroboam's descendants were eliminated by Baasha.

Apr 28 (1 Kings 11-12)

1st Kings 11

(v.4) What a sad commentary for the wisest man on earth...he let his 700 wives lead him away for the only true God. This should make us all take a moment to think about our own situations, and stay focused on God, instead of things of this world. If the wisest man God created could be led astray from God, then we need to be even more diligent about our walks with God.

(v.11) I teach my kids that there are consequences for disobedience. Some view Christianity as a life of "no" meaning we are shackled, when it's quite the opposite. If we are obeying God, we will have less problems, and enjoy more of His blessings.

(v.14) God disciplines us with other people and by hard times. God used Israel's enemies to bring them back to Him. That is why Rom 8:28 is so true...no matter what we do, God will use bad events to draw us closer to Him. All we have to do, is repent and obey, then we'll enjoy His peace.

(v.36) God doesn't forget His promises. Solomon disobeyed and disgraced his father's name by turning away from God. But God made an unconditional promise to David, that his seed will produce the Messiah, who will save the world from sin. We can take comfort in this, since God has promised us eternal life with Him, if we have faith in His Son. John 3:16

1st Kings 12

When Rehoboam decided to listen to the young men, and ignore the older men's advice regarding Jeroboam, it seems that he was using his free will to decide. But then, it also seems that God steered Rehoboam that way, so the prophecy that He told Jeroboam earlier would come true. So which is it? Did Rehoboam act on his free will, or did God decide for him?

Calvinists believe that no one comes to God, unless God had already preordained them to salvation. After all, God is sovereign, and He can't learn anything. But if He made some to live, and some to be destined to hell, then John 3:16 and 2 Peter 3:9 are not true!

The Arminians believe that we all have free will, and we can accept, and even lose our salvation by our actions. This takes the work on the cross that Jesus did, to be for nothing, if we can earn or lose our own salvation.

So, many good scholars believe that both are true, but not in their extremes. God is sovereign, and He moves us according to His purposes. However, He does allow us free will, to choose to accept Him, and to choose to live for Him.

Apr 6 (Psa 45, 47, 111, 130, 131, 146)

Songs of Joy and Praise

Psalm 45

(v.3) Jesus is love, but He's also the Avenger of Blood, and will return to bring justice and judgment upon the unbelieving world. Jude 25

(v.4, 9) Jesus is the right hand

(v. 11) This is another OT reference to the Messiah who is God, otherwise, we wouldn't worship Him.

Psalm 47

(v. 5) Jesus has ascended, and He will come back again in the same spot. Acts 1:11

(v.7) God is our King, and we should turn our allegiance to Him, not man.

Psalm 111

(v.1) Praise the LORD = Hallelujah!

(v.4) The LORD is full of grace and compassion...we just have to look and see that He was incredibly patient with His people, even though they were rebellious.

(v.10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. If we are in awe of Him and what He's done for us, then we praise and study His Word...so we gather His wisdom!

Psalm 130

(v.4) The God of the OT is the same as the NT...He forgives if we repent.

(v.7) This is a prophecy of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us!

Psalm 131

The picture here is a young baby suckling on Momma's breast...peaceful and contented. That is how we are when we are walking with Christ. We don't worry about things we can't control, and we lay those problems at the foot of the cross...He knows what to do with them.

Psalm 146

(v.3) It's ok to admire a person and try to emulate their good deeds and work ethic, but we must not idolize anyone. God is the ONLY being that should be worshipped and praised. When we lift up our leaders, we need to pray for them, that they follow God and rule righteously.

(v.5) If we are His, we are joyful and at peace. We know where our final destination is, so while we're here on earth, we need to serve and love others like Christ did.

Mar 28 (Psa 90, 92, 112, 115)

Songs For Right and Wrong

Psalm 90

The heading to this psalm in my NKJV reads:

"A prayer of Moses the man of God."

(v.12) Moses teaches us to make the most of our time here on earth, because we don't have another chance, and we don't know when we will die. It's impossible to evangelize and do missionary work every day of our lives, but we can be a light to the lost who are in darkness. We can show love and kindness every day. And most of all, in different ways, we can worship God every day.

