16 Dec (Revelation 4-5)

Revelation 4

(v.1) ...after these things...here we go into another phase of the book. In chapter one, John wrote about what He saw concerning Christ and visions. In chapters two and three, he wrote about the state of the Church in his day. Now, Jesus is showing John what will happen in the future.

Come up here...this is another reference to the Rapture, and it seems that John was spirited to heaven to see the last days! Remember, God had done this in Scripture quite a few times with Phillip, Paul and others.

(v.4) Another reason I believe that the Church is raptured before the Tribulation, is that the 24 elders represent the Church...and they are in heaven before the Tribulation starts. Elders in the church are the leadership, and David initiated the meaning of the number 24 in 1 Chron 24:1-19

If you look at the appearance of the elders, they fit with the Church and the faithful saints who believe in Christ...that's us!

(v.7) Here we need to remember the Jews in the Wilderness, and the camps of Israel as they traveled. Each face of the angels in heaven represent the four faces of the camps of Israel. Also, they represent the four gospels. Look at the Gospels part of this blog to study up on that.

(v.8) Holy, holy, holy...this is another reference to the Trinity! God is called Elohim in Hebrew, which is a singular noun in the plural tense...three in one!

Revelation 5

(v.1) The Father has the scroll in His hand.

(v.3) No man...not Peter, nor Paul, nor any pope, nor Martin Luther, nor Billy Graham, or anyone...can fulfill the Law and take the scroll. It took God Himself to do it...Jesus!

(v.5) Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy to take the scroll!

(v.6) The Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Lamb are the same...Jesus! When we get into heaven, we will see the scars and cuts on Jesus for His love for us on the cross! I believe this will be the cause of our tears, and He will wipe them away and we will forget all our sins for eternity!

(v.10) We must be clear with this verse to our kids...we will not be gods like Christ, but we will be kings and priests like Him. Because like Him, we were redeemed to the Father, we are kings and priests forever...He is our Kinsman Redeemer!

8 Sep (Matt 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; John 12)

The Gospels: The Coming of the King!

Matt 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-10, Luke 19:29-39, John 12:12-19

This is a very important part of Scripture that our kids need to understand, in order that they understand the WHOLE Bible!

Jesus commands His disciples to do just what Zechariah 5:9:9 prophesied...to find a donkey. This is important to note, that Jesus didn't come on a horse...those are for warriors, and Jesus was our Suffering Servant in His First Coming, so He came on a colt. In Jesus' Second Coming, He will come on a white horse as is written in Rev 19:11

Before Jesus entered Jerusalem on the colt, He wept. Why did He weep? He wept because so many of His chosen people didn't know their Scriptures and didn't listen to their prophets. They should have known that this VERY DAY was prophesied by Daniel 9:25

In 445 BC, King Artaxerxes Longimanus declared that the Jews could go back to Jerusalem after being captive. He declared that they could rebuild the city, the walls, and the Temple...and the King helped pay for it! That was God at work!

If we study Daniel 9, we see that God gave us a timeline for the Messiah to come to His own, and that day was prophesied to be April 6, 32 AD. And guess what day Jesus rode in on the donkey? You guessed it...the exact day that Daniel prophesied! This is one of many examples that our kids need to understand that the Bible isn't just a bunch of stories...it was inspired by a God that is outside the constraints of time...He knew what day He would come as Israel's King! There was no way that Daniel could have predicted that by himself...he had to have the Almighty telling him what to write!

Jesus wept Luke 19:41 because the very people who should have recognized the occasion, only a small percentage of them did. Jesus ended up holding them accountable for it in Luke 19:42 and that is why most of Israel and the Jewish people don't regard Jesus as the Messiah.

The people who did recognize that day, laid out palm branches and declared Jesus King by shouting Hosanna.

Hosanna translated in Greek means God Saves Us...this was a declaration of who Jesus is...His name was His Mission...Jesus means YHWH Saves!

29 June (Ezekiel 13-16)

Ezekiel 13

(v.3) Any time we aren't following God, we're following our own pride. Many people can trick themselves into believing they are acting out God's will, when they haven't been directed by God. In fact, they're using God's name to commit sins and hide behind a "vision" that God supposedly gave them. These people will have to answer to God in the end, and it won't be pretty.

(v.10) Everyone wants peace, but to trick people into thinking that everything is great when it's not is wicked. We see our world right now, relying upon the United Nations and their "peace" to keep the world from exploding. But if we know our Bible, we know that there will only be true peace when the Prince of Peace returns!

Ezekiel 14

(v.5) God really cares about our hearts...others may see a "good" and cheerful person, but only God sees that person who has a hard heart. However, if we have a good heart and we're really His, then we will display our joy and peace in the LORD, and it will be powerful to others!

(v.14) God will protect His own...He will keep those of us who have faith in Him. However, there are many who seem righteous in Christ, but they are only righteous in their own minds.

Ezekiel 15

Jesus speaks of a vine in John 15 in the same way, where the vine has lost it's ability to bear fruit. This is what Israel had become, so the Gentiles, the Church, will be grafted into the blessings of Israel. The Church doesn't replace Israel, but it enjoys many of the blessings BECAUSE of Israel.

In the end, God will graft back in the Jews who come to belief in Yeshua, and we'll all be one in Christ!