(v.17) Mose rightly calls upon God to establish the work of our hands. If we are in prayer and walking with God, He will guide our steps and lead us to His purposes. Prov 3:5-6

Psalm 92

This is a wonderful song, and it's said to be sung on the Sabbath. In Israel, the first day of the week is Sunday, and the seventh is Saturday. According to creation and the Law, Jews observe the Sabbath starting Friday afternoon at dusk until Saturday afternoon. The Sabbath was ordained by God before He gave Moses the Law, so God must have had all believers starting with Adam observe the seventh day as a day of rest.

Unfortunately, the Jews have taken this and gone to the extreme, where they won't even answer the phone on the Sabbath! God rested on the seventh day, not because He was tired, but because He wanted to hallow it and make it holy. We are to remember what God did in the creation and in our lives on the Sabbath.

The Church observed the Sabbath on Sunday, since Jesus was Resurrected on Sunday. This is why we have church services on that day. However, Jesus is our rest, and He is our Sabbath, so in reality, our Sabbath is every day of the week! Luke 6:5 & Matt 11:28

Psalm 112

Psalms 112-116 are called the Hallel Psalms. Hallel in Hebrew means praise, and during Passover, the Jews would sing these songs in celebration for what God did for them. It is believed that Jesus and the disciples sang these psalms in the upper room at the Last Supper.

Psalm 115

(v.1) Give God the glory for our successes...He gave us the mind and body to perform our achievements. He created us and if we are His, He guided us, so we should praise Him when we succeed.

(v.8) Idols have been in existence for thousands of years. Those who don't have faith in God, make something to replace Him in their lives. They want something to hold or see when they worship. But if we are His, we see Him in His creation, we see Him in the love of a friend, and we see Him in His Word.

There is a saying that I believe is true:

We become like that we worship.

If we worship money and power, we may become rich and powerful, but we also become cold and proud. If we worship our cars or homes, we will become like them, where we are shiny at first, but we fade and become broken down.

But if we worship Christ, the Holy Spirit will sanctify us and mold us to be more like Christ.

Feb 24 (1 Sam 8-10)

1st Samuel 8

(v.5) Samuel is partly to blame for this situation, since he neglected to discipline his sons all this time. My kids pointed out that Samuel isn't responsible for his sons now, since they are adults, and their actions are there own. I agreed, but the people used Samuel's rebellious sons as an excuse to have a king lead them.

(v.6) This is a sad time in Israel's history, and we can see the similarities today in America. When we put our trust in man instead of God, we will only get oppression and disappointment. God warned the Jews of this, and we can see the same pattern today. We should only want one king...the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords!

(v.20) God set Israel apart from all the other nations, and through which to reveal Himself to the world. Here we see Israel wanting to be like all the other nations. We as Christians are set apart just like Israel (Psalm 4:3), and the more we want to be like the world, the more we're acting like Israel did then.

This is a time where I talk with my kids about the founding of America. They didn't want a king, and they made three separate branches of government to make sure one didn't rule over the others. It was a novel and unique aspect, but it was really derived from the Bible.

Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it layed the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?

~ John Quincy Adams (6th President of the United States)

~ transcript of his speech at the 61st anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1837

1st Samuel 9

(v.2) And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

God is a gentleman...He will not push Himself upon us. He will repeatedly strive to draw us to Him, but the choice is ours to follow Him or not. After the people insisted they be led by a man, God gave them the most qualified candidate. Saul was over a foot taller than everyone, so he immediately commanded respect. He was handsome and respected. How could this go wrong?!?

I believe God gave the people the best choice possible, in order to show them that no man would lead them perfectly and justly like God would. God is our King...anyone else won't do.

1st Samuel 10

(v.6) In the Old Testament times, God's Spirit didn't enter people like He does after Jesus ascended into heaven. In those times, God's Spirit came upon them...temporarily. Saul had so much potential to be great, but as we'll see, he didn't rely upon God, and the outcome was tragic.

(v.9) When the Holy Spirit is working in our lives, He gives us a new heart. It's not a softer or cleaner heart...it's a new heart. When we are truly saved, we act and look upon things completely differently.