Ezekiel 16

(v.8) This is incredible imagery here, and God is likening His believers to a bride, and He is the groom. This mirrors the relationship with the Bride of Christ and the Groom...Jesus. However, God here is speaking of Israel, who was once the sparkle of His eye, but they wasted His love for them. Ruth 3:9

(v.15) So because of their unfaithfulness, the Groom has discarded His Bride. Only until the Bride truly loves Him again, will He let her back into His rest.

(v.20) We see one of the many atrocities that the people committed in their worship of pagan gods. God loves life, and we are to cherish all life. This includes the fight against abortion.

(v.60) God will remember His covenant with Israel and accept them back if they only repent. He is forgiving and patient...He wants us to love Him for the wonderful God and Creator He is!!!

Apr 9 (1 Kings 5-7)

1st Kings 5

(v.3) David was God's warrior, so he had too much blood on his hands to build God's Temple. This duty fell upon David's son, Solomon. It just so happened, that Israel was in a great period of peace and prosperity under Solomon.

(v.7) King Hiram loved David, and he also loved God. It's amazing to see how God worked in the lives of the Gentiles during this time. It's just like today, where God will save anyone who asks Him to save them.

1st Kings 6

(v.11) God reminds Solomon of the Davidic Covenant. This is unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, where God promised Abraham blessings that Abraham didn't need to work for. The Davidic Covenant is conditional...it requires the obedience and devotion of David and his sons to keep the throne. We will see that they were unable to keep it.

The building of the Temple is very interesting, but I like to tell my kids this old Jewish story. It is said that the stones from the quarry were to be used for the Temple, and no hammer or chisel was to be used on them...they had to fit exactly into place just as they were. One of the stones was thrown aside and left neglected for the seven years the Temple was being built. But in the end, they found that piece, and made it the cornerstone of the Temple...the most important piece that keeps everything erect and secure.

In Psalm 118:22, the chief cornerstone was rejected and tossed aside...this is like what happened to Jesus! He, the Chief Cornerstone, was tossed aside and rejected by His people, but later, in the end, they discover Him and place Him where He belongs...the most important part of the Temple!

1st Kings 7

Solomon built a lavish house, but at least he built God's House first!

(v.21) One of the pillars was named Boaz...which means strength in Hebrew! I remind my kids that Boaz was the Kinsman Redeemer in the book of Ruth, and is a type of Christ.

God has his house to be the most wonderful ever made. Even the most beautiful buildings we see in Europe can't compare. It's also worth noting that Solomon's Temple was the only time that God resided in it. It is also the only time that the Ark of the Covenant was there.

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.

Feb 20 (Ruth 4)

Ruth 4

At the end of chapter 3, we saw that Boaz gave Ruth six ephahs. Numbers represent things in Jewish culture, and obviously, in the Bible. The number six represents "incomplete" and seven represents "complete."

Naomi, being Jewish, knew that this was a message from Boaz, that he wasn't finished, and that he would not rest until he completed the transaction!

(v.5) I find it interesting that Boaz addresses Ruth as a Moabitess and the wife of the dead. I'm not sure if that would have been customary in those days, or even proper disclosure, but it sure got the desired effect that Boaz wanted!!!

In this chapter, we see Boaz performing the transaction at the city gate, with witnesses. My kids find it humorous that they "seal the deal" by giving each other their shoe!

The book concludes with the only proof in the Old Testament that David was from the tribe of Judah. This is important, since way back in Genesis 3:15, and to Luke 1:32, we see that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah, and be a son of David. In order to rule in the Millennium, and sit on David's throne, Jesus had to be a descendant of David.

Here are some good points to make with your kids about the typology in this book:

~Ruth (Church) couldn't be grafted into Naomi (Israel) unless Naomi (Israel) was exiled from her land

~ This allows Ruth (Church) to marry into Naomi's (Israel's) family

~ Ruth (Church) doesn't replace Naomi (Israel), but is grafted into the same tree of Israel (Rom 11:17)

~ Ruth (Church) comes to know Boaz (Kinsman Redeemer) because of Naomi (Israel)

~ Naomi (Israel) comes to personally know Boaz (Kinsman Redeemer/Christ) through the marriage of Ruth (Church) and Boaz (Christ)

Feb 19 (Ruth 3)

Ruth 3

Here we see Boaz fulfilling the role of the Kinsman Redeemer, which is called a Goel in Hebrew. In those days, if you couldn't afford to keep your land, then a relative (a kinsman) could buy it on your behalf. This is what Boaz was doing for Naomi.

Boaz is a type of Christ in this book, Naomi is a type of Israel, and Ruth is a type of the Church or Bride of Christ.

In order to be a Goel, the kinsman must fulfill the following:

~ must be kin (Jesus became man to die in our place)
~ must be able to purchase (Jesus' blood purchased us)
~ must be willing (Jesus willingly was beaten and crucified for us)
~ must assume all debt (Jesus took on all our sins)

So here we see Boaz, as the Lord of the Harvest, taking on the role of the Goel, and redeeming Naomi (Israel) to her land. In the process, he has taken a Gentile Bride and had all debts forgiven...does this sound familiar?

Is it no wonder that the book of Ruth is read by Jews at the Feast of Shavout (Feast of Weeks) every year? Doesn't it seem strange that this is the only feast that uses leavened bread, and two loaves at that? Isn't this pointing to the existence of the Gentiles in God's plan and the two loaves represent Israel and the Bride of Christ?

Also, this is the very feast that the Church was born on Pentecost! (Acts 2